Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Do you set goals for your playing?

Well, being at this for just over a year now when I can get something down without messing up too badly or butchering it I feel pretty good about myself.

I'll add that the ABF recitals have been very important in forcing me to pick one thing and focus on it and actually get it done. I have several half-completed pieces where I didn't feel like working on the harder bits but could play all the easy parts. The recitals actually force me to try and do the entire piece.

Of course, I would usually start those half-completed songs when in the middle of working on something harder so I wasn't going to jump right into the difficult parts of some other song. The easy parts of other songs were sort of an escape for the time being. On the bright side once I get a little better I could be in a position to finish up several songs in a very short period of time if I get motivated to get the tricky bits done.

Rocket, I set goals and when I am able to afford lessons again my teacher will set goals too, but they are not the kind of goals that you have listed. The goal might be to reach a certain level and work toward what that entails. Then pieces and studies which can be used to practice those.
When it comes week to week the piece being worked on has goals that change: have correct fingering and timing, then problem areas and whatever solution is used, then fleshing out phrasing and dynamics - that kind of thing. Do you also think in terms of those kinds of goals as a teacher, and if so, do you have students who would be open to them?

Well, I am a piano teacher who has learned much of what I know from teachers, so my answer to a beginner just starting out is to get some sort of knowledgable leadership in your piano life so you can get started on the right foot, without you learning hard-to-undo bad habits.

That can be a full-time teacher, or a class at a local college, or a part-time teacher who will give you several lessons, and then monitor your growth by a lesson now and then.

I strongly believe that should be your first goal. I know there are people on these forums who would disagree with me....but I base that belief on the numerous self-taught students who have come to me for lessons bearing bad habits that they did not know they had, habits that could have been easily avoided, and that they struggled with, sometimes to no avail.

As far as a realistic goal on your own, I too am not sure what that would be...as I mentioned in my original post, there is really no way you can determine what your goals might be at this point, as you have no perspective to go on.

However, if you want to go the self-taught way, without knowing you, and not seeing how you are progressing after a few weeks, I really cannot answer your question. I have seen adults take two or three months to progress to a point in Alfred that other adults achieve in a few weeks...there are so many variables...talent, time, effective practice habits, to name a few.

Now I will contradict myself... If you are self-taught,in the Alfred Adult books there is "Jingle Bells" fairly early on...I do not have a copy here, but it is in the first 1/4 or so of the book. I would say that if you cannot play that so it sounds nice and smooth, without stumbles, after, say, 2 or 3 months, you might want to get a teacher to help you.

Sorry for being redundant...

The goals I listed of finishing a section of a book in such a such a time I used as an example to start this thread. And sure, I and the student adjust them as necessary.

Goals such as fleshing out the phrasing and dynamics of a piece are part and parcel of all my teaching from day one, with, for some, setting a time frame to finish the piece.

Determining how to set those goals, particularly whether or not to set a time frame, is the focus of this thread. Thanks for your clarification.

And thank you for yours, Rocket. This question interests me too. Some years ago my teacher gave me a whole pile of things to work on but they were things: studies, scales, pieces. I wondered if there were specific strengths or weaknesses like I just listed that he might want me to focus on. So I asked him, "What would you like me to work on?" He looked annoyed and said "Everything." We were not on the same page. He did not know that as a student I might be focussed on "improve your fingering" and such, and thought I was asking which of the studies, scales, pieces I should be working on. The definition of goals, and how students and teachers perceive goals was at the root of this. It took another year to figure this out.

Interesting thread and how timely considering I just recently stopped lessons after only six months mainly due to time pressures at home. My goal originally was to continue with the Alfred's series. However, I found myself a bit burned out on Alfred's. The music, for me is rather uninspiring. That goal seems to be evolving into building a repertoire and memorizing all of the pieces. I have a small stack of music that I want to learn (who doesn't?). Santa brought several David Nevue pieces plus I'm anxiously waiting for an Einaudi book that has been on back order forever (Santa, you're late!). I'm also working on learning scales and chords. My longer term goal that is probably a year or two down the road based upon my current technical level is to learn and memorize Chopin's Nocturne in C# minor. I'm not a great classical fan, but for some reason that nocturne is really moving for me. My most tangible short term goal-get on the piano everyday.

Rocket88

Thanks for the truth... My goal is to find a teacher. I do believe I have found one in my area just need to work out our schedules.

I'm hoping with the piano lessons and whatever I'm directed too by the teacher and lots of faithful practice I'll be able to play something rather smoothly by summer time.

There you have my simple goal for now. Oh .... I DITTO the goal (by melwig) of getting on the piano daily...

Goals are essential for me, too.
Some are given by my teacher such as a date for a recital. Sometimes when I'm "almost there" with a piece but somehow stuck he will apply mild pressure and tell me to have it all polished and ready by next lesson.

Besides, I have my own long-term goals (improve control of 3rd and 4th finger) and micro-goals (e. g. learn four bars of new piece each day, learn piece up to bar XY till next lesson). The more work to do, the more important those goals become for me in order to keep me focused on effective practice.

Writing this I notice my goals tend to be quantitative rather than qualitative. Maybe I should also focus on micro-goals such as improving articulation of a certain passage etc.

Sounds like you will do just fine...Best wishes!