Had an interesting practice today. One of my goals with my son is to encourage him to listen to himself as he plays, and to take some ownership of his learning. I think it will be an important step for him to take control. I'd really like him to feel as though he's doing this for the enjoyment that he gets out of it, and a sense of satisfaction and achievement. It's probably a lot to ask of a seven year old who, let's face it, would rather be on the computer for most of his waking day, given the choice!
Anyway, today we were working on The Happy Farmer so I had another bash at this little plan of mine, and asked him to listen out for ways he could make it sound even better. We often do this and he resists - he doesn't like thinking about anything, he just wants to play and have fun - so I usually end up making suggestions. Today I persisted, though, and hit upon the idea of asking him to play a part of the song in two different ways, then decide which one sounded better and think about why that was. Success! After a little to-ing and fro-ing he decided he could play the chords on the left hand more legato and that would sound better.
Now I'm interested to see what happens tomorrow - will he be better at remembering this little piece of polishing because he thought of it himself? We'll see.
Not all was so good, though. As happens quite often when he's learning a new reading piece (Petite Berceuse in Methode Rose) he felt daunted and overwhelmed and became a little teary. He always manages to play whatever he attempts eventually, though admittedly sometimes it takes quite a while; so I don't really know why he feels this way. This initial feeling makes his final success sweeter I think, but I'd rather he didn't feel this way at all. Hey ho, children are creatures of the moment, I suppose.
To finish, his piano teacher has recommended this performance as an inspirational piece for young piano students:
It'll be a while before we get to this level!
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