What can music lessons do for you?
Music has been my constant companion, since I was a child. When I didn’t have access to a piano or lessons for a year or two at a time, immersing myself in music was all that would calm and centre me.
Now as an adult and the harsh reality that modern houses and living don’t accommodate grand pianos easily, I learned renting for years and having to compromise my acoustic for a basic digital, that there is always a work around. I took up cello and flute as an adult, out of interest and out of the want for a more portable instrument, piano is my true love, but music is what keeps me alive and fighting. If I couldn’t use my hands tomorrow, I would sing and sing and sing, I would record vocal parts and create choral works.
So what are the benefits of music especially during stressful times like this pandemic, divorce, job loss, bereavement, bullying unfortunately the list of traumatic events goes on.
Well let me tell you:
Music teachers can provide a reassuring, familiar connection during times of change and uncertainty. Some things change and some stay the same, also it shows that everything can’t just stop and wait for you to be ready in academic life and work life. Someone who figures out a work around is more valuable a skill than an inflexible thinker, our world is getting more and more complicated and creative thinking is a skill we all need going forward. It also highlights to children how important having an outlet creatively is and how we need to be constantly educating ourselves to grow and keep up with the world.
Continuing weekly lessons will help students organize their daily routines and provide a sense of structure that we all crave. This also underlines the importance of putting one foot in front of the other and to keep going when things get tough. It also prepares you to keep your head down and push forward toward your goals even if everyone around you is loosing their minds.
I got really sick for 3 months during my final exam years, if I hadn’t worked so hard the 18months prior I would have had to re sit the leaving cert or wait till the following year. I got slightly less than I had hoped, but got more than enough for the courses I wanted to take in University.
Online study is the same as in person - engaging students in the different ways. Eg. Improvisation, composition, lead sheet creating and reading, Listening to pieces by different artists and discussing interpretations, ear training, score reading the list is endless.
online lessons give teachers a glimpse into students' practice environment to check piano conditions, bench height, and technology available. Everyone is different and has a different set/up with laptops, phones, digital pianos, keyboards acoustic pianos are all different. It allows us to give tailored advice to the individual, we see what their working with at home and adjust teaching methods and sometimes expectations. If a student doesn’t have a proper set up to just go to it can impede practice also young siblings and noise levels can have an affect. Life is complicated and we have to accommodate others in the household. A basic example is if a student has a sibling that’s unwell and the piano is in the living room it could be difficult to find a practice time that doesn’t bother the sick sibling if they are in the living room resting. My mum used to do that, put us in the living room by the kitchen so we could easily check on each other when one of us was unwell. Someone would walk past or walk in every few minutes.
Online performances can be fun with less performance anxiety for some. It can be interactive and creative, zoom concerts can be organised for parents and grandparents or extended family. Even a zoom group class talk on rhythm, counting, composers can be organised to help students.
My own family held a zoom meeting for a funeral we had during the pandemic. Immediate relatives were too far to travel and cocooning/shielding due to age so we set up a phone on a tripod in the church and at the cemetery and had the relatives join and watch via zoom so no one would be alone on that day. It also allowed for discussing the passed family member in the zoom meeting so it felt like you were at the funeral and a part of it.
Independent learning can be developed if student is ready, the online format has given the feeling of more control to some students and as a result are taking responsibility for their own learning and moving quicker than before. Others need careful encouragement as the change has made them feel anxious and vulnerable, they don’t trust they know the answer and need to have confirmation they are correct. This seems to be more with beginners to grade 2 than above, as it seems to be in the first 2 years of learning music when there’s a lot to process at once and the student hasn’t gotten comfortable with it yet.
Playing for someone and discussing music is a wonderful way to spend and afternoon, and lifts the spirit. It has a social aspect to it, Piano lessons are also one of the only times you get one to one access to a person with more advanced musical knowledge than yourself, all other encounters are usually in groups so make use of the undivided attention. Have more than one question related to your piece or music each week that you’d like to talk about for 5 mins or get pointed to relevant articles, books, lectures, videos, courses etc.
There are more flexible lesson times with online lessons. A lesson earlier in the day may be of great benefit to students who are often tired during their usual evening lesson times. Or an evening lesson if they want it to wind down the day. With online I’m not limited to 2-7pm everyday. I can teach online 9am-1pm and then 7pm-9pm with in person lessons in between. Everyone can, you don’t have to get into the car after work and drive to piano lessons they can be done online with once in a while in person.
Music is at the core of our human experience, we heard the birds and we mimicked their song , I cannot recommend enough singing and choirs. Seriously if your reading this and are apprehensive about buying an instrument use your voice first. Join a choir, singing group, take singing lessons. It is minimal cost and you would get a fantastic intro into music, also as it's your voice it's a closer connection to start with, you feel the notes and sound change, singing also releases the happy drug into your system and boosts your mood.
I will see you again for my blog in August in the mean time check out my YouTube channel- click the link below in the stay connected section for music posted weekly, and everyone have a relaxed, musical July!
We will get through this.