So What! Study Piano – The Truth We Need To Know

Sometimes the only motivation a music student and his piano teacher need is the truth. Say “So What” and get on with the studying music.

A Pedagogy Symposium

Piano Lessons
Just Do It!

I recently had the privilege of attending a piano pedagogy symposium by Dr. Randall Faber and during the Q&A at the end of the day, a very sincere question came from a teacher attending:

Piano Teacher: “I have an autistic piano student, he loves to read music, does it well but has a hard time with retention of music he’s learned. What are your thoughts on how to help him?”

Dr Faber: “If he likes reading, does it well, and it makes him happy, I say you stay there. It’s an amazing skill to have, to be a great music reader, and this student may not grow up to be a performer, maybe he gets paid to be an accompanist or a music theorist.”

My thoughts: I LOVE IT, lets just study piano. He said you know, autism is so tricky and I’m not sure if my answer is the right one but it’s just my feeling on it. There is no one prescription to teach an autistic student because the disability affects each person differently.

What Randall Faber Said Next Also Got Me Pumped.

He recalled a time when at University, he went into his piano lesson and told his piano teacher that he thought one knuckle in his left hand didn’t function as it should. He was worried it was effecting his technique. His professor simply responded, “So What”, play.

Harsh or not there’s a lot of truth in “so what”. Lets go, Lets study piano. No excuses, the only obstacles are the ones we give ourselves.

Here’s What Miles Davis Said

Miles Davis always said, “if it sounds right, it’s right, it doesn’t always matter how we do, it as long as we make the music.

Every musician does something well, we aren’t all destined to be the same. Who said we all had to be great performers, amazing readers, and powerful music composers? No, one, we’re just playing games with ourselves.

Lets go be our best and always be proud of what we can do and realize we are what we do, not who we want our students, or us to be.

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