What is a Wholistic Piano Teacher?
A wholistic piano teacher is someone who considers your whole wellbeing and life situation, and shows you how to integrate playing the piano into your life, as part of a healthy lifestyle.
* They are familiar with what a healthy lifestyle is.
* They will be aware of the importance of the mindset you bring to the lesson, and will assist you to empower yourself.
* They won’t be only focussed on results
* They will also be interested in whether you are playing at home for your own enjoyment.
* How you feel about the playing will matter.
* You will be guided in ways to maintain motivation and to develop a nourishing practise habit.
Is the piano teaching itself, any different?
Yes it is.
A wholistic piano teacher will also show you how to improvise at the piano, if you would love that. In other words, how to play your feelings. This begins at the first lesson, even though the teacher might not express it in exactly those words at that time.
Improvising can also be ambient playing where you play from the heart instead of reading music. It can also be where you play a known song, then creatively ‘play’ with it, as jazz musicians do.
They will also teach you to play celebratory songs like Happy Birthday in several keys, so you are equipped for when you are asked to play for singers at a party.
Will I be taught how to read music?
Yes of course. The wholistic piano teacher will teach you the traditional skills of playing including quality technique, alongside incorporating self-expression.
Would I have to learn music theory?
A wholistic piano teacher will include a certain amount of theory within each lesson – as in what you need to understand in order to play the music. It is quite possible that you may become interested in the music theory or how music is made because of the way the teacher explains the music to you. It’s an incredibly rich treasure trove of adventure that is available to you.
Is the music I would learn any different?
Maybe or maybe not. This depends on what you want to learn.
Any piano teacher can ask what it is you would love to learn to play – it is possible that a wholistic piano teacher will be a lot more flexible in this. There are many ways to approach learning to play the piano, as well as many different ways or styles of playing.
An individual program of learning is central to an wholistic approach which adapts to your needs.
Is a wholistic piano teacher less qualified than a traditional teacher?
Not necessarily. It can be that the teacher has a lot of experience and tertiary qualifications in music, as well as being knowledgeable about and interested in a wholistic healthy lifestyle, and inherently brings those viewpoints together.
What is the difference between having face to face lessons with an wholistic piano teacher, and learning from an online app?
With face to face lessons you develop a relationship with a human who has your wellbeing at heart, and you can ask questions, and receive warm encouragement and validation for your progress. The quality individual attention and constructive feedback each week is powerful. It’s the difference between engaging in a healthy individual relationship with a compassionate fully alive human, and being on your own with a machine or stepping through a generic course with no support or support you have to work hard to receive.
What is the difference between a Wholistic Piano Teacher and a Music Therapist?
A Music Therapist has completed years of tertiary level study specifically around achieving a therapeutic outcome for their client through listening to or making music.Β They are skilled in academic research, and collaborate with medical professionals on your behalf. They may offer some wholistic piano methods such as improvising and song writing as part of their therapeutic program. A Music Therapist is trained to work with people who have clinical depression and other medically diagnosed conditions.
A Wholistic Piano Teacher guides you in playing the piano for your wellbeing. Mindset is a core part of the program. The ‘dividing’ line seems to be that a Music Therapist is a medically trained professional, who works with their client for a therapeutic result. A Wholistic Piano Teacher is a teacher mentor and guide only in how to play the piano in a way that nourishes your wellbeing, for people who are essentially well. Whilst playing the piano can be therapeutic, a wholistic piano teacher is not a therapist.
Do you have more questions?
Pamela Jordan is a Wholistic Piano Teacher Mentor in Seaforth, Sydney in Australia.
She offers face to face piano lessons in her dedicated music studio as well as zoom piano lessons.
The time zone in Sydney, Australia is Australian Eastern.
Book a free 15mins call with Pamela
More information
www.PurpleTempo.com.au
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