Establishing Rapport With Adult Music Students

When music instructors welcome new students into the studio, most of those students are children. However, many adults have a desire to learn about music too.

At first glance, it might seem like it would be easy to build rapport with adult students, especially because you're an adult yourself. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

It is critical for a music teacher to build rapport with all of their students so that there is plenty of trust between student and instructor. This also helps the student to feel more comfortable with the teacher so that they can ask questions, voice concerns, and provide their own ideas for what to study next.

Music teachers may find that it is quite easy to build rapport with kids. Younger learners already are familiar with student/teacher dynamics thanks to school and all sorts of other lessons and pastimes in which they might participate. The only remaining factor is for the instructor to set foot into the child's world, expressing interest in their likes and dislikes and figuring out what is most important to them.

Adults Are Different

Whereas children are immersed in a world of relationships between instructors and students, the same isn't necessarily true for adults. Moreover, adults may arrive at music lessons with numerous preconceived notions and emotional baggage that can make it difficult for trust to develop between student and teacher.

Accordingly, the music instructor may have to work harder than usual at helping an adult student to overcome self-consciousness or to forget negative relationships and experiences from the past.

It can be especially awkward if the adult student happens to be older than the music teacher or if the student and teacher have known each other in social situations prior to beginning lessons.

It is factors such as these that add up to a need to build rapport differently with adult students than with children.

Where can you begin to build rapport with adult music students? Here are a few helpful suggestions.

Find Common Ground

Showing an interest in your adult student's life is a fantastic way to establish a connection with them. When you demonstrate your curiosity, it is possible for you and your student to find common ground.

The best way to discover that common ground is by making small talk. Granted, some people are really uncomfortable with small talk, but even some ordinary questions can help get the ball rolling. For instance, you might inquire about:

• What part of the city your student lives in;
• Where they grew up;
• What they do for a living;
• Whether or not they have children;
• What other hobbies or pastimes they might enjoy.

It is possible that you and your student have more in common than it might appear on the surface. What is critical here is that you and your student establish a connection point to which both of you can relate.

Make an effort to discover something about them, and then make certain that you follow up on that facet of their life from time to time.

However, it is vital that you don't bring up that same topic at every lesson because that can begin to seem forced. As the lessons continue, try to find out more things about your student so that more personal connections can be established. This may make both of you feel much more comfortable.

Facilitate their Goals

When music instructors work with children, the curriculum tends to be set in advance, especially in the initial weeks and months. The teacher has certain goals for the child learner to reach so that new milestones can be set.

Unlike children, most adults begin music lessons because they have a specific goal in mind. Perhaps the student wants to play a favorite song for their spouse at an anniversary party. On the other hand, they may be intrigued by the works of Beethoven or Chopin and want to be able to play some pieces themselves. Other adults want to play an instrument simply because it gives them pleasure or because they want to accompany the choir at church.

Whatever their goal may be, chances are good that your adult students all have one. This means that using the standard curriculum that you have set for your younger students may not serve your adult students.

Most adult music students will abruptly lose interest in the pursuit if their lessons do not appear to be meeting their stated goals.

Whether you meet with an adult student at a consultation or a lesson first, it is essential to ascertain whether or not they have a specific goal. This means that your number-one goal is now to help your student hit their target.

Accordingly, many music instructors see themselves as more of a coach than a teacher when they work with an adult. They know what their student wants to accomplish, and it is their job to set up a custom curriculum that will get their student to that point.

The teacher then sets manageable goals that are easily measured so that the student can see that they are on the right path.

This approach frequently is far more successful with adult music students in comparison with using a preset curriculum.

Let Your Vulnerability Show

If you have taught adult students in the past, then you probably are accustomed to hearing things like: "I just didn't have much time to practice this week," or "Wow! This sounded much better at home."

These are some of the ways in which adult music students express their self-consciousness. Why do adult students tend to be so self-conscious? Usually, it's because it's simply harder to learn a new skill as a grown-up than it is as a child. Adults are more accustomed to being accomplished and knowledgeable. Learning something new may make them feel like a fish out of water.

Moreover, it can be really intimidating for some adults to exhibit their new, uncertain skills to a polished professional.

Factors such as these are why it is critical for music instructors to show some vulnerability to their adult students.

You may have to walk a fine line here. After all, it's not necessary to "let it all hang out." It's a good idea to still maintain a professional demeanor, but it's also acceptable to demonstrate that you're not some kind of superhero.

Show your vulnerability to your adult students by:

• Playing a new piece that you're still learning;
• Sharing about how you practice to reach your own goals;
• Telling them about your own struggles to acquire new skills as an adult; and
• Admitting that you don't always have as much time to practice as you would like.

Actually demonstrating or sharing some vulnerability with your adult students will be much more reassuring than simply telling them that they have no reason to be self-conscious.

Share Your Passion with Your Students

As you teach adult students, keep in mind the reasons why you became a music instructor in the first place. It may help to remind yourself of your reasons from time to time, especially if you find that you are starting to feel like lessons are more about drudgery than joy.

Both child and adult learners will definitely pick up on this, so it helps the teacher to maintain a positive attitude most of the time. Of course, you don’t want to force or fake feelings of happiness and optimism, which is why it is so critical that you reconnect with your reasons for becoming a music teacher on a regular basis.

Keeping a journal is a wonderful way to reflect on all of the many reasons why you love being a music teacher. This makes it even easier for you to share this love with all of your students. With adult learners, this is especially critical because you don't want them to sense that you feel that their lessons are more of a chore than a joy.

Rediscover the Joy at Prodigies Music

Are you looking for new and fascinating ways to inspire your music students? At Prodigies Music, we specialize in offering video music lessons that are designed to help little ones acquire a strong musical foundation.

As infants, toddlers, and young children follow the lessons and activities presented here, the world of music comes alive for them. If you are a music teacher who is seeking new inspiration and ideas, then you have come to the right place. Let Prodigies Music help you start enriching the lives of your students today.