Today I’d like to talk about a common struggle that I’ve noticed in piano lessons, in the hopes that it helps others on their piano journey. I’ve noticed that the students who have the hardest time in piano lessons are the ones who wait for me to tell them if they’ve played their song correctly, rather than actively listening to themselves and trying to catch their own mistakes. Why does this happen? And what can we do about it?

I’ve spent some time in the past talking about why I think it’s important to choose the music you want to play before you start piano lessons. I still think that’s really good advice. Choosing music that’s going to motivate you is a really great way to set goals and to develop sustainable practice habits, especially when you’re first starting out.

But I also know that it can be difficult to choose music, especially at the beginning of your piano journey, simply because you can get overwhelmed with choice! So if you need some help choosing musical goals for yourself, this post is for you.

If your teacher is constantly telling you to slow down as you play your pieces or writing Don’t rush! in your lesson notes, I have an observation taken from years of teaching (and years of being a rusher myself!) that might help you.

If you’re interested in learning how to play piano this year but you know that you’re going to struggle with the routing of practicing every day, I have a suggestion for you that will not only honour your creative flow but is also backed by educational science.

Ready?

Rather than choosing a behaviour-based goal (such as practicing 30 minutes a day), instead choose a project-based goal (such as a song you want to learn next). Here’s why that works.

Over New Year’s, I published a video on social media asking people how I might help them in 2023. It seemed like a timely thing to ask, as I suspected a few people might have created New Year’s resolutions related to piano and I love to support people in achieving their goals.

Although the occasion of New Year’s prompted this question, I think it’s important for me to ask all the time, not just at the beginning of the year. Goals come up all the time, and I want to be available to support them anytime they do!

If you want to grow in your independence as a piano player, one of the best skills you can learn is the ability to isolate and identify the things that are bothering you.

For many people, this means resisting mental and emotional habits they’ve surrendered to for years.

The process of learning how to read note names in piano music is really similar to the process of learning how to find your way to a friend’s house.

The first time you visit a friend, you need specific instructions in order to get there, usually in the form of an address.

Once you visit a couple of times, you won’t rely on the address as much because you’ll start to build little mental shortcuts to help you find your way.

If you’re at the stage in your piano journey where you're still trying to become comfortable in reading new notes, it’s okay to look for shortcuts in your music as a way of helping you understand your song.

A shortcut could be anything from noticing a note on line 2 is the same one that you labelled on line 1, or noticing that a phrase, hand position, or chord progression repeats itself.

If you want to unlock your musical creativity, your first step is both very simple and also the hardest thing you will ever do.

Are you ready?

If you want to unlock your musical creativity, you have to start taking seriously the ideas that you already have.