A question I am often asked by young teachers is, "How long should it take my students to get through each method book?" The short answer is 3 - 9 months. The long answer is, it depends on the family. (You thought I was going to say it depends on the student.)
The average student needs parental help to schedule, maintain, and support their music practice and scholastic homework through the age of eleven years. This is the same for after school athletic activities.
It is interesting to note that athletic coaches realized (about 35 years ago) that parents were no longer encouraging dance and sports routine practice between lessons. Dance studios and soccer coaches took the lead in restructuring private coaching sessions and team classes as a requirement on more than one day a week to be accepted as a student.
The question I ask all parents in our first encounter is, "What do you hope to see your child achieve through taking private music lessons?"
Because I have had the odd student go far in music when their parents were not supportive, I will always work with each child as if they are on a professional track. However, there is a pattern that follows how the parent answers this question. Here are two examples that are making their way into most pedagogy books because they are so typical.
Example 1:
The parents have no expectations for the child. Someone gave them a piano and their friend's kids take private lessons so they are following the pack. These parents are not looking for their children to perform in recitals or enter any competitions. They will often tell you their child is not ready for a recital when you have expected the child to be in a recital. These parents are rarely supportive of a regular practice schedule. When you ask about home practice time they may answer, "We just don't have time to practice." They, or their children, often have a busy social calendar and will frequently run late or ask to reschedule lessons. If the child attends lessons in person, the parent may be late in picking up the child because they used the time to run an errand instead of staying near to hear how the child is progressing in lessons. This child can take 1 to 3 years to complete one method book and will not do well with additional music or challenges.
Example 2:
The parents are clear about their expectations. They want their child to gain confidence in public speaking and an ease in performing before others. They understand the connection between the sciences and the arts and want to see their child excel in math and science. They want their child to have the option of a studio recital and possibly more. You know the parent has eyes on college and more than a four year degree for this child (medicine, law, business.) This family will have a piano in a prominent place in the home and will make sure their child is prepared for every lesson. It will be rare if they miss a lesson. The parent will often be near the child during their regular home practice sessions and will ask the child thoughtful questions about their music to encourage continued interest. If the child has a healthy balance between family fun time and homework, they will usually complete each method book in 3 - 9 months and enjoy taking on challenging pieces, attending live, or watching youtube concerts with their parents, working toward music assessments or certifications, and more.
Of course there is every type of scenario in between the two examples above. However, if you ask any private music teacher or athletic coach, who has worked in their field for many years, they will tell you that they always have students in these two categories. There are instructors and coaches who refuse to work with students in the first example, and they will eliminate students who do not continue to show expected improvement. These instructors/coaches will only take students who pass entrance auditions for their music studio, or compete to gain a place on a sports team.
Method books have been developed to start children in piano studies within the age range of 6 - 8 years. This is because the average child is mentally and physically prepared to begin private piano study at the age of 7 with adult support.
Knowing that the average child will complete a method grade in 6 months you should see this timeline of progress:
6 - 7 years Method Primer and Grade 1 completed
7 - 8 years Method Grades 2 and 3 completed
The two organizations that are recognized World wide for music achievement are the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
Teachers may consider entering students on the Royal Conservatory of Music path upon entering Method book 2. The RCM Exam level would be Prep A, Prep B. For Method book 3 the RCM Exam level would be level 1 at the beginning of method 3, and level 2 toward the end of Method 3.
The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) exams may begin when a student has achieved Method 3 books.
8 - 9 years Method Grades 4 and 5 completed
These Methods would correspond with the abilities and knowledge needed for exam levels 2 and 3 in RCM and ABRSM.
10 - 12 years
Completion of Graded Methods is hoped for during this age range with students beginning work on standard classical literature. If a student has not made graded progress by the time they reach puberty, this is usually where they will lose interest and quit.
By age 12 a child, who has started lessons by age 7 or 8, would have completed all their methods and be studying standard literature.
The average student can expect to reach RCM level 8 by the time they complete high school. RCM level 10 concludes with the Associate Diploma of The Royal Conservatory of Music (ARCT)
The highest level of the RCM is the LRCT (licentiate) and is the skill level equivalent to a master's degree from a University.
Unfortunately there is no U.S. recognized standard, or music accreditation, until students complete a music degree at a University. There are organizations that offer assessments and awards such as the National Guild of Piano Teachers, the Music Teachers National Association, and the National Federation of Music Teachers. Professional memberships must be held by their private instructor for students to enter these assessments.
With the advent of the pandemic, music assessments and exams throughout the World became virtual in 2021. The expense to structure this opportunity led to RCM and ABRSM now actively welcoming U.S. students to take part in their exams.
Many American families do not to see the value of structured progress in music through organizations like RCM. But globally recognized exams, along with our national assessment organizations, can be vehicles to encourage consistent practice and completion of Methods to parents.
I hope this information has been helpful to piano instructors who are beginning on the private teaching career path. Please feel free to leave questions or comments, or contact me directly regarding this topic.
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