Every music teacher has met them—the student who parrots your every instruction, seems utterly confused mid-lesson, and then suddenly nails the piece like they’ve known it forever. Ask them to explain what a phrase or legato is, and you get a blank stare. Ask them to play it? Magic.
Welcome to the world of the procedural learner—the student who learns by doing, mimicking, feeling, and repeating. Not through theory. Not through explanation. And definitely not through traditional drills.
Who Are These Learners?
They might repeat your instructions back to you word-for-word. They might fidget, shrug at concepts, or look confused while you talk. But when given space to explore by imitation, they absorb music intuitively, almost like they’re learning a second language.
These students are often called:
- Kinesthetic-auditory learners
- Experiential learners
- Or affectionately, in some studios: ‘Echoes with Potential’
What’s Going On in Their Brains?
These students thrive on:
- Repetition without pressure
- Sound and movement over language
- Feeling the music before labeling it
They may struggle with abstraction but flourish in pattern recognition, mimicry, and muscle memory. Give them time, space, and encouragement, and they’ll develop rock-solid musical instincts—even if they can’t yet articulate what they’re doing.
Some even have a delayed internalization loop:
- In real time: Wrong notes, wrong fingers, blank stares.
- Later: Subconscious processing kicks in.
- Next lesson: Fluent, confident execution.
Their brain doesn’t learn while being watched. It learns later, in solitude, when pressure is off and exploration feels safe.
Teaching Tips for Echo Learners
1. Let Go of Immediate Accuracy
If they miss the note or play with the wrong finger, don’t harp on it. Just say:
“Not quite—your brain will figure it out. Let’s keep going.”
2. Teach by Modeling, Not Explaining
Say it once, show it, and let them try. Avoid long explanations—they won’t absorb it that way.
3. Celebrate Success Before Naming It
When they play it right, then say, “That was a beautiful phrase.” Attach terms to feeling, not lectures.
4. Use Rich, Kid-Friendly Metaphors
| Concept | Metaphor |
|---|---|
| Legato | Like a ribbon or melted chocolate |
| Staccato | Like popcorn or bouncing balls |
| Phrase | A musical sentence |
| Rhythm | Footsteps or dribbling |
| Dynamics | Whisper vs shout |
| Rest | Invisible ninja moment |
| Tempo | Walk vs run vs tiptoe |
5. Use Landmarks, Not Letter Names
Instead of “Middle C,” try:
“Play the white key just left of the pair of black keys, right in front of your bellybutton.”
6. Assign by Pattern, Not Just Page
Say: “Find this shape on the piano and copy the sound.” Let them work it out their way.
7. Turn Echoing Into Music Games
If they repeat you, use it as a rhythm warm-up or call-and-response drill. Use their instinct as a teaching tool.
For Parents and Learners
If you’re the parent (or learner) and this sounds familiar:
- ✅ You’re not behind—you just learn differently.
- 🎧 Trust your ear and your instincts.
- 🙋 Ask for demonstrations, not just explanations.
Some students need to struggle clumsily in the lesson to succeed beautifully at home. The gift of this learning style is that the music comes first. The understanding comes later.
Final Thought for Teachers:
Be patient with your parrots. They’re not defiant or disinterested—just wired to learn in private, through practice, not performance. As a teacher, your patience becomes part of the pedagogy.
Emma L.M. Sweeney