A student signs up for lessons. He and his family are super enthused.
“He’s so naturally musical,” his proud parents tell you at his first lesson.
“He practices all the time. We don’t even have to ask him!” his parents marvel two months in.
And then…maybe in 6 months, maybe in a few years, there’s the all too familiar…
“Getting him to practice is such a fight.”
“He’s so busy with sports and school work, it’s hard to find time to practice.”
“I’m tired of battling him to practice. We’re going to take a few years off from piano and see where things go.”
How do we, as teachers and studio owners, stop this from happening? While certainly there will be counsel and encouragement needed throughout the students years of instruction, I believe that setting the stage before a student even begins lessons can be the most effective in combating the above scenario from playing out.