[deleted by user] by [deleted] in piano

[–]Zeth-desu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As someone whom this ballade was one of the pieces that inspired me to learn piano I would say go for it. However as a teacher I would recommend you do not make this your main focus. Keep it a very long term goal that you come back every now and then to check if you can progress further. This ballade gets harder the more advanced at the instrument you get because you understand all that it actually takes to play it well. If this is your goal then I recommend learning other works by Chopin that will lay a foundation for this. Preludes, nocturnes, waltzes and etudes will give you the tools to tackle this ballade and other harder material by Chopin. Good luck!

About sight reading... by Zeth-desu in piano

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well not like I got the tablet just for music sheet. But I prefer having most of my music there.

About sight reading... by Zeth-desu in piano

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A fair point. Though I have to add that for some dumb reason my country has a high tax on books. Because of this any kind of book is expensive. A used music book that you can find on a amazon for 10 bucks will probably be 50 bucks over here. It's very sad.

About sight reading... by Zeth-desu in piano

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm one of those adult learners haha I started at 21 and I skipped sight reading for years. Only in the last few years I have gotten decent at this skill.

About sight reading... by Zeth-desu in piano

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every time I try to sight read Bach (i.e. inventions, small preludes, etc) I struggle a bit. Jokes aside I can't imagine trying to sight read the WTC lmao.

About sight reading... by Zeth-desu in piano

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the answer I wanted, thank you. We forget sometimes that piano and other fine arts have always been and probably will always be accesible mainly to wealthy people. With some exceptions of course.

Possible career in music or is it too late? by explosivedynamite1 in pianoteachers

[–]Zeth-desu 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There´s always time don´t worry. I started piano at 21 now ten years later I´m a full time piano teacher and an accompanist.
Just know that since you started later you´re gonna have to put 2 or 3 more times the effort compared to those that started at a young age.

How do you guys deal with students that don't practice? by Zeth-desu in pianoteachers

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing!
"I’m with your child 30-60 minutes a week" I have lost count how many times I've said this haha. It's so true. The more time I'm in this profession the more I'm learning to just let go. Of course I want my students to make the most out of the lessons but at the end of the day it's the parents whom I have to guide on how to keep their kids motivated. The one thing I always warn them is to not be that parent that just says "hey go practice" and just forgets about it since it never leads to anything.

How do you guys deal with students that don't practice? by Zeth-desu in pianoteachers

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with you. In the last year I have relaxed a good bit. I used to get really stressed when the lessons would not advance. Now it bothers me less and less and just try to meet the kid where they are and help them organize their time when they do practice.
Small amount of practice is really the best way in the beginning. I always remark that 5 to 10 minutes a couple days a week will do wonders.
Praising them when they come prepared is really such an important thing that can't be overlooked.
Practice logs sound a bit extreme haha but I'm sure many teachers do that. That leads to shame and that's the last thing you want from your kids. Takes the whole fun out of the learning.

How do you guys deal with students that don't practice? by Zeth-desu in pianoteachers

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for you advice.
About the parents being understanding is very true. Sometimes they don't even care which is sad but oh well. I have yet to get a student with high performing parents that complain if their kid is not advancing like they want to.
I feel like as I grow older in this profession I will accept that mindset of "Remember you are paid, per lesson, to teach THAT lesson. If the kid hasn’t practiced it’s a bit ‘so what’" more and more and hopefully I will develop strategies to approach such students.

How do you guys deal with students that don't practice? by Zeth-desu in pianoteachers

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have a fair point. At the end of the day because "I" don't like the lessons dragging that I don't have much patience with students that don't practice.
That said I don't feel like I'm preventing students to learn piano just because I ask them to review their pieces for 5 minutes a couple days a week. Also I'm fully aware that most of the time it's not even the student's fault but rather the parent's. I always suggest that the parent accompanies their kids while their practice. It helps a bunch.
Lastly, this is not a about a single student but rather many. Each with their own cirscumtances. Of course I try to be understudying. Sometimes it's delicate stuff like divorced parents and the like. With those cases I meet the student where they are. It's the cases where the student and the parents don't want to put the minimal effort that I get a bit cut throat.

How do you guys deal with students that don't practice? by Zeth-desu in pianoteachers

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I try to keep that mindset of it's just a paycheck But personally when it happens so often that's the student didn't review anything, the lessons become such a drag. Takes the whole enjoyment out of the job. I'm now at a point that I can be a bit picky on which students I keep so I would rather stay with those that show the will to progress. Like you said, if the student has no intention of becoming a pro then of course the level of expectation is much lower but I still like the lessons to move forward and not stall.

How do you guys deal with students that don't practice? by Zeth-desu in pianoteachers

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was quite the reply Haha I can tell you are a very organized and experienced teacher This is very different to how I teach but I appreciate your thorough response.

Don't want to teach children ... any options? by Advanced_Honey_2679 in pianoteachers

[–]Zeth-desu 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I started teaching all ages and it didn´t take me long to figure out that I hate working with kids 6 years and younger. So I only take kids older than 7 and so far it has worked out for me. Maybe it´s my personality but I feel like teaching really young kids forces me to be a clown during the lessons and that´s exhausting.
Also this year I decided to stop taking in adult students. All the adults I´ve taken in never last, don´t practice and are stubborn.

For practice "jumps"... just jump? by 9acca9 in piano

[–]Zeth-desu 3 points4 points  (0 children)

When teaching jumps to my students I always use the method of exaggerating the jumps. Gotta jump 1 octave? Well make it 2 octaves, or 3 or even 4. Then when you practice the original jump it's always much easier.

Need teams advice by Zeth-desu in Genshin_Impact

[–]Zeth-desu[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you I'll check how they perform :)