Some of my students have just performed at the local music festival. The standard for the class was high indeed, but nonetheless my students got up and did their pieces with pride.

I couldn't help but look at those 5/6 children in the class who stood out - their expression, how relaxed they looked at the piano, the clarity....basically everything. Just by seeing them you could tell that they must have a teacher of many years and experience. Part of me feels like I'm letting my students down. Although I pride myself on doing things that even some the most experience teacher wouldn't do (some dont even touch on improving sight reading skills!) sometimes I feel like I'm doing the right things but not teaching it right if that makes sense.

The main thing that I think I have very little knowledge of is the physical side of playing piano. Although I make sure my students sit right at the piano, back straight and all that, that's as far as it goes. At the festival, the ajudicator mentioned (about mine and other children) about stiffness and having shoulders back etc. Also, I have a big problem with stiffness in the wrist when I play, and for the life of me, I dont want my students suffering that too, so hence we do a little hanon every week. However, I wouldn't even be able to tell if my students were playing with stiff wrists! I dont know the correct wrist movements myself! It is this main physical side of playing piano, and now that I'm suffering because my teacher never told me anything about it, I just dont want my students to suffer too. It's that bad, at one festival, the ajudicator commented on how my student didn't put his heel down when pedalling. It didn't even occur to me to look!! It's these sorts of basic things that I feel I know so little of.

My students have the potential to be really good with the right teacher, and sometimes I feel like I hold them back. I didn't even know my particular student was stiff when playing!

How can I find out about all these physical sides to playing the piano?

A word of support - stiffness happens, even with the best teachers. But it can be cured. Musicality on the other hand...

Generally peoples posture at the piano differs to some degree, also hand position, nobody ever had a go at Horowitz who played with flat fingers. Some people tend to sit bolt upright, others with their shoulders back. Not being physically tense is important and breathing properly, but i have learned these things the hard way. You obviously have a genuine concern for your pupils progress which shows that you have one of the most important attributes for teaching, and if they're playing at festivals and playing well then you're doing a good job. A lot of people are self critical and read into what others say too much, but in the end it just shows they care about their work. I would say it's definitely worth reading about ergonomics, posture and breathing etc, the more you know the better.

Maybe take a course in Alexander Technique specifically for pianists?

Hi, Jen, and thanks. Your honesty here is really wonderful.

I think it is in the Suzuki method for piano that I heard about checking for a stiff wrist by actually trying gently to lift or bat the student's wrist and arm upwards from the keys while they are playing - it should be quite easy to do if they are playing with arms that are loose and free. (May need to get them to sign a three page disclaimer these days before trying it of course.... )

Another thing I do with beginners is to get them to shape arches or bridges with their arms as they play single notes up and down the piano. An exaggerated movement like this really helps them think about arms and body instead of just fingers - and helps you see any stiffness beause that too is amplified.

There's lots of stuff you could try - I don't actually know what hanon is - pilates is helping me personally. Don't please be too prescriptive though because as others have posted the perfect posture is rarely seen in nature or the greatest pianists.

Do you yourself still have a good teacher? Or could you find one because psoture and touch are all v personal, you need personal help? Have you done the CT course? I had Raymond Banning as mentor on that and he was fantastic at all this stuff. Totally transformed my teaching and playing...

Your pupils are very lucky to have a teacher who takes their needs and the future of their playing so seriously.

I think the best thing you could do is have some lessons with someone who could help you with this. I'm an experienced teacher & still have regular lessons myself - I find it so helpful & inspiring. It doesn't mean you're not a good teacher, just that you're continuing to learn to become an even better one.

It's working for me!!! Also the forums are a great resource. The way I think about my teaching has developed a lot since coming on here.

Good luck!

To a certain extent, yes, but it isn't at all a bad idea to go "hmmm, all of my pupils have this problem, that teacher's don't, maybe this is something I should look into". All teachers are different, but if you can tell, by comparing your own students with others, that your students have a problem that needs looking into, then that is a good learning experience.

Jen, the very fact that you care enough to look into things and are trying to become the best teacher you can be is a huge credit to you. If you can find a teacher who will help you with your issues, then it will give you good ideas to help your own pupils, and it also sounds like a good idea to me to read up on posture, ergonomics, to look into the potential of Alexander Technique, etc.

I'm like you, a learning teacher still worried sometimes about not giving the best, but I try and remind myself that I am doing the best I can, that I care, and I also read up as much as I can on specific things and on general ideas for teaching and getting the best out of lessons for my students. We learning by learning (having music lessons) and by teaching (giving them!) so I'm sure that your teaching must be improving just by the fact that you care enough to worry about it and you're trying to do stuff about it

Thanks for all your supportive replies!

I have heard about the alexander technique, just seen the website, so will go through it taking notes!
I think that the whole posture and wrist movements are so important, and I say this as someone who is really affected by them!
My back hunches sometimes over the piano (I'm sure from years of wearing a backpack with every book going to school - a requirement!) and I suffer really bad tension in my wrists. Because of this, I cant play fast pieces even if I did play it slow simply because my wrist tenses without me realising it! After about a minute, my hands are tired. I honestly thought when I was younger the tension meant my hands weren't "fit" enough, meaning I needed more practice. A vicious cycle!

I do have a teacher, and this teacher spotted the tension immediately. She also spotted that I dont keep my heel on the floor while peddling, she also spotted my raised shoulders, thankfully something thats gone away now! All these bad habits that were never spotted! We work on the tension all the time, but after 7 months its still there, like a bad omen not wanting to go away! I still steer clear of certain pieces, and even though I can play the whole of the moonlight sonata, I will never be able to play it all the way through without my wrists seizing up. I am trying to battle this tension I have but its a struggle!

Knowing all this, you can imagine the fear that set in when the ajudicator at the festival said my student had tension in her body!! "Why didn't I spot it?", "oh my god was it that bad?" I've been thinking about it ever since, and all i can think of is saturday and what exercises we will do to get rid of it!!

Can anyone give me some ideas of what things I should tell her to do while she's playing a piece? I know breathing is one thing, lower shoulders, anything else?

Also how do I tell a student to stop tensing their wrists. My teacher says it all the time, but for the life of me, I still dont honestly know how to do it!!

It might appear simple but have you tried moving the piano stool back? As for stiff wrists encourage your pupil to buy a soft tennis ball and get used to shaking their wrists out whilst holding loosely. Then using a bouncy football/basket ball get them to practice bouncing the ball on the ground. Who says all Piano practice has to be done at the piano?

You have a teacher who has spotted the tension so obviously knows about posture, this seems to me like your best resource . To the question above how should you do it, that's precisely what you need to say to your teacher next time she says that 'how?'. It's a bit like coaching running and saying 'you just need to run faster' or coaching beam and saying 'you fell off': the important information you need to get out of your teacher (and impart to your pupils) is how to achieve what is desired, not simply what is desired . Have a chat with your teacher about these issues both how you should achieve what you're aiming for and how you should go about helping your pupils to learn the same: both will no doubt feed back to each other. As Sarah says it sounds like you've got the right attitude to this so I'm sure you'll get the problem sorted; there may not be any simple straightforward answer but perseverance will get you there.

Ideally if you can afford it you will find an Alexander technique teacher, as it's best taught one-to-one. There are some instrumental teachers who are also trained in AT so have a particular awareness of musicians' problems and needs, but the technique is really fundamental so I don't think you need to find one of them.

It's probably best to find new repertoire that is nowhere near your technical limit to learn now, as it won't have any of your bad habits already locked into it and will help you to notice the details of what you are doing physically. One day, when you have solved the tension problems thoroughly it may be interesting to return to repertoire that gives you problems now, but don't be in a hurry to do that! Just put it aside with the thought "I can't play that YET!".

Good luck, and well done to be focusing on these problems now, both on your own and your pupils' behalf.

If you're battling with it, then you'll probably make it worse. If someone tells you "relax" it often makes you tense up. You need to find a way of getting round it another way... not sure how, but battling with it, struggling, "trying really hard to relax" are I think all more tension inducing than helpful to you!

Wow. I just wanted to say what a brilliant question this is, and what an obviously conscientious and amazing teacher you are. It really is inspiring for people like me, who are only just starting out in teaching, to see someone like you who is so serious about your teaching that you are aware of the need to constantly develop and refine your skills in the process. This is what will make you a great teacher, and I have a lot of respect for someone who is willing to open up and discuss these problems with other people.

Well done to you! I hope I can have the same attitude.

Jen, as others have already, some excellent questions.

You might find it useful to have a look at the Piano Adventures website. The writers of this series include more than most beginner tutors on correct posture, arm and hand position and the relevant pages in the first book are illustrated online with ideas and video clips that you can watch.

http://pianoteaching.com/guide/contents.html

My students have the potential to be really good with the right teacher, and sometimes I feel like I hold them back. I didn't even know my particular student was stiff when playing!

I think you are possibly being too hard on yourself!
A word of warning. Be careful not to focus too intently on 'curing' what appears to be stiffness in muscles. Try to look at the whole situation holistically. By this I mean that stiffness is often the result of tensions creeping as a result of general insecurities in playing. I always make sure that students memorise pieces that they are going to perform. Also that they perform for friends and family before the 'big day'. I can usually see tensions and stiffness diminish as their confidence grows. I would certainly test this out on your students before you decide for certain that they have a problem with 'stiff wrists' etc.

Maggie - this site is brilliant - thanks so much for pointing this out. How did I ever do without these forums! A bit addictive though as I'm thinking about teaching at all hours - even on a Sunday!