Dr. Carmen Hall, UMTA President, and musician extraordinaire paid our St. George Chapter a visit and shared a great presentation with us on inspiring our students.
We all shared some of our own ideas of motivating students: bribery, rewarding, compliments, critique, and others!
We underestimate the effects of positive reinforcement. Recording a lesson session to hear how you as a teacher come across may be an excellent tool for improving your teaching.
Sometimes questions of curiosity, rather than inquisition, can be effective.
- Can I give you some feedback?
- That is really good. You at about 90-95% there. Is that good enough for you, or would you like to polish it a bit more?
- Are you enjoying learning this piece?
- Shall we try your scales with a different rhythm?
- How would you like to do it?
The more you try it, the better you'll get at asking questions...
Having a way for students to measure their progress can be very effective. Whether it's leveling up on technique, or playing more difficult pieces at each piano recital, students like to see and recognize their progress.
Encouraging students to come up with their own practice games, and then sharing them with you at their next lesson.
Every student is different and unique. As teachers, one of our important jobs is to discover what the student responds to and makes them light up. We need to be creative and pay attention to our students.
