National Novel Writing Month asks, “Are you a Planner or a Pantser?” Do you love to plan or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants? I feel as though I’m flying by the seat of my pants. Little did I dream when I began this blog that less than 300 days in we would be in the middle of (or worse, at the beginning of) a global pandemic. Yet here I am. I’ve been diligently applying myself to my Suzuki piano teacher training, studying the Twinkles and other Book 1 pieces, reading and journaling about teaching Suzuki piano, while holding two jobs and running a household. I’ve been juggling study, work, and play, desperately keeping most of my balls in the air while trying to get enough sleep at night.
Now, I seem to have hours of time on my hands, yet plenty of tasks to fill it. I’ve been “pantsing” along, laying the tracks directly in front of the train, and mixing metaphors as though my life depended on it. I realize that now is the time to make long-term plans to meet a long-term crisis. I read somewhere that our greatest weapons these days are science and information. I intend to make the most of both.
I found a quote that fits the situation. “The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” —William Arthur Ward
Today is the first day back from Winter Break, and I’m feeling methodical. I warmed up by practicing my “Monday” pieces from Books 1 and 2, and now I’m working on my Monday pieces from Book 3.
In my studies, I read something that I found interesting. Piano teachers don’t teach new skills in lessons. Piano teachers teach their students how to practice. This surprised me, because I thought (silly me!) that I was teaching new skills during lessons. My recent teaching experiences have led me to see the value of teaching students how to practice.
Few things are more frustrating to the teacher and the student as practicing stumbles. Students, in their zeal to play well, stumble through a piece at tempo with many mistakes. They do this repeatedly in practice so that they bring a truly dreadful performance to the lesson. These students have the ability to become skilled and proficient at their instruments. They simply haven’t learned how to practice.
For now, I intend to be a piano practice teacher, and focus on teaching my students how to practice. That is the best gift I can give to them right now.
