I’m currently running a Facebook advertisement talking about piano lessons and I have been completely blown away and ASTONISHED at the number of people who have commented on that ad about having been hit over the knuckles by their teachers when they were younger.
 
In fact, I was thinking about it over the weekend and a memory surfaced from when I was in Grade 2. I was sitting next to my best friend having a wonderful time chatting with her when the teacher came over to our desk and tapped me over the knuckles. Now, I can’t even remember if it hurt but the SHOCK was enough to shut me down immediately which I’m sure was her intention. It certainly didn’t do anything for my self-confidence!
 
It was a really big WOW moment with how many people have gone through this sort of physical trauma, obviously not in today’s day and age but the memory of that one occasion made me realise how it must have been for people who received this sort of treatment consistently over a period of time.
 
The thinking back then was there was only ONE way to learn how to play the piano. Unfortunately, even though the physical abuse has stopped there are still many people who believe that students must learn to read music before they can play music. I think this is too hard and cumbersome for the majority of people!!!

In my opinion this one-eyed approach to doing things ‘the way they have always been done’ is not healthy and it’s important to take note of better, more effective methodologies around how the brain learns. We just didn’t know this information centuries ago when these old fashioned approaches were invented. 
 
We don’t need to know how to read in order to be able to speak. 
 
We don’t need to read in order to be able to hear.
 
We don’t need to know the rules of soccer in order to be able to kick the ball.

Students will read music when they are ready to read music. It’s as simple as that.

I believe that there needs to be more ENJOYMENT when it comes to playing piano.
 
I believe there needs to be more COMPASSION.
 
I believe that setting up our kids to have to do ‘exams’ so that they feel like they have achieved anything and test if they are musical or not is total RUBBISH.
 
If you think it’s time for you to try something different, email me at joanne@rhythmandtunes.com.au with your best contact number and I’ll give you a call to discuss some possibilities for you.