A snippet of inspiration is all a child needs to hunger for music. Teach what they love first, even if it's not in the plans. Let them lead, and they will passionately practice. They will want to learn.
We were about to go to bed when Isaac, my 6-year-old, burst into song:
"This land is your land, this land is my land..."
A teacher had sung the song on morning announcements, and Isaac was hooked. His mind had put the song on repeat. This sort of obsession is the natural result of falling in love with a song. It's like falling in love with a person. You can't stop thinking about that person, or song. You want to dwell in its embrace constantly. On continuous loop throughout the day, its memory puts a skip in your step and a smile on your face.
"Mom, do you know this song? Can you play it on the piano?"
As his mother and piano teacher, I knew my assignment. I must drop what I was doing and teach this song immediately. And I knew he would practice...relentlessly.
"Sure, I'll show you," I said.
My thumb on C, I played the song by ear. Isaac jumped on the bench and smiled as he echoed my phrase. He had resisted playing with his thumb before, but now, he saw the necessity of utilizing all five fingers, and he relinquished his stubborn ways. I taught the next phrase. He played the two phrases over and over and over, but it was time to go to bed.
"Mom, can you get me up at 5 in the morning so you can teach me the rest?"
And I smiled. The joy of mothering is in moments like this; when my son has stumbled upon the joy of music, and I had little to do with it. Sometimes, we let go of the reins, nature takes its course.
You see, the study and mastery of a musical instrument cannot be forced. Nor can a fisherman force a fish to bite. Our students, our children, are like fish in the water, and we must lure them in. The right bait, in terms of the right song, is critical. Even so, all fisherman know that there is more to it than the right bait. There are factors beyond our control, like barometric pressure and tides, that have a bearing on how well the fish bite. Likewise, there are musical experiences our children will have outside of lessons that can get them hooked on music.
We must teach from inspiration. We must be in tune with the law of attraction. Give them the bait of a good song that brings them happiness. Allow the sparkling lure to draw them to the hook. Show them how to play their favorite song. And play them your own marvelous, dressed-up version, inspiring them.
And they will bite.
They will be hooked.
Technical hurdles can be paddled through painlessly when passion is at the helm.
The next morning, Isaac awoke a half-hour earlier than usual and tumbled downstairs to the piano. He was ready to learn more. And it was an hour before the school bus arrived.
This.
This is why I teach piano.
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