3 Ways to Keep Students Motivated & Inspired

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

-William Butler Yeats

Happy New Year! I love the feeling of a fresh start that the new year brings. I am coming back from a couple weeks off feeling refreshed and with a renewed commitment to help keep my students motivated and inspired this year.

 As a teacher I feel strongly that my job goes beyond teaching the mechanics of playing the violin or viola. If all my students get from me is some technical knowledge about their instrument then I don’t think I’ve really done my job.

One of my first jobs as a teacher is to instill a love of music in my students, once that has been established it is much easier to expect them to work hard. Working hard at something we love is a totally different feeling than working hard on something someone else loves. How do we get this to happen?

I think there are three main ways to help students develop their love of music and to stay motivated and inspired. I plan to expand on each one in future blog posts this month, but here is an overview:

Students Need To Feel Capable & See It Can Be Done

In my experience when students really believe that they can learn to play well (no matter how slow the process is) they are inspired to try.

Maybe it’s because children are working hard to learn everything in life: how to read, how tie shoes, how to button something all by themselves. Working at tasks is something they do all day long – it’s really understanding that they themselves can learn to play the instrument that makes a difference.

Attend group classes & institutes so your child can see other children their age playing. Attend recitals. Go to live concerts and talk about how the musicians started off just like them, learning the basics. Once a student starts to see themselves as capable then the next part of student inspiration comes in.

Students Need To See Progress

Learning an instrument can be hard work. It’s really important that students see that they are making progress to stay inspired and motivated. Often they need us as adults to help them see that progress.

Point out when something starts to get easier, or when your child can concentrate longer, or the sound is even a little bit better. Progress makes motivation stay strong – help your child or students see it and you will help them stay inspired to keep working.

Students Need To Find Joy In The Process

Enjoying the process helps keep motivation alive.

Some students enjoy group classes and recitals much more than practicing on their own – that counts! Some students love playing things that are already easy for them and some love trying something new.

As an adult, we are often on a mission to balance students out and have them work on the things they are inclined to skip. While that is necessary sometimes, it is also important to be tuned in to what makes a child love to play and then give them time to do a lot of that thing.

If they love to get their instrument out for any specific reason that is great! Yes we need to review or work on our newest piece (whichever they are inclined to avoid) but what ever your child is drawn to – let them enjoy it.

Loving to play comes before a perfect practice in my book.

Seeing themselves as capable, seeing progress, and enjoying the process are three big ways students can stay motivated and inspired.  What would you add to the list?