Uh oh…My Music Student Is More Advanced than I Am!

This blog post about teaching a more advanced music student was written by Carmen Carpenter. Carmen has taught music in a school setting as well as in her home studio for more than 30 years. Teaching combines two of her favourite things: music and kids! Besides teaching music, Carmen loves spending time with family playing games, working puzzles and watching movies. She’s also an avid reader and loves taking long walks on her local, woodsy trails.

I have a confession to make. It’s a wee bit embarrassing but this is a safe space, right? 

OK. Here goes: I am NOT a concert pianist. And, frankly, I might not even be what some folks would consider an advanced pianist.

Nevertheless, I’m a piano teacher, and I’ve been told I’m a pretty darn good teacher, too.

When I watch sports, I’m always struck by the number of coaches who never “made it big”, yet coach athletes who are in the big leagues. It seems the coach doesn’t have to be a superstar in order to teach and guide someone else to athletic stardom.

So in musical circles, why do we act as though a piano, violin or tuba teacher has to be a professional performer to teach? What’s keeping us from teaching musicians at every level?

If you’re a musician with any sort of training, you have finely tuned ears, eyes and critical thinking skills that lend value to any student-teacher relationship.

So what do “pretty good” musicians like myself do when students inch ever closer to surpassing their teacher’s skills?

Practise, Practise, Practise

The times I’ve had students who were advancing to a point that I was unsure of my abilities have been the times I’ve practised the most. When I peek into future pieces in their method books or search for suitable supplemental material and feel a sense of dread, then I know it’s time to get my butt on the piano bench. 

First-Hand Knowledge

Even though I don’t feel the need to work a piece up to performance level to guide a student through it, I do want to have first-hand knowledge of all the nit-picky components of mastering the piece in question. And as I go through the learning process myself, I can fully appreciate what the challenges are in a piece.

Since I’ve done the hard work of struggling through those difficulties, I can create a step-by-step procedure and plan to make mastering the piece way easier for my students. 

Educate Yourself With Online Tools

We live in an age where acquiring an education from your own home on your computer is many people’s first stop for learning. And there’s no shame in using the tools of the digital age to find expert help for ourselves to teach advancing students. 

If you’re planning to use technology to give your teaching a boost, check out these fantastic options.

• Entrada is for pianists at any level to up their technique game with sequenced videos and masterclasses from expert teacher, Fred Karpoff. (Vibrant Music Teaching members get 10% off an annual membership.)
• Tonebase features instruction from world-renowned educational institutions and teachers on a variety of instruments.
• YouTube. Yes, even YouTube offers a wealth of training in almost every instrument imaginable. Just be sure to use your critical, musical eyes and ears to determine if the instruction is up to snuff.

Find Enrichment Opportunities

If you’re in a position where you feel uncertain you can demonstrate high-level playing, seek out concerts, recitals, masterclasses and other performances you and your progressing student can attend together. In this way, you’ll both be the beneficiaries of outstanding musicianship and musical education.

Check the websites of local and regional universities for public performances. Or, if you live in a city large enough, the symphony or orchestra is an option. 

And don’t forget about your local cinema. Sometimes you can catch opera and symphony performances on the big screen at a much lower cost than actually going to the Met. 

Duets and Ensembles

I love playing duets with my students at all levels. Making music together is what it’s all about for my musician-self. But I admit that I tire of playing the duets in my students’ method books, and long for someone a little closer to my level to play with. 

So when a student is progressing to the point of surpassing me, I’m delighted to bring out duets we can enjoy playing together. There are plenty of duets out there in the world, be they evenly levelled or not. Simply search for “[insert your instrument here] duets” on your favourite sheet music website and you’re sure to find loads of options.

This could also be a golden opportunity to play some chamber music if you teach string, brass, woodwind or percussion students. 

‘Duet Pathway’ is a great resource for finding evenly levelled piano duets at all levels. Enter your info below, and we’ll send the resource straight to your inbox.

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If you’re already a member of VMT, you can download the Duet Pathway from the Printable Library. Not a member? Check us out…you might be surprised! 🤯

Put Yourself Out There

This is probably the hardest thing we non-concert pianists have to do. It can be hard to admit to students and parents (and yourself!) that you don’t have the skills of a professional-level pianist. But, as the saying goes, honesty is the best policy, and you probably won’t be able to fool these folks forever.

Studio Performances

I recently performed at one of my studio recitals – something I’m loath to do. But I do feel it’s important for my students to see me in that light now and then.

After I played, one parent told me she was glad to see me up there because she wanted to make sure I actually could play! She didn’t tell me she was impressed or anything, but I was relieved that I could confirm my abilities well enough for her to feel comfortable allowing me to be her child’s teacher.

Play to Your Strengths 

Even if you may not be able to whip out the Liszt and Rachmaninoff concertos, you do have some musical elements that you are an expert at.

Whether you’re a rhythm whiz, practice maven or a technique superstar, you have something that surpasses the level of all of your students – even your more advanced music student.

Use that strength and impart your expertise to your students. Chances are you’ll make them a master in that area, too.

Mentor Them

Now that this student has advanced playing abilities, how about teaching them to teach? If you’ve gotten them this far, then teaching is your superpower. They can certainly learn a lot from your abilities in the area of imparting instruction.

To make this effort easier, use The Mentorship Model course available in the members-only VMT Library. It’s designed specifically to help you train new or inexperienced teachers and to bring them on as teachers in your studio.

Not a member? Learn more and join today at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

Send Them on Their Way

Yeah, you knew I would have to land here. Sometimes a student does in fact advance beyond the point of benefiting from your teaching. It serves the student (and actually you) to help them find an appropriate teacher who can truly take them to the next level.

Don’t think of it as a goodbye so much as a send-off. You’ve taught them and nurtured them and now it’s time to watch them soar! 🦅

What do you do when a music student is more advanced than you?

Tell us about it in the comments below.

If you have more dilemmas like these, you’re likely to find help on the Colourful Keys hub page devoted to planning Lessons.