Karen Marshall is a dedicated piano educator who creates accessible music. Widely published, her work includes the popular "Get Set! Piano My First Piano Books" for young learners, "Get Set Tutors & Pieces" (with Heather Hammond), and the innovative new "Couch to Concert" series, designed to engage and motivate teenage and adult pianists (all with Collins Music). She teaches piano in York, as well as primary classroom music.
The Challenge of Motivation
Many students, both young and adult, often express a lack of practice time. Younger students might have parents sending messages to the teacher with apologies. While a younger teacher might feel discouraged by this, experienced teachers understand it's important to explore the reasons why a student is struggling with motivation, rather than simply focusing on what they haven't done.
The "Couch to Concert" series specifically addresses the motivational challenges of teens and adults. These groups often face unique obstacles:
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Teens: They are navigating identity formation, finding their place in the world, and dealing with significant academic pressures.
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Adults: They may be exhausted after work or find the cognitive demands of learning piano to be challenging. The process of learning piano can be very mentally taxing. Adults may also find it harder to form new neural connections due to decreased neuroplasticity.
Strategies for Motivation
Here are some strategies to help adult and teen piano students stay motivated:
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Realistic Expectations and Progress Tracking
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Explain the Time Commitment: Acknowledge that learning piano takes time and consistent effort. It's not a process of instant gratification. For example, the average age of a student taking Grade 1 Piano is around 11, and if children start at 7, it takes approximately 4 years to reach that level. This should be explained to students to manage their expectations.
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Gentle Progression: Use materials with a gradual learning curve. The "Couch to Concert" series, while containing sophisticated material, is designed with a gentle progression, similar to series written for children, to build confidence.
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Document Progress: Create a system to track and celebrate achievements. For younger students, this might involve a Whatsapp group with the parent included (if the student is under 18). Videoing performances at different stages of learning can provide tangible evidence of improvement.
2. Goal Setting
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The GROW Model: A popular coaching model that can be applied to piano learning:
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Goal: Define the objective.
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Reality: Assess the current situation.
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Options: Explore possible strategies.
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Will: Establish the commitment and action plan.
Applying this coaching model to piano learning:
Goal: Define the objective. For example, practice piano at least four times a week for 20 minutes. Understanding the benefits of learning piano can strengthen goals:
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Comprehensive brain workout.
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Improves emotional well-being (e.g., "Music is the shorthand of emotion." - Leo Tolstoy).
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Enhances memory and concentration; may help prevent Alzheimer's.
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Reduces depression and improves mood in older adults.
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Provides a unique hand workout.
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Offers lifelong learning and work/life balance.
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Boosts self-esteem and provides a sense of achievement.
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Develops resilience, patience, and tenacity.
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Reduces stress through emotional regulation.
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Creates feelings similar to mindfulness. Clearly outlining these benefits can significantly aid learning.
Reality: Assess the current situation. For the example goal:
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When is the best practice time, considering the weekly schedule?
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Is the piano in a comfortable location?
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What material does the student enjoy?
Options: Explore strategies. For the example goal:
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Schedule practice when the evening is free.
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Use two 10-minute sessions instead of one 20-minute session.
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Include easy and challenging material.
Will: Establish the action plan. For the example goal:
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Practice Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and once on the weekend.
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Split practice: 10 minutes before school/work, and 10 or 20 minutes in the evening (20 minutes if the morning session is missed).
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Agree on suitable material with the teacher, and be honest about what is manageable.
Another useful model is SMART goals.
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By setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals, students can also maintain focus and motivation.
3. Understanding the Benefits of Learning Piano
It's helpful for students (and teachers) to be aware of the many benefits of learning the piano. Here are some of the reasons people learn to play:
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Playing an instrument is a comprehensive brain workout.
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It impacts emotional state and can improve overall well-being. As Leo Tolstoy said, "Music is the shorthand of emotion."
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It improves working memory and concentration skills. Some studies suggest it may help prevent Alzheimer's disease.
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Studies have shown piano training can decrease depression and improve mood in older adults.
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It works all ten fingers simultaneously, providing a unique hand workout.
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It can provide a "lifelong learning" opportunity and a fun hobby for work/life balance.
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It gives a sense of achievement and boosts self-esteem.
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It develops resilience, patience, and tenacity.
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It reduces stress by encouraging emotional regulation.
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It can create feelings similar to those experiences during mindfulness activities.
Being clear about these benefits from the outset can significantly aid the learning process.
4. The Importance of Inspiring Repertoire
One aspect of motivation that I believe is absolutely crucial is the choice of repertoire. The pieces a student works on can make all the difference in their enthusiasm and dedication.
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Connection and Enjoyment: When students feel a connection to the music they're playing, they're far more likely to invest time and energy in practicing. If they enjoy the piece, the practice itself becomes more rewarding.
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Relevance: For teenagers and adults, it's especially important that the music feels relevant to their lives and tastes. This might mean exploring contemporary compositions, film scores, or arrangements of popular songs, alongside classical pieces.
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Challenge and Achievement: It's a delicate balance. The repertoire should provide a healthy challenge, pushing the student to grow, but it should also be achievable, allowing them to experience the satisfaction of mastering a piece. That feeling of accomplishment is a powerful motivator.
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Variety: Offering a variety of styles and genres can keep things interesting and prevent burnout. It also allows students to discover new musical passions and broaden their musical horizons/
Final thoughts: Ultimately, fostering motivation in piano students, particularly teenagers and adults, requires a well-rounded approach. I've found that incorporating strategies like setting realistic expectations, consistently tracking progress, utilising effective goal-setting models. carefully selecting inspiring repertoire, and fully understanding the wide-ranging benefits of playing the piano can lead to musical success!