Currently, I have three students learning piano. Two of them are in first grade and one is in fifth grade. I'd like to focus on the first graders as Bauer (2014) made me reflect on how I am teaching them. If anyone has been around first graders or little kids in general, one knows they don't have a great attention span, they are sometimes difficult to keep motivated, and they may get upset easily if they "don't get it". My first graders are polar opposites. One is gifted and talented, reading fully in kindergarten, and already possesses intrinsic motivation just because she wants to be able to do it. My other first grader is learning challenged. She cannot read yet. She is dyslexic. She has ADHD. She gets easily frustrated. She cannot sit at the piano for more than 5-6 minutes at a time. She is not intrinsically motivated at all.
Bauer (2014) reminded me of some techniques to focus on when teaching my students to perform music. The biggest is modeling. Both of these students will "act" just like me if I show them a fingering or sing a passage. I need to step in more often and model things for them in a way that will be interesting. I tend to change my voice or actions and get into a character to capture and keep their attention and I need to do this more in our lessons. I have also video recorded both students playing different pieces and duets with me. I then send these recordings to their parents. This seems to motivate them because they receive positive feedback from their families. I also rely heavily on positive feedback as a motivator.
Both of these students seem very frustrated when there is any traditional notation learning involved. I use the Alfred piano course method, and the first part of lessons only involves a number system. It then graduates to traditional notation on the staff. My gifted student was especially thrown by this when we started learning it. In fact, she came to lessons a few weeks in a row saying she thought piano was boring and didn't really care about playing anymore. This was heartbreaking for me and I knew I had to change up my strategy to reengage her interest. I did this by writing out a song she wanted to learn (pop song) in number notation. We used the iPad to listen to the song on YouTube and find the sheet music. She was instantly re-energized and interested. I slowly went back to the book and notation. I reassured her that if she could learn this difficult pop song, simple notation was easy. It was just a pattern. She took to this line of thinking and things clicked for her. She is currently reading notes and learning her pop songs by number, which I will be transitioning to notation shortly. I also use the iPad when practicing music theory. I use iDoceo to have my students draw music signs and notes to get points. I would love to try SmartMusic with them when they are ready. Performing with accompaniment seems like a great motivator.
Lastly, creating performance opportunities is a great way to motivate students. My slow learner first grader was asked to perform before her Christmas program. She is very excited and the only one in her class to be asked. It just so happens that we have been working on the perfect song for this. She is very motivated by this performance and has recently started practicing on her own. My fifth grade student performs with me at one of my gigs on occasion. This always motivates him and re-energizes his passion for music. These are all important aspects for learning to perform music and how to teach it.
Bauer, W. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York: Oxford University Press.
Bauer, W. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York: Oxford University Press.
Aren’t the different learning styles of children interesting? They can sometimes be like a complex mystery story! Where we are forced to become detectives, digging into the behaviors of our little “characters” to learn what motivates them. Then just when we think we have it figured out, we can be derailed by unexpected twists such as your example of the child being bored. I love how you got your creative wheels turning using technology and her interest in pop songs to spark her motivation!
ReplyDeleteI have a beginner trombonist who is doing a fantastic job, but on Thursday she approached me and said she wants to quit. What!? Derailment right there for me! It was our first full band practice, which can be very overwhelming to these beginners. So, next week I will need to back up and figure out what could spark her motivation. I really liked how Bauer (2014) wrote that when using extrinsic motivation, we need to have the goal of eventually leading our students to intrinsic, where she could, “[engage] in an activity for its own sake” (p. 81). You are doing precisely that with your iPad and numbers with pop songs! I think your iPad strategy is fabulous! I am going to search out some pop songs for my trombone section and use YouTube to show them how they eventually could sound. I was really sad to see that Chromatik closed down. That would have been a perfect motivating tool. I believe it offered parts for any instrument to play pop songs.
On a side note, congratulations on being a stay a home mom and for your new little bundle on the way! Enjoy this time, they grow up way too quickly.
References
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York City: Oxford University Press.