In modern
society we are obsessed with leveling up. We push ourselves and our children to
achieve higher goals. We sell ourselves on a concept of working hard so we can
enjoy life more. I’m not going to say that there is anything wrong with setting
high goals. And certainly, hard work is a necessity to gain some of the
luxuries available to us in this day and age. However, we have become so
obsessed with getting to the future that we barely give any thought to where we
are, and what we are doing, in the present. Our education system (especially in
the U.S.) is constantly pushing each generation to do more than the last. The
way the school system is set up, students learn a concept (or a year’s worth of
concepts) and then are pushed to the next one, regardless of how comfortable
they are with the material or how well they handle it.
So what does this have to do with
music? As part of the education of many children, music is also constantly
asking them to level up. Unfortunately, many music students, already
uncomfortable in their skin, have great difficulty moving forward with music. They
encounter the same struggles with each new piece. This is because they are
pushed to move forward before they are comfortable with where they are. The
wonderful thing about music lessons is that they can be tailored to fit the
student’s needs. The tragic thing about music lessons is that they often are
not tailored to fit the student’s needs. Festivals, Guild, and Examinations are
wonderful means of evaluating a student. However, once the student has
performed acceptably at one level, they are expected to go on to the next. Some
students can do this with no issues. That is generally a sign that they are
comfortable, both technically and musically, at their current level. They are
ready to be pushed to a higher level.
This post is not for the extremely
talented student, however. It is for the average-paced learning student. In
education, we tend to think of average as a bad thing, as though the average
learner is the exception and not the rule. In music, there is such an abundance
of repertoire at any given level, that there is no reason to move a student to
a noticeably higher level immediately. A gifted teacher should be able to
perceive where the student is most comfortable, least comfortable, and
tottering between the two. Such a teacher will search for repertoire that
emphasizes the student’s strengths and helps to improve upon their weaknesses.
In my opinion, students must be at complete technical ease and playing with a
high level of musical sensitivity before they are moved to a higher level.
As a parent reading this blog, you
may be thinking that this is all well and good, but you aren’t the one to determine
these things. And you are absolutely right. If you have done the research and
found yourself an excellent teacher (next week’s post!), you should trust
him/her to do the job. If you feel that your child is progressing slower than
you feel he/she ought, be patient. Know that the teacher is working to make
sure that your child is 100% comfortable at their level, before moving on. What
you as parents must be more sensitive to is if you feel lessons are moving at
too quick a pace. If your child is struggling, bring your concerns to the
teacher. Don’t try to tell the teacher what to do. Just say that your child has
been working diligently and does not seem to be moving forward, and is experiencing
frustration because of it. If your child has not been working diligently, using
smart practice techniques such as these, do not address it with the teacher. The
way the student has been practicing will be the first thing most teachers will
address when problems arise.
Do not compare your child’s musical
progress to that of other children. It is unfair in the extreme and very
damaging to their overall development. As I talked about here, music lessons are
so important to our development as humans. If we make them a negative
experience, children will never truly grow to understand their own music and
the music surrounding them. Allow your child to stay at their level, at the
teacher’s discretion, for as long as necessary. If they have built a solid
technical and musical foundation, by the time they get to the heavy repertoire,
they will not have to review fundamental concepts repeatedly. Instead, they
will be able to play with musical fluency and technical ease and express their
music without hindrance.
Music is part of this journey we
call life. And if we are constantly setting goals for students which can’t be
achieved, they will never receive any joy from it. Of course, we must set goals
for them and they must work hard to achieve them. These should be goals which
are reasonable and which advance the student both as a person and a musician.
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