Thinking About Piano Lessons? What is Your Teachability Index?

If you are considering piano lessons, you can boost your learning ability by answering these 5 assessment questions:



1. Name at least 1 song you would love to learn how to play on the piano.



2. On a scale from 1-5, where is your desire to play the piano?



3. Do you need motivation to help you achieve your goals?



4. Do you have a 10 minute activity that you can replace with a more productive activity?



5. What is your expectation of learning how to play piano



Before we talk about your responses to these assessment questions, let's determine your teachability score and then use your 5 responses to bring your score higher.



What is a Teachability Index?



Everyone has a teachability index score. A teachability index measures how easily you will learn a new skill. There is are two key factors that determine how high your teachability index is.



Answer these two questions:



On a scale from 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, where is your willingness to learn?



On a scale from 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, where is your willingness to accept change?



Multiply each answer to get your Teachability Index score.



If you answered 10 on both, (10X10) and your index is 100! You are a very teachable person and will be successful with the piano.



If your willingness to learn is 10 and your willingness to accept change is 0, then 10X0=0. That would mean your teachability index is non-existent and so I need to help you bring your score up a bit. Keep reading...



How to Raise your Teachability Score for Piano Lessons



I asked you to respond to 5 very important learning factors specific to piano. They were very simple questions, but each has a powerful message behind it.



1. Name at least one song you would love to be able to play on the piano.



It is not enough to just want to be willing to learn how to play the piano. In your mind, you should be able to imagine yourself playing your favorite song and even more powerful is that you can see who you are performing for. You could be playing for yourself, or it could be for your family, friends, or a group of people. Having a specific visual is important to achieving a goal. Adding color, a familiar place, sounds and even what it smells like can create a powerful visual for you to use as a tool.... keep reading to see how visualization can be a very powerful learning tool.



2. What is your level of desire?



Everyone knows that you have to want to learn to be able to learn, but more than that, you need to have a high level of desire for the best possible success rate. This desire is triggered by your response to #1. Your desire will deepen when you can imagine yourself playing a favorite song for a person or audience of your choice.



3. Do you need motivation to help you achieve your goals?



Motivation is huge! If you don't have it, you don't have assessment #1 or #2. Do you see where we are going with this? Each assessment builds upon another. When you need motivation, then you need to re-evaluate #1 and #2. For example, let's say you started piano lessons and your motivation is high, but after awhile, you lost interest. How do you trigger the motivation? Go back to #1 and #2.



4. Do you have a 10 minute activity that you can replace with a more productive activity?



Now that you have the above 3 assessments, finding 10 minutes a day is the next hurdle to cross. Everyone is busy.... even those with dreams, desire and motivation still have to find time. List some activities you do during the day when you are at home. Evaluate your list and cross off the things that are non-productive, taking too long to accomplish or wasting your time. After doing that, I bet you can find at least 10 minutes to practice piano! ~smile~



5. Last but not least, is the most important question of all: What is your expectation of learning how to play piano?



Your expectation will determine your experience and outcome.



Repeat this out loud: "I already know how to play the piano, I know this because I can easily see myself playing my favorite songs. However, I want to and am willing to continue to learn how to play the piano and I am willing to make some changes so I can find 10 minutes to practice every day to become more and more accomplished at what I already know how to do."



Now, ask yourself the first two questions again and see if your teachability index has improved!



If you are thinking about learning how to play the piano, consider also learning how to have fun and stay motivated while learning something new! ~smile~