76 students between the ages 3-83 in my studio has certainly provided a wide range of variety. Every age has its unique qualities, which at times can seem almost fleeting.
Most piano teachers prefer to wait and start their students around kindergarten age. But I have discovered the incredible joys of teaching four year olds! I sometimes wish I could freeze my 4 year old students at this age. Their munchkin voices, their tiny hands, but most of all, the creative firing synapses sparking about in their brains, keeping me on my toes as a teacher. I have wanted to write down some of my hilarious teaching stories before I forget them all! I should write them in chapters! (Students names have been changed to protect their identities) In these stories, I will write Teacher for myself.
CHAPTER 1: Four year old Rose
A tiny, fragile, bird like precocious four year old visiting Hawaii for a six week stay. Seeing that I only had six weeks of piano lessons with her, I wanted her to leave with a positive initial exposure to music. I taught her the first quarter from the great method book "Hal Leonard Piano Lessons book 1". Her mom sat reading a book on my studio couch. I was so impressed with Rose's dextrous fingers and musical touch. One particular lesson, we exchanged the following dialogue:
Teacher (Me!): Rose, you are doing a wonderful job! Do you feel you understand your new piece well enough to practice at home?
Rose: (snapping her head up at me with a huge grin and wide eyes) At home, I'm having hot dogs for lunch!
Teacher: (laughing and smiling at her mother) That's great Rose. Were you thinking about that while you were playing your piece? Sometimes music can make us think of things or imagine a story behind the music. OK, before you go eat hot dogs for lunch, let's have you find all the CDE's on the piano.
(Rose pushes all the CDE's starting from the lowest to the highest)
Teacher: That's GREAT Rose! Have you practiced finding the CDE's on your keyboard at home?
Rose: Yeah, and today I saw a Puffer fish AND a Blow fish.
Teacher: (turning to the mother who is also laughing) Rose has lots of interesting things on her mind today, but the good news is that she is making wonderful progress with the piano.
CHAPTER 2: Kekoa
A new four year old student this month. Last week at his first lesson, he was so shy he wouldn't say a single word to me. Today was a bit different.
Teacher: OK Kekoa, this song has your left hand on a clump of two and your right hand on a clump of three.
Kekoa: Do you have a pet mouse? Because if you did he would need a mouse house. And the mouse house would need a little door. So you should put in a small door for the mouse for his mouse house in your house.
Teacher: Nope, no pet mouse. But let's play this song about a pet DINOSAUR!
Kekoa: (Kekoa plays the song) Now can we go play with Moki?
Teacher: Nope, Moki's eating his breakfast but he enjoys listening to you play.
After the lesson I walked outside where his mother was listening from the porch. I said "Well, the good news is he talked to me this week and really opened up! She was laughing and said "Am I being stupid about this?? You would let me know if this was a bad idea right? What am I doing?? What was I thinking??" I told her he seems to be enjoy his lessons, he stays on the bench and keeps his focus. He's just four. It's totally normal. And I told her my Rose story and she felt relieved it wasn't just her child.
CHAPTER 3: Luca
Another new student this month. He walked into my studio the very first lesson and saw my tiny toy violin on my book case.
Luca: Can I hold it?
Teacher: Yep. It's just a toy.
Luca: I know how to hold a violin.
Teacher: You do?
(Luca puts the toy violin under his chin and dramatically puts his left foot forward)
Teacher: That's right! Where did you learn that?
Luca: Even though I've never had lessons, I already know how to play the violin.
Teacher: (laughing) Well then, I'm glad you are coming here to learn the piano since you already know the violin!
CHAPTER 4: Lani
Just to set the stage for this story, most of you know me. Jolly Jessie. Always smiling. Very patient. I feel the more patient I am with a student, the harder and more willing they will try. In school, I never raise my voice nor do I have to use my "ugly voice". They seem to immediately quiet down when I stand at the front of the room silent with my hands folded and my normal smile turned into a hurt frown because they aren't listening to me. When they quiet down and all eyes are on me, my smile comes back and I continue with the lesson. During private lessons, I constantly gauge each students energy; cautiously arranging a lesson that won't overwhelm them, bore them, frustrate them, or over excite them. So I was taken by surprise at Lani's lesson.
Teacher: OK, let's move on to this next piece. Oh wait, I didn't assign you this song yet.
Lani: Yes you did.
Teacher: Huh. I normally write the date on the pieces I want you to practice.
Lani: We played this song last week when you forced me to play it.
Teacher: Ha! What's this now? FORCED you to play it?
(Lani giggles)
Teacher: Can you picture me FORCING you to do anything?
Lani: (giggling more) No
Teacher: As in "Lani, you will NEVER leave this bench unless you play this piece now!"
Lani: OK you didn't force me.
CHAPTER 5: Emma
I know I've been telling stories of my 4 year olds. But Emma is actually one of my middle school violin students. This story is one I don't want to forget!
Emma walks into her violin lesson.
Teacher: Hi Emma. How are you doing?
Emma starts to take out her violin from its case.
Emma: Not very good. I didn't sleep well last night.
Teacher: I'm sorry. Feeling sleep deprived is not a good feeling the next day.
Emma: I couldn't sleep because I had a bad dream.
Teacher: Oh that's too bad. That will keep you up at night for sure! (trying to steer back to the lesson) OK let's get your music out and play some happy music so that you can dream about better things, like the theme song to Mozart and the Magic Flute!
Emma: (steering us back to her dream) I had a dream that I was in a dark room and all I could see was this tiny spider who glowed in the dark. The spider started to slowly grow bigger and bigger. But each time he grew a bigger size, he lost a little bit of his glow in the dark light. He grew bigger and bigger, and his glow faded more and more, until suddenly I couldn't see him any more. And THEN I became aware that I was in a dark room with a GIANT spider who I couldn't see anymore and I didn't know where he was, when I felt something brush up against my leg! Then I woke up!
OK, I'm ready to play some music now.
Teacher: (mouth dropped open, eyes wide, stunned silent, haunted) OK that's the scariest dream I've ever heard of....
CHAPTER 6: My own husband Alex
Alex clearly is not my student. But I love the story of him at his group Yamaha piano lesson when HE was four years old.
Teacher: Does anyone have any questions?
(Alex raises his hand up high)
Teacher: Yes Alex?
Alex: Did you know that the great apes fight with sticks??
When I first heard this story I smiled.
There have been countless funny stories during my adventures of teaching. I wish I wrote them all down! Sometimes I scribble a quick note to myself to remember to tell Alex at the end of the day. I'm sure there will be more stories to come!
