It seems obvious when I say "playing music is a skill," but I think that is something students somehow don't realize. They don't come to lessons to gain knowledge (though they do need certain knowledge to be able to play music). They come to learn a skill, and skills are developed through practice.
I had a student who had been struggling through the same piece for three weeks. I asked a question about the song, and the student's response was "I forgot." I found that strange since the answer was literally on the page in front of the student's face, so all that was required was looking at the music and finding the answer...no memory necessary. I pointed out to the student that you don't forget how to tie your shoes or how to read. The student's response was "I do those things all the time! Of course, I don't forget how!" "Hmmm, maybe that's the issue then? What if you played piano everyday just like you tie your shoes and read everyday? Then do you think you would remember how to play your song?" I asked, then saw a light bulb moment for my student and experienced one myself. I ask knowledge questions for preparing to play a piece. Where do your hands go? Which hand plays first? Is it loud or soft at the beginning? But I expect that knowledge to take the student into their skill. They know the thought process to prepare, now using that thought process is a skill. Then actually playing the song is using another set of skills. Now, I try to do a better job of telling my students that learning music is a skill and they have to practice to get better at it, just like they had to practice tying their shoes and reading. When I compare it to a skill they already have, they become more willing to work at building it because they remember how they had to learn other skills...and they could do it. So they can also do this.
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