When it comes to teaching, there is no one-size-fits-all method. My youngest student started with me at barely four years old, and my oldest student is in her sixties, and each of them have different goals when it comes to taking music lessons. Some of my students want to take graded examinations, while others want to learn music just as a pastime. Some of them love a good challenge, while others, particularly the youngest students, just want to have fun. Every student signed up for lessons with a different idea of what they are going to get out of it, and how much time and effort they are willing to put in to get what they want out of lessons. While some teachers might have you believe that there is a certain right 'way' to learn music, it is my experience that, considering all the different goals and varying aptitudes that students have, the best way to teach is to be adaptable to each individual student.

 

My goal as a teacher is for every student to take away from the lesson something valuable to them. For young students who only about having fun, we would play all sorts of silly games - who can draw this faster, who can write that faster, who can earn more stars then the other, who's better at hangman, and the list goes on. The catch is, I would incorporate the musical lessons into the games that we play, and the student would have learnt the lesson objective even before he or she realizes so. I have had parents of young students who asked me how I got their children to practice when their previous teacher(s) could not, and the little mini games we play in class is my answer!

 

For my adult beginner students who want to learn their favorite pop songs, I strive to have them start playing real-world music - songs that you hear on the radio as opposed to generic music method book pieces - from day one, and most of them actually do! At the same time, I don't skimp on the basics, such as note reading, rhythms, etc. The reason I am able to do this is because I create customized music arrangements that are simple enough for the beginner to play, and I use a chordal approach for a start, which helps simplify things for many beginners. I also use play-along tracks for my lessons to keep things interesting!

 

For students taking graded examinations, I emphasize on developing good practice strategies and maximizing practice efficiency. Practice is not a mere matter of mindless repetition, but it is a process of self-awareness and thoughtful problem solving, critical thinking, and the cultivation of the link between one's mind and body. I also encourage students to listen as often as they can, to good recordings of the exam pieces they are playing; having a strong mental imprint of how a good performance of a piece should sound like can act as a self-checking means for student. It naturally informs the performance of a piece and helps students develop their own ideas of going beyond what's written on the score.

 

For students taking advanced Pop piano lessons, I teach improvisation using a systematic approach starting from basic left hand accompaniment patterns, chord theory and drills, followed by basic textural development strategies such as block chords, partial chords and open interval harmonizations, octaves, using the different ranges of the piano strategically, and subsequently advanced two-handed arpeggiation, rhythmic variations, different stylistic grooves and fills, accompaniment studies, and deliberate application of these techniques to control the development of an arrangement.