Discovery Music Academy

Call TODAY to Schedule Your Child’s Introductory Piano Lesson (360) 527-9626
Empowering Kids Through Music

Perseverance

Perseverance can make all the difference in the life of a piano student. It can also make all the difference as a teacher to keep going in the trenches with a student who continues to struggle. There’s no guarantee they will succeed. It seems as if everything is stacked against them. Practice may be sporadic, if at all. Other activities buy for their time. Practicing the piano can be a lonely endeavor, and it’s not that glamorous. Parents may lose hope if it’s a constant battle to remind them to practice. The student and parents may give up before they see success.

However, for the child whose parents back them up, even when struggling over the long-term, even when the child balks at practicing, it’s just a matter of time before perseverance brings the reward.

As a teacher I spent three years continually reminding a student that instead of having the entire side of the thumb play a key, to stand on the thumb and have the corner of the thumb play. At least several times a month I said the same thing, “Stand on the thumb.” It was constant correction. She could do it, but she had to focus to do it, and that took a lot of effort. Since she wasn’t ready to put forth that effort, I put forth the effort to keep reminding her.

And then one day, hell froze over. I said, “stand on the thumb,” and she responded with the hand position of a concert pianist. I don’t have a single other student who can stand on their thumb better than she can. I was so shocked at the beauty of it, that I asked her to do it again. For the first time in three years, she maintained the superb hand position while she played.

Then she commented to me how comfortable and easy it was to play the piano in that position. She said, “Why would I go back to my old way? This way feels so much better.”

She complimented me for saying the same thing over and over to her until she had finally experienced what I had been trying to convey to her all these years. And she was excited to practice. She couldn’t wait to go home to her piano.

Now she understands not from me telling her, but from her experiencing it for herself. No one can take that away from her, and she can pass her learning onto others.

Perseverance is key. Something magical can happen when the student, parents and teacher all persevere together with unwavering faith that something new can happen, and they don’t give up until it does.

Leave a Comment

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.