Last night, my 13 year old son played Mozart Concerto in A Major K488, Mvt. 1. It was kind of like a dream come true for me. In fact, when he finished his cadenza and I completed the 2-3 concluding measures, I felt a little teary eyed. It was a huge accomplishment. His fingers flew on the scales. He ended his phrases beautifully. At one spot, he backed off so nicely that I looked up in pleasant surprise.
What did it take to get to this point? Several teachers. Though, it probably was only several because they all moved away from the area. Mika Inouye, Lindsay Richards, Martha Smith, and currently Diane Perett. We've been so lucky to have had such fine teachers.
Now you might say to me, "You're a teacher. Why didn't you teach him?" Of course, I went through that discussion with myself. When the older two boys were young, I tried to be their piano teacher. We accomplished some, but it was difficult. It was hard to be consistent and they didn't always want to listen to me. When we became a little more financially stable, the younger boys were able to take lessons from other teachers.
Here are some reasons why I'm glad I had other teachers:
1. I can say, "You teacher said to. . . ."
2. Other teachers had really great ideas. I could always practice with my sons at home, but the other teachers were initiating the ideas and requiring the practicing.
3. Actually, I have learned a lot from them too---new and better things I could do as a teacher
It was so interesting to see him come to enjoy this piece so much. He had been struggling a bit to find something he liked and wanted to work hard on. I was rather skeptical when his teacher gave him a concerto (maybe 20 pages long) to learn. But, he caught the bug and we outlined what he had to do each week to stay on schedule to perform it for the Concerto Festival that was held March 6-8, 2015. He did it!
Showing posts with label piano lessons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label piano lessons. Show all posts
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Observations on Motivation 9/17/11
I want to share some things I have observed lately. Some of what I share will relate to the following topics: piano lessons, dieting, child-rearing, personal motivation and education among other things. These are some observations from this week.
1. Children are motivated by teamwork and meeting the expectations of the group. My son's piano teacher has "teams". Children within the teams play trios or duets. The trio groups are working on three trios. Each child has a high part, a middle part, and a low part between the three trios allowing them a chance to learn a part in three registers on the piano. They get together once a month and can practice what they have learned so far. Highly motivating! No one wants to be unprepared at the meeting.
2. Children are motivated by high standards and rewards for reaching them--extrinsic awards help, but intrinsic rewards are very valuable too. Son #3's geography teacher (8th grade) set the high standard of 97% on tests. If a student accomplishes that on every test, he doesn't have to take the final. Son #3 got a 99% on the first test! (May that continue after week 1.) Son #1 is being motivated by his desire to share a message of vital importance to the world. Son #2 is being motivated by high academic standards and being surrounded by good minds. Son #4 is motivated by being recognized for fulfilling his duties responsibly.
3. I am motivated when I have to report to someone and when I have set goals. I'm currently actively using nutrimirror.com, an excellent nutrition/dieting/exercise recording site that gives great feedback based on your goals and progress toward those goals. I keep track of what I eat every day and how many calories I burn with my exercising. On Tuesday, I weigh in and take measurements. I also have a friend with whom I exercise. We schedule our mutual exercising times a month in advance and honor those appointments. We have been doing this for about four years now. We meet usually 3x a week for an hour each time. Another friend and I have a goal of a 2 day-100 mile bike ride in November. I feel a great deal of motivation to get prepared so that it will be an enjoyable experience.
4. It is motivating to have a deadline. I belong to a book club which I've been a part of for close to 20 years. The membership has continually changed as people move, but I've lived here for a long time. It's motivating to have a date to meet and talk about a book. I'm currently reading "Unbroken" about Louie Zamperini, a track star for the 1930's and his involvement in WWI. It's written by Laura Hillebrand.
5. Finally, it's motivating to do something out of your comfort zone. I'll report on that in about two weeks.
1. Children are motivated by teamwork and meeting the expectations of the group. My son's piano teacher has "teams". Children within the teams play trios or duets. The trio groups are working on three trios. Each child has a high part, a middle part, and a low part between the three trios allowing them a chance to learn a part in three registers on the piano. They get together once a month and can practice what they have learned so far. Highly motivating! No one wants to be unprepared at the meeting.
2. Children are motivated by high standards and rewards for reaching them--extrinsic awards help, but intrinsic rewards are very valuable too. Son #3's geography teacher (8th grade) set the high standard of 97% on tests. If a student accomplishes that on every test, he doesn't have to take the final. Son #3 got a 99% on the first test! (May that continue after week 1.) Son #1 is being motivated by his desire to share a message of vital importance to the world. Son #2 is being motivated by high academic standards and being surrounded by good minds. Son #4 is motivated by being recognized for fulfilling his duties responsibly.
3. I am motivated when I have to report to someone and when I have set goals. I'm currently actively using nutrimirror.com, an excellent nutrition/dieting/exercise recording site that gives great feedback based on your goals and progress toward those goals. I keep track of what I eat every day and how many calories I burn with my exercising. On Tuesday, I weigh in and take measurements. I also have a friend with whom I exercise. We schedule our mutual exercising times a month in advance and honor those appointments. We have been doing this for about four years now. We meet usually 3x a week for an hour each time. Another friend and I have a goal of a 2 day-100 mile bike ride in November. I feel a great deal of motivation to get prepared so that it will be an enjoyable experience.
4. It is motivating to have a deadline. I belong to a book club which I've been a part of for close to 20 years. The membership has continually changed as people move, but I've lived here for a long time. It's motivating to have a date to meet and talk about a book. I'm currently reading "Unbroken" about Louie Zamperini, a track star for the 1930's and his involvement in WWI. It's written by Laura Hillebrand.
5. Finally, it's motivating to do something out of your comfort zone. I'll report on that in about two weeks.
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