There are so many different piano methods, curriculums, and schools of thought in the music teaching industry. It is easy to be double-minded, which makes teaching much more difficult.
After thirty-plus years of teaching, I have learned several lessons things that I am not.
1. I am not a teacher of concert solo pianists.
2. I am not a civic-minded teacher.
3. I am not a contest-minded teacher.
4. I am not a competitive teacher.
5. I am not a normal teacher.
I have learned what I am.
1. I am a teacher of church pianists.
2. I am a church-minded teacher.
3. I am a goal-oriented teacher.
4. I am a weekly improvement teacher.
5. I am a dedicated teacher with tunnel vision - more church musicians.
Every student is different, so each student must have individual goals. Amazing. Read that again.
Examples of goals.
1. To be able to play the vocal parts of songs. This student has the desire to be a vocalist.
2. To be able to play hymns and gospel songs in the church services. This student desires to be a missionary's or pastor's wife. (This person usually only has a short amount of time for study, so you must cut out all superfluous work and get to the point)
3. To be able to play arrangements of hymns, choir arrangements, vocal arrangements, hymns, and to accompany vocalists and instrumentalists. This student wants to be the church pianist.
4. To be able to know all of the notes, rests, and theory up to intermediate level. This student is an instrumentalist and wants to learn an orchestral but needs foundational training.
4. To be able to play arrangements of hymns, choir arrangements, vocal arrangements, hymns, to accompany vocalists and instrumentalists and to pass this knowledge to others. This person wants to be a music teacher.
Once you have defined the goal of each particular student you can simplify life for yourself and the student. Don't waste time on skills they do not need to master (gasp). I believe scales are important, but not all students need to know four-octave scales hands together. How often do you play one of those in church? They should master the one-octave scales, hands separate. Do all students have to learn the Bach Two-part inventions, no. Probably only those in category 4 above. However, all of the above students will need to know rhythmic skills, note reading skills, and chord structure.
Beginners goals will be basically the same: note reading, rhythm skills, posture, theory, etc. As they mature, their goals will become more clear.
While teaching simplify the lesson by asking yourself, "Will this piece or assignment help this student reach his/her goal?" or are you just assigning it because it is the next page?
P.S. I skip pages that I believe are unnecessary, too repetitive, or detrimental. Gasp! I never thought I'd say that ,but you don't necessarily need every page in the John Thompson book.
