I'm always fascinated by the process of learning a new piece. As a music teacher it's what keeps the job interesting for me. Each time you teach a piece you become better at teaching it. The more pitfalls you see students fall into the better you become at helping them to avoid those traps.
When a student becomes advanced enough, learning the notes to a new piece becomes easy. You no longer have to spend the entire lesson helping him learn how to "extend his third finger." It is during this magical time that the focus of the lesson shifts away from mechanical details and more toward art details.
Appreciating the art behind a piece is a completely separate challenge from just playing the notes. Students will sometimes reach a point where they can kinda play through everything but fall just short of being comfortable. It's at this point that I often have to have the conversation with my students about developing a "healthy obsession" with their piece.
The obsession part has to do with the mentality needed. Think about what goes through your brain when you are "obsessed" with a subject rather than "oh, that's really interesting!" Obsession means a willingness to go out of your way to discover every little nuance. It means that you're thinking about the topic constantly. It also means that you're willing to go beyond surface knowledge and delve deeper into the details.
At first the word "obsession" might seem excessive. After all, isn't learning music supposed to be fun? Isn't obsession taking the fun out of it? Perhaps it does for some. But I would argue that allowing yourself to become obsessed is what makes something more fun. Consider any other hobby--drawing, writing, painting, Star Wars, Star Trek--all of these pastimes become more enjoyable when you are able to find enjoyment in the details. The feeling that you are barraged with details that you don't care about is what makes most people lose interest in a subject rather than gaining a deeper knowledge.
When a student becomes advanced enough, learning the notes to a new piece becomes easy. You no longer have to spend the entire lesson helping him learn how to "extend his third finger." It is during this magical time that the focus of the lesson shifts away from mechanical details and more toward art details.
Appreciating the art behind a piece is a completely separate challenge from just playing the notes. Students will sometimes reach a point where they can kinda play through everything but fall just short of being comfortable. It's at this point that I often have to have the conversation with my students about developing a "healthy obsession" with their piece.
The obsession part has to do with the mentality needed. Think about what goes through your brain when you are "obsessed" with a subject rather than "oh, that's really interesting!" Obsession means a willingness to go out of your way to discover every little nuance. It means that you're thinking about the topic constantly. It also means that you're willing to go beyond surface knowledge and delve deeper into the details.
At first the word "obsession" might seem excessive. After all, isn't learning music supposed to be fun? Isn't obsession taking the fun out of it? Perhaps it does for some. But I would argue that allowing yourself to become obsessed is what makes something more fun. Consider any other hobby--drawing, writing, painting, Star Wars, Star Trek--all of these pastimes become more enjoyable when you are able to find enjoyment in the details. The feeling that you are barraged with details that you don't care about is what makes most people lose interest in a subject rather than gaining a deeper knowledge.
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