The words ‘trust me’ I think invoke suspicion rather than confidence on the internet and with good reason – there are so many people that discuss topics on which they have absolutely no information on. All they have is uninformed opinion being claimed as fact.
I think a bit of skepticism is a good thing so why would you trust what I say? There are a few reasons why what I write has substance. First of all, I started playing the piano when I was six and took lessons right through until university. This means I know what it is like to be the one having piano lessons and I know what it is like to work hard for years to gain the necessary skills. Just because it was a long time ago now, doesn’t mean I have forgotten. Actually, it was a deliberate decision when I first started teaching to never forget what it’s like to be the piano student.
Another reason why you can trust what I write. I have taught piano lessons for quite some years – it has been 35 years since I taught my first lesson. The value of my several years of teaching experience is that I have taught many, many students who are all unique in their own different way and I have had to adapt and adjust my teaching style so I can best cater to how these students learn best. Sometimes I have had to be very gentle in my approach and other times I’ve had to firmly express that they need really work a lot harder if they are going to meet their goals. I’ve even taught lessons where the lesson has been delivered in a comical way. Over the many years I have genuinely tried to teach each student in a way that optimizes their learning.Through all this experience, I have learned quite a lot.
The final main reason why my opinions on learning to play the piano are worth something is that when I went to university, I studied music amongst other subjects and ended up majoring in music. I also did a Graduate Diploma in Education which qualified me as a high school music teacher. The benefit of this qualification got me to think about how people learn and it is a topic that still interests me.
Obviously it is up to you the reader to decide if my writing is trustworthy, but in an internet that can contain more fiction then fact, I do believe I have good reason to say to you the reader: Trust me, I’m a professional!