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Learning from Mistakes
If you're a first-generation Asian American, you probably know the sheer terror of bringing home a school assignment with ... AN A MINUS!!!
You most likely had parents like mine, people who demanded "perfection" and ruthlessly punished you for any "mistakes." Although I appreciate what my parents have done for me my whole life, on this point they were completely wrong - and so is society for that matter. "Tiger parents" - and, unfortunately, many teachers - don't realize mistakes are not something to be avoided, they're necessary for success. It's a crucial step you cannot skip. Don't get me wrong, movies where the character is invincible can be kinda fun, but there's not much to root for - who can relate to a character that has no flaws? A cardinal rule of storytelling is that the hero must have some type of flaw to make them relatable. This is why I always preferred Batman to Superman. So today, let's dig in and find out what mistakes really are all about and how to use them for your benefit. Why We Don't Learn From Mistakes
What do you think of mistakes? The answer most likely has to do with how you were raised. How you were conditioned.
For example, how a teacher views mistakes will be how their student views mistakes. For this reason, you might simply be parroting the opinions and views of everyone else. And we don't question or challenge these beliefs because we humans are tribal by nature - most of the time, we want to do our best to fit in. So we'll believe what the "group" believes because isolation is too painful. But don't blame yourself for this, most of this conditioning happens before we even hit puberty. Since we're so highly impressionable at that age, things we're taught can have an almost permanent effect on the rest of our life. But the good news is that there's a way out. Let's take a look at different ways conditioning happens, as well as how to break free of this unwanted programming. Pitch Perfect
Our modern world has taken the idea of "perfectionism" past any healthy point. Ironically, it's been made worse because the quality of workmanship has gone up.
The first time you see any product, you're presented with a perfected, finished version. But behind the curtain, there are hundreds of iterations and thousands of hours of tinkering that you'll never see. There's a similar problem in that most professionals make everything look easy. Because it looks easy for them, people don't understand the hard work it took to make it look that way. You don't see the countless hours of practice and rehearsals that go into maybe 60 minutes worth of music. This type of preparation makes an artist a craftsman more than a perfectionist. Perfection is a trap, an illusion. It's like avoiding mistakes. Not making mistakes is like wanting to have everything handed to you. The problem with this is that you need to "earn" success. Let's take money, for example. You've definitely heard of story after story of rich kids who end up living miserable lives or becoming despicable persons. And it's because the money gets handed to them without them having to lift a single finger. There's no skin in the game for them. Personally, I've always been suspicious of "perfect" people. I've never found them likeable or even authentic. Do you trust a battle general with no scars? And most pianists aren't "perfectionists" anyways, at least the normal ones (if there's such a thing). A famous pianist once said they couldn't truly let go and perform to their potential until they made their first mistake in a live concert. When it comes to piano performance, perfection creates a dull experience. You have a well-polished, accurate presentation devoid of any soul. We can look to public speaking as another example. For instance, I've seen speeches that are so focused on perfect pronunciation, tonality and delivery that it all comes out a little too ... rehearsed. Isn't it ironic? I much prefer a talk with more "uhms" and "ahs." In fact, I've even heard of polished public speakers inserting these guffaws on purpose to make themselves sound more authentic! Perfect is boring. Imperfection is powerful. Survey Says ...
Nowhere is this "perfection" more rampant than the sports we watch. A team can lose while doing all the right things.
And the "winners" are sometimes unduly praised even if they were just lucky. People hate this idea of luck, there always has to be some sort of explanation. Annie Duke, a former world-champion poker player turned author, calls this "resulting." The following is an example from her book, "Thinking in Bets." If you're a football fan, you definitely remember the "disastrous" play call that cost the Seattle Seahawks a big, shiny Super Bowl ring against the New England Patriots. But Duke says it was the right call. Like, do you really think a seasoned NFL football coach doesn't know what he's doing? In a Super Bowl game? She argues that Seattle head coach Pete Carroll called the correct play with the highest statistical chance of winning. 9 out of 10 times, that same play would work - and everyone would be talking about his craftiness or genius. Carroll did the right things and was only punished because he lost. Resulting is like trying to rob a bank to make money. Morals aside, it can be considered a smart approach, and if successful you end up with a lot of shekels in the shortest amount of time possible. But this is an example of having the wrong process and getting good results. It's dangerous because you can be building a house of cards until one day it comes crashing down. And this is also why success is a double-edged sword. The higher up the ladder people climb, the more "yes" men they are susceptible to. They start drinking their own Kool-Aid and forget what got them there: Listening to critical feedback. In any case, the means with which you achieve your goals matters. In other words, results-thinking takes you away from the (correct) process. So if you've ever done the right thing, and had a bad result, I know where you're coming! I Think, Therefore I ...
Since the beginning of time, people have been concerned with image and status.
At an individual level, we're concerned with identity. Just as a person identifies with being perfect, we can also identify with failure. And it's more insidious than that. We don't just experience failure, it's like we become failure. If you identify with being a failure, you'll actually seek out opportunities to make your life worse. This is where so-called "success barriers" come from. What happens is you'll have some amazing opportunities come your way and you won't even take them. Why? Because succeeding would mean you're not you anymore. This explains why we're so resistant to change - even if it would be a good outcome for us. But this has more to do with what we tell ourselves - identity is what we repeatedly say we are. Whoever you believe yourself to be, you will unconsciously take actions to prove it. So whatever actions you take, make sure they're aligned with how you want to see yourself - each action is a vote for your future self. Roots
Now, let's look at this from a biological perspective.
As James Clear says in his book, Atomic Habits. "Your habits are modern-day solutions to ancient desires." In other words, we have outdated software. Let's take a look at some modern examples to explain this. Life or Death
Question: Why exactly does failure (at first) feel so damn scary?
Answer: Because failing in prehistoric times meant death. When you're walking up to a grand piano to play your recital piece, your primal brain is imagining coming face-to-face with a tiger that's about to consume you. This explains why public performances can feel like a life-or-death experience. But if you don't allow yourself to fail, here's the problem: it's going to happen sooner or later. For example, take forest fires. By preventing smaller forest fires from happening, it eventually transforms into a gigantic, uncontrollable blaze. Little mistakes help prevent bigger ones. And unlike our ancestors, we don't die if we make them. If you don't allow this to happen, you're setting yourself up for a huge disaster later in life. I once had a client who asked me for some career advice. She was questioning her work life and my guess is that she noticed how much I enjoyed being my own boss. We ended up having a conversation over coffee. It was a good talk and she made a plan to seek other job opportunities. Now ... she was rejected from her very first job application. I wanted to have faith in her, but I knew she was in trouble when she said: "I didn't get the job, but I'm happy because I experienced my first failure." First failure? As a grown adult? When you say something like that, the writing's on the wall - for some people change is just too hard (especially when they're older). Eventually, she just pretended we never had that conversation and our relationship quickly soured. Denial can be scary. He Who Casts The First Stone
Let me introduce you to fear of failure's twin brother: Fear of judgment.
Why are we so afraid of being judged? Let's circle back to the theme of tribe. For hundreds of millennia, we survived by being part of a group . Today, it sucks to be ostracized at school - or even worse, bullied. But that pales in comparison to back then. Once you got kicked out of your tribe, there was nothing to protect you from the dangers of mother nature. Isolation equaled death. This also explains the existence of people who NEVER apologize. Yes, some people are arrogant and have too much ego, but I venture to guess that most of them are actually just scared of being judged. I've had more than my fair share of clients like this - they ALWAYS have a convenient excuse ready. For example, forgetting to come to the lesson becomes a scheduling problem. Not paying the student's tuition on time means they must have not received the invoice. But it's important to not take any of this personally - or seriously. These people just haven't done enough self-examination to understand they're being run by these unconscious processes. To them, it must feel like some sinister force is in charge of their life. Again, denial is a scary thing It Hurts So Good
When you add all of this together, it explains why anything negative feels 10x worse than anything positive.
Seriously, you can have 10 successes in a row but ONE failure can make you miserable. For instance, try this as a mental exercise: Imagine becoming a millionaire. Now ... imagine that you first became a billionaire, and then lost so much money that all you were left with was a million dollars. You have the same amount of money, but does it feel the same? I think not. Going from 0 to a million dollars feels way better than losing yourself to the same amount. Let's go back to childhood. What happens is we have a few "failures" early on in life. Since we're so young, the effects can be quite traumatic. And if you have adults that pile on you, this compounds and magnifies those terrible feelings. You end up going through your entire life subtly (or not so subtly) haunted by less than a handful of these instances. We create a narrative based on these few experiences and keep telling ourselves this story until we grow up into adults. Write a better story for yourself. Onwards
So we've covered a lot of ground. We've examined the way society conditions us to view mistakes, as well as using biology and evolution to explain all that other stuff underneath the surface.
But instead of accepting all of this at face value, let's come up with our own more productive and useful definitions of mistakes. #1
First, let's define mistakes as purely information. They simply tell you how or how not to do things - which is why it's so detrimental to punish people for mistakes.
In terms of learning, mistakes just mean you need more experience and knowledge. Then again, if you're not making enough mistakes, it's a sign to challenge yourself more. For example, when one of my students is not making enough errors, it means they're a a bit too comfortable with the music. #2
Mistakes are also information about people. For instance, I believe how a person reacts to a blunder reveals everything about their character.
Personally, I love when this happens because I believe you don't truly understand a person until you both experience conflict. I've had instances where I thought I had great relationships with clients - sometimes for years - until I'm proven wrong. #3
Another way to define mistakes are symptoms of a bigger problem. I love seeing things this way because you realize mistakes are not the actual issue - so you don't make a big deal out of them.
Can you imagine a doctor getting "angry" at your symptoms? In your own dealings with people, this is why it's important to never shoot the messenger. Don't punish people for bringing you, supposedly, bad news. The worst thing you can do is immediately rush to judgment and assume they were neglectful. You might say something like, "why in the world did you do that?" But if you come off as accusatory, I guarantee you won't get the real facts from them. If you have an emotional reaction, you'll get an emotional response. So instead of "why did you do that?" ask them "what caused this to happen?" That way, both of you can now look at the problem objectively. She or he won't feel attacked or criticized and you both become collaborators trying to solve it together. #4
Lastly, mistakes are merely repetitions. And what are repetitions?
Learning. Imagine mistakes are like the iPhone. As someone who thought a beeper was the epitome of instant technological communication, it's amazing to to see how many models the original iPhone has gone through - and is still going through. Seriously, we're going to have iPhone 1000-X-F-P-J-T one day. The reason why products like these have come so far - and so soon - is that technology has allowed them to drastically increase the amount of repetitions (a.k.a. failures) through experimentation. Just in case you're not convinced, let's look at Atomic Habits, again: In the book, Clear presents a study where two groups were pitted against each other. The first group was told to create one perfect drawing to present at the end of - let's say - 30 days. The second group was told to create as many drawings as possible within that same period. You can guess what happened. The "repetition" group outperformed the other group by a landslide (it wasn't even close). Quantity of mistakes leads to better outcomes. By allowing yourself to make mistakes early and often, you radically increase your rate of learning. A List of "Failures"
Before we end this section, I present to you the following list of historical "mistakes"
(source: https://www.concordia.edu/blog/9-successful-inventions-made-byaccident.html)
Tools
In this last section, I'll share a few of my favorite tips. Some are tactics that you can use right away, while others are concepts to think about or mindsets to adapt for the long term.
Look Stupid
Now, this first suggestion is not for the faint of heart. I just wanted to throw this one in here because, in my opinion, it's the best way - and admittedly the most intimidating way - to get good at something in the shortest possible amount of time possible.
Here's an example from Scott Young's book Ultralearning. In chapter 3, Young talks about how his friend - Tristan de Montebello - became a world class public speaker. Montebello ended up placing in the top ten at a world public speaking championship. And he did this in less than 7 months! Even harder to believe is that he had ZERO public speaking experience (he was a musician). How did he do this? Well, besides totally immersing himself in the art of public speaking (reading, attending workshops, etc.) the most useful thing Montebello did was to place himself in intense, public environments. He would speak everywhere he had an opportunity. Conferences, Toastmasters' workshops, elementary schools and many other venues. I personally find that last one the most intimidating - if you know anything about kids, you know how brutally honest they can be. In short, he achieved this remarkable feat of becoming a world-class public speaker because he wasn't afraid to look stupid. By putting yourself into these so-called wicked learning environments, it's like progress on steroids. And since it's an environment where mistakes and failures are expected, you also desensitize yourself in the quickest way possible. In short, this method provides you with the most realistic feedback at an incredible pace. The only thing is finding out how much of that feedback is useful (which I'll cover in a future article). Here's another example: When he was getting ready for a huge TV special, Chris Rock (sucks to be slapped) would tour nearly every comedy club in the U.S. What was he doing at these clubs? Testing out his jokes - he'd even carry a notepad and pen while he was on stage. He was figuring out which jokes worked and which ones needed work. In other words, some jokes would be successful and other ones would completely bomb. And a year or so later, you'd miraculously see the finished product - an HBO special (or something similar). Here's one last example: As an avid language learner, I love watching YouTube channels of "polyglots" (people who speak more than 2 languages). And they also didn't care one about iota of public humiliation. With a bare minimum of self-study, they just jump into the fire - without care for proper grammar or pronunciation. And because of this, they make rapid progress. I remember a version of this when I was in college. We'd have weekly "piano forums" where we'd perform in front of our colleagues. Even if the pieces were in rough shape, we were still expected to play. It was a great way to do a public test run to get the most useful feedback possible - from a live audience of your colleagues (talk about pressure). So if you're courageous enough, this is absolutely my #1 tip. Congratulations, You've Failed!
I came across this next one from Seth Godin's The Practice.
Godin is an avid juggler. If you're learning juggling for the first time, he offers this advice:
In other words, practice failing. This is a surefire way to get over the fear of failure - and unlike the previous strategy, you can do this in private. Companies and businesses do this as well (the smart ones). Savvy owners will hire programmers to purposely bring their website down. If they don't do this in the beginning, when their business is finally up and running, a website crash can translate into thousands - if not millions - of dollars down the drain. This principle of failing is something gym rats also know very well. They understand that (occasional) failure leads to gains in strength. By doing enough reps until they can't possibly lift anymore, their muscles become stronger. In my own private lessons, this could be asking my students to purposely make mistakes while they're playing. Who knew rewarding students for failure could be so much fun? Like the saying goes, "fail fast, fail often." Bottom-Up
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time (but don't actually eat an elephant please).
Now, if the previous 2 strategies are too intimidating, here's a more user-friendly method:
The underlying concept is the "Goldilocks" rule - not too difficult, not too easy, but "just right." So lower the bar as far as possible and slowly raise it up. Here's an example of this is how use this to prep my private students for piano recitals:
Now, you might think this is overkill but understand that I usually do 2, maybe 3, recitals a year. When you don't have enough performances, the tendency is to put way too much pressure on each one. By doing it this way instead, I'm creating a public environment where they small-chunk their way to success. So whatever challenge or project you're dealing with, think about the smallest chunk - the smallest unit of success. Remember, it took Thomas Edison 10,000 tries to create the lightbulb. And it's not like he was betting the farm each and every time. Charlotte's Web
Here's one last bonus tip before we wrap things up.
I believe a big reason why people are afraid to fail or make mistakes is that they've stopped learning new things. If they were to pick up a new hobby, they'd realize that failing is a universal process. For example, here's how it felt when I started studying languages:
Of course, I plan to push myself towards fluency, and I expect many more ups and downs on the way. But the most important thing I learned from doing this is that the process was exactly the same as piano. And even more rewarding is that I was able to learn concepts and strategies from language acquisition and apply them to piano practice, performance and teaching. The process always wins in the end. Go Forth And Fail!
Click I've been a "failure" pretty much my entire life.
I've failed at teaching. I've failed numerous competitions. I've failed at making friends. And admittedly, this is something that haunted me my first few decades on this planet. But over time, I realized every successful person has failed. Instead of demotivating me, it gave me hope. Remember that:
Mistakes will never go away - that is, if you continue to strive and push yourself to greater heights. But I promise you that if your focus is mastery, you will eventually reach a level where things become easy. Then the cycle repeats. You'll feel like a beginner once more. You'll stumble and think, "I have to go through this again?" YES. To want it any other way is to run away from the truth. Honor the process. Make mistakes. Then win at life. Happy practicing!
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When you're starting or learning something completely new - like setting up a piano teaching business - the worst thing you can do is figure out everything by yourself.
You might eventually get through it, but you'll end up wasting a LOT of time. Instead of reinventing the wheel, learn from someone who's been there and done that. Someone like ... ME! How to Start a Piano Studio
So here's what to expect. We'll learn how to:
I wrote this blog post so that if you're an aspiring teacher with ZERO students, you can build a successful piano studio in half the time and pain it took me to do it. And even if you're not a piano teacher, I promise you'll learn some solid business principles. Now, I don't recommend planning these action steps in order. Instead, read the entire thing first and then plan out what you're going to do - everyone's journey is different. However, here's one SUPER-IMPORTANT point: Finish all of these stages as fast as humanly possible - it'll make sense at the end. And whatever you do, don't neglect anything. Think of all of this as one well-oiled machine - every moving part has to be working correctly at all times. Okay ... Let's get you some students!! Will the Real Slim Shady Please Stand Up?
What do you bring to the table? In other words ... what's your USP?
USP stands for "Unique Selling Proposition." This is about what makes you unique. What makes you so ... you. This might be the most important point in today's article. The reason is this: if you get your USP dialed down, you won't have any competition. Imagine there are 20 piano teachers in your area, what makes you special? What makes you different? Let's take an example from Seth Godin's book, "Purple Cow." Imagine you're driving by a field, and in that field you see nothing but cows. They don't stand out, you just drive right past them. But what if one of those cows was purple? I don't know about you, but I'd hop right out of my (parked) vehicle and examine that strange mammal up close - while taking plenty of selfies. So don't try to be "the best piano teacher" (a regular 'ol bovine) but a piano teacher who offers additional services or has special skills that no one else has (a purple cow). Here's a personal example of how I try to be as "purple" as possible:
One skill by itself might not make a difference, but the magic is when you combine everything together. And if you were a parent choosing a piano studio, how much would these additional services be worth to you? Answer: A LOT. So you must have other things to offer than just piano lessons. Sit down and spend as much time as possible to figure this out. Look to your free time for additional clues:
Now, you might not come up with anything. If that's the case, just get out there and start learning about as many different things as you can! Work with what you have - while learning new skills - and your USP will eventually develop over time. And even if you think you have your USP down, do this anyway. Here's one last suggestion:
But Wait ... There's More!
If your USP is the "what," now we're going to talk about the "how."
You've gotta learn to communicate your message in the clearest way possible. It's time for you to learn about ... sales. Now, there seems to be a stigma around selling, but remember that sales is only sleezy if it's done bad (just like a cheesy pickup line). At its heart, true selling is about filling a need in someone's life. It's about showing the prospect that it's in their best interest to work with you. By the way, you don't want to be marketing to everyone (a.k.a. don't be a cow). It's counter-intuitive, but by focusing on a smaller pool of prospects, you'll get more business (not less). Narrowing your message not only attracts the right people, but repels the wrong ones. Think of this process as a series of interviews. For example, most companies will usually go through several rounds until they settle on a handful of candidates. So how do we narrow down your choices to find ideal clients who are the perfect fit? Let's start with question numero uno:
It's like wanting to be in a relationship: The more you can define the qualities you look for in a partner, the easier time you'll have finding that special someone. And just like figuring out your USP, this will take time. You need to be as specific as possible. This is challenging because it involves putting yourself in the other person's shoes. You can't accomplish this goal without a healthy dose of empathy. Here's a useful example: Many businesses work on developing an avatar. No I'm not talking about those freaky looking neon-blue creatures, an avatar is a representation of a single person who represents their entire target audience. This person could be a 35-year old accountant with a wife and 2 kids who enjoys parasailing in their free time (don't ask me how I came up with that). So the more closely you define your own avatar, the more precise your communication will be. When that person comes across your message, they'll feel like you're speaking directly to them - almost like you're reading their mind. Now for question #2:
There's really no easy answer for this. The best suggestion I have is for you to think of all the products you have in your own life, ones that you enjoy or absolutely love. Make a list of everything these products do for you and what makes them special - as well as how the brands communicate with you. Other useful questions:
Answer these questions using as many business examples as possible (such as Amazon and Uber). One last piece of advice is to remember that what other people think of you matters more than what you think of yourself. Go Fish
Let's talk about students ... how to get them.
Your first and immediate goal should be to get just ONE student (even if you have a few, just pretend you don't have any). This is because you need to small-chunk the entire process. There are many steps involved, and thinking of all of them at once is too overwhelming. So how many ways are there to get students? Two:
Let's take a look at the first one - in the following section, I'll give you advice on cost-effective (zero-dollar) strategies. The Social Network
Start with your current social network, because it's going to be the easiest way to get your first student - since people who know you, trust you.
Reach out to everyone you know. Ask friends, family, acquaintances or colleagues - anyone you have a connection to. And don't worry if you're not close to the people you contact, a lot of my own opportunities have come from people I've only met once or twice in my life. In my experience, most people are more than willing to help you - even if they don't get anything in return (but try your best to pay them back). In addition, hit up your local venues: small businesses, mom-and-pop shops, restaurants, cafes, the community center, etc. Many of these places will have a community board. And if you're savvy enough to print your own business cards, leave those with them as well. Let Freedom Ring
I 100% believe you'll get at least a few students out of this approach, but let's say you've had limited success. If you're not happy with the results, here's a foolproof way to get more students instantly ...
Teach for free. This might not be a popular choice, but it's a GUARANTEED way to get more students in the shortest amount of time possible - while gaining a ton of experience. There's always demand for free. Additionally, since you have nothing to lose you get to test out any ideas you have - no matter how off-the-wall they might be. And if you end up doing a great job, those prospects will become paying clients. But if not getting paid sounds too risky to you, add in some constraints such as offering the first month free or 50% off. SIDE NOTE: Once you have some students, ASK THEM FOR REFERRALS! It drives me nuts when people leave a valuable source untapped - and one that's right in front of their face! And speaking of referrals, sweeten the pot for your current clients. Offer them free lessons or some other type of reward. Yes, you'll end up losing income in the short term but if you get 2 or 3 new students out of it, I'd say it's a good deal. It's important to give people incentives to help you - help them help you, that is. Would You Like Fries With That?
Now, if you'd rather watch paint dry than teach for free, here's one last suggestion. This is the most traditional and popular route - mostly because the previously mentioned methods have some risk involved.
Get a job at a music studio. Side note: If you plan on operating your own brick-and-mortar studio one day, it's an excellent way to see for yourself what's involved. Now, a caveat is that the usual requirement is a college degree (and often teaching experience). But if you get past the job interview, you'll get your first student almost immediately. However, once you have a steady paycheck - and ideally have some money left over - you need to quit as soon as possible. You might be thinking, "what are you talking about? I just got this job and you're telling me to skedaddle?" Well, let me explain from my personal experience (I've worked at a few studios myself). They will usually take more than half of your hourly rate. So if they charge $40 per hour, you're taking home $18 - or even less. And it will be a year or more for a meager raise (if they even offer you one). Perhaps that sounds okay to you - I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what they're doing. As a business owner, it's not a bright idea to pay your teachers more than you pay yourself. The bigger reason to get out of there is that you have no control over your work environment. You have no say when it comes to their policy, as well as getting to choose your own students. You teach who they tell you to teach and work when they tell you to work. And if a student is a no show? Usually, you not only don't get paid, but end up with a half hour (or more time) to kill. And don't forget, they can fire you at any time they want without any warning whatsoever - read up on the pitfalls of being a contracted laborer. In short, they don't care about keeping you happy. You're just there to make them money. This lack of control will make you miserable (unless you don't like making decisions). So if you choose to go this route, get in and learn what you can. Then get out as fast as possible - that is, if you want to be your own boss one day. Of course, this is assuming that it's not a good work environment. Personally, I never found a place I wanted to stay at - but who knows what would've happened had I found a great boss. Now ... If you end up leaving, you might consider our next action step slightly immoral: Take as many students with you as you can. You might say, "isn't that shady?" If this is what you're thinking, remember:
Yes, I've done this in the past. And no, I didn't have any problems with it. This is because I sincerely believed my students would be worse off if I left them there. Which makes sense, because a business owner that doesn't care about his or her teachers definitely doesn't care about the students. So ... should you be upfront with them? Should you let the studio owner know exactly what you're planning? Personally, I'd totally be okay with it. Heck, I might even be motivated to work with you (I like ambitious people). But I'd imagine you're better off keeping this tactic to yourself. If You Build It, Maaaaybe They'll Come
Now let's talk about getting the word out about who you are - we're going to focus on marketing.
Think about Zoom and Uber Eats. Why did they EXPLODE in popularity when the pandemic hit? Well ... they were online and everyone was home - DUH. But it's also because they were in position to capture everyone's attention at the right time. And where is everyone's attention these days? On their phone, a.k.a. the internet. So let's look at some ways to get that attention for yourself. Cast Your Net Wide
Get on as many different platforms as possible. Position yourself everywhere you think people might be looking for piano lessons - and even places where you don't think they're looking (you'd be surprised).
And make sure the messages are relevant to your target audience (a.k.a. don't SPAM people). Remember that your language needs to be specific. We're on all the platforms but we're not marketing to everyone. I don't have time to go into it here, but here's a bare minimum of what you'll need to set up:
I say bare minimum because there are many more out there. You also want to be on the lookout for any emerging platforms (social media, apps, websites, etc.) as well. This is because they all have a "life cycle." Remember when Friendster and Myspace were popular? If you don't know what I'm talking about ... I envy your youth. Well, the same fate awaits Instagram as well as everything else. You just don't know when it's going to happen. The other reason you want to be everywhere is that you don't know in advance which source will be the most effective. Where the traffic comes from will most likely be different for everyone. For example, I get most of my students online (Yelp or Google). However, nearly all of my wife's students have been through word-of-mouth (personal referrals). Now, once you have this set up it's time to ask for reviews and testimonials. Don't be bashful. If you want people to sign up with you, they need to be able to trust you first. And there's no better way to do this than by showing them what your current clients think about you. So once you have these reviews and testimonials, plaster them all over the place. This is social proof - like that guy you knew in high school who got all the girls. The ladies were willing to date him because he had an excellent track record to back it up. When you're done with that, you'll need to actively develop content (blogging, videos, podcasts, etc.). Imagine your online presence is a fire - content is the wood that keeps it burning. If you just set everything up and leave it as-is, it will slowly die out. So what type of content should you post? That depends on your USP. If you did a good job developing it - and you've done enough research to know what you're talking about - the content should naturally arise. By the way, all the amount of advertising and marketing in the world is not going to help you if people are confused about who you are and what you do - especially if you're the one confusing them Hmmm ... clear communication seems to be a theme ... Measure What Matters
So once you've "lit" that fire - and you're keeping it going with content - you should be getting a lot of inquiries.
Next, start capturing data. You're going to measure everything - how many hits you're getting on what platforms as well as what type of person is contacting you. DO NOT skip this step. The reason why is you'll either verify you're on the right track or notice you'll have to change things up. This is because the type of business you get depends on what's out there. In other words, the market. Here's a personal example. When I started out, I thought there would be plenty of demand for intermediate classical pianists. What did I base this on? Pure Imagination (cue Willy Wonka). What did I get instead? Beginners. Literally nothing but beginners - for years (and to this day). Which was actually a great experience for me - when you know how to teach complete beginners, you can teach anyone. Not to mention the market for beginners is HUGE. So, you might want to have a studio full of little Mozarts ... but reality doesn't care. You can't change what's out there, you have to work with what's available (unless you're willing to pack up your bags and move). Now, that might change later, because once you have an established reputation - and people are spreading the word about you - it becomes possible to create demand where there previously wasn't. But if you're not getting enough bites, you need to change your messaging because people aren't buying what you're selling. Home Improvement
If you made it this far, give yourself a healthy round of applause. Get yourself something nice because you've done a LOT of hard work and you deserve it.
Now I want to share one of my favorite sayings in life:
And a second one:
This means you must simply work on improving. Tirelessly. Endlessly. Read books. Attend workshops. Watch masterclasses. Absorb EVERY bit of knowledge that you can. And don't just stick to purely piano or classical music. Nearly everything I've learned that has helped me to become a better teacher, I've learned outside of piano. Technical and personal skills. Why do you gotta keep going? It's because I've seen so many successful businesses STOP DOING THINGS THAT ARE WORKING. Either that or the quality of their service or product just slips to a pathetic level. The hardest thing is to stay patient and to continue to strive for progress - if you're dedicated to mastery, you have a long way to go. So how do you keep yourself from giving up? Honor the process. When you purely focus your attention on the action itself, it keeps you motivated and happy. You enjoy what you're doing because you enjoy it - and it keeps your mind off of results. If it's going to be a long road ahead, you better enjoy it as much as possible. And remember, don't get complacent - it only takes one bad experience to lose a good client and student. Endgame
Let's say you've "done" it. You're successful, at least on your own terms.
I would then have 2 questions for you:
And even if you answered yes to both questions, remember that anything can happen. I pray that you have a long, fruitful life devoid of any tragedy. But for the sake of argument, let's play Devil's Advocate. What if something happened one day and you weren't able to teach any more? Like ... permanently? Look, I can't imagine retiring from teaching any time soon. But not having the ability to teach and play piano seems like a total nightmare. That scenario would definitely be one of the worst experiences I could ever imagine going through. That being said, I have plenty of other interests and skills I could fall back on. If you can't say the same, then that's your entire source of income down the drain. Not only that, if you haven't learned to be good at anything else you're basically starting over. When you're young it doesn't matter so much, you've got drive and plenty of time to look forward to. But when you're older, you don't have that luxury. So start thinking about it now, pleeeeease listen to what I have to say. If you want to be set for life there's more work to be done. Now even if you're healthy for the rest of your life, there's a limit to how many students you can teach in a day, or even want to teach. If you want to make more money this way, the only way is to increase your hours. Of course you should be raising your rates too, but there's a limit to that as well. So ... do you want to work more hours? Do you really want to be up until 9pm every day? Trading your time for more money ultimately means less time to do other things you enjoy - as well as learning new skills to increase your value (and your rate). Instead of putting in more time for money, how about putting in time for more time AND money? It's about having options. Doing something because you want to, not because you have to. What I mean is you need to set up a system. Something that makes money for you without needing to consistently put in more hours. If this doesn't make sense, let's define teaching piano as active income (one-on-one) and setting up a system as passive income (one-to-many). One way to set up passive income is to open your own music studio and hire teachers. I'll be honest, to me this is the least appealing choice (but hey, everyone's different). It's just because there's so much upfront work involved. Not only that, you need to know the ins and outs of everything. There's also a ton of risk involved - according to the latest U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, 1 out of 5 businesses fail within the first year and after 5 years half will fail. And you incur a LOT of debt, such as a business loan (if you can even get approved). On top of that, there's more expenses - rental, insurance, taxes, licenses - AND you need to find a venue to teach at (finding a place to rent is NOT easy). Not to mention the responsibility of training every single employee you hire. As the official business owner, teacher AND manager, you are responsible for everything my friend. But if you're up for the challenge, go for it! Just do it while you're still young. What I've found to be a better option is teaching what I know online - instead of working in your business, you work on it. So you can start a YouTube channel, get really good at social media - and perhaps create an online course or an ebook - or start a blog (like me). Don't get me wrong, it still takes a ton of patience and effort but the result is being able to make money without constantly increasing your hours. Now you might even do something completely different at this point - like workshops. It's not exactly passive income, but if you can get a lot of people to sign up you're making a lot of cash at once. And these are not the only choices, the opportunities are endless - it really depends on your resourcefulness. For example, I remember mentoring a colleague of mine a few years back. He took what he learned and set up an audio recording/engineering business during the pandemic AND while he was still a college student. Whatever the case, decide what you want to do. NOW. You've Got This
So there you have it, my master plan for any piano teacher starting from ground zero. I hope you take what you've learned here and use it for your own success.
Remember to come back and re-read this post as many times as necessary, you'll have better results - it takes time to fully internalize each step. There are definitely many ups and downs in your future and on your toughest days you'll want to quit, but remember that you've got this. Every problem has a solution and even if you don't find one here, use what you learn to find your own answers. Don't depend on luck - be deliberate in your actions and you'll have good results. I wish you nothing but success. Happy practicing!
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A Guide to Building Customer Relationships
Are you building important relationships with your customers?
You might ask, "Is this even important? Isn't my job to just show up and teach them to get better at piano?" ... NO! Newsflash: The world is complicated, and so are people. It's not enough to just be good at your job. If you want to attract high-quality clients, love what you do - and get paid well for it - keep on reading. Building Customer Relationships
Here's a secret: People don't care about how good you are. And they don't care about how much you know.
This is because your skillset is secondary. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's bad to work on your skills. After all, you definitely should do your best to be the best. But if you want to build an actual, thriving business, then this one thing is all that matters: What do your customers think of you? How good you are at something matters less than your clients' perception of you. And they will base their perception of you on what they feel for you. As Zig Ziglar once said, "people don't care about you until they know how much you care about them." Most businesses do the complete opposite. They become too focused on their product or services. It's like being a piano teacher that only cares about the music. The problem is ... they completely ignore the person in front of them. Now, you might succeed if you're the only one in your industry. But more likely, there are hundreds - if not thousands - of people making the things you make, doing the things you do. So if you think of your business as just a product (or a service) ... then you're just another commodity. And when you're a commodity, that usually means you have to compete on price. To compete on price often means lowering your prices. That's a fast way to go broke. With this strategy, only businesses with the deepest pockets will succeed. It becomes a war of attrition to see how much money can be thrown at a problem until their competitors quit or fail . Yet, you can sidestep this scenario and make your competition non-existent by delivering in another way. Can You Handle The Truth?A quick story about my father's business ventures: For my entire childhood, he ran a dry cleaners. His first store was so successful that he opened another, and then a third location. In hindsight, this was a terrible idea. Not only did it nearly bankrupt us - we had to close up shop and find a new way to make money - he just didn't understand this one, important principle: The other stores failed ... because he wasn't there. People weren't there to only get their clothes cleaned (and freshly pressed), they came because they loved talking to him (my dad's always been a friendly guy). Just through interacting with everyone, he built important customer relationships. And this wasn't a strategy. He wasn't even aware this could be a strategy, he did all this by default (I told you he was a friendly dude). He mistook superior people skills for business skills. He thought the store was his product, but he didn't realize his product was actually his customers. Stand Out From the Crowd
So do what my dad did - just not on accident.
This is your secret weapon, the most potent cure to all of your business problems (well, almost all of them). And it's not even that hard because most businesses don't care about people. The bar is lower than it's ever been! Do you remember the last time someone actually looked you in the eye, gave you a warm smile and was genuinely curious about how your day was going? Me neither. It's more like I can count on my fingers how many times that's actually happened in the past year. But ... I remember those interactions because it made me feel special. When you care about your customers, you make them feel the same way. You show them that they can trust you. And when you have their trust, work is fun. It becomes less about competing on price, and more about offering value or taking your service and skills to the next level Just think about how much more energy you would have if your customers weren't just financially, but emotionally invested in you. Imagine being excited waking up every day to work. Your relationships become Win-Win. Your customer's success becomes your success. Now, looking forward to work, having high-quality clients and feeling fulfilled are just a few benefits of a people-based approach. Let's take a look at one more major one. Price Check On Aisle 7
After my father's business setback, he bought and operated a liquor store. And yes, he repeated the same mistake. He thought his business acumen made the store successful.
Again, it was because the customers loved him, not our high prices. There were at least 2 stores down the block who charged HALF of what we did, no joke. But from this experience, I learned a very important lesson: You can charge higher prices if you back it up with excellent people skills. When I started applying this to my piano studio, I also discovered higher prices attracted the right people. So not only do you get better customers with this approach, it also keeps the wrong ones away - people looking for the cheapest options are usually the worst clients. And even if a few prospects balk at your price, imagine having a full wait-list of clients who can't wait to take their place. But to get to this point, you need to compete against yourself - not other mediocre businesses - and make sure your price always, and accurately, reflects your value (what you offer other than your service or product). Now, if you always raise your quality of work then you'll be able to consistently raise your prices as well. This can definitely feel uncomfortable (more like terrifying). The first time I did this, I imagined clients leaving by the drove, shouting at me while I dissolved into a disgraceful, unrecognizable lump of a former human-being. What really happened is I got ZERO pushback. And I believe it's because my services go beyond teaching piano. Once you get to this point, you can create a "positive spiral":
So higher prices create better outcomes that allow you to charge higher prices to create even better outcomes ... to infinity and beyond! Who would want to get off this ride? The Secret Sauce
By now, I've hopefully convinced you why customer relationships matter so much. So how do you get out of your own head and into your customers' minds?
First, be interested and not interesting. What I mean is don't try to convince a prospect with your words. Instead, be interested in every word that comes out of their mouth. Sounds simple in theory, but the key is to not treat this as a means to an end. You have to be genuinely interested in the other person just for the sake of finding them interesting. When you connect at this level, it's real to them - people know when someone's faking. It also helps you feel less lonely. When you start out as a piano teacher/business owner, it's just you. When you think that you're the "lone wolf" you tend to see other people as your competition, the enemy. Clients are conquests to be conquered. But when you believe everyone is interesting, you bring them over to your side. They become almost a friend, someone invested in your success. And I can tell you the biggest shift in my professional career was when I started to put the needs of my clients above my own. Help people and they'll help you. Of course, there's a caveat. You have to be on the lookout for "takers." With these people, the more you give the more they'll take advantage of you. But remember, your above-average prices should repel most of them. Stillness Speaks
In this last section, here are 3 simple steps to connect with anyone.
That's it. If you have a hard time remembering, I suggest you (temporarily) tattoo it across your forehead. If you were to sit in on my piano lessons, I'd ask you to pay attention to the first 5 minutes. At EVERY lesson, I begin with the question "what do you have to share this week?" This is to show them that I care about them and I want to know what's going on in their personal lives. And when they start sharing, I let them "empty their tank." Because of this simple gesture, they begin to realize that their well-being is more important to me than any music I'll ever teach them. By the way, it's not about just staying quiet. You listen with your whole body - and your mind. Are you looking them in their eyes? Do you nod along with your head? Is your body posture open and facing them? So ... why exactly is listening with your full attention so powerful? It's because when you do this successfully, you shine a giant spotlight on the person in front of you. And who doesn't love that type of attention? So many times students get lost in their own grind - chores, homework, endless activities - and when you do this one simple thing, they feel like the star of their own movie. And this is something you should be able to relate to as well. Everyone, at least once in their lives, has had the experience of being the complete center of someone else's attention. It feels magical. But understand that not everyone's comfortable with this attention in the beginning. After all, if you're walking down the street do you want everyone to - all of a sudden - start staring at you? So at first, it can feel awkward until some of the students realize that I really am interested in them. And by the way, they won't always have something to share (or even want to) and this is 100% A OKAY. It's the effort that counts. So remember: Ask Questions. Shut Up. Listen. We Are Family
So don't look at a potential customer as a dollar sign, see them as a person. Don't just offer a service or a product, create your own tribe.
Now, I'm not saying you need to make your customers your friends. But there's no reason you can't be as friendly as possible. And when it comes down to it, there is no product, no service that doesn't rely on people. Make them feel valued and you will always be in demand. Happy practicing.
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So you've taken the leap. You finally bought your piano or keyboard and found your ideal teacher. Then you wonder, "How do I get ready for the first lesson?"
aaaaand ... you draw a blank. In a perfect world, your piano teacher would prepare everything you need - and I'd have a free lifetime supply of Lebanese kebab. We both know that's not going to happen (sad face). You're probably never going to find the "perfect" piano teacher, which means you'll have to do some homework. Well ... I've done it for you. Here's a simple guide to prepare you on what to know, and what to expect, before your first piano lesson. Before Your First Piano LessonYour Heart's Desire
Know exactly what you want before your first lesson. Do this one thing and you're already in the top 90% of piano students. I can't tell you how many times a client hasn't even decided, by our first lesson, what music they want to play. Either that or they leave everything up to me.
What musical interests do you lean towards? Furthermore, does your teacher know how to actually teach it? Because learning something like jazz can be a totally different path than playing classical music. Also, how serious are you? Do you want to work on fundamental piano skills and develop solid technique? Or are you looking for a laidback approach? At the very least, know what you want to play and how much time you can dedicate to practice. Let's Play Limbo
Lower your expectations! This is especially important for you older students out there. Though I have a great track record when it comes to kids, I can't say the same for adults.
It's frustrating, because the reasons they ended up quitting were purely psychological. I can't say for certain what they were thinking (though I've been there many times), but if I had to put it into words ... it's fear of failure. So here's an effective, but counterintuitive, suggestion: expect to fail. This does not mean to be a sourpuss. You still want to have positive expectations you'll succeed in the long run. But it's the long run. Let's say you have expectations of success from the very first lesson. What if it doesn't go the way you want? That's going to discourage you. This is because you will judge yourself according to those expectations. So I find it's better to have no expectations. No expectations = no judgment. And no judgment means no pressure. Now I'm not saying to not have a goal, the problem has to do with setting it so high that it's too difficult to reach. Let's take writing as an example: A novice writer will look at a blank page and visualize the entire project (be it an essay, short story or, God forbid, a novel). If you approach writing like this, you'll be so overwhelmed you won't even start. A better idea is to set and achieve smaller goals (also known as benchmarking). The more goals you reach, the easier it is to keep things going. As Stephen King says, "you write one word at a time." You can't win the war if you lose each battle. Can't get that entire paper done? Write a page. Can't do a page? Write a paragraph, a sentence, a single word. This is not about taking it easy on yourself (in a way it is), it's about setting realistic goals you can achieve on a deadline. Side note: If you're interested in the topic of goal-setting, I highly suggest you google "S.M.A.R.T. goals" (after you're done reading wink wink). And no matter what happens, don't blame yourself. This one lesson is not a make-it or break-it moment. What new students don't realize is that I'm thinking at least one year ahead from where they're at. They can only see what's in front of them, yet I see the thousands of babysteps that will lead to their destination. At Your Lesson
So the big day is finally here. Your goal shouldn't be to just jump straight into the material. Think of the first lesson(s) as a "feeling out" process.
Remember to: 1. Ask Questions and 2. Bring a notebook (in addition to your instructions booklet) Curiosity Didn't Kill The Cat
Here's a sample action plan to discuss with your piano teacher:
The better your teacher knows you, the more effective your plan will be. Ideally, he or she will be asking you the following questions:
Additional questions: How many days (weekly) are you planning to practice? Will you take any breaks from lessons during the year? If you do take breaks, what will your strategy be?
Now let's say you don't get any of these questions. Then you need to go first. I know it's not easy, remember the last time when you were in grade school? How did you feel asking a question in front of the entire classroom? If your experience was like mine, 1 of 2 things happened. You either didn't ask because you were petrified (too many eyeballs on you) or you did ask and the teacher criticized you in front of everyone. And you said to yourself, "NEVER AGAIN!" So even if there's only one person in front of you, subconsciously you're still feeling like the (unwanted) center-of-attention on that day in the classroom. This is also one of the reasons why we lose our natural curiosity over time. I know it's hard, but you still have to go first. Remember, good questions lead to better lessons. Watch Out For This
Now, let's talk about a deceptive problem that I call "Authority Syndrome."
What happens is we tend to automatically defer to people in positions of authority (whether they're knowledgeable or not). And many times, these "authorities" can be arrogant just because they have the credentials - ever been pulled over by a nice police officer? Now I'm not saying to talk back to that policeman (because that's a fast way to double your traffic ticket), but when you're paying to see a professional it's a different story. This is important, because most professionals let their ego cloud their judgment. This applies especially to schoolteachers. Think about it: the public education system has been FAILING for years (if not decades), yet you're going to have a hard time convincing ANYONE they're doing ANYTHING the wrong way. What they don't understand is that book smarts don't equal street smarts and a degree doesn't replace real-world experience. So if you're dealing with someone like this, what I suggest is doing some homework ahead of time. It will change how they see you. When it's clear you've done some research, and know some of their terms and methods, they're no longer an authority talking down to you. They become a collaborator. But if they stubbornly insist on their way or the highway, I suggest you drop them immediately and begin a new search. At my lessons, I tell all my students - no matter what age they are - that I want more questions out of them. I want them to understand that it's a good thing. It's also a way to remind myself that I don't know it all. If you're still a little nervous, remember this: It's coming out of your wallet. Get a good return on your investment and don't let those dollars go to waste. The Pen Is Mighty
It's a myth that successful people remember everything. In reality, they write everything down. I mean if Beethoven carried a notebook, I think we should too.
My best pupils are always taking notes (they really pay attention). Unfortunately, the majority of students don't and have to be constantly reminded to write down important things. Don't make that mistake, write those notes! It's because no one cares about your lessons but you (yes, even your piano teacher won't care as much as you do). By taking the time to write your own notes, you're proving to yourself how bad you want this. You're showing initiative. Personally, I ALWAYS have my laptop open while I'm teaching. I'll often have a flash of insight, or have an important thought, during the lesson. I'll make a note on it immediately, since I don't want to risk forgetting. And I always explain to my students what I'm doing. When it's their turn to write, I give them as much time (and silence) as they need. By the way, your teacher should feel flattered when you take notes. It shows you're paying attention - and speaking of attention, just the very act of note-taking snaps you out of any passiveness. Also, make sure you don't judge what you write down (this goes for questions as well). Write down anything and everything. If you start thinking, "is this good enough?" then you'll end up in paralysis analysis (meaning no notes and no bueno). Now, in the long run about 90% of your notes may be useless (though that percentage will be much smaller if it's your first time). But listen to me when I tell you that the remaining 10% will be eventually become pure gold. Remember, note-taking is just like piano: It takes practice. The Big Picture
Do NOT make a big deal out of your first lesson. It's really not that important - no expectations, remember?
First experiences just feel like a big deal. But you do want to ask, "can I commit long term?" Because life will definitely get in the way and you'll have no shortage of challenges to both your personal and professional life. Also consider how far your teacher lives from you. Even if you find a really good teacher, a tough commute can sap your motivation real quick (something I sadly know from experience). Another factor is cash (dollar, dollar bill y'all). Besides forking up the money for a piano or keyboard, the bills for lessons will definitely add up. So make sure you're in a good place financially. But if you're strapped for cash, and can't wait to get started, group piano lessons are a good alternative. Although I personally don't think too much of them, group lessons are waaay more affordable and you get to play alongside fellow students (something you don't get at private lessons). Of course there are many strategies you'll find on this blog to help you through rough times, but just having a firm commitment will make things much easier.
It's all in the preparation. Any good carpenter knows that you measure twice and cut once. And Abraham Lincoln famously said, "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
And once you do get started, stay alert at your lesson. Happy practicing! You Got This
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Practicing effectively isn't as simple as sitting down and playing. There's a LOT that goes into a productive session. Like working out with a personal trainer, it's not just "doing" the exercises. Some questions might be:
In this post, I want to share with you 7 things that will guarantee your piano success. I'll try to keep it brief, since each these can literally be an entire blog post on its own. Piano Practice Success1. Goal Setting
In terms of what goals to set, you really don't want to set any. Because goals fail.
Let me tell you why. Imagine two scenarios:
But think about it for second, what does it mean to "have fun?" What exactly is "playing as well as possible?" Well... for some kids "having fun" means hardly practicing and only on a few days a week, if that. On the other hand, "playing as well as possible" might mean dragging them to the piano and forcing them to practice an hour a day (which is a surefire way to HATE piano lessons). Let's take an example from school. I believe the worst goal ever invented is to "become a Straight-A student." BECAUSE YOU CAN ALWAYS CHEAT. It's like saying you want a lot of money. The simplest, but very inadvisable way, to do that would be to rob someone who has a lot more moolah than you. The method matters. In his book "Atomic Habits," James Clear says "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." Instead of goals, focus on the process. Build a system. Doing this is what leads to success. Quality results become the byproduct instead of the actual aim. So what process can you use, what system can you set in place? That's where I come in. How to have fun? I give them exciting music that they choose on their own and look forward to practicing. Don't like practicing? We set a minimum time they can accomplish every day. This even works with the most practice-resistant child. If you're wondering about their progress, don't worry because you can always increase the practice time later (when they've become more disciplined). On top of this, I give them incentives (motivation). I accomplish this is by offering a "point" for each day practiced. Once they accumulate enough points, they can trade them in for a prize. And I don't mean a bookmark with musical decorations, I give them something they actually want (thank you Amazon: all hail Jeff Bezos). Of course you don't need physical prizes to accomplish this (they do help though). Well-timed praise can work just as well. Over time, many of my students begin to care less about prizes, and more about actual practice and doing well. For the adults out there, I hope this is something you keep in mind the next time New Year's Eve comes around (NO MORE RESOLUTIONS). And what about results? You have to be patient and allow them to make the choice to become a better piano player. Some students don't make that choice and that's fine. After all, you can't force a child to be a better player than they want be (who's taking lessons, your or your kid?) 2. Scheduling
Scheduling practice sessions is a lot like sleep. It's a fact that we tend to change our sleep patterns throughout our life. I remember being a "night owl" in college. I would practice until the wee hours of midnight or even 2am. These days, late mornings are my best time to practice.
From what I've heard, as children become teens they tend to biologically want to wake up later. Which is why school has it so backwards (super-early classes when kids should still be in bed!). On a similar note, the type of work we do best depends on when we choose to do it. For example: focused, technical work is best for early mornings while creative, freestyle activities are best reserved for evenings. If you don't have a little one to take care, and your schedule is stable, this is pretty much all you need to know. For you busy folks and parents, read on. So the question is, "when do I focus best?" or "when does my child focus best?" The solution is to write out those times and plan 2 (or more) shorter sessions ahead of time. The crazier your schedule, the more daily planning is necessary (my schedule hardly changes, so I can set it once a week or even once per month). This is what most professional musicians do anyway. Instead of a marathon session, they'll usually split their practice into 2 distinct periods. So a 4-hour session becomes a 2-hour session earlier in the day and another one later on. The type of material they work on might differ as well (technical vs. creative). This is also a wonderful approach if your child isn't used to paying attention for long periods of time. In fact, shorter practice sessions might all but eliminate any resistance you get from them (while increasing concentration). To summarize:
3. Environment/Set Up
Do you sleep with your phone next to your bed? How does that work out for you? In all likelihood, the temptation is too great to overcome and trying to get a good night's sleep turns into a barrage of random cat videos.
The mainstream advice is to put your phone in another room. If you have a real problem, lock it in a safe (preferably a kitchen timer: Amazon link). Why do we have to go to such lengths? Because, to refer to Atomic Habits once again, to break a bad habit (distraction) you have to make it invisible. To this point, even having a single web browser open is enough to derail your concentration (even if you're not paying attention to it!!). As a self-professed foodie, if you wanted to destroy my work day, all you gotta do is walk across the room with delicious smelling food (preferably Lebanese kabob). One whiff and I'm done. DONE. So make sure ALL distractions are out of sight. Now I'm not saying this works for everyone. Some people work better in a cluttered, messy environment. And although there's no right answer, what personally works for me is having a clean space. I believe in the mantra, "a cluttered environment leads to a cluttered mind." Of course, I say this while I ignore the ever-increasing pile of laundry that apparently wont fold itself for some reason (no one's perfect). Side note: this is just as true for our digital space. So even though YOU might be able to work in a less than tidy environment, that doesn't mean your child will. They will touch ANYTHING and EVERYTHING they're curious about. Another reason why a clean space matters is because they'll sit down and get right to work since there's nothing else to do (remember: make it invisible). It's about reducing friction. Think about 2 very successful apps: Amazon and Uber. Want a car to pick you up? Click a button. Want to order something on Amazon? The same Want your child to sit down and practice? Clear the room of anything that is not related to playing piano. 4. Posture/Sitting
What do you notice about most celebrities, athletes, public speakers and CEOs ... besides their massive egos? Just kidding (not kidding). They all have incredible posture.
Good posture not only projects charisma and power, it's also necessary to focus. For example, next time you're involved in something (like filling out a document or reading a book) scrunch your shoulders, sit at a table that's too high or low, hunch your back and, while you're at it, furrow your eyebrows (btw, nice Quasimodo impression!). Tense your whole body. How did that feel? Now ... do the same thing and this time, relax. Sit comfortably, but upright, and use a table that's at the perfect height. Relax your body, as well as your eyes. It makes a world of difference, doesn't it? This idea is even more important when it comes to playing piano. In fact, if you don't sit at the proper height and distance, you will make things harder for yourself. One of the most notorious, historical examples of a concert pianist with the worst posture ever was Glenn Gould. Despite how low he sat at the piano, he was one of the greatest (and most eccentric) pianists to live. Although he was a hypochondriac (I told you he was eccentric), I'm sure his posture contributed to the health ailments he suffered later in life. See: focal dystonia (wiki, internet link). A theory that further explains this is the "butterfly effect." It's based on the idea that a tiny butterfly flapping its wings will cause a tsunami on the other side of the world. That might be a bit far-fetched but think of the precision an airplane needs to get to its destination. One centimeter can make all the difference. So practice good posture from the beginning and avoid these problems later in life. See the attached photo for a basic idea.
Arms and wrist parallel to the keys. Proper distance allows the arm to have an ‘l’ shape.
5. Materials
Are all the necessary materials at or near the keyboard/piano at all times? When it comes to reducing friction, are all the materials quickly accessible?
Instruction Book
The first thing a student MUST to do is check instructions in their piano journal.
Every. Single. Day. The reason you need this daily reminder is that you need a way to measure your progress. A way to track it. For those of us on the never-ending weight loss journey, one simple, effective way to lose weight is to just weigh yourself (every day). The scale doesn't lie. At one point in their piano lessons, ALL of my students will make the mistake of checking directions only once for that week. Or even worse, not checking at all. They assume they'll remember what I taught them at their lesson. They won't. Only what's repeated is remembered. This is why I go so far as to include an "instructions" box in their daily checklist (located on each page of their instructions book). But how do you make sure they'll do this? Again, incentives. Whatever items are on their daily checklist, they must ALL get checked off in order to receive one point for that day. And these points have to be valuable enough to care about. Device
This one is absolutely CRUCIAL. In fact, I'll go so far as to say this is the #1 thing above all else. A student must have access to a device (with internet) at all times.
The reason they'll need a tablet, or similar device, is to access the HUNDREDS of videos I've recorded. All the curriculum they'll be studying (for at least the first few years) has been recorded and is available for free on my YouTube channel. Why are these videos so important? Well, how do you learn a language? We learn it through writing, reading, and speaking. Now, writing doesn't depend on pronunciation, but speaking and reading do. How do you properly pronounce a word? You have to hear how it's supposed to sound. In the same way, students need to do daily listening and watching. To play a song well, you have to know how it goes. And with the videos, you also hit all of the necessary senses involved in piano playing (visual, auditory, physical). It's like going to a gym: you sign up with a trainer, or go to a group class, so someone can show you the ropes. The more savvy gyms will have pre-recorded exercises to send your way whenever you need an extra boost during the week. So for my students, these videos are like getting a micro-lesson every day. Now, for the parents out there I understand the dangers of your child seeing things they're not supposed to see on the web and getting endlessly distracted. So it's necessary to take the time and limit internet access for your child. Something I've done to help my clients even further is to provide an entire curated list of all the music I teach into a single PDF document (shout-out to my amazing assistant Val for creating this). So far, it's taken care of the internet issue as all they need to do is open the document on their device (instead of logging into YouTube). In summary: you need to see a concrete, successful example of something you're learning. And you can't pretend to be better than you are. Just as a scale will tell the (harsh) truth, the tape doesn't lie either. Get your FREE copy here. 6. Practice
Now in terms of practice, the traditional advice is "amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they can't get it wrong."
This quote sorta implies you need to doendless repetitions. If that's the case, it's actually wrong. It's a hard pill to swallow because if you're like me, that's basically what they taught you in school for most of your life! Do it 10 times, 20, 50, 100! Here's the thing, in the book "Make It Stick," a highlighted study shows that repetition after repetition makes things worse. So if most traditional methods focus on rep after rep, it's a recipe for failure (and boredom). What's the alternative? Although there are more than a few I've learned through the years, here I'll list my top 3 favorite practice concepts. The major benefits that these concepts have in common are that they: 1. Minimize mistakes and 2. Maximize concentration These 3 techniques allow you to "zoom out." You'll notice any unconscious mistakes and maximize your attention by allowing plenty of rest periods. You can use each concept by itself or (more powerfully) combine them all together. Chunking
Practice is like eating a pizza. How do you eat a pizza? One slice at a time. Unless you're Joey Chestnut (remember to chew, people).
This is what "chunking" is. Now, a concert pianist will almost always first read through the entire piece they're practicing. This is to get an overall idea and to focus productively on the most important sections. I never recommend this for a beginner though, because it's a high-level skill you need to learn through experience. So instead of an entire song, we'll take it and divide it into 4 (or more) "slices" of our "musical" pizza. The biggest advantage is that you can shorten a section as much as you want. Let's say 4 measures (think of a sentence) is too much to practice at a time. Divide it in half. Still having problems? Try one measure (one word). I've even gone as far as to chunk it down to a single note or two for a student! I call this a "single-bite" instead of an entire slice. If you're a project manager, you're pretty familiar with this -> Breaking a huge project down into the smallest actionable steps. It also works the opposite way. Once you have your appropriately shortened chunk, you can then begin to add to it. So 1 note becomes 2, 2 measures become 4 and so on. Spaced Repetition
We've all heard the saying, "Don't just stand there, do something!"
But what about, "Don't just do something, stand there!" This practice concept has to do with waiting. More specifically, "spacing" out your practice. So instead of doing something 10 times in a row, it's much more efficient to do 3 reps now, 3 reps in a little while, and 3 reps later (or 4 if you're a stickler for math). I'll go into the science in a future blog post, but for now it's like doing push-ups. If you're like me, and consider walking to a fridge a legitimate form of exercise, 20 push-ups is a stretch (see: IMPOSSIBLE). It's much more manageable if you split that up into 4 separate sessions of 5. This is the "chunking" concept we talked about in the previous section. But here's where it gets interesting. What you want to do next is take time to smell the roses. And what I mean is to "space" out your practice. The best way I can describe this to you is like watching a movie ... twice. If I find my next favorite movie, something I love to do is rewatch it after some time has passed. If it's a great movie, you will notice many things you didn't the first time around. It's even more fun when they hide easter eggs here and there. So when it comes to practice, 5 "spaced" repetitions will lead to sometimes significantly better results than 5 in a row (or even 10!). Now how long to wait in between, and situations in which to not use this concept, is a story for another time. Multileaving
This last strategy is called "multi-leaving." I think a better word for this is "productive multi-tasking." We all know its twin: "channel surfing." Although we don't actually need to switch to other channels during commercials any more (viva la smartphones).
Let's take an example from my favorite activity: Reading. I've been a major bookworm for, at least, the past 20 years of my life. During my post- college years (and pre-professional), I remember reading up to 3 hours. Daily. Nowadays there's too much going on in my life, so I manage to squeeze an hour to an hour and a half every day. When I think about it now, 3 hours seems like a LOT. And that's because most people picture themselves spending 3 hours on a single book. The major key (pun intended) is that I had at least 5 books I would go through at the same time. When I began reading one book, if I noticed I started to get bored or lose attention, I immediately switched to another. It was like starting fresh. If I hit the same roadblock, I would just switch to another book, or even back to the original one. So this strategy is what helped me to get in the minimum hours on a daily basis. And it was somewhat effortless. How do I use this at the lesson? I might have them start off with playing their song. Afterwards, we could focus on different "chunks" of the song, switching back and forth as needed. I also use one of my favorite tools: Flashcards. We do any of these activities any time there's a lull in the action. And for more experienced students we add scales, ear training, theory and sight-reading. This is what allows me to keep the lesson exciting for the student; we do the same amount of work but because we're switching from activity to activity they perceive it as fast-paced. And the bottom-line is that there's a noticeable increase in their attention span. 7. Involvement
If you don't have kids, think of this section as "self-accountability." Simply, reward yourself for practicing, punish yourself for not practicing. Otherwise, this is specifically for parents.
How much should you be involved in your child's practice? For this, let's use the Goldilocks Principle. Not too little, not too much, but just right. Too hands-off and the student will most likely flit about aimlessly, while developing bad practice habits (and wasting your money). Go overboard and you become a micromanager, doing everything for your child and ensuring they learn nothing on their own. It's about balance. Just find the right amount that makes you not want to pull your hair out. One more way to think about this: learning anything for the first time is like developing a new habit. Do remember how long it took to ride a bike for the first time? So how long does it take for a new habit to become automatic? Anywhere from 30 to 60 days. In a perfect world your child would just sit at the piano, open up her practice journal and check off every daily item (if this is your child, send them my way wink, wink).But this is totally unrealistic: you might as well have them handle your taxes. Be patient, they will eventually get there. But you need to be there for them, especially at the start of it all. This is absolutely the most important thing you can do for them. Involve yourself in whatever amount it takes for them to complete their assignments for the day. And remember that daily discipline compounds. When investing money, if you're smart about it you can more than double your nest egg over a long period of time. By making sure the student sits down as many days as possible within a 2-month period, they'll develop a discipline that will pay its rewards years down the road. A lot of my more diligent students happily report that they use the discipline they've gained with piano in their other activities and endeavors. And that's one of my major goals for every client who signs up with me. Lastly, I'm well aware many adults don't have time to constantly hover over their child's practice sessions. But the harsh truth is that if you're not able to devote at least some time for them, they will most likely fail. They are the arrows, you are the bow. Conclusion
So there you have it, my list of 7 things to set yourself (or child) up for success at piano. The beginning is always the toughest stage and I hope what you've read today helps you get off to an amazing start.
And remember, these are all interdependent. One alone does not matter without the other. Think of it all as a well-oiled team working together with one another. Happy practicing!
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