Piano teachers rely on competition or some form of adjudicated performance to motivate their students to practice. There is another, better way.
When the environment of learning is not competitive or adjudicated the standard rises because each student is at liberty to observe fully what the other students, and what the teacher, is actually doing--not only in their playing, but in their approach, their involvement, their motivation.
I have found that these unspecified elements carry far greater weight in that they inhabit the very person of each child, motivating them to achieve far greater levels than any I might set for them.
The other beauty of this is that it is inclusive of learners with disability as well as more typical children.
Teaching this way, learning this way, is based on a fundamental skill, routinely overlooked in music pedagogy: listening (not the same as ear training).
Music Inside and Out is what this is all about.
