I AM A PIANIST!

I recently came across an inspiration from Jessica Brody, writing coach and author*, that seemed particularly Germane to the conundrum of how to inspire students to take responsibility for their practicing. Briefly, Jessica described how her enthusiasm for meditation declined after having successfully used it to navigate a particularly difficult personal patch. In fact, it got to the point where she was actively resisting meditating and her meditation practice eventually crumbled. Fortunately, Jessica consulted a meditation teacher who explained that it wasn’t about motivation or self-discipline. It was about identity. This teacher encouraged her to embrace a self-description as a meditator. Full stop. Not a meditation student or someone who practices meditation, but as a Meditator. Long story short, Jessica followed the advice and was happily able to get back on track with her meditation.

When I read this, I couldn’t help being impressed by the similarities between Jessica’s lack of enthusiasm for meditating and students’ lack of enthusiasm for practicing piano. Sure, when a student gets a new piece of music, there’s enthusiasm a-plenty—especially at the lesson. But once the student goes home and tries things out on their own, enthusiasm can plummet and practicing with it. As teachers, we do our best to be charming and funny and passionate, but if students don’t feel the urge to make a conscious effort, practicing will falter.

So, what if we introduce the idea that our students are Pianists (capital “P” intentional).

Okay, okay. Maybe they aren’t real pianists. I mean, surely they have to learn X number of pieces, participate in X number of festivals, performances, exams, competitions and/or bake-offs before they can merit that lofty appellation. Don’t they?

Sigh Who knows? Truth be told, when I self-identify as a pianist (or a composer or a teacher or just a scary little old lady wearing big earrings), I experience a sense of competence in that area. This naturally leads to a sense of identity and agency: now that I know who I am, I can take ownership of my actions, projects, relationships. In informing the student they are a Pianist, we give them the power of identity.

It can be as subtle as tossing around phrases like, “Now that you’re a Pianist …” or “Pianists like you …” Casual references can be more powerful than big speeches or lengthy harangues (believe me I know, having tried both waay too often). For sure, this isn’t an overnight fix and may require some conversations about the particulars of what Pianists do (like practicing daily, listening carefully and following the teacher’s instructions to the “T”), but it definitely sews the concept of self-responsibility through positive identity.

Hope this helps your teaching. Please feel free to share your results—I’d love to hear from you.

Keep playing! Keep learning! Keep loving!

* Check out Jessica’s website www.writingmastery.com for some excellent transferable wisdom. It’s a gold mine!