I Hated My Piano Teacher

Is this something you’ve said before? Have you ever felt like you had a terrible experience with music? Then this week’s podcast is especially for you. If you’ve uttered the phrase, “I hated my piano teacher”, then grab a cup of coffee and let’s talk through it together. You’re certainly not alone. 

The important thing to remember is that your early musical experience does not have to define your musical journey. That was just one moment in time with a teacher that perhaps didn’t know any better. 

Why We Learn Music

One of the biggest errors piano teachers make is not explaining why we learn certain skills on the piano. Learning scales sounds boring until you know what scales are good for. Chords are boring until you realize that with them you can play any song you hear on the radio.

Knowing why we do things is as important  as doing the things themselves. Understand however that most teachers do this unknowingly. They don’t do this to make their student’s life miserable. 

Keep an Open Mind

Sometimes It’s easier to remember something from our past as having only one contributing factor. The truth is that reality is always a bit more complex. The reason I say this is because it’s important to be kind when remembering your teachers.

While it may be true that a ‘mean’ teacher could have crossed our paths, more often than not, they were just doing what they thought best. Most teachers I know are well-intentioned. Some may lack the skills to execute those skills in a friendly manner, however they aim to provide their students with what they need.

So where does that leave us? Perhaps a useful approach is to consciously let go of the bad musical experience and more importantly, embrace a new one. 

Final Thoughts

Music is something too wonderful to let go due to past experiences. Don’t let anyone or anything take away the possibility of creating music. That would be tragic. So today say, “I may have hated my piano teacher, but I will not let that take music away.”

Then scoot on over to your piano and play the first note of your new melody.