UMT Blog

The Power of Influence and Attitude are Everything

The first person who influenced my musical career was my father. He was an accomplished self-taught musician.  My father influenced me in a positive way, through encouragement, confidence building, (sometimes bribery if necessary) and through insisting on a formal musical education.

Teaching Tip - Use Positive Influence Statements

• Good job! I love how you played that.
• I really feel your rhythm and your dynamics were outstanding.
• That was so beautiful, please play it again.

Sometimes it’s not the positive statements that motivate and influence us, but it’s the negative things - the negative, challenging statements.

My first piano teacher influenced me in a negative way. He said...

“Glory, I bet you can’t memorize that piece before your lesson next week.”

This can be devastating temporarily, then it becomes inspiring. It makes us spring into action. “Oh yes I can” or “I’ll show you!” And I loved to prove him wrong. Both my father and my teacher’s influence shaped my life.

Teaching Tip - Use Negative Influence Statements

• I bet you can't finish your theory in 10 minutes.
• There is no way you can practice your scales with the metronome.
• I don't think you can draw whole notes on lines and spaces.

4 year old Addie was challenged to draw whole notes on lines and spaces. Could she really draw whole notes that stayed on the lines and in the spaces? Look how proud she is - YES she did it!

What influence motivates your students to success? They may require positive influence, negative influence or both.

Henry Ford said it best – “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, either way... you're right.” 

What motivates you to achieve success when setting goals? Knowing what motivates and influences you will help you focus on your goal. Think about who has influenced your life the most (parent, teacher, musician, composer) - did they use positive influence, negative influence or both?

Teaching Tip - Use the Power of Influence - Positive, Negative or Both

We are influenced by those who dash our dreams, so we give up or rise to the challenge to prove them wrong. We are motivated by those whose influence drives us to rise higher than we ever dreamed possible. We are inspired by words or deeds that show us all the possibilities to reach our goals.

Your power of influence as a teacher is truly life changing. The Ultimate Music Theory Certification Course will show you how to be a powerful influence in the lives of your students, your family and all those around you.

Understanding the Power of Influence


"A typical pupil would have spent 12 hours with me, one-on-one outside the comfort of their home, after only 3 months. That is 48 hours - 48 emotional hours in a year. This is crazy, this means I must do my job well. There is no one else, outside of their home, who could spend that many precious hours one-on-one with a child. What an amazing job I have.  And I must not disappoint the trust of their parents."  Trang Trinh - Vietnam

P.S. What made you decide to become a teacher? Please share your story below.