A Tale of Two Systems
Stephen Riches • December 29, 2020
The first teacher didn’t follow a curriculum. Pages were skipped in books, books were skipped within curriculum levels, and entire levels of study were skipped altogether. Beginners would instead prepare for an exam, so the main focus would be learning the minimum required three pieces and a study.
Students would do well enough on the exam that the teacher would suspend lessons for the summer, skip Level 2, and then begin preparing students for a Level 3 exam. Once again, with nearly a year to prepare, most would do fairly well.
But at the next level, much more independent practice would be needed without the reading or ear training skills that there had been no time to develop. And so, with these challenges most students began to hate the process of trying to play the same few pieces every day all year. Wouldn’t we all? That’s why over 99% of all beginners quit within three years, even if they do manage to pass the exams. And within a few months of quitting, most no longer remember how to play anything they ever learned.
The second teacher, however, followed the Talent CAN Be Taught system that actually guarantees student success. Using an outstanding curriculum, this teacher ensured the development of critical skills that would serve students for a lifetime. Nothing was skipped; no pages, no books, and no levels. And, no exams were taken the first year, either.
"Using an outstanding curriculum, this teacher ensured the development of critical skills that would serve students for a lifetime. "
And so, in the second year, now extremely confident with their rapidly developing music skills, these students took exams for the first four Conservatory levels, beginning with Preparatory A and B before tackling Levels 1 and 2. In the third year they continued to do two or three more RCM levels, not only catching up to the first teacher’s students, but completing Level 4 or 5 without a huge struggle or time commitment, and learning to play many more selections every month that they didn’t actually forget a few months later.
Excited and inspired, they continued lessons and experienced the joy of progressing to advanced levels. They earned high school credits, and performed in local festivals, recitals, and concerts. Several even won gold medals from the Royal Conservatory of Music for receiving some of the highest marks in the province. As our elite achievers they also became eligible for our teacher apprentice program that was created especially for highly successful graduates of the TCBT system.
So now, more than ever before, having music talent is a choice! For more info or to begin your own quest to develop music skills, go to TalentCanBeTaught.com
After pointing out in two previous blogs that becoming musically talented takes time and persistence to make sure that no steps in the process are skipped, it may seem to be a contradiction to suggest that that there are quick ways to prepare for an RCM exam. However, I do know that everyone wants to succeed quickly, and so, here are a few strategies that that lead to a faster than average speed of learning.
In my previous blog, I mentioned that in 2007, the Royal Conservatory of Music made eight excellent suggestions to help students improve their achievements on RCM exams. And, I went on to point out a single factor that may have led to these eight common deficiencies as noted by RCM examiners. Here, now, is my own personal list of seven ways that Talent Canada Music Academy seeks to improve our students’ overall success.
In 2007, the Royal Conservatory of Music published a blog detailing eight ways to get higher marks on their practical exams.
You’ve probably heard of crop circles before. Well, the latest ones actually march.
Practicing slowly is the way to learn the piano quickly, which is why I often remind students to remember that it was the tortoise that won that famous race.
Best piano principles - "intelligence or IQ actually increases with music training, and the rewards can be as much as a 20% increase in academic achievement."
In a recent blog I referred to a “Ten Factor Formula” for music training. I mentioned that with the Talent Can Be Taught system, a beginner could become as competent as most teachers within five years, and an outstanding professional performer within ten years by starting lessons with the formula of a 10-minute daily lesson and 10 minutes of daily independent practice at the start. This success does not depend on pre-existing music aptitude or extraordinarily hard work, but rather a consistent and disciplined process of developing critical skills. The key factors are frequency and consistency. Unfortunately, the conventional approach to private music training has never worked for the vast majority of all students, as evidenced by the more than 99% of beginners who give up in frustration within three years of starting, and soon forget how to play all or most of what they ever learned. At the heart of the reason that they quit is that they are missing the magic of synergy in their learning experience. For example, one of the key factors that leads to success in everything is momentum. Everyone knows the power of momentum in sports and most of you have probably witnessed a memorable example of what happens when one team has the momentum and the other doesn’t. The experience is either exhilarating or devastating, depending on which team you are on or supporting.
I’ve come to realize that the process of developing music talent also is not rocket science. Musical practice involves a regular commitment.
There are, perhaps, few more profound questions that can be asked. It’s right up there with “What is the meaning of life”? Or “What is Truth”? It might seem to be obvious, yet at the same time it’s complex and intriguing. Music is a very powerful force in our lives. We all sense that instinctively. But I suggest that there are three ways, in particular, that music is at the very core of our human experience. Music is important, first of all, because it has the capacity to communicate more deeply than words which makes it a universal language. Its significance can be understood across all cultures and in spite of other barriers such as language. It has the potential to make us feel frightened, or exhilarated. It can make us laugh or cry. It can cause us to dance or close our eyes in meditation. In short, we feel and understand music deeply in our sub-conscious. Music also has the capacity to connect us to times, places, people, and events in our lives. And those connections, in turn, can affect us emotionally. This is why music can be such a powerful tool for connecting with elderly people who may be suffering from cognitive or memory loss. Finally, music has the capacity to be as unique or singular in creation as a fingerprint or DNA. Two or three consecutive notes played on a melodic instrument could often be identical in many different songs. But, magically, when various elements of music are used in combination, the result can be like a key or a signature allowing access and enabling us to identify the selection instantaneously, sometimes even from the first and slightest momentary sound. So music is ultimately a creative expression and extension of everything we are.
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. As of the end of March, according to available stats, about 1 out of every 10,000 people on the planet has been diagnosed with Covid-19. Good News. The majority have already recovered or are now recovering from the virus. Better News. As the period of Social Distancing continues in our efforts to conquer this disease, it’s good to remember that there are three wonderful benefits to our health related to listening to music: 1 it can reduce stress and anxiety 2 it can increase the body’s immune system 3 it can help lift people out of depression Best News – You may know the story of the Shepherd boy, David. reducing King Saul’s agitation by playing a harp for him. Or, perhaps you’ve heard the saying that “music soothes the savage beast” My personal top 10 list tends to change from day to day. But, I’m going to give you three of my many favourite listening suggestions in varying styles that I think will lift your spirits, bring a smile to your face, and in at least one case, even get your toes tapping. So here they are – you can look them up on YouTube. 1 Ray Charles – The Mess Around – a slightly naughty song blessed with an infectious (but healthy) motion from beginning to end that is guaranteed to energize you and make you smile! 2 Twila Paris – How Beautiful – a wonderfully luxurious inspirational song for reflection that will raise your spirits in all circumstances! 3 Beethoven – Romance #2 in F for Violin and Orchestra – this is the composer at his angelic best; rising above the personal trials with which he was grappling in his own life back in the year 1803! Happy Listening!
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