What Are The Fundamental Musical Skills?, you would like your pupils to learn? Options

[funkiepiano]

Some of my pupils do not progress in the way I would like them to; some do little or no practice, and do not apper to be "learning" anything, for whatever reason. They're usually either young beginners with very little grasp of what is involved, or disaffected teenagers who think being able to play will happen by magic. I'd like to know how these sorts of pupils can take something positive away from their lessons and gain general musical skills that will stick with them for life, even if they only come to me for a few months. I'd like to spend more of my lessons working on these musical "life-skills" rather than going over pieces that they haven't practised and maybe can't see the value in, time and time again. Aural skills could be part of it, rhythm games another. Any other ideas anyone???

[Robodoc]

When I was a child my sister & I were given no illusions: We WOULD learn to read music, just as we learnt to read English, whether we liked it or not. Once we could read music we could do what we wanted with it. I loved it & still do. My sister didn't, but as a result of being taught to read music she found that when she grew up she could, and did, sing in the church choir, sing in choral societies, sing in scratch Messiahs etc. She is so grateful that she was made to learn to read music that she has a touch of the evangelicals on the subject.