how long to learn music and then some

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

Maybe this student would benefit from sight-reading exercises! If she’s really not motivated to do a lot of practising, then she should develop her reading skills so that it doesn’t take as long to whip up a new piece. Maybe have a duet session at the end of each lesson, in which she reads really easy parts which she is not ALLOWED to practise at home. You could treat this as a reward for good work. A side benefit: You’ll be working on ensemble skills at the same time. Her goal may be just to play the harp for her own enjoyment, so this might fit the bill.

[carl-swanson]

Diane- If you’re burned out on this student(who wouldn’t be) then you can always set her up with another teacher. maybe a fresh start with someone else would actually be good for her. Many times I’ve heard teachers say that they have told such-and-such a student the same thing for the past six months. Then the student goes to a masterclass and the teacher there says the same thing and suddenly the student listens and does it.

Talk to one or more teachers near by who would be willing to take her on. Then tell her parents you cannot teacher her any more but you’ve found several other teachers who she could go to. Then let them, and the girl make the move.

[Jerusha Amado]

Carl,

My teacher taught me a similar technique for just learning a piece (no memorization) but with the addition of the metronome, bringing each measure (or half measure, depending on its difficulty) up to a manageable speed.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I thought Diane said two weeks per piece. I wish I could learn that fast. I saw a Curtis student attempt to play the Britten Suite and proudly announce that she had learned it in a few weeks, and proceeded to play many notes in the wrong octave, many things that were reading errors. It was embarassing. That was several years ago, by the way, no one who was there within recent memory.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I am tempted to turn away adult students who are irregular, forget to pay and don’t progress, but I am too poor. If I ever get enough good students, they can hit the road to someone else. In the meantime, I take everybody!

[unknown-user]

Interesting thread. This quandry does seem to be the domain of the teenager/adolescent. I’ve encountered it with very bright students who also enjoy the harp. I’ve asked them outright what would motivate them. It can sometimes help to make it a team effort. I’ve found that often these students ‘want’ to be more motivated, but alas they are not. Many teenagers don’t get the sleep they need especially with schools starting so early and such. Some just drift along in a continual fog. Research shows that teenagers need as much sleep as very young children and that they do better when their day starts around nine or later.

Finding ways to make the harp the student’s escape from external pressures, rather than yet another pressure is of some help. All in all, it is a question I have not mastered the answer to, but then again, life is rarely perfect. Good luck.

[diane-michaels]

A little follow up – I’ve been studying my student very closely these past few lessons and have learned some things about her.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

It sounds like she needs to be given privacy by her family: that can be a serious problem. I would try to address that. In my experience, theory skills don’t help if the desire to use them isn’t there. I wonder if she will be different if she is away from home for camp.

[unknown-user]

This is an interesting situation for me as I’m going through a similar situation with a pupil at the moment. And I’m beginning to become concerned that its too much of a mismatch between teacher and pupil.

I like him, he’s an adult beginner, a gentle soul, and has alot of musical talent, he is also smart and intelligent. But! he does not apply himself to anything that I ask him to do. Does not read my notes, does not practise the pieces or exercises I ask him to, has difficulty focusing on what I ask him in lessons, vagues off, ask unrelated questions, breaks into tunes he has learnt himself..or will jump up mid sentence while I’m trying to tell him something and start playing with the buttons on my couch (its

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

Oh, that’s a tough one! It almost sounds like he has Attention Deficit Disorder. Try this: ask him to write down any questions he has, and write your answers into his book. Also, let him know that you will quizz him on what was written in the book, so that he may feel motivated to actually open it and read it. Have you sat him down and explained to him that he will progress a lot faster if he doesn’t spread himself too thin and applies himself to accomplishing a set goal instead of going off in all directions? Does he have Philip Johnston’s books on practice tips? Does he have a particularly favourite piece that he loves so much that he will practise it? I don’t know whether any of this will help, but good luck!

[vince-pierce]

Diane – This is such an interesting post. I have to admit that at times, I am much like your student. For me it is no issue of interest, desire or (can I say?) talent. I am a senior music major (I study clarinet) and have been learning harp for two years. The problem for me is finding time, focusing, and remaining focused during a practice session. I also find it difficult to take apart a piece slowly and work deliberately, especially if I know the piece very well. The thing that helps me the most is when I have a specific performance goal in mind. I am learning the harp so people can hear me play it, and the pressure and excitement of an impending performance motivates me very much. I am someone who focuses on the end result and has a hard time understanding or following the process. My teacher writes in a notebook for every lesson we have. We go through excercises and music and she writes each item down along with tempi and important notes for me to focus on. She does this with all her students, regardless of level. This is extremely helpful for me. She does not dictate every second of my practice routine, but gives specific information for practicing. She does not tell me how long to practice anything (except for glissandos, so I don’t get blisters). And the fact that it is neatly written in an orderly manner and in a notebook with all my lesson notes helps me a great deal, as I like to have things very very organized and neatly arranged. But outside of lessons it is up to me to sit down at the harp and concentrate and focus only on the specific goals for that week, and maybe do a little bit of playing for my own enjoyment. I think you are going even beyond what is asked of a teacher. I think that, honestly, is what makes a great teacher. Perhaps specific and more short-term goals will help her, as well as setting very specific guidelines (but not timetables) and holding her accountable (as in, ‘do this if you want me to keep teaching you’). I don’t know if I’ve said anything different from everyone else, or that my input is of any greater value, but I thought you might like to hear it from a student’s perspective. I hope things work out better when she returns.

Vince

[unknown-user]

Yes, he does strike me as a

[unknown-user]

And yes, I have tried writing out all his favourite tunes for him. And he is so enthusiastic at the time, but by the

[Leigh Griffith]

Curly,

I almost hate to say this, but it sounds just like the way my Mom was
in early stage Alzheimer’s. She was in her early 60’s at the time, but
I understand that it can begin as early as one’s twenties. I hope I am
wrong! Both my mother and grandmother suffered with it and every time I
forget something this little nagging though creeps in – what if?

You may be doing him a great favor by feeding him, but that may not be all he needs.

[Leigh Griffith]

Oops, I meant ‘nagging thought’. Hmmm….

[Author]

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