TTTV030: Practice, Motivation and Mindset with Michael Griffin

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practice motivation michael griffin

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You asked and I listened! The number one requested topic from my recent survey, was how to get students motivated to practice. There’s a good reason this is the top concern for piano teachers worldwide, because when students don’t practise, they don’t progress.

So, how do we get our students to practice?

When students are making progress, they are usually motivated to keep going. This is why how students practise is even more important than how much they practise. The more we model effective practice in lessons, they more likely students are to practise that way at home. If we encourage good practice habits, our students make speedy progress and are therefore encouraged to continue.

Michael Griffin is a renowned educator, speaker and writer. His most recent book (Learning Strategies for Musical Success) talks about just this issue, how best to learn and practice a musical instrument. I’m so excited to have Michael on the podcast to share his wisdom about motivation, mindset and practice.

Take a listen to amp up the practice in your studio!

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Why kids don’t practice
  • How to get parents involved with practice
  • Why we need to get explicit about what good practice looks like
  • The three essential elements of good practice: repetition, slow practice & chunking
  • How you can reverse the roles in your lessons to demonstrate practice techniques
  • How to foster autonomy in your students
  • Why our relationship with our students affects their motivation
  • What growth mindset is and how it affects piano students

Items mentioned in this podcast:

Watch the full interview here:

Practice Pack Download:

Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine.

Being a full-time teacher myself, I know how busy teachers are and how much time, effort and passion we put into our students. Sometimes, the last thing we want to do in our time off is listen to more piano teaching stuff! So, well done for using this time for self-improvement.

Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run. Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons on the left of the page.

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What are your top tips for getting students practising?

Is there any of Michael’s ideas that you can’t wait to try?

Was there anything we didn’t talk about that you think is essential in the quest for perfect practice? I’d love to hear your ideas below!