Every student who has studied a musical instrument has been challenged.   Every emotion listed on this chart is felt by almost every piano student at some point.  Sometimes a piece looks so difficult that you feel it’s not even worth giving it your best effort.  This is not a very fun place to be but know many of your fellow piano students have felt this same thing.

More frequently you may feel I CAN’T DO IT!!  Piano teachers have heard these words from piano students for as long as they have been teaching.  When we feel this way it seems like we cannot possibly get to the top step YES. I DID IT!

Some student that have taken lessons for a while will say I WANT TO DO IT but they are not yet convinced that they CAN do it.  But then these students decide to take up the challenge and decide HOW DO I DO IT?  They know they need a plan or some special help from their teacher that will  help them through the difficult spot(s).

Whenever I hear a student say I’LL TRY TO DO IT I know the student has just put himself in the path to success!  All that is not necessary is the practice time to accomplish the work.

When the student begins to do the work they finally get to that point where they realize I CAN DO IT!  When students reach this point they themselves know success is within their reach and they are full of the energy it takes to overcome the challenge to play the piece.

When a student says I WILL DO IT the student has set his will to succeed and nothing is going to stop him from mastering their music lesson.  Then comes that magical moment when all the practicing pays off and the notes just seem to roll of your fingers and you know YES! I DID IT!

SO STUDENTS ….. Whenever you are assigned a challenging composition use this chart.  You can print out your own personal copy of this poster by clicking Stepping Stones HERE.  Put it by your piano or musical instrument and decide what STEP you are on in the poster and move yourself up the staircase until you reach the top – YES! I DID IT!   Sometimes JUST TRYING is all it takes to move up the Stairway.  Sometimes you will need your teacher to help you through the tough parts.  But after you succeed to the top several times you will gain in confidence and before you know it you’ll be beginning on the higher steps of the Staircase – I CAN DO IT.

Thanks for listening to Mr. Severino Presents — STEP RIGHT UP!   and until next time — KEEP PRACTICING!!

How do I practice?  How many times should I play through each piece?  Is 3 or 5 times for each piece enough?

I’ve been asked this questions by students since I began teaching.  In this short blog I want to give you a new way of thinking about practicing piano.

I think most beginning students approach practicing piano like they do putting together a puzzle.  They dump all the pieces out of the box and put the pieces face up and begin to try to find matches.  Very often this is done in a hit and miss fashion.  You find a piece that “sort of” seems like it may fit; or “seems to” have the right color and experiment to see if it fits.  With enough testing and experimentation eventually the picture emerges.

Many students practice this way.  They play their piece from the beginning to the end.  They think by doing it with enough repetitions and practice eventually the composition will emerge.

That is the longest and most inefficient method of practice we could devise.  We need A NEW METHOD ….. A BETTER METHOD of practice.

Mr Severino Presents – A BETTER METHOD

Let’s play a NEW GAME.  The example above is a 25 piece puzzle.

Our goal is to put this puzzle together in only 25 MOVES.

That means we must be perfect.  We cannot guess and try to put together pieces that “sort of” look like they “may” fit together.  To put this puzzle together in only 25 MOVES we are going to have to concentrate and think carefully, unlike before where we just guessed our way through to the completion of the puzzle.  We are going to have to closely examine each piece and imagine if the shape of one puzzle piece will fit into the other piece.  We are going to have to examine each piece to see if the colors of each piece and then imagine if they are going to help complete the image of the puzzle.

How does this apply to our piano practice?  We examine each “piece” of our musical composition.

Examine the “time signature”.  If your piece is in 3/4 time, with your music in front of you begin to sense the accent on beat one of each measure.  You may do these exercises with your piano in front of you or you can do them mentally.   You want to train yourself to do as many of these steps as possible away from the piano.  Not all piano practice must be in front of  your piano!

Examine the “rhythm piece” of the composition.  Mentally go through each rhythm and make sure you understand it.  If you do not, isolate that rhythm, play it or clap it until you understand it.

This includes they important point of being able to how the right hand and left hand work together.  Don’t go on until you understand how this rhythm is going to “feel” under your fingers.

Examine the “harmony”.  Are there any chords that you know?  You want to get to the point where you can easily identify all the chords in your compositions.

Examine the “key signature”  If a composition has no key signature is it in C major or A minor.  Search for the note C or the note A in the composition  Search for C chords or Am chords.

Examine the “accidentals”   Many students are thrown by accidentals when practicing by just slugging away and trying to learn by going through each piece 5 times.  But if you are prepared by mentally going through each accidental you will be much more successful and make far fewer mistakes.

If we use this same approach in our piano practice our learning will be much better.  And if we make this as the main method of learning our assignments we will be able to learn our assigned pieces much more rapidly.  How would you like to learn 5 pieces in the time it now takes you to learn one?  This will be within your capabilities if you learn how to practice with your strongest concentration.

Thanks for participating in Mr. Severino Presents.  ‘TILL NEXT TIME — KEEP PRACTICING!!

Reblogged from Blogging at Piano Teacher Press:

I was recently browsing the net to see what other piano teachers were doing.  I always seem to find a great deal of creativity in the web sites of various piano teachers.  However, this time my eye noticed that many teachers simply refuse to take on a student that cannot read.  There’s also the issue of “sitting still” that gives many teachers pause concerning teaching the very young.  Maybe here’s an area when my creativity may prove helpful. Since I first put out my shingle advertising myself as a …

I know of many fine piano teachers in the Cranberry area, so, why choose Piano Lessons PLUS?  GOOD QUESTION!   I’ve been teaching piano since I was in high school.   Even before my formal education in teaching and college degrees. It was just something I found I could do well and enjoy.   In high school I was a member of Future Teachers of America. Then it was off to college to procure my formal musical education. I remember wanting to be a teacher from an early age. I get a charge out of observing a young person learn and exploring the treasures that is hidden within him.  I enjoy teaching children of all abilities, not just the musically gifted.  I feel every student is deserving of my best attention regardless of their ability.

However, I have had students perform as finalists in competitions sponsored by the American Music Scholarship Association and play in Carnegie Hall in New York City.

I’ve had articles published in leading journals dedicated to the piano teaching profession.  Professionally, I’ve been involved in the National Guild of Piano Teachers, the  Music Teachers National Association as well as the National Federation of Music Clubs.  I’ve served in leadership positions in each of these organizations.

From the very beginning of my professional career I’ve taken a strong interest in the very young beginner; ages 4 – 6. So much so that I’ve developed my own piano method to teach these young student.  I’ve written numerous books of various aspects of developing a young student’s piano skills. My teachers brought to me a strong appreciation in the value of folk songs and they feature a prominent role in my instruction.

I’ve also written numerous solo compositions that my students will often feature in local festivals as well as recitals.  When you study at my studio you’re child is going to be under the instruction of someone who wants to teach. You will be studying with an experienced instructor who knows how to patiently advance a student and monitor their progress.  To find out more visit my WebSite at www.pianoteacherpress.com    Feel free to call my studio at (724) 935-2840 for a FREE INTERVIEW.  My studio is governed by three major themes; a love for music, an active interest in the whole educational process, and an approach that promotes the individuality of each student.

(724)935-2840

Why Choose Piano Lessons PLUS?

I think that’s a good question; especially since I know of many fine piano teachers in the Wexford area.   I’ve been teaching piano since I was in high school.   Even before my formal education in teaching and college degrees. It was just something I found I could do well and enjoy.   In high school I was a member of Future Teachers of America. Then it was off to college to procure my formal musical education. I remember wanting to be a teacher from an early age. I get a charge out of observing a young person learn and exploring the treasures that is hidden within him.  I enjoy teaching children of all abilities, not just the musically gifted.  I feel every student is deserving of my best attention regardless of their ability.

However, I have had students perform as finalists in competitions sponsored by the American Music Scholarship Association and play in Carnegie Hall in New York City.

I’ve had articles published in leading journals dedicated to the piano teaching profession.  Professionally, I’ve been involved in the National Guild of Piano Teachers, the  Music Teachers National Association as well as the National Federation of Music Clubs.  I’ve served in leadership positions in each of these organizations.

From the very beginning of my professional career I’ve taken a strong interest in the very young beginner; ages 4 – 6. So much so that I’ve developed my own piano method to teach these young student.  I’ve written numerous books of various aspects of developing a young student’s piano skills. My teachers brought to me a strong appreciation in the value of folk songs and they feature a prominent role in my instruction.

I’ve also written numerous solo compositions that my students will often feature in local festivals as well as recitals.  When you study at my studio you’re child is going to be under the instruction of someone who wants to teach. You will be studying with an experienced instructor who knows how to patiently advance a student and monitor their progress.  To find out more visit my WebSite at www.pianoteacherpress.com    Feel free to call my studio at (724) 935-2840 for a FREE INTERVIEW.  My studio is governed by three major themes; a love for music, an active interest in the whole educational process, and an approach that promotes the individuality of each student.

(724)935-2840