What do I do with this 12 year old student? He knows his notes on paper. He can do his notespeller, and read flashcards. But, every time he plays a piece he "transposes" it. Not only that, but we struggle through EVERYTHING. He never plays a piece well. He insists he practices. And I know that it is VERY important to the mother that her children have lessons, so I really believe he is practicing, just not very effectively. I know part of the problem is that he has had a different teacher every year for about five years. But I think that for the most part the teachers are the ones who say "I can't...anymore." I don't want to pass him along. I really want to find something that works. But what? I took him down a level, which helped at first, but as the songs progress, he doesnt. Can it be that he just doesnt have the talent for it? I hate to even say that someone "cant" do it. But has anyone felt that way about a student before? I guess you can all sense my frustration. Help!

-- Trudy Shiba (trushiba@hotmail.com), November 13, 2002

Answers

Have him tape record his practice every day for a week, then listen to the tape. You may learn something valuable.

-- Arlene Steffen (asteffen@fresno.edu), November 15, 2002.