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Hi, I am Therese and I am new to these forums. Hopefully this is the right place to be posting this .

I've been taking piano lessons for 6 years. I've had 3 wonderful teachers, but one problem that I can't seem to overcome during lessons. I practise all week and then I play terribly during lessons. A lot of people have told me it's normal to mess up a bit during lessons, but I don't think my problem is minor. How I play at home is completely different than the music I make during lessons.

All of my teachers have been surprised when they saw my exam marks or festival scores...

When I play at lessons, I don't just play with more mistakes. Everything is completely different... the rhythm is off, the tempo is extremely slow, and the music is just expressionless in general... sometimes I feel like the keyboard and the notes are completely foreign to me and my fingers have no idea what to do. I try to relax and just enjoy the music before I start a piece, but it never works, I always tense up once I hit the first note. Everything is very reserved, controlled, and "shy". It's only when my piano teacher tells me to play a certain way (different tempo, more dynamics etc) that I start to relax.

Edit: Now that I think about it, I think a part of me wants to continue to play this way, because I don't want to "surprise" my teacher, and worry about her reaction? This sounds really strange probably, but I think it's true.

I don't think it's because I'm trying to play perfectly. I know in my mind that playing so tensely makes me make so many more mistakes. I try hard to relax. And my teacher is always encouraging, so I'm not afraid of her. But I do get very nervous, more nervous than I am in exams or competitions. I really don't know the reason why, and I don't know what to do.

I'm sorry if this is really long, or if this isn't really a question, or if it doesn't belong here, but I really don't know what to do. I just feel like this has gone on forever and I don't want it to go on anymore. I guess I'm looking for thoughts and advice...
thank you.

Therese.

Perhaps it's the immediate feedback and criticism you fear. Often judges don't say anything, they simply write, and you can read their comments at a later time. Perhaps this is more relaxing for you, as you don't have to deal with any immediate verbal comments.

If this might be the case, maybe you could suggest to your teacher that you'd like to talk and discuss your playing before she expresses her opinion. You sound like you are a conscientious piano player, and maybe if you can refocus your attention on your response to your playing, it will help you relax as you play for her.

Your tension is distracting you, which then causes more mistakes. It's an endless cycle, and the only way out is to not let yourself get distracted by any tensions, mistakes, acute awareness of movements the teacher makes, etc. The house could be burning down around your ears and you shouldn't let it sway you (OK, not literally, but focus to that extent!).

Whenever you notice that you are distracted, just say "OK, back to business!" and focus all of your attention on the matter at hand. No matter how many times during a piece this happens, just keep redirecting your attention back to the music. Redouble your efforts to play it as musically as you can, too. This will help keep your attention.

This is a common problem for people. Performance anxiety doesn't have to effect every kind of performance, sometimes it is only for certain people, or a certain number of people. Not only is it a mistake or two, but the moments following those mistakes that you dwell on how it sounded, what the person(s) who are listening thought if it or of you, anything *but* what's coming up next in the music! It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. The only way to stop that is to reign yourself in when you find your mind has gone astray. The first time, it will be a little bit better, then the next will be better, and this will continue until it's not that big of a deal at all.

Still, it's something that you'll always have to watch out for.

My son, who is a performer, says he is often not aware of many of his mistakes until he hears a recording afterward. It is because he is focusing on what comes next, not what just happened. I am guessing that you are trying to anticipate your teacher's response, so you are listening too critically to what you just played, and not on what you are going to play. Once your teacher tells you some aspect to focus on, you start playing "forward" rather than backward, focusing on what to do, rather than what you just did.

Perhaps the teacher might tell you in advance what he/she is going to be listening for, and you can focus on producing that. Or decide in advance on your own what you might want to express, and set about going after it.

Snowdrops, a few years ago a couple of us students put our heads together about why playing in the studio affected us, and we came up with some answers that worked for us. It goes sort of like this:

When you play at home you concentrate on the music. When you perform, you ignore the audience and concentrate on the music. But when you play for the teacher your attention can be half on the teacher. In society it is impolite to not pay attention to the other person, especially a guide or superior, so that attention shifts. However, when playing for a teacher you basically have to ignore the teacher as if he was not there while you are playing. Then when he responds and guides before and after you play, you shift your attention again to the teacher, and what he/she is saying. There is also a subtle trick so that you are paying attention to what s/he is saying, and not on whether he likes what you did (which we found threw us too).

Deliberately shifting attention made all the difference in the world. It felt strange and rude at first to "ignore" the teacher and concentrate completely on the music, and almost selfish. But it worked, and of course when you play better, the interaction with the teacher also works better during the non-playing time. We both practised doing this at home, using a teddy bear as teacher-prop and ignoring the listening teddy bear . Another thing that helped was recording, because you know the microphone hears everything, so ignoring its presence takes some doing.

Another thing involved seeing what we were doing differently. Instead of seeing the piece as a performance where the teacher would be assessing us, the piece became an object being worked on between apprentice and master - like a carpentry student bringing in a chair he's working on and both of them seeing what part of the chair still needs fixing. That allowed us to be almost indifferent so that we could work with the teacher and concentrate on it, rather than being thrown.

Most people get a bit nervous when they have to play in front of their teacher or in front of people - if they are not use to it. The trouble with it is it becomes psychological, so every time your lesson approaches you will be getting nervous.

What I suggest is that you - maybe try and change the place you have your lesson, so if your teacher comes to your house, maybe suggest going to them.

Also try and get use to playing in front of different people, so maybe organise a night out with your friends, and the meeting point is your house and then play something to them before you go out.
Once you get use to playing more frquently in front of people you will find having your lesson a lot easier.

You could also record your piece your playing and take it along to your teacher to show them, and also listen to it back yourself - you will be surprised at how good you sound! And this will give you a confident boost also.

I record my students sometimes when they have finished a piece. I try and do it descretly, then when they hear it back they are reall chuffed with themselves!

Hope this helps you!
Good Luck, and don't lose confidence, I bet your really good!

If there is one thing I hear every day, it is this:

"I played it better at home...honest!"

How insightful! I'm going to try this at my lesson tomorrow. Thank you!

When a student foolishly makes this statement, I suggest that perhaps because they weren't listening critically, they didn't hear their problem areas and thus weren't focused on playing without them. If I get an incomprehensible look, I tell them that if I were to stop in at their home while they were practicing, they'd suddenly have the same problems they were having at their lesson.

When my students say, "I played it better at home," I always joke, "Well then I will have to visit you one day soon."

But seriously, I've always had the same problem. I agree with the above suggestions. One of my problems is a little tiny voice in me needing quelling that says,"Who do you think you are to play so amazingly?" In other words, there's a certain humility we carry into the studio, and it's difficult to express our true capabilities.

What's so foolish about that statement? Although I prefer to tell my teacher the parts I've had problems with at home, rather than those I was OK with, it doesn't seem foolish to let them know that you haven't had problems with a particular piece at home when you hit issues during the lesson. In fact, not doing that is foolish because you are depriving your teacher of information that may help you learn better.

John, I have just listed some things that two students found affected their ability to play in the studio. Once we identifed them, we found solutions and the problem disappeared. They included:
- being attentive to the teacher while playing, because it is "rude" to "ignore" the teacher and pay attention only to the music (which in fact we need to do)
This one factor already will make a difference in how we play at home and in the studio.

You, as teacher, are not a piece of furniture. There is an interaction between you and the student. As students we must learn how to be attentive to the music and to you, and when to do which. You reaction to our playing may be so important that it will make us stumble. It is very possible that a student does play worse in lessons for that reason and is also frustrated about it. If you tell us what we perceive is not so, then it is both confusing and frustrating. But even worse, you cannot help us solve a problem if you don't acknowledge it may exist.

There IS a different thing - If a teacher mentions mistakes that we have probably been doing all week, then saying "I played it better at home" is an excuse - in that case what you say is true. But surely that is not always the case.

I have one student. She doesn't have a piano at home but practices on a keyboard and pianos in churches when she can find them. She often tells me she plays it better at home.

Once when she came, I had been running around all day, and felt really hot and sweaty. I asked if she minded waiting while I took a shower - that she could warm up while I got ready. She didn't half play well while I was in the shower! Next lesson, she asked me to go wash dishes for 10 minutes at the start of the lesson.

Not in the teacher's manual, I know. But it works for us.

Andy & KS, the point I was trying to make is that in all likelihood, the student didn't play it better at home. They only thought they did because they weren't being as self-critical as they are at the lesson. Of course, as a teacher, you need to be tactful how you point this out, but we're talking teacher to teacher here.

This does make some sense to me. I used to have this feeling too. I think you just have to convince that part of yourself that if you play the best you possibly can for your teacher, she won't waste her time telling you stuff you already know, but will be able to bring you to a whole new level. And I promise you, this won't happen overnight.

Well of course they would! Because the problem isn't that they're not playing at home. It's that they're playing in front of you.

+1

My 2 cents worth:
What do you do right before your lessons? Are you practicing like crazy and getting yourself worked up? I used to do that and it made me very nervous during lessons. Try not playing or practicing the day of your lesson. Practice afterwards instead. Do some deep breathing exercises before your lesson.

I understand this, John. It can also be that as students we do not hear our mistakes and are chagrined to have them pointed out. And being human, excuses are made.

That said, there are also things that can have a bad effect on our ability to play in front of a teacher. I am also talking both teacher to teacher and student to teacher. The attitudes that I mentioned are not ones that will be visible to you yet catching them can make a world of a difference. Supposing that some students are really prevented from playing their best and that this problem could be corrected. Surely that is worth looking into.

Also, this thread was started by a student who describes a paralysis or clumsiness that overtakes her specifically when she plays in front of teachers. It seems to be a major problem that she cannot overcome and she has come to this forum for help. It does not seem to be a scenario where her teacher is pointing out mistakes, but rather that she simply cannot get her fingers to move when she is in lessons. To me this does not sound implausible. It can be easier to play for a large audience than for a teacher, and stage fright can be paralyzing in either situation.

Thank you for all the replies! I'll try to take everything you all said in... and I'll see what happens during my next lesson.

I agree that my teacher catches mistakes and points that I don't notice at home... and I'm glad she does. I tell my parents this is *one* of the reasons why piano lessons are helpful when they suggested I didn't need so many lessons. When my teacher corrects me, she understands that I'm sensitive and it doesn't usually upset me or anything... in fact a lot of times she makes a joke and it makes me laugh.

but my main problem is that I'm actually holding myself back- a lot- during lessons. And that I get so tense I get distracted by other little things easily.
It relates to my personality, I think, I'm quite shy and quiet.

Even my parents notice it. It's been an issue ever since I started lessons. I have had lessons at school, at my teacher's home, and in my own house before.... and the problem was the same.
When I switched teachers, at first the problem seemed to go away and I was able to play more naturally during the first few lessons, but then it came back.

My sister and I are in the same grade for piano, and she may make more mistakes during lessons, but she plays quite naturally, and it sounds pretty much like what she does at home.



I'm not 100% sure if I understand you correctly, but I think this is what goes on in my head actually.


I don't practise right before lessons, but on the day of lessons... since my lessons are late (8:30 pm)... I almost forgot about deep breathing, thank you.

Snowdropsbella...

One thing I do with students who have versions of your situation, be their problem small or acute, is to have them "warm up" at the onset of each lesson.

I step out of the studio room, and give them about 5 minutes or so. Then I carefully and quietly watch (the door has a window), and listen. They typically are playing it better w/me gone, and, if I slip in quietly, (after the first time, they know I will do this), I motion for them to keep playing as I try to make myself invisible.

Sometimes that helps, sometimes it does not.

Also, there are several other things going on here.

First, the student is playing in front of an audience, which many find difficult.

Second, the student is playing in front of a judge, which many find very difficult.

I know a lot about this, because I play in bands, and if I know that another pro musician is present, especially another piano player, or Hammond organ player, rather than the general public, that can rattle me.

Third, the student is playing in a unfamiliar environment, as compared to their regular practice room.

Fourth, the student is playing on a piano that is different in feel and tone to the instrument upon which they are accustomed.

(The Third and Fourth do not apply if the teacher travels to your home, which I do not do).

Fifth, the student just traveled to my studio, typically after a long day, often in the afternoon, often hungry, tired, etc, and has to jump in and start playing, whereas a regular practice session might have the benefit of occuring after a rest, a meal, a shower, a quiet time, etc.

So there is a lot going on in many areas, all of which can negatively impact one's playing.

The only solution I have, which is not a panacea, is to work at making the student feel comfortable and safe and welcomed at lessons, but even that does not work all the time.

Just a few thoughts.