The Pillow And The Piano
The Pillow and the Piano describes a lesson with a child who didn't want a lesson that day. Kids will tell you what they need, even if they can't say it. It was a piano lesson with one of my most brilliant students, an autistic boy who seems completely normal and has more raw musical talent than anyone I know.
This eight year-old can sight read and transpose in a way that would frighten you if you knew what he was doing.
The Pillow Was Protection
And yet he is just a boy. He is vulnerable, moody and on his own wavelength. So when he came into the living room and took a pillow from the sofa to hold in front of him, I knew something was up. I sensed instantly that he was protecting himself from the piano, using the pillow as his shield. I could tell right away this kid didn't really want a piano lesson.
Let The Kid Have His Space
So I let him have the pillow and began playing the piano and talking, ignoring the fact that he was holding a pillow almost as large as himself. I decided to see what happened if I let him have his space. Seven minutes went by before he reached a hand from behind the pillow to join in. I held the pillow while he played at one point remarking, "Didn't want you to drop your pillow, sir."
He Started Playing When He Was Ready
After a few minutes I said casually, "You should play this Bach piece. It's really easy but it sounds hard." He likes Bach, with the taste of an aristocrat, and quickly tried the Toccata with both hands, but the pillow was in the way. I took it and assured him he could have it back at any time.
Five minutes later he had forgotten about the pillow and learned eight bars of the Bach D minor Toccata. His mom came into the room, truly impressed. The child returned to his normal position, no pillow, just sitting at the piano. "What's the next part?" he asked with a smile. He'd found his new song.
REFERENCES
Child’s Point of View
Don't Tell Kids How Hard the Piano Is
Number Sheets For The Piano
What The Piano Means To Your Child
A Child’s Point of View
Finding A Child’s Piano Comfort Zone
Why Kids Need Freedom To Learn Piano
A Bill of Rights for Kid’s Piano
How Kids See The Piano
Inside A Kid’s Head During A Piano Lesson
Kids Don’t Care What’s In The Piano Book
Let The Child Appear To Lead The Piano Lesson
What Bores Children In Piano Lessons?
What Kids Like About Piano Lessons
The Teacher Is More Important Than The Book
Strict Piano Lessons Don’t Work For Kids
The Piano Is A Child’s Thinking Machine
How A Child Sees The Piano Keyboard
Kids Like Holiday Songs On The Piano
I Want To Learn That Song That Goes…
Follow The Child’s Pace With Piano Lessons
Discipline and Repetition Don’t Work in Kid’s Piano
Every Child Learns Piano Differently
Funny Piano Lessons
Engage Kids With The Piano
How A Child Sees The Piano
What Kids Think In A Piano Lesson
What Is Soft Piano?
Freestyle Kid’s Piano
What Kids Need In Piano Lessons
Piano By The Numbers
Piano With Numbers Keys