What is the difference between the students you enjoy teaching and students that you teach because you are their teacher and it is your duty to teach them? It is their DESIRE.
When a student has a DESIRE to learn about music...
1. they are never habitually late to lessons
2. they bring their books
3. they practice what you assign and then some
4. they listen to what you say during lessons
5. their lesson time seems to fly by
6. they see the importance of every thing you try to teach them
7. there is improvement, it may not be miraculous, but there is steady improvement
8. they may never be great musicians but they will learn and will enjoy music
There are students that I absolutely love teaching. The Lord has blessed me tremendously with a wonderful group of students. The teaching time does not stop after the lesson. I receive emails, questions throughout the week, and we "talk music" when I see them in passing. I love this.
What can we do to add this ingredient into a student's heart and mind? I think we must teach desire by example. We should have enthusiasm, excitement, and passion about every thing we do or play or say about the music ministry.
Proverbs 18
1Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.
If a student wants to be a good musician, he will need desire and he will need to separate himself in order to get the wisdom he needs. His desire will help him overcome the loneliness of practice time or the sacrifice of missing another activity due to lessons or practice time.
Some things that I do to help my students get excited about their lessons and practice time:
1. Assign at least one song that they absolutely LOVE. Ask them what they love to listen to or if they like fast songs, slow songs, fun songs, or banging songs.
2. Play something for them to hear while you're waiting for them to get to the lesson. My teachers did this and I remember standing outside the door listening. My desire to go home and practice increased and I couldn't wait to try to learn the pieces they played. They didn't tell me or make me, they showed me.
3. Give them music cds with your favorite songs on them, from one musician to another.
4. When you teach a new concept, explain why they must learn the concept. Example: Show them how a scale is useful in hymn playing or classical pieces. Don't just make them learn a scale, they don't see the point.
5. Occasionally have treats, candy, pens, notebooks, and prizes to give them when they do well, or just because you thought of them.
Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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