Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum How do you teach self-discipline?

My point being, that although she has to do her piano practice, I wouldn't want to associate it in her mind with chores or homework. That it's a dirty job that has to be done, and then "weekends are made for Michelob" as we used to say.

If piano were so fastidious then I wouldn't have her do it at all, she has enough forced labor to do at school which is, frankly, often dumb.

I don't know if that is going to head off "discipline" problems in the future, when she hits puberty or adolescence or whatever. That isn't at all my concern.

She only has to do her practice because it is her wish that she wants to learn to play the Piano. It's fairly simple, if she doesn't practice she won't learn anything and achieve her goal of being able to play the Piano.

As far as school work is concerned, she loves it and can't get enough. She really enjoys it and is disappointed when she doesn't have homework and she really hates school holidays.

She also loves doing chores as she associates it with helping Mummy around the house, which she really enjoys.

School and chores are positive things to her and part of her routine, so adding Piano practice to the list works perfectly for her.

I have no idea how long it will last but in the meantime everything is terrific.

In relation to the OPs question I suppose beating the student over the knuckles with a ruler is out of fashion now.
Results were certainly achieved in the past with this method.

If by "results" you mean "piano students were traumatized and escaped from the abuse of piano lessons as soon as possible, carrying the emotional (and sometimes physical) scars the rest of their lives"...then yeah.

Why is physical chastisement always seen in a negative way?
Sloppy students would be careful wih their fingering if a mistake meant a rap on the knuckles.
Surely thats a positive result.

By definition though, rapping their knuckles isn't really "self" discipline, is it?

But this is a good article on developing the discipline of self-directed practice:
http://www.serve.com/marbeth/teaching_practice.html

Steve B,
Absolutely correct.
Its the imposition of an external discipline in order to teach an internal self discipline.
Something we all require from time to time.

Are you really an old nun?

Nope.
Im not even a young nun.
In fact Im not even a member of a religious order.
I also disapprove completely of rapping either children or adults on the knuckles with rulers.

Then why would you write this:

So my question is: what kind of positive result?

GaryD

Surely its obvious.

Sloppy fingers having received rap on knuckles will be more careful next time.

To be more careful with fingering is a positive result.