How can we help our piano students overcome perfectionism?

Perfectionism is a motivation killer, and it can be hard to encourage students who struggle with it.

Signs of perfectionism may include:

• Unwillingness to practice 

• Reluctance to play in front of you

• Getting very upset if they make a mistake

• Starting the whole piece over again if they make a mistake

• Playing more slowly than they need to

• Reluctance to sign up for recitals or exams

Here are my best tips on creating a teaching environment that can help a student overcome perfectionism.

First, be mindful about how you talk about practice, and learn to prioritize personal excellence over outward demonstrations of achievement. One way I like to do this is to assign “problems” as homework, so that students focus on solving puzzles in the music rather than worrying about looking or sounding perfect.

Second, make a habit of creating and reviewing video time capsules of your students’ playing so they can see their progress over time. One of the problems with perfectionism is that it makes you focus on your limitations, and students don’t often remember how they used to play and how far they’ve come! Making a point of collecting and reviewing evidence of their learning will remind students that they’re doing better than they think, even if they don’t always feel like it. 

Last, remember that music is a form of creative expression, and be mindful that you keep this more personal aspect as the focus of your lessons. Most piano lessons centre on teaching students to replicate music that someone else wrote – there is a huge emphasis on looking and sounding “right” as a performer. But to overcome perfectionism, students must also learn that mistakes don’t always matter, and can even be welcomed because they can set the stage for new learning and even be sources of inspiration for the creation of their own music.

I hope this helps! Students can only begin to overcome their perfectionism when they truly believe that 1) their inner excellence is what matters, 2) their talent is growing, and 3) that music is not a competition but an opportunity to express who they are. Good luck!