Motivation by Fear or Desire? Olesia Borisenko

	The progress in developing piano skills will only happen when a student desires to learn, or when students are ready to take responsibility for their progress with an underlined understanding of personal benefit to their lives. Fear is the quickest way to motivate or move a person forward. We are creatures of survival, and any kind of threat will stimulate an action in attempt to preserve our very existence. You are probably wondering at this point, what does this have to do with piano lessons? Everything! The ever popular and always effective, “if you don’t do this, I will…” approach to students generates a quick and efficient response. However, the aftereffects are usually not as desirable as we might hope. Motivating piano students is probably one of the most underestimated and ignored aspects in our field. Student motivation should be at the forefront of teaching research, especially in times of technological advances. In our Academy we teach according to individual student’s learning style(s), so why not adjust our motivational techniques to individual’s assets of character? Let’s be realistic: what moves one person does not necessarily motivate another. This is why our teachers are encouraged to experiment and look for various techniques in motivating and inspiring students to desire knowledge and skills without fear and intimidation. How many of us have heard the ever-familiar phrase, “I used to play the piano and I wish I’d never quit?” Ironically, the same people, who quit years ago, still blame their parents for letting them quit. Motivation by Fear or Desire? Thus, it is our goal as educators to prevent our students from the devastation of such regret. It is inevitable that some students may quit piano. But if and when they make that choice, we want them to feel at peace with their decision. Let it be a transition to some other creative field and not a transition from a piano bench to a computer chair or a comfortable sofa… If we gave our students a solid foundation in learning how to play a musical instrument, they would continue to learn and to express themselves on their own. The secret is to let our developing musicians experience that special feeling of communicating through music. Once they experience this feeling, it becomes an emotional outlet, or a special tool in expressing one’s feelings. It becomes the most valuable gift that one can posses, which truly keeps on giving for life!