The Piano Teachers Forum (PTF) is your go-to resource for continuing education and stimulating professional development.

I hope you all have enjoyed your summer! While I appreciated the time to rest, I find I am always grateful for the students who take summer lessons and give me something to do. I know I am looking forward to getting back to teaching my whole studio!

What’s wonderful about Piano Teachers Forum is that we get together each year to enrich our teaching. It seems to me that piano teachers, more than most lines of work, are constantly striving to improve.  We all love the piano, music, and the students that come to us to learn. We want to give them the best experience we can.

The downside to this, at least that I have experienced, is that we can feel that we are not enough as we are. We see that while some of our students may excel, others are not engaged, and lagging behind. Our thoughts go in two main directions, and both are problematic.

On the one hand, perhaps this child is untalented. They are overcommitted, they don’t really care about the piano. Perhaps they shouldn’t be here. On the other hand, maybe there is something we are missing. Maybe our lessons are not good enough. Will we find the missing piece at our next monthly meeting?

While the concept of a “self-help book” seems dubious to many, I do read them occasionally. One the of the best things I have learned from them is that it is hard to change from a place where we are feeling inadequate. This goes for our feelings about the student in front of us too. Only when we accept that who we are is enough, that the student is enough, is there room to grow.

So, before we embark on our yearly lineup of speakers, take a few moments to reflect on what is already good in your teaching. Reflect on your strengths, and the strengths of each student you teach. Let’s make these strengths our foundation on which to begin the next year.

I look forward to seeing you all at the syllabus meeting!