What My Younger Self Needed (A Piano Teacher Confession)
Published about 1 month agoย โขย 3 min read
Today, I Confess: This is what My Younger Self Needed....
Here's my backstory, in a nutshell: โ I grew up in the smallest of towns (shoutout to Malvern, Ohio!). I took lessons with the only piano teacher in town; a delightful college student majoring in piano and vocal performance at nearby Malone College.
There are MANY things this teacher did well. Most of all, she treated me like I was a musician from Day One. She never made me feel anything less than capable. She was a brand new baby teacher and I was her star student.
We worked together for 10 years. I saw her graduate college, get married, have a baby, and continually make steps to professionalize her studio along the way.
She had the utmost confidence in me and never spoke to me as though was her subordinate. From our first lesson, I felt like a "real" pianist (something I aim for with my own students).
It was a wonderful start to my piano journey, and I am forever grateful for that relationship early in my life.
...Of course, as a young teacher, there were many things she hadn't yet learned.
That first decade of study did not provide me with a technical foundation strong enough to support my appetite for big repertoire.
My understanding of historical literature was limited to only the most-known works.
I was often assigned pieces with concepts I did not yet understand (for example, the first time I encountered polyrhythms was in Debussy's Reverie. My jaw STILL clenches at measure 5 EVERY TIME I hear that piece).
I consistently performed pieces above my level...which began to make me question my ability to perform.
โ This is not an indictment on her teaching. I think she did the best she could with the knowledge she had - just like all of us do.
I'm a big believer in continuing education for teachers. Acknowledging we have room for growth does not mean we've been giving subpar instruction; it simply opens the door to doing better.
If you ever find yourself wanting to dig deeper into:
teaching advancing technique
the vast amount of piano literature available
what to do with transfer students
how to "sell" your students on historical pieces
determining the level/difficulty of intermediate repertoire
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Having access to these two top-notch musicians and educators and others in the cohort is GOLD!
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Marian Pease, 2025 Cohort Participant
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN: I'm curious... what aspects of YOUR childhood lesson experience did you love? Have you noticed anything was lacking? HIT REPLY and let me know. I'd love to hear your stories!
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