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When teaching children especially. patience is key. Sometimes the student has difficulty registering a concept or correction and no matter how many repetitions, he/she is still “not getting it.” So what do you do? Past history has taught me that you can’t expect the same results if you’re teaching the same way The solution is to change it up or take a break and come back to it. There’s no benefit in having two people frustrated especially me as a teacher and the responding student. What I have found helpful is to ask clarifying questions to better identify what the root problem or disconnect is. Once identified, you can move on to brainstorming on solutions instead of hitting the same problem repeatedly. If it’s a rhythm problem, then it’s best to pull out the metronome and give some extra counting exercises. If it is is note reading, then I will often have the student do some extra note reading exercises via an app or in their Theory book. When all other options are exhausted, take a few minute break, visit something else, and try again. By then, there might be some fresh creative solutions that may help bridge the disconnect. No matter what, the process requires patience. There’s no reason to force it. You just have to take it one step at a time.
