“Kids compare themselves to the kid next door and adults compare themselves to Art Tatum and Glen Gould.”
Yes! This quote comes from Business Week magazine quoting Matthew Harre, a piano teacher in Washington state.
I specialize teaching ‘piano chords’ to adults. When I initially get to know an adult student and can peer inside their thought process, yes, they are setting their bar very high. Progress is achieved when you do things in small bites. This includes where we set our bar. Too high and it becomes discouragement. Discouragement is achieved when we feel an overwhelming sense of dread that we will never reach our goals. Small bites example: Record your student playing a song in September, October and November. Listen to the recordings in December. You will see and hear the progress. Especially if the piece is at the same level as the student. As teachers, we have the ability to break the learning process down to tiny bits depending on each students needs. This is as critical to good teaching as teaching musical information. Set the bar at a reasonable level and enjoy the good feelings that bubble up when your students feel progress! Teachers, please comment on how you create achievable goals with your adults.