Being a teacher of any subject, in part, requires some psychology and knowing how a person thinks. There is no “one size fits all” since no two people think or learn alike. For this reason, I chose to be a private music teacher instead of in a classroom, as I love teaching to the individual and being flexible rather than a blanket teaching approach. However, this way of teaching can take more effort and knowledge.

This blog will delve into temperaments and personality types and my recommendations for teaching them. Keep in mind that people don’t always fit into one category all the time. As people can change, they often take on other personality traits, making the job of a private music teacher even more challenging and requiring critical thinking.

There are four main temperaments:

• Sanguine: optimistic, sociable, and outgoing.
• Choleric: assertive, decisive, and ambitious.
• Melancholic: analytical, thoughtful, and artistic.
• Phlegmatic: calm, even-tempered, and reliable. 

There are also six personality traits:

• Openness: imaginative, curious, and creative.
• Conscientiousness: organized, dependable, and careful.
• Extroversion: outgoing, sociable, and energetic.
• Introversion: isolated, noncommunicative, drained by excessive social interactions.
• Agreeableness: cooperative, kind, and trusting.
• Neuroticism: anxious, moody, and prone to negative emotions. 

With all the many combinations of a student’s temperament and personality and how they perceive and react to the world, it can seem daunting to know how to approach each to your teaching style; however, here is a list of temperments and personality traits from students I’ve encountered in my decades of teaching and my recommendations for how to teach them.

Student 1

Temperament: Sanguine (optimistic, sociable, outgoing) 
Personality: open, extroverted, agreeable
This student is usually a pleasure to teach. They come to the lesson in a good mood and with happy thoughts about learning music. They will compliment you and your teaching and make you feel they enjoy the lessons. But be careful not to take this student at face value, as there may be more to them than they will let on. It’s not that they’re deceptive by nature, but they would rather quit than tell you if they disagree with you, or do not understand or enjoy the lessons.

Recommendation: Since they tend to be agreeable rather than honest, you must ask many questions and encourage honesty, even if it’s difficult for them. Let them feel “safe” with you as their teacher to tell you how they’re genuinely feeling or any issues they may have with you, your teaching, or their learning. If the student is honest about a problem or issue, they may feel bad about it because they want to please you, so be sure to let them know how much you appreciate their honesty and what your plan of action is to fix it. Keep any emotions out of the equation, even if it’s something about you, and stay on track with the solutions. If the student sees you hurt, that will make them feel bad, and they may not tell you their true feelings again.

Student 2 

Temperament: Choleric (assertive, decisive, ambitious).
Personality: open, conscientious, extroverted.
This temperament and personality trait is another student who is a joy to teach, possibly even more than student 1, because they will be honest with you about any issues they may have. Additionally, they practice more than other temperaments and personalities because of their organizational skill. The downside to this student is that they can be confrontational in the lesson if they disagree with you.

Recommendation: Here is another opportunity to give students a safe harbor to be honest about their feelings. If they disagree with you, listen to their thoughts without being defensive. If you agree with their feedback, let them know how you appreciate it and plan to utilize it. If you disagree, let them know why without being defensive. Make sure they know you still appreciate their suggestions, even if you disagree. If the student is belligerent or disrespectful, let them know they can disagree or suggest something without a poor attitude. Let them know you’re still the teacher, and they must show respect to you even when they disagree with you.

Student 3

Temperament: Melancholic (analytical, thoughtful, artistic).
Personality: open, conscientious, neurotic. There are some excellent traits about this student.
Since they are analytical and thoughtful, they often understand concepts easily. With their artistic nature, they adapt well to music. They’re the students you may consider for auditions and competitions. However, the cons of this personality are that they can become moody and anxious and have negative thoughts about their ability to play.

Recommendation: As the teacher, you must stay calm with this student. If you show any emotional outrage, that will only fuel their moodiness. You must have the same emotion at each lesson to keep a stable emotional environment. Compliment this student as often as possible to ensure they genuinely believe in their ability and progress. Be careful not to give phony or overdo compliments, as they will see through that and not believe you when you have an honest compliment. Keep your compliments specific to their accomplishments rather than a general “great job” compliment. When critiquing this student, make sure it’s about the music and never a personal attack.

Student 4

Temperament: Phlegmatic (calm, even-tempered, reliable
Personality:  conscientious, introverted, agreeable.
This student has excellent traits as well. They come to a lesson with no significant emotional issues, and since they’re reliable, they’re great at attending lessons and practicing. The downside is that they’re quiet and don’t communicate much. Like student 1, they want to be agreeable. So, in addition to generally not communicating, they especially don’t want to be confrontational and question or disagree with you. You may not be aware of any issues they’re thinking or feeling.

Recommendation: With my quiet students, I am outgoing and fun. I ask many questions, not just about the lessons and if they understand, but about what is happening in their lives. I may ask questions about what they like (or don’t like), what activities they’re involved with, and their life in general. The more you can get them to open up, the more comfortable they will be with you. It will be helpful to make them feel safe to share their feelings and questions to ensure they learn and progress in the lessons.

I hope this has given some insight into how to teach various temperaments and personalities and how to handle situations that can occur. Thank you for doing the best job in the world, being a private music teacher!