I’m sure you’ve had that student. You know the one…the lesson seemed to go well…but next week, it’s as if they didn’t hear a word…and now you’re stuck, teaching them the same thing…again.
So you try a different angle, patiently demonstrate the technique, have them mirror what you did—for what seems like the umpteenth time…and hope for the best as they head for home.
Repeat this cycle often enough, and lessons stop being a joy and start being drudgery…for both you and your student. And if you stack enough of these experiences together, burnout can creep in.
What would your life be like if your students came to their lesson…excited and eager to show off what they conquered during the week? Imagine little Johnny or Susie bouncing up to the piano, plunking down on the bench, and diving in. Watch them light up as they play what they worked on.
Can your current setup do that? If so, does it do it consistently? Or does this sound like a pipe dream?
What if it weren’t? And what if it were easier to accomplish than you think? What if you could pull it off without making any major changes to the way you’re doing things now?
By now, alarm bells are probably going off. “Too good to be true!” You might be thinking.
But let me show you how it actually works—based on years of experience and neuroscience.
Before we dive in, we need a bit of background. Let’s look at how we learn a language. How well do you think you would do if I gave you the alphabet and some words in a language you didn’t know, and then graded you when you couldn’t sound out new words?
Well, unfortunately, that’s the way music is typically taught, and if that’s the way you do it, it’s not your fault. It’s how you were taught. And you caught on. But many people don’t. You’ve seen the signs…frustration, low engagement, lack of practice, and statements of it being too hard or boring. Yeah, I know that is kind of a gross oversimplification, but I’m trying to point out a gap here.
Research on how the brain learns helps explain that gap. A piano student typically needs to coordinate multiple unfamiliar tasks at the same time… which key…for how long…with what finger… and then you throw in the note name on top of it. That’s quite the cognitive load. And when it comes time to play hands together…
Now, do you remember learning how to tie your shoes? Or have you helped a child learn? A very different experience, but why? It uses fingers and demands coordination as well. But it is one simple task, with one exact outcome. Sure, it may have taken a few weeks to accomplish (even if the results are sloppy), but I’ll bet you learned to do it much faster than it took you to learn to play with even one hand. After just two weeks, how many students can look at the notes on a page and play them with any amount of confidence, let alone get them anywhere near right?
The point is, when learning is limited to one task, that learning happens much more quickly, with far less frustration.
So, why do we make learning piano so complicated? It doesn’t have to be.
Learning piano (and music) becomes much easier and more manageable when broken down into its component parts. When learning rhythm, for example, learning happens much more rapidly when the only focus is the rhythm (not the notes, note-value symbols, note names, or which finger plays what). Learning happens when we stack one unfamiliar task on top of tasks that we are already familiar with.
Why don’t we break music down into component building blocks? Lay the foundation first, like learning posture first. And then learning a pattern with one hand, and then the other. After that, layer duration on top of it. And then note-value symbols. Followed by tempo and dynamics. And then we keep building from there.
Introducing Finger Olympiad—Musicianship Made Easy.
Let’s see how this impacts practice. I’ve had countless parents of my students report that their child was eager to get to the piano and dive into their Finger Olympiad exercises. Finger Olympiad hands them a toolbox and then fills that box with tools that your students can pull out and apply in any situation.
I have had students who have objected to adding dynamics to the piece they are working on, for example. They’ll say a version of, “This is too hard.” I remind them that they’ve already learned dynamics and practiced them, and now they just need to take that out of their toolbox and apply it. I can’t tell you the look of relief and triumph that my students give when they just try (because they succeed!)
Or a quick, “Hey, your posture isn’t very good right now. You’ve practiced it… just apply it here.”
And then there’s one of my favorites. How many times have you had a student rush through their piece? (Like all the time, right?) When that happens, I simply say, “You can go as fast as you want during the Races. Here, you need to slow down.” Works like a charm.
Finger Olympiad works with any method (or no method at all). It meets your student where they are… brand-new beginner—no problem… several years under their belt—no sweat. It teaches skills such as posture, patterns, dynamics, and touch. It instills confidence. And its gamified structure gets kids enthused to sit down at the piano (which is the major battle in most cases).
Students begin with Fast Start to get a feel for Finger Olympiad and then can work their way through Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Upon completion of one of these three levels, your student not only receives a certificate of completion but also an actual medal that they can proudly wear—just like Olympic athletes. Advanced students can work through Platinum and Finger Fun.