Bringing music to life is a musicians job and their joy. Children taking piano lessons can also learn to bring life and artistry into the pieces they are playing once they understand this concept. But how is this communicated to a child who plays mechanically and doesnt know how to make their pieces sound, well, human?

Here some ways to do this which I do not recommend.

1. Tell the student who has no idea what you are talking about that they play like a machine.

2. Tell the student who has no idea what you are talking about that their playing sounds so terrible they should quit because playing piano just isnt their forte.

3. Tell the student who has no idea what you are talking about that they are incapable of playing beautiful music on the piano because they just dont have the personality for it.

I dont recommend any of these approaches, because only someone who doesn't have any idea what the problem is would do this. Too bad for them, but this doesnt have to be you.

Heres the real issue and what you can do about it. The reason students sometimes dont understand how to bring their music to life is because they dont know that they can. Try having this conversation with your child or piano student.

Sally, do you see this page of music? Do you know what it is?

Here are the answers that 95 percent of students give.

Uuuhhmmm.notes? Uuuhhmmmmmusic? Uuuhhmmmmmmy lesson?

Before I tell you my answer to this question, think about how you would answer it if you were the piano student? Do you have a better one? Heres mine.

No Sally, what you are looking at are just ink blots on paper. Thats it. Thats all you see here. There is no life in those ink blots or the paper they are printed on. There is no life in the piano you are playing on. It is just a mechanical device to make sounds. But music has life!!! When you hear a jazzy beat and start to tap your foot or swing to the music, thats life! When you hear a lullaby and it makes to want to rest, thats life. Music has power to affect us, but where does that energy come from?

Uuuhhmmm.I dont know?

Well, lets think about this for a moment. The ink blots on the paper arent alive, and the piano youre playing isnt alive, so what else could bring the music to life?

Uuuhhmmm.I dont know?

Are you alive, Sally?

Yes!

Sure you are alive, and you have the power to bring this music to life. Thats what learning to play the piano is all about."

You can do that by putting a little Sally into your playing. You have a great personality, Sally. Let it shine through in your music. Communicate each note like you would tell a personal story of interest to your best friend. It takes hard work and planning to learn to play the piano, Sally, but it also takes a little magic. And you have the magic it takes to bring ink blots on paper to life!