Piano Teachers Take – Make Two Mistakes Every Time

Piano Teachers who teach students to make mistakes during a performance have many students that do the opposite. It’s not really reverse Psychology, it’s just letting piano lesson students know it’s okay to make mistakes.

It may seam weird but as a practice I ask every student to make two mistakes as they perform. Throughout my years of teaching I know it sets my extreme teacher please-er piano kids at ease, it helps them to achieve perfection. Piano students always look at me funny but in the end I think they get it.

It Only Takes One Mistake To Take A Student Off Their Game

As a young piano teacher I noticed that my students at recital time would start off great and then, sometimes at the first sign of trouble, they worried more about a mistake then the rest of the piece. My first inclination, just like many of my colleagues was to teach students to keep going, a practice I still preach. However, it’s not enough to just keep going because you can keep going and still keep thinking about the mistake, therefore effective your overall performance. Many of my students now at the first sign of trouble feel in a fun way, they’ve met a goal and it actually makes the rest of the performance better and more successful.

Parents Need To Learn Too!

We can’t forget the parents of our students. Therefore, include them in on the lesson as well. Teach them to expect the unexpected. One mother in particular after I told her about expecting two mistakes noticed immediately that her feedback to her son became much more positive when she didn’t stop him and point out his mistake as he was preparing for the recital.

“I noticed I was more positive” she said. Then I though “this is what positive reinforcement is all about”.

Music Is A High Percentage Art Form

Professional performers don’t make two mistakes a piece. Music, more then most is a high percentage art form. If you went to a concert and your favorite performer missed two out of every 100 notes, you’d kind of feel ripped off. That being said, don’t take this advise as a knock on high expectations. Of course we love flawless performances from our piano lesson students.  But Piano Teachers know this, if your students are worried about making mistakes, you better believe they are more likely to make them.

Taking that feeling away can do far more good then harm. What we are doing is erasing fear and anxiety. Make the change and expect a mistake. Not one but two and please, don’t feel to bad when you get none.