Less is More

Learning a new piece is very exciting. As teachers and parents, we see the excitement in our students' eyes as they make the first attempt at a new piece. The joy of discovery is part of the trial and error that comes from a person using their ear to figure out a piece. Letting the child explore the notes on their instrument and make mistakes, but then figure out the correct notes is hard to resist as parents. That is, as adults helping less can bring more learning to our students.

Now that the school year is in full gear, this is the time when a tremendous amount of learning takes place. Teachers and students know one another and we are back with a fresh start after the February break. As I am working on a piece with my students, I find myself saying, "Take a small section and work on it towards fluidity. Find the musical phrasing that makes this section say something. Work on this small section many times until it feels right. It's okay not to play the whole piece." I find myself encouraging my students to look at small practice spots, small sections, just one hand alone,etc. to give the brain enough but not too much to absorb at one time. Working on less at a time will be rewarded with getting more done.

In the bigger picture of life, we have been surviving two years of pandemic and the changes in social behavior that it brings. We have learned to live with less activity, and in some ways this has brought us more meaningful moments---eating together as a family, staying home--which is less running around and more together time.

As we emerge from the pandemic, I know we want to see our friends and family again. We look forward to traveling and returning to many missed activities. But let us also think about our choices when sometimes "less can be more." Less activities may mean more energy for the important activities we choose to keep. Setting our priorities and time management are difficult tasks to get right for everyone. For the sake of our children, sometimes giving them less, is actually giving them more.