Why Strict Teaching Sometimes Works — and More Often Destroys
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Why Strict Teaching Sometimes Works — and More Often Destroys
Recently I posted a video in Piano BAZA where a teacher speaks quite harshly to a student.
Many people immediately react to this in a very direct way:
“Terrible”, “unacceptable”, “this shouldn’t be allowed”.
But in reality, it’s a bit more complex.
Why it sometimes works
If we remove outright aggression and words like “shameful”,
this kind of teaching style was almost the norm in the Soviet system.
And yes — many strong musicians came out of that system.
Why?
Because there was a clear framework:
👉 you are going into the profession
👉 the standards are high
👉 relaxing is not an option
Within this logic, strictness can produce results.
But there is an important point
Only a small minority become concert pianists.
But hundreds of thousands go through this system.
And this raises the main question:
👉 what happens to the rest?
Very often:
— lost love for music
— a constant feeling of pressure
— the desire to “finally finish and never play again”
The Swedish contrast
Now I live in Sweden and see a completely different system.
Here:
— no one pressures you
— no one shouts
— teaching is gentle
At some stage, it may seem that the level is lower.
But there is another side:
👉 many more people who love music
👉 who continue playing as adults
👉 who actually enjoy it
And this is also a result — just a different one.
The main problem — mixing goals
It seems to me that the root of the problem is that for a long time everyone was taught the same way.
But there are two completely different paths:
Professional
“For personal enjoyment”
And the requirements for them cannot be the same.
If a person is not planning to become a professional musician,
why lead them through a system of constant pressure?
But it’s not that simple
It’s important to say honestly:
it’s not always the teacher’s fault.
Modern children often:
— don’t want to practice
— quickly lose concentration
And parents sometimes make it worse
by not providing any structure.
So the situation is complex.
And there is no universal answer.
What to do about it
It is possible to figure it out.
But not alone.
You need an environment where:
— you can discuss
— ask questions
— share experience
— see different approaches
If you want to go deeper —
you can join here: