The Uncommon Piano Teacher
Teacher alert! Scroll to bottom (in Read More) to see video of Clavinova Repeat Feature for Teachers!
Who are we? What makes us uncommon? For one thing, we love and value our history and our shared musical tradition. But we don’t live in it exclusively. We live in the now. We respect and cherish the legacy of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and others. But . . .
we don’t limit our teaching world to the classics. What are the ‘classics’ anyway? Aren’t “Over the Rainbow” and “Let It Be” classics too?
We are not only open to the world of our digital native students, but we embrace it. If we can use technology to teach a musical phrase or teach a kiddo how to really listen, then we use it. Wasn’t the wheel new technology once? How about the pencil: a stick of lead incased in wood with an eraser on the end. Whoa! We don’t take every student through the same teaching method, because every student is different. We don’t teach whatever is on-the-next-page just because it’s on the next page. We might choose to take a detour. We want to know everything – all the different ways to teach a rhythm pattern. Because we know there are just as many different ways to teach a rhythm pattern as there are students learning it.
We are Jim Henson fans. We believe you can learn and have fun at the same time. We don’t have to be silly or funny all the time (maybe. . .) but we can enjoy the process. We all learn ‘more better’ when we enjoy the time. Right?
But really, it’s more than all that. It’s the ability and the desire to think outside the box. We take a chance and try something new. We teach on the edge, always stretching the boundaries of the ordinary lesson. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” This is the mantra of the uncommon piano teacher.
What are your uncommon thoughts?
This is the first in a NEW series of videos just for Clavinova Teachers. Focus is on how to use a specific Clavinova feature or function to teach relevant concepts. Let’s all have fun!
