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 Elton Joel RW2   2'25
With apologies to them both. A rock piano solo without lyrics.

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 Elegy RW2   2'25
Many, many parts to weave and balance - needs ensemble skills, even though it's for solo piano.

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Recording (mp3, 1.6MB)

 Grumpy Trolls RW2   2'25
A contest piece with bite. Storms and stamps all over the piano before the jump-up-and-bow finish.

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Recording (mp3, 1.2MB)

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 Snowflakes RW2   2'25
A delicate picture piece - how many shades of quiet can you play?

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 MicroWaltz RW2   2'25
Less than a minute long. For early intermediate students.

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Recording (mp3, 0.8MB)

 Processional RW2   2'25
A concert opener that quickly breaks out of its initial stately reserve.

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Recording (mp3, 2.6MB)

Deadwood Students                 back to magazine homepage

by Philip Johnston

Introduction | Groundhog Day Students | "Whatever Students" | Phantom Students Bookless Wonders | The Bulldozer Chatterbox | Mannequins | The non-practicer
The Arguer | Painful Parents |"Can't do" students | Checking the final score

Introduction

SOME YEARS AGO, Wednesday mornings would reduce me to lying in bed, pillow pulled tight over my head—all because of a scheduled Wednesday afternoon lesson that cast a gloom-hued shadow over my entire day.

I'm normally fairly upbeat when I teach, but once this particular student turned up, each of the thirty minutes dragged like an arthritic wombat towing a sack of rocks. No amount of coffee could restore my energy levels afterwards. The only saving grace was the fact that at least it was a whole week until we would meet again...

We've all had students like this. You might even currently have your very own "Wednesday" that you dread each week. But what's notable is not that such students exist.

It's that we so often keep teaching them anyway.

This article is about giving yourself permission not to, and being able to identify these students for what they are. Because income loss or no, life is too short to share any of your half hours each week with a student you dread.

Knowing when you've got a Frankenstudent
The problem is that these Frankenstudents don't always present with tell-tale bolts through their heads. Sometimes it can be hard to put a finger on just what it is that makes them so... so... arggghh...

...and just as the word eludes you, it seems unreasonable to dismiss them from your studio for a crime you can't even name.

So how can you tell if you have a student you're better off without, or if you're the one who's being pathetic? Should our role as teachers also be that of redeemers? Is there an extent to which we should learn to tolerate the intolerable?

What follows is a quiz to help you sort through the muddle...

...and maybe it will provide the nudge you need to start planning an "I think it's time for a break" speech...