There's More Than One Teacher At Your Piano Lesson

Piano students...today I want you to look at another "hat" that you wear...that you may not have noticed before. 

Every time you walk into your teacher's studio, or sign on to connect with her or him online, you bring a very special aspect to the lesson time that ends up making your teacher...a better teacher!  

It's important to know that you bring this special tool to your piano playing and growth, because it will inspire you to play and study/practice better. Ready to know what it is?

You're not just our students...you are our teachers as well! 

A good piano teacher is going to have a solid education, experience playing the piano, and the ability to pass along that expertise to a student in a way that helps the student achieve his or her goals of playing the piano well. 

But...that's only part of the equation. 

The other "half" of this relationship between teacher and student is the unique personality of each student, her or his past experiences, and how that individual student learns best; because all of these factors play an important part in the growth of the student. 

In other words, you students teach us teachers to:

• be flexible in our way of communicating and adapt it - so that we're effective with each of you as an individual
• listen and not just talk - so that we know that you really understand the information
• develop more patience - so that you have time to learn the material on your own time schedule
• be challenged  to keep growing in our own ability to play the piano
• create new ways of teaching the different techniques of piano playing so that they are fun and effective
• be humble as we make your goals our priority instead of our own
• discover new tips and helpful ways to play something because of your suggestions

Did you realize that you do all of that for us teachers? :) 

The teacher - student relationship is an equally interactive one that asks each partner to be the student and the teacher at the same time.

You don't have to try to teach as a student...you just do, by being there. For your teacher to really succeed in teaching you well, these aspects need to be a part of the equation, and will be if you are succeeding at learning to play the piano. You also help us see when we're perhaps not being as strong as we could be in a specific area by how you are growing and playing. (unless it's a matter of just not practicing) 

So the next time you get together with your piano teacher, remember this...you are bringing wonderful tools to your lesson that help your teacher grow, just as he or she is helping you to grow. As you think about this, see if it changes the way you prepare for your lessons or the way you practice your material. Sometimes realizing the importance of your role makes you take it a bit more seriously and there is a neat feeling of taking more responsibility for your success. 

Stay Tuned to PianoLessonsOnTheWeb.com to learn much more and achieve your dream of playing the piano!

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