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Elton Joel RW2 2'25
With apologies to them both. A rock piano solo without lyrics.
Recording (mp3, 1.9MB)
Elegy RW2 2'25
Many, many parts to weave and balance - needs ensemble skills, even though it's for solo piano.
Recording (mp3, 1.6MB)
Recording (mp3, 1.2MB)
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Snowflakes RW2 2'25Recording (mp3, 0.9MB)
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Recording (mp3, 2.6MB)
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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
Type 7: The non-practicer
Perhaps the most frustrating student of all, reducing lessons to a shadow of what's possible from both teacher and pupil.
There's plenty you can do to help fire up the practice process (see Practiceopedia for 376 pages of ideas), but in the end a student who refuses to practice at all is condemning their lessons to a lingering death. Your role then becomes an uncomfortable cross between babysitter (of the student) and palliative care (of their parents' musical hopes and dreams).
Be careful though before dismissing a student on these grounds. Some of the best students I've ever had have been people who have been through non-practicing troughs, and there's often fixable causes behind the slump. But in the end a saying comes to mind:
"Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time, and annoys the pig"
Sometimes it's just not possible to teach them to play flute or piano either...
A) I'm yet to see evidence that they ever practice (10 points)
B) Apart from panic practice before a concert, they'll rarely prepare for lessons (6 points)
C) It's an occasional problem (2 points)
D) Their practice is fine (0 points)