Help me, mom! Or “Traditional” Piano Lessons Child Abuse Exposed

Attention: This video was made in Russia. However, this style of teaching is International. Your kids are at risk, too! We blame the old system of presenting music notation - not individuals! However, we have no other choice, but to expose this problem to every parent.

Today I’m going to share with you a video of a traditional piano lesson that I call “Save me, Mom!” or Samples of a “Master Piano Teacher". You will see some unforgettable pictures from the Moscow Conservatory, featuring the famous teacher Valery P. He is the Great Teacher of the Denis Matsuev.

In the traditional system, people often attribute more power and honor to a music teacher than to God. But the truth is that students of this type of "luminary" actually learn in spite of, not thanks to, their teacher. Only their talent helps them succeed at the very beginning —not their teacher. But the price of this success is too great: it cripples the soul of the child.

And if this child becomes a performer and makes it to the public stage, he or she shares with society this crippled soul.
Take a look at the video. Where does this teacher’s attitude come from? Self-centered and arrogant, with the inability to hear from the other side. What is wrong with our tradition that it creates such an attitude?

The abuse of children in a piano classroom. It occurs everywhere. These Master Teachers proudly occupy prominent places in music ministries and departments and decide the fate of millions of children in competitions, festivals, life.

Think for yourself. Watch the video and make your decision about it: this is the role model of millions of piano teachers. See how “traditional piano lessons” are taught by the 'best of the best' in our professional field:





0-1 minutes. The teacher asserts himself. He shows how he can play and chat at the same time.

1- 1:30 The teacher continues to feed the child himself. The child shows the first signs of impatience. He wants to play the piano!

1:34 - 1:56 The teacher allows the child to play the piano, but instead of listening, he keeps talking and giving remarks. He talks endlessly, and then begins to mock the child. The girl turns to her mother at 1:56 minute and wonders, "Mom, what is he doing?"

1:57 - 2:30 The teacher enjoys sight-reading music in front of the child. Then he asks the child if she knows what a minuet is.

2:38 - "Do you want me to give you a bad mark?" The most painful part of the lesson begins with these words. He requires the child to name the notes on the sheet music.

2:40 - "Tell me, what kind of note this is." The request sounds inquisitive. The child does not want to receive a bad mark! It is the game “a cat and mouse.” Obviously, the teacher is fed up with so many generations of "stupid" students. Therefore, a sadistic performance is developing in front of your own eyes.

2:42 - A sample of how the teacher dumps all responsibility for not knowing the notes on the child and the parent:
The teacher asks: "What is this note?"
Girl's mom: "She does not know this note yet!"
The teacher: "And why does she not know it?"
The girl's mom: "Oops! Our bad!"
Well, of course! Mom's fault! Who else could possibly be to blame for the fact that the girl does not know the notes! She must absorb the knowledge of notes by airborne droplets from the efforts of the great master. He didn't show any effort to teach the girl how to read!

3:00 - “Teaching notation in action”: the teacher is sitting in front of some sheet music and talks about where the note is located. For persuasiveness, he fumbles the expensive piano with his finger. The girl is standing behind. We can't see her face. We can just guess whether or not she is picking up anything from this explanation. All she can do is to listen passively.

3:14 - The “master” plays a song, asks himself "What is the note?" He sings the answers to himself. No doubt he can do it! He is full of himself and his skills!

3:20 - Finally he remembers that a student is near. He stops and yells: "And what is this note?" Well, the girl has no clue, he urges her by pushing “What? What? Hurry!”

3:30 AM "This is the note 'A'!" The teacher answers his own question in anger. I can imagine what is happening at this time in the mind of this little child.

3:45. After the exponential “flogging,” the “teacher” starts a lengthy lecture on how to learn a song at home. You have to drill it one note at a time. One bar per day. Right and left hands separately. Just drill by tiny pieces all by yourself -- this is what his advice is.

Having driven a child into a dead end, having enjoyed his humiliation, the teacher now uses the shame of the child and her mother in the form of motivation to learn the Minuet. This is unbelievably mean towards children. Their guilt and humiliation exposed live on a video!

4:00 - The teacher and the child are looking for the second finger of the right hand. They find it difficult after a couple of unsuccessful attempts. And all in order to begin to learn the very difficult song by future drilling. Without a knowledge of notes and with a poor orientation to the keys!

4:09 - The child tries to press the first key of the ill-fated minuet. The teacher shamelessly removes the hand of the child from the keys. The confusion pushes her to mess up the left and right hands . . .

Who allows these monsters to touch children? Why is this horror going on in music education? It is insulting and unpleasant when your hands are simply taken -- and thrown off the keys.

4:21 - Like a puppet, a child is forced to play by the voice and hand instructions of the teacher. The teacher's finger picks up a musical text. The child is constantly pushed around to look here and not to look there. She diligently tries to do what is demanded of her, without any understanding of what is happening. It all looks painful and pathetic.

It is the same as forcing the child to close her eyes, tie her legs tightly and command her to go where the pushy teacher needs her to go.

This action has one word - abuse.

4:39, 4:42, 4:51 - The teacher can't wait for the child to figure out what to do. He takes the child’s finger and pokes the keys using it.

5:07 - The teacher loudly sings notes right in the ear of the child.

5:29 - 5:47: Despair. The child collapses, lifting her chin to the ceiling. The teacher continues to talk. He keeps lecturing. He does not care what the child feels and thinks. The main thing is to push his own thoughts!

5:47 - The teacher finally gives the child the right to show what she learned at home. It is difficult to even imagine how hard she worked to learn the piece. Evidently the girl did NOT read the notes and had to work on drilling every key.

However, the teacher does not say a single approving word, does not thank the girl for her work. He does not even listen to the child playing, but continues to lecture her during the performance. This child is trained to put up with someone’s neglect of her work, his disrespect for herself and her mother. Here the teacher is the master, the “king,” and all the others are obedient serfs.

6:08 - A favorite mockery: while the child is playing, it is necessary to manipulate the hands. The child is clamped. Along the way, the teacher imposes his singing notes. The child gets confused because of this. He grabs her hands. A terrible sight . . .

6:38 - As soon as the child stops playing, the teacher jumps at the instrument to show his “glory” with no regard for the child.

6:45 - Child's look says “Save me, Mom!” Mom diligently records every frame of this madness. Thanks to her, by the way, we have clear picture how many “traditional” teachers treat our kids!

7:00 - The teacher keeps chatting during the girl's attempts to show her homework.

7:27 - The child stops even looking at the teacher. She is not interested in anything at all.

7:40 - The girl just gets up and leaves during the next outpouring by the master.


The link to the source is here

Sincerely Yours, Hellene Hiner