New goals for piano student that aren't grades?

11 replies

breakdown19 · 01/02/2022 17:56

Ds is y9 about to choose options and adamant he doesn't want to do music which is fine with me. He also doesn't want to join the orhchestra or any ensembles (he started trumpet in y7 and seems to enjoy playing that too, found the music online for a piece they play in the avengers movie and persevered until he had got it) doesn't seem to be going for grades.

He was in a choir but left because his voice was in a weird place
He is quite musical but laaaaazy about practicing, not helped by lockdown etc (he took grade 3 and got merit in November 2019)
He has been preparing the pieces for grade 4 for approx 12 months now for piano but keeps finding other things he would prefer to play other than his set pieces.... his teacher won't move him to the g5 pieces until he is happy with his g4

His piano teacher is lovely but incredibly relaxed and so my son is relaxed about not practicing etc
I want him to aim for something...
gosh this is quite long, thanks for reading this far if you have.

I know his music teacher at school will be disappointed that he isn't choosing music... and I want him to keep music in his life as long as possible if that makes sense!

OP posts:

Knittingnanny2 · 01/02/2022 18:04

My eldest son ( now 40!) loved playing the piano, taught himself guitar etc but chose to keep it as a hobby even though he had tremendous potential. I’m a pianist and hated practising as a child so I took a step back and let him go at his own pace.
He did actually choose music face in the end but didn’t bother with grades as he would rather chose his own stuff to play he also spent hours composing his own stuff.
Fast forward to present day, he still loves playing, has always been in a band wherever he has lived and says he can’t imagine a life without a piano and lots of guitars in it!
I’m not a big fan of learning pieces for an exam to the exclusion of everything else.
Unless he wants to be a professional musician I would let him choose his own path

Knittingnanny2 · 01/02/2022 18:05

GCSE not face!

Elisheva · 01/02/2022 18:20

I hated all the stuff around learning grades. After grade 4 I started learning pieces from the Microjazz series and it really caught my imagination. I still love to play the piano now.
My sister (much more compliant) dutifully went up to grade 6, but rarely plays now.

Original poster

breakdown19 · 01/02/2022 20:07

Thanks for your replies @Knittingnanny2 and @Elisheva
I definitely want him to enjoy keeping music in his life... but I also think he needs something to aim for, so that he has some impetus to sit down at the piano to practise something
I suppose in the way someone needs some kind of deadline for eg running, train for a half marathon or whatever

OP posts:

TooWicked · 01/02/2022 20:10

What type of music does he like? Would he prefer doing Rockschool piano grades?

Original poster

breakdown19 · 03/02/2022 23:50

@TooWicked

What type of music does he like? Would he prefer doing Rockschool piano grades?

Oh wow. I have just looked these up... maybe I have bought a book and will see what his teacher says

OP posts:

User48751490 · 23/02/2022 18:48

Look at film scores, anything that captures his imagination. Lots of stuff out there just to play for fun, at your own pace.

horseymum · 23/03/2022 09:17

There are also festivals, both competitive i.e. you get a mark and ' just for fun' classes where you only get the comments. My Ds doesn't do exams but occasionally enjoys this. Does your teacher do recitals? Might be nice for all the pupils to play to their families.

horseymum · 23/03/2022 09:18

My Ds likes ragtime and boogie woogie, try lots of different styles. He often picks quite hard pieces but works away at them because he has chosen them

ChicCroissant · 23/03/2022 09:45

My DD finds the grade pieces a bit tedious and when I changed her music tutor I did ask for a wider repertoire - her current teacher (not piano) is fabulous and she's played pop music and musical theatre pieces which she's absolutely loved. Has he tried the sheet music of any rock/pop songs that he likes (Hal Leonard books are good for this).

jytdtysrht · 23/03/2022 10:19

It sounds like he needs to play music like theme tunes - in his lessons and then he will practice them as they are fun and inspiring. You can get all sorts on YouTube - my ds used to play on the piano a piece that was the music from an x box game. But really I’d ask the teachers if they are able to find stuff of an appropriate standard. Both trumpet and piano should have loads of stuff written for them that is really fun.

Flip