how to teach piano

PianoTechnique

Bad Piano Techniques and How to Fix Them!

Tip #7 – Singing or playing an instrument requires proper technique.  Improper piano technique can prevent the pianist from attaining their potential and may cause injury. I will be highlighting bad piano techniques and how to fix them!

#1 Sitting Too Close and Too Low

Most pianists, even professional pianists, often sit too close and too low to the piano. Sitting this way causes the hand, wrist, and arm to be in an incorrect position, possibly causing pain and tiredness after prolonged playing.

Correct Piano Technique: Knees at Edge of Keys 

Your knees should be aligned with the edge of the keys and your elbows in front and not beside your body. For the height, your waist should be level with the keys. For children, have them sit on something (a phone book is perfect for this). The wrist should be flat, not lowered, making your hand, wrist, and arm level. Having a low wrist puts pressure on it and makes the fingers do all the work, causing them to tire quickly. A lowered wrist may also cause carpal tunnel, pain, and numbness in the fingers. Sit tall (don’t slouch) at the front edge of the bench, which gives you a forward angle that helps when needing to play with force, using gravity to assist in playing. Sitting on the edge of the bench doesn’t apply to children if their feet cannot touch the floor.

#2 Fingers too Flat or Too Curved

One bad piano technique I’ve seen is the wrong positioning of the fingers, from being too flat to having too much of a curve. Some method books describe the position of the fingers as though you’re holding a ball. The problem with this concept is the fingers will be naturally tense.   

Correct Piano Technique: Relaxed and Rounded Fingers

Your fingers should be as relaxed as possible. For a beginner, relaxing is not the easiest way to play, but it gets easier with skill. The simplest way to having a correct finger position is to place them palms up on your lap and let your fingers relax. That is the EXACT way to hold them on the piano. Imagine the rainbow curve, which is the exact curve needed. Play using the pads of the fingertips, not above the first joint (too low) or the part just below the fingernail (too high). Also, keep the first joint from bending. Unfortunately, pianists can never have long fingernails; otherwise, it will hinder playing at the correct part of the fingertip. 

#3 Moving Hands and Arms Too Much

If you’ve ever watched someone playing piano on TV (which we know they’re not really playing), they will usually move their hands and arms way too much. Moving unnecessarily may cause you to play incorrect notes, especially when playing quickly, and tire more easily. Moving the hand up and down is never needed. A technique called “rolling the wrist,” is where the wrist is lowered for stressed notes and raised for lighter notes. This kind of motion, in my view, is unnecessary and may make it difficult to play quickly and accurately.  

Correct Piano Technique: Little to No Movement

The goal of playing the piano is to keep your arms and hands as still and “quiet” as possible. The composer Mozart was known for placing a coin on the student’s hand while playing, with the goal to keep it from falling off. I’ve had fun doing this with my students as well. The fingertips should be “glued” to the keys, only going down and using the weight of the fingers to play the keys.  

With that said, there are some movements that help when playing. One movement is pivoting left or right towards the notes you’re about to play. Another is positioning the hand towards the back of the piano to accommodate the black keys, especially when the shorter fingers (the thumb and pinky) play the black keys and longer fingers play the white keys. And finally, another movement that is an exception to the fingers staying glued to the keys is raising the entire hand for staccato and accented notes or playing loudly. Raising the hand to play the keys gives momentum and strength.  

Good Piano Technique is Critical!

Having good piano technique helps the pianist play the very best. It also helps with the physical aspect of playing the piano to prevent tiredness and pain. You, the piano instructor, can help your piano students play well, not despite their technique, but because of it.

I hope this tip helps you be the best piano teacher EVER!

Melody Music Publishers

Kathi Kerr founded Melody Music Studios in 1989, a nationwide music instruction studio. In 2017, she founded an independent publishing company called Melody Music Publishers for piano and singing method books. The learning model is small steps using drills and repetition, how students think and learn.

Bad Piano Techniques and How to Fix Them! Read More »

Music student cancels lessons

Music Student Cancelled Last Minute..Now What?

I’m sure EVERY private music teacher has come across the student that continually cancels their scheduled lessons. And most of the time, at the last minute! For too long, music instructors have been disrespected, in my opinion. A lot of students have the idea that since music instructors love to each, it’s ok to cancel a lesson and not pay for it. Or the student will “expect” the instructor to go out of his or her way to make up the lesson. And for too long, teachers have caved and will politely say, “That’s ok, you don’t have to pay for the lesson.” Or “Sure, we can reschedule it”. But what message does that send to the student? And how does that effect the private music teacher?

The First Problem – The Effect on the Instructor

The first problem is the obvious one, how it effects the instructor’s time and income. What other job has the hours set, then taken away at the last minute without pay? Who would want an occupation that requires hundreds and hundreds of hours honing a skill, with a high cost of education, only to have that kind of instability? I would say, NO ONE! Yet this has been the practice for the private music teacher for decades. My first “paid” lesson I taught was from a music store when I was 17. I went there all excited to teach, then waited, and waited, with a no show from the student. I walked away with nothing except wasted time, deciding I would never teach another piano lesson! Yet here I am over 30 years later still teaching!

The Second Problem – The Effect on the Occupation of the Teacher

The second problem when music students cancel their scheduled lessons without accountability, is it disrespects the occupation of the private music teacher. Whatever the reason for cancelling, to expect not to bear any ramifications is disrespecting the instructor’s time and income. I understand respect needs to be earned, and by allowing this to happen, doesn’t teach respect for your time and income.

The Third Problem – The Effect on the Student

The third problem is how it hurts the student. You may think that by being accommodating is helpful, but it’s actually hurting the student. Why, I can hear you asking? Because by not holding the student accountable for every scheduled lesson, makes it easy for the student to cancel. And if it’s easy to cancel, the student probably will Attending every weekly lesson is very important to the student’s learning progress. What prevents the momentum in learning, is inconsistency. I’ve seen the trend over and over with students that cancel a lot of lessons, even when given make ups, will eventually quit all together. So you’re actually doing the student a favor by holding their feet to the fire, so to speak.

Problem With Most Policies

Just like any business, there needs to be rules and policies. I’ve heard a lot of policies over the years from studios and private teachers. Some will say a credit can be issued if cancelling before 48 hours. That’s fine, but it still leaves the instructor with a scheduled time without pay, even if the student gives a month’s notice! Others will give a make up for all missed lessons, or an “x” amount of make ups. The problem with that is you’re still not getting paid for that time block and using another block of time that could have been used for a paid lesson. Plus it doesn’t discourage cancellations. I’ve heard other studios’ policy that never give make ups. Well, that may be a little too harsh, since there are times when a little leniency should be given.

What’s the Solution?

So what is the solution? Over the last 30 years In my own teaching and instructors on my staff at Melody Music Studios, I’ve fine tuned my policies by trial and error. I’ve had a lot of students get mad and quit because of my policies. I’ve found those are the kind of students that only think of their side, and are usually not great students anyway. My policy is right off the top, no credit for student cancellations! The only time I would make an exception are for extreme emergency situations. My make up policy is “No guarantee for make up lessons. That is up to the instructor’s availability”. That way the student knows he or she may not receive a make up for every cancellation, and it doesn’t obligate the instructor to do so. For instructors that have plenty of time and want to make up the lesson, can. For instructors that have a full roster, there’s just no way of making it up. And blaming it on your busy schedule is perfect and tells the student your time is valuable.

Choosing to offer make ups depends also on the student. If you have a student that rarely cancels and gives you a lot of notice, it’s best to make up if possible. However, for the student that cancels often, it’s best not to make up, even if you have the time. You’re only perpetuating their bad behavior. If you do give a make up, I have found the easiest way is extending time in the following lessons, instead of rescheduling.

Summary

So the bottom line is we need to stand our ground with students and not be taken advantage of. You may feel alone, but there are thousands of private instructors, and we all stand behind you! There may be times to be lenient and understanding, but that should be the exception, not the rule. You’ll either lose the inconsistent student (and replace with a better one), or create a habit of consistent lessons, which is best for the student’s progress. Thank you for doing the greatest job on earth, teaching music!

New Line of Piano Method Books

Author for piano method books

Kathi Kerr founded Melody Music Studios in 1989. Then in 2017, she opened her own independent publishing company called Melody Music Publishers. Ms Kerr has written a unique line of piano method books that offer a comprehensive, easy to follow, format. Her books are written, not from an academia approach, but how students think and learn from her over 30 years’ teaching experience. Teachers can register to receive a 20% discount on all orders!

Music Student Cancelled Last Minute..Now What? Read More »