I've always thought this.

Weird, awkward and quirky things about people are the best things. The best.

But for whatever reason, I've only recently applied it throughout my teaching and consulting. 

I used to work with students and use archetypes to be more efficient in my teaching. 

Big mistake.

Nowadays, it's all about finding the weirdest thing I can find about students and using that as their strength. Playing their unique traits and views as their strengths allows them to have a better outcome almost every time. 

It's the better bet.

But, it means that you won't have a studio full of competition pianists. It means you'll have a studio or school full of all different types of pianists. 

If you teach students this way. Questioning them. Learning their views. And then help them be themselves. They will forever love you. Simply because you're helping them be themselves. You're giving them permission to be the person they are and not asking them to conform to someone or something they're not. 

And that! That's the art of teaching to me.

Learning the student, their parents, and understanding their "wacky world". So that you can help them build it with them at every lesson, practice, and experience together.