Philosophy of Music: Teleology

I studied Philosophy in university, and as such, I love to dig into the deeper meanings and hidden assumptions in things we tend to take for granted. As September rolled around and I started to ramp up my marketing for the new school year, I started to notice that I’d taken for granted some approaches to piano lesson marketing that didn’t actually align with my personal values as a heart-centred piano teacher.

The conflict was this: in describing what I do and the nature of my work, I found myself wanting to talk mostly about building healthy mindsets and independence in learning piano, whereas every other music school in my area consistently uses the promise of performance excellence (such as high marks on piano exams) as the main feature of their marketing. The stark contrast in my marketing started to make me worry that I would be perceived as less legitimate if I couldn’t or wouldn’t promise the same thing as other piano teachers.

This is where reflection on the teleology or purpose of piano lessons came in handy.

I was able to see that performance and exam excellence is just one purpose for taking piano lessons, out of many possible purposes. Each person needs to decide what the goal for their learning is.

Another possible reason for taking piano lessons is just to learn piano so you can enjoy it for yourself. The talent for playing piano doesn’t necessarily have to be shared or evaluated — it can also just be for you. Yet this more personal teleology isn’t valourized as much in Western society, which tends to prioritize outward demonstrations of success.

I feel every student and teacher of piano could benefit from taking time to consider what their purpose is for learning piano. Having clarity around your goals can help you streamline your work and let go of expectations that aren’t right for you. It can also help you identify other like-minded musicians to support you in your piano journey!

So, what do you think your purpose for learning piano is? If it’s to perform or achieve high exam marks, I wish you all the best! But if those prospects don’t bring you a lot of joy and/or you prefer to keep your piano experience to yourself, that’s totally okay, too. Those more personal goals are equally valid, they’re just not talked about as much.

Best of luck on your learning journey this year!