When Students Say, "I'm Not Improving"

Students often become convinced of “I’m not improving,” when they haven’t practiced the ability to hear what is holding them back.

Mistakes often become the focus rather than mastering the music.

When I notice this in a lesson, I quickly change the approach. We focus on repetition rather than stopping every time they make a mistake.

We choose a few measures surrounding the troubled measure(s), and set a goal of five to ten repetitions. The expectation of this exercise is not about perfection — but to simply keep playing.

The student plays their snippet of music, and immediately return to the beginning without stopping.

Something begins to shift after a few repetitions: students often recognize their patterns and adjust them on their own.

At the end of the five to ten repetitions, students have either mastered the measures or are very close.

This exercise helps students quickly build confidence and to also let go of the expectation of perfection.