TC215: Research-backed insights on piano student retention with Karen Gerelus

Research-backed insights on piano student retention with Karen Gerelus

100 students will start piano lessons this year and 98 will quit before they reach proficiency. Learn the reasons why students quit piano and how to help!

This episode features guest Karen Gerelus speaking on research-based insights about piano student retention.

Transcript of the show about piano student retention

If you’d like to download a PDF transcript of this episode, please click below.

In this episode, you’ll learn how extrinsic and intrinsic motivation affects piano student retention:

• [03:47] A short introduction on Karen and her studio.
• [05:58] Talking about her research work called Parting Ways with Piano Lessons – comparing motivation between continuing and dropout piano students.
• [08:17] Focusing on retention in her research.
• [11:46] Key factors for students quitting.
• [12:59] The impact of parents being in the music lesson. 
• [15:16]Self-Determination Theory
• [19:30] Motivating kids externally at the start is okay. Hopefully, the intrinsic will take over.
• [22:27] Karen shares her own story on quitting and coming back to piano.
• [27:16] Explaining the quote “There is no relationship between practice time and motivation.”
• [28:15] Thoughts for teachers about practicing and having a tough-love stance, a hard stance on, or being relaxed about it.
• [32:42] Karen talks about what she found out about students dropping out because of the lack of popular repertoire.
• [37:57] The reason why teachers are often quite resistant to offering autonomy in musical choice in their lessons?
• [40:01] Giving students show-off pieces to boost their confidence and retain their interest.
• [42:05] Recommendations for bridging the gap between external motivation and internal self-motivation in students.
• [48:57] Karen talks about the most basic point of her research.

Links Mentioned

• Hear related episodes about movitation:
• TopCast 122: The Motivation Equation with Samantha Coates (Part 1)
• TopCast 123: The Motivation Equation with Samantha Coates (Part 2)

• Karen’s research paper: Parting Ways with Piano Lessons: Products, Invoked Reasons, and Motivation Related to Piano Student Dropouts
• Research paper on Predictors of Student Dropouts

Motivation Spectrum

About our Guest

Karen Gerelus is a third-generation piano teacher and scholar whose work has been featured in prominent academic journals and pedagogy conferences. She holds a Master of Arts in Piano Pedagogy, several artist diplomas, and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Calgary where her research focuses on identity and motivation in piano students. Find her work at GerelusMusic.com.

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