Teaching Advanced Students

by Nancy Ostromencki and John M. Zeigler, Ph.D.
Rio Rancho, NM  USA

dvanced students present the teacher with both an opportunity and a dilemma. While such students can be tremendously satisfying and fun to teach, they may also force the teacher to examine carefully their own knowledge and skills as pianists in order to do what is best for the student. Sometimes, the best thing a teacher can do is to help the student find another teacher who specializes in teaching advanced students. In this article, we'll discuss some of the considerations for teachers who have or may soon have advanced students. We won't give any prescriptions here, but we hope this article will help teachers in the decision-making process.

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A teacher who is working with a more advanced student should know advanced piano repertoire like the back of their hand - not necessarily to the point of being able to play it perfectly themselves, but well enough to make the best and most varied choices for the student. One can literally spend years of study exploring the advanced repertoire by the "traditional" composers, not to mention the works of contemporary classical composers.  Choosing repertoire is no easy task and should not be undertaken lightly, as many students who have potential can be musically injured if the repertoire is incorrectly chosen or taught. Without a thorough knowledge of piano repertoire, beginning and advanced, the teacher cannot even begin to help the student develop musically. Every piano teacher should be aware of Music for the Piano by James Friskin and Irwin Freundlich published by Dover Press and Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire by Maurice Hinson edited by Irwin Freundlich, published by Indiana University Press. These two books are worth their weight in gold. They list most all of the piano music written by composers throughout the world. The Friskin/Freundlich book also states the level of difficulty of each piece and problems, pitfalls and advantages of using that repertoire

An advanced student will have an advanced, though not necessarily perfect, technique. It is difficult to define "bad" technique, other than to differentiate physically safe from physically unsafe technique.  From my past experience, having a teacher mess with a student's technique - as in trying to change it totally - creates nothing more than a huge mess for the student. However, a teacher can introduce ideas and concepts to enhance a student's existing technique. The Brahms exercises, the Pischna exercises, and the notorious Liszt exercises will certainly keep advanced students "on their fingertips." Of course, we would also recommend our own Technique Matters columns to teachers and students alike.

Keeping advanced students motivated is relatively easy, because such students exhibit both a love for music and the desire and discipline to have attained a higher level of proficiency. Nonetheless, to keep these students motivated, the teacher needs to be continually expanding the student’s musical horizons with repertoire from all compositional periods, both solo piano and chamber music, along with the accompanying skills. Similarly, the teacher should be emphasizing serious study of theory and composition. Teachers who don't have that kind of background can recommend that their private piano students study theory and composition with a teacher who specializes in theory and composition.

Perhaps the most difficult thing for a private piano teacher to know is when to let go of a student. Even teachers with degrees and national certifications will probably face situations where a student's abilities and knowledge will have grown beyond the teacher's abilities.  Then it is time to realize that it is best for us to help the student find a teacher who can take the student to a higher level of accomplishment. Be as honest and up-front with the student as possible, letting them know that they are not being dumped or rejected. Work with them to find a more advanced teacher, and then stand back, release the eagle and celebrate as it soars to the tops of the musical mountains.

Not only is there nothing wrong with knowing that you can only do so much, it actually reflects positively upon you as a teacher to put the student's interests first by recognizing and facing your own limitations. By helping advanced students find an advanced teacher, you'll be helping the student and, if the new teacher refers students to you, perhaps even yourself.