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March 12, 2008 at 2:46 PM

And it's not just at the high school level, either. I had problems when I taught at Brevard the last couple of years. I encountered conservatory students who didn't know how to even practice a scale efficiently. Heck, one girl tried to learn the Prokofiev 5 melodies and didn't complete it in the 6 weeks we had together. That sort of thing makes me feel I'm a bad teacher - when I can't inspire greatness in the people that need it the most - but I guess you just can't win them all.

The idea that you work on your notes and try to learn the bowings, fingerings, rhythms, dynamics on your own seems plain as the nose on one's face. If you're coming in to a lesson with someone who is a professional musician or teacher and they have to sit there and tell you, "it's a 3rd finger, not a first finger", "E string, not A string", "8th note, not a quarter note" during *every bar* then the student is being incredibly successful on only one thing: pissing the teacher off. I have one student in mind right now that does this and I cannot express the level of frustration I have with her. Deep down I believe in her and if she just put her mind to it and concentrated she could be a halfway decent player and find lots of enjoyment from playing violin. But instead she's stuck with the bow on the fingerboard, duck feet posture, playing with bad tone, bad rhythm, out of tune. I've tried everything, even video taping her performance and playing it back to her. Nothing gets through to her.

So I get frustrated. One of my friends describes that feeling as her skin melting off her face. I get this big knot in the middle of my throat when this happens.

Everyone has weird students. I pose this question to other professionals: what do you do when someone constantly doesn't improve over time? Do you stick with them or drop them? If you drop them, how do you do it? I've begged and pleaded with the mother to stay for the lesson and she won't do it.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I'd also just like to suggest the possibility that this student has ADHD or some other type of learning disability. She can have a normal or even high IQ and still be struggling mightily with focus and concentration. Is she an underachiever in other subjects or just in music?

Perhaps these are the types of topics that it would be fruitful to discuss with the mother, even if she is unwilling to stay for the lesson. As a mother, I can attest that having a parent present at a lesson doesn't always make things better!

I also agree with Karen in her suggestion to talk to the parent. I do this in the absence of the student, usually by email, although sometimes the parent brings up the issue for discussion during the lesson, and the student plays a central role. When I see a certain behavior or way of thinking in the students' learning, I ask the parents (email) whether the student has the same issues with other subjects in school. The answer is almost always "yes." Then I know why the student is playing below his or her potential. Usually I discuss it with the student using as positive an approach as possible. Most of the time, the student is aware of the problem. Next you enter the realm of psychology, which is difficult, but less difficult if you see the big picture.

Sorry, but there are no easy answers.

How old is she? How long has she been playing? Sometimes steering a student towards a more independent line of thinking is very difficult. Sometimes the kids, especially the kids raised by these New School Helicopter Parents, have no spine at all, and don't know how to work independently. All they know how to do is process spoon feeding.

So, to "get her on solid foods" is quite a challenge. I don't fire students like this. Sometimes the kid sticks with it and develops some maturity. Sometimes the kid quits violin. If this is a teenager, then I would be frank about what kind of mental engagement is needed during practice time, and be very specific about what problems need to be tracked. And like previous posters, I would tackle one issue at a time, and be very patient. Good luck!

My kids make better progress on their instruments compared to their peers and I'm sure it's because they have a parent who makes sure they practice. I also play with them to work on their rhythm and fingering. If they have questions I can usually answer them. If I can't, we phone their teacher.

Most kids are not going to be disciplined enough to practice if no one is checking them at home. My daughter playing violin gets very frustrated if she has music that is difficult for her. She sees it as eating an elephant in one bite...it's too big a task. I help her break that down, we'll work on one measure a day if that's all she has the patience for, and before she knows it, she can play the whole piece.

I too suggest to write out a practice schedule for kids like the one you are having problems with. Perhaps this student needs the guidance of a teacher when away from the lesson. With a written format in front of her, she may be more motivated to work because she can see what she needs to do and can tick each item off until she has run through the whole practice schedule. Kids understand homework, they don't see the need for practice.

Not everyone has the inner motivation and drive to succeed. But I do believe that behavior can be taught. We just need to be more creative with those who need alot of push to get them moving in the right direction.

My teacher threw me out of a lesson for not practicing when I was in about 8th or 9th grade. She simply said "We're not getting anywhere because you aren't practicing. You're wasting my time and your parents' money. Pack up & leave, and don't come back until you're ready to have a lesson." After that I practiced more often.