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Why most of Piano( not sure of others)teachers wants to move slow ?

18 replies

mom17 · 21/09/2015 06:14

DS (9 yrs) has been learning Piano for 1 year 3 months and progressing very well. Till June'15 he finished Alfred Premier level 3(3/4th) along with few other random pieces from various resources. He was able to master few Grade-1 pieces within 2-3 weeks (in self learning mode) but 3 months back our teacher told us that He follows Alfred Basic Piano Library and since DS is learning from AP( teacher said which he is not familiar much) and few other resources, he is not able to gauge him and would prefer ABPL and then he started Book 4( last 1/4th part) of ABPL and now in middle of Book-5.

Yesterday we has run though for concert practice where all other kids play in front of all, I saw other kid playing piece from AP level-3 and when I inquired from parent, got to know teacher start AP for him some times back. I am pretty disturbed since then, looks like though teacher liked AP ( we were the first one to start in his school) and started for other kids seeing improvement in DS, he started ABPL all over again to bring DS slow down. Since ABPL is kind of easy for DS now, he doesn't take any interest in playing and keeps trying harder pieces( grade 2-3 ) from other books but afraid to show to teacher. Actually 4 months back, when DS was showing ABRSM grade-1 pieces(self learned) to teacher, teacher asked him not to learn those so DS has kind of got the message that teacher doesn't allow extra pieces. I am afraid DS will learn few wrong things or will not learn correctly in absence of showing those to teacher.

There is a dearth of good piano teachers here ( not UK) and hence I am also kind of afraid talking to teacher as I know he might say "take your child out if you don't like my method". As this place is nearest to my home and one of the only place 5'th grade on-wards, I don't want to go in any argument with teacher as it will impact DS's learning. I am not inclined for music exams and was thinking of telling teacher if he can follow classical pieces for him instead of method books but don't think he will agree as director of that school is LCM exams head for this whole region. I believe that if DS can learn fast difficult pieces/technique before he starts middle school, it will be better as otherwise he might give up with increased studies pressure.

Somehow, I believe that most of Piano teachers have some fixed agenda regarding time-frame when child can give Grade-1(or any other) exam and slow down child when they see child is progressing fast. I am not sure why ? Am I thinking wrong here or is there any other reason for this ?

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Mistigri · 21/09/2015 09:29

I don't think there is any alternative but to talk to his teacher. As long as both sides discuss the issue like adults and listen to each other there shouldn't be an issue.

My issue is somewhat the opposite, but my daughter started piano much later.

Mistigri · 21/09/2015 09:30

Sorry, pre-coffee typo - I meant experience not issue.

balletgirlmum · 21/09/2015 09:49

I find it odd that your teacher does not allow an enthusiastic child to experiment with pieces outside of the tutor book

I have to say that personally I don't like the Alfred method at all.

Due to other dance commitment I started to teach ddthe piano myself at home as i didn't want the pressure to practice that you'd naturally get with a proper teacher due to limited hours in the day. We used Pauline Hall Piano Time & she progressed well, learning to read music alongside fingering and touch etc. She did this for a year.
When she was 8 she stRted having lessons with a visiting teacher at school. He started her on Alfred Basic Piano Course. I didn't interefere (dh is a music teacher & nothing worse than interfrring parents) we discovered about a year later when she was about to do her first exam that she had gone backwards. She coukdnt read music any more but was playing more or less by ear using some strange method of hand position. We let her continue as she liked the teacher & there wern't many alternatives but she did not progress at all. She moved school at age 11 & changed teachers. She virtuslly had to start from scratch.

So id say go with your gut instinct a bit.

Worriedandlost · 22/09/2015 10:02

Sounds very strange. At this age with the enthusiastic student - I don't see any reason to make an artificial slow down.

mom17 · 22/09/2015 11:10

I had a word with teacher couple of months before, what I could get from his view-point is "playing is different than understanding intricacies of musicality (thinking beyond notes as he is good sight reader). Teacher's point is by making him do pieces of higher level without introducing how key signatures are formed and why there is tonality involved in music is wrong approach. So, obviously if DS shows any songs which has things not covered by teacher before, teacher ask him to not do that. I agree to teacher's point of view and we continued whatever he suggested. Teacher is probably judging him on how good/fast DS can master easy pieces but DS doesn't like ABPL and literally goes to sleep/grumpy mood playing those.

I don't want to curb Ds's interest in curbing trying out new and harder pieces on his own as that has really helped him sight-reading wise but at the same time can't ask teacher to correct and teach him all technicalities of that pieces. I infact thought of having one more teacher which can just teach him whatever random he wants to try out but then it is not good. So, I am kind of convinced that not following exams drill is only solution as anyway music is for soul/heart, not academia.

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Worriedandlost · 22/09/2015 11:41

My understanding is that average speed of progression is grade/year. I would be concerned that dc is too bored of playing smth that is too easy and not challenging. Some of my friends came across situations where teachers had their own funny ideas. Like one friend's son, also 9-10yo, had a teacher whose plans were to do grade 1 in three years. Needless to say that as soon as they changed a teacher the boy progressed very quickly.

mom17 · 22/09/2015 14:27

I guess that's the trend here as well. 2-3 years minimum.

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Ferguson · 22/09/2015 23:28

I have no valid reason to suggest this, but maybe some teachers who are not highly qualified or musically competent, don't have the skills, or the personality, to inspire pupils to progress more quickly.

Also, I could cynically suggest that the longer they keep a pupil, the longer they receive an income!

After the Volkswagen revelations, I begin to wonder if there are any honest people left in the world!

Worriedandlost · 23/09/2015 00:01

I feel that my dd's teachers are more or less correct with their exam timing, therefore there are definitely honest people out there :)
2-3 years per grade, especially for a 9yo is far too long! I don't even doubt his musical ability taking into account his enthusiasm! Something is definitely not right there....

antimatter · 23/09/2015 00:06

"slowing down" is usually to learn better technique

mom17 · 23/09/2015 04:33

As such I don't doubt teacher's skills, he is very skilled and a nice fellow. I guess it is to do with school's philosophy where he is a teacher. I agree that slowing down is to learn better technique but a child might loose interest in that slowing down.

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Worriedandlost · 23/09/2015 09:26

antimatter, I am not sure that grade 1 technique is requiring 3 years of learning for an enthusiastic 9yo. Mine took grade 1 exam at 5.5 and I don't feel her technique was greatly damaged. But then her teacher thought it was cool to have 5yo with an exam record Grin.

Witchend · 24/09/2015 16:54

I wonder if he feels you're being pushy so he's trying to keep you at the pace he feels is right.
I'm just thinking that for mine there are so many fun books for them to learn new pieces why he/you chose to learn the grade pieces? It comes across as making a point.

I always found our teachers very happy for them to bring their own pieces to lessons, but they often want to work them slowly through the grade pieces and not particularly (at that stage) go ahead on their own on those pieces.

For mine it was roughly an exam a year for piano.

ShellingPeasAgain · 24/09/2015 18:31

The view of most piano teachers I know and those in professional orgnaisations such as EPTA or ISM, is that the average time for a beginner to reach grade 1 level is around 2 years. I've had some who've done it in 1 year (tend to be older students) and some who've taken 3 years to get to pre-grade 1 level and will probably never reach grade 1 at all.

Grade 1 in piano is not a beginner's exam and really can't be compared to grade 1 on some single clef instruments. TBH the focus on exams in the early stages of learning piano can result in slower progress than leaving the whole exam process alone until the student has reached grade 3 or higher.


I'm assuming your DS didn't start with this teacher? Perhaps the new teacher has discovered some gaps in his knowledge which he wants to fill in? I've had transfer students who could play grade 2 pieces but had learnt them by rote, one bar at a time and couldn't really read music at all and had limited theory knowledge, so I had to backtrack to help them move forwards more quickly in the long run.


You don't say where you are but I've found through discussion with teachers in other countries, they are much more focussed on completing tutor book series than in the UK and so perhaps don't explore as much repertoire outside of whatever series they use. I don't continue with tutor books past prep test/Initial level for the majority of mine but perhaps your current teacher doesn't have the knowledge of alternative repertoire and so sticks to the tutor books. The Alfred series, both Basic and Premier do move quite slowly.

mom17 · 25/09/2015 05:56

DS kind of started with this teacher @8 years of his age. Though He had keyboard lessons for 1 yr started @4 and ended @5, in which he had done John Thompson easiest Piano lesson book 2 half. Then we had 3 years gap because of medical reasons. teacher point was most of the pieces which DS learned with him ( current teacher) was self-learned and he had just become corrector and another point was DS finds it difficult to correct mistakes on self learned pieces and he often does same mistakes. Now ABPL is teacher driven in which new piece starts in class but I still often see marking for mistakes in next class so looks like DS still makes small mistakes on teacher taught pieces.

But somehow, you seem correct about him not liking starting on exam pieces as otherwise once in a while DS does show extra pieces to teacher for which I have already talked to teacher saying that I have bought some books and pls. see if those are appropriate for him but those books are DS's driven, as in when he learns something, he shows to teacher and teacher correct him but somehow DS is very reluctant to show some self learned lessons to teacher which he thinks are grade 2-3 as he has got the sense that teacher will say no for them. My only crib was for ABPL which is so boring and I wish we can get away with method books and concentrate more on other easy pure classical pieces.

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Benzalkonium · 14/10/2015 21:50

It is such a shame you and your child don't have an open and trusting relationship with the teacher. I have no advice, but think it must add an extra challenge to learning music for your child. I hope you can find a way to support your child in this difficult situation. I hope it doesn't get too frustrating for him.

mom17 · 15/10/2015 04:46

I finally had a word with teacher and he agreed to teach DS songs which he wants to learn along with method book which teacher is following. Things are better now.

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Benzalkonium · 15/10/2015 21:01

I'm so pleased to hear that. Hope the teacher pupil relationship develops well over time.

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