For the past three months I have been laying the groundwork for expanding my teaching studio in the fall. I currently don’t teach that many students (13) as I have a number of other professional commitments in music. I spend part of every week scoring for TV/Documentaries from my home studio and the other part practicing for gigs around New York. I have in the last year, though, become really excited about teaching like never before. Not exactly sure what has changed though I think watching my two daughters grow up and seeing how they learn has a lot to do with it. Something seems to have clicked and I’ve decided it’s time to ratchet it up a notch. But then I get a bit nervous….

When is it just the right balance between teaching, performing, and composing? Finding balance, this is my topic for today.

I’ll be honest. I’m still searching as I’m sure a number of you are as well. The challenge is that one moment one facet of my musical life is incredibly rewarding and the next another takes over the top spot. But all the while the students keep coming back for lessons and are looking for inspiration. Truthfully, the teaching has become that constant for me in otherwise economically turbulent times. So, in a way the answer to balance is as simple as dollars and cents. Sure, it’s great in the short term when I get paid a bunch of money to write the music for a 30 second TV commercial. But the chance of that coming around again right when I need it is slim to none. All the while, though, the students keep coming back for lessons. Or I get called to travel to some exotic locale for a really fun gig and I think this is all I ever want to do! But those calls only happen once a year for me…so reality again sets in. And all the while, the students keep coming back for lessons.

Teaching has become a truly grounding experience for me. I am humbled by the weekly challenge and the fact that it never let’s up. I enjoy creating my own curriculum that inspires performance and exploration. The adults present different hurdles in some regards, but the preparation required for a great lesson with a child versus an adult is no different. I like trying to anticipate a students needs. I feed off the students energy and I love to watch them succeed. Bottom line is I’m now hooked. So that leads me to my fall plans of expansion.

So the real question is how do I expand my teaching load without giving up one or both of my other musical commitments. Some of the ideas I’ve come up with are:

• Hire a teaching assistant to handle paper work and studio prep
• Hire one or two teachers to teach in my studio with me, allowing me to focus on curriculum, increase the number of students without increasing my actual teaching load
• Do not increase the number of students but instead increase the offerings, ie. add a computer music lab and/or ensemble classes

• Add only a few new students next semester and build slowly
• Go for broke and open a school with a faculty and administrative help and hope for the best?!
• Stay exactly as I am and just focus on refining/perfecting what I already offer

So, now I’m curious to see how others have succeeded or failed at expanding their studios. Is there a way to keep all the balls in the air? Is there a perfect number of students to teach? How do others juggle their different commitments? When is it time to leave behind a commitment? Can you really be a great teacher and still have time for other musical adventures? And is there anyone who has gone for broke and opened a school with a faculty and administrative staff? What happened?

Please let me know how you have coped with expanding. How have you found balance in your musical life?

I came up with this composition game for my students a couple weeks back and thought I would share it with all as part of my “Simple Games” series of blog entries. It takes about 15 minutes to complete and I use it as the very first activity of the lesson. The idea behind it is to get students thinking about composition from a visual point of view as well as an aural one. And to explore how compositions can be manipulated to create new sounds without altering the notes.

Here is what you need for the game:
1.Hal Leonard’s All-Purpose (Dry Erase) Music Flashcards. Available @ Amazon for $11.95. Here is a link- http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Leonard-All-Purpose-Music-Flashcards/dp/B0002MQJMY
2.Two dry erase markers. (preferably different colors)

Step one is to deal three flashcards to your student and yourself. They are 8.5 X 11 so are fun and easy to write on. Then choose a clef to compose in and I usually take that opportunity to do a quick practice drawing of the clef. I’ll have the students watch me do one and then they will tackle 5 on their own. Erase the card and draw the clef of choice, for this blog I will choose treble clef. I will then assign a signature, 4/4 and have the student draw theirs.

At this point I begin with the parameters (rules) of the game. For beginning students I dictate that they may only use quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes. I may then review the # of beats in each and will flip my card over to reveal a collection of 5 “math problems” using the prescribed note values. (Just simple addition equations where the student has to fill in the total # of beats.) I find review of the basics to be essential so even if it’s “easy” for the student, it is not wasted time in my book.

The next “rule” covers the range of the composition. For our treble clef piece, I allow the students to write no lower than middle C and no higher than D a ninth above. This parameter keeps the piece in a controlled hand position, i.e.. no shifting needed. You could really dictate any range as long as (for beginning students) it does not require a hand position shift. The reasoning is that I don’t want my students to switch focus from the composition to the execution. This game is really about creating and composing, not fingering and execution.

The next “rule” is that on each card I like to dictate that they must use a certain combination of note values. It usually follows this order:
Card #1: only quarter notes
Card #2: quarter notes and half notes
Card #3: a whole note

And the final “rule” is that I ask the students to start on treble G. This is just so that it will start on the first finger in the right hand and fingerings will then become less of an issue.
The student (and you on your three cards) then compose a melody card by card. Often a reminder of how many beats are found in a 4/4 bar is required. As well, sometimes the student needs to review the math game from earlier to be reminded of how many or few notes can fit in a bar. Sometimes I have students that want to hear a middle C or treble G before writing. That is fine, though what I don’t allow them to do is sit at the piano and compose. We are sitting on the studio floor and “hearing” the melody in our inner ear while we write.

Once the students and I have completed all three cards, the fun really begins. I take one card at a time and put it on the music stand. The student now sits at the piano, plays and hears her composition card #1. We then add two cards together and then all three cards. Once we have discovered what the piece sounds like, we start to change the order to discover if there is in fact a “better” order for the cards (or mini musical ideas.) Sometimes I’ll add one or two of my cards to the mix or the student may decide that one of her cards needs to be changed. Exploring the compositional possibilities is what it’s all about. I find that the game is a wonderful way for students to write a piece of music but still easily and quickly change it. They begin to hear the creativity in both composing and arranging while all the while reinforcing many musical fundamentals (note identifying, hand position, rhythm, time/key signatures, phrasing). Have fun and let me know what kind of variations on this game you come up with.

Working on 'groove' with my students

Last month I discussed a different kind of recital (I call it a gig) I have implemented for my students. It takes place at a jazz club. Uses professional musicians to back the students, young and old. And is very casual for both family and students. See the previous entry for more info on that. This month I wanted to discuss how I prepare my students for this type of show.

I teach from the very beginning a reverence for the groove. Whether it’s a classical piece or a blues or even just the simplest beginning 4 measure ‘song.,’ I approach all music with the idea that rhythm and pulse…ie. Groove..is essential. Way before I discuss any musical terms, note names, technique, etc. my students are playing rhythm games. My belief is that all music flows at its base level from a pulse and students need to be aware of this from the beginning. So, the gig creates a real opportunity for them to share that groove with other musicians. But in order for them to feel ready to play with other live musicians, I need to simulate the experience in the studio.

Step one is being sure to approach every piece as a rhythmic adventure well before any mention of performing it with other musicians. Being precise about pitches comes later. Discussing musical nuances comes later. Dynamics come later. Here are different steps/activities I do:

1. Transcribe the rhythm of the piece (or a portion of it) onto a dry erase board. We sit together and each do our own transcription discussing the groups of rhythms and how we might count them.
2. Play and count the whole rhythm (or just a measure….whatever is the right amount to digest) on a hand drum or drum set. Or you can clap it, though I love to accessorize whenever possible. In this case, I explain that the piano is really a percussion instrument at heart and playing a drum helps re-enforce that notion.
3. The student will then sit at the piano while I stay behind the drum set.  The student can start by just playing the rhythm on any notes (of their choice) while I play a groove on the drums. I am now letting them show me they have digested the rhythm and I am acting as a thinly veiled metronome. Making a mess of the pitches is fine.
4. At this point we may move to the computer where I have composed a ‘play along’ track in Logic or Garage band. The ‘play along’ will consist of me playing the piece (on a MIDI piano), possibly a second piano accompaniment, a bass part, and a drum track. If it’s a baroque piece I might do a simple orchestration with strings or woodwinds. If it’s going to be a reggae feel, I might add MIDI guitar parts, etc. The possibilities are endless. And your MIDI sequencing chops don’t need to be very advanced at all.  With loop libraries available today, your sequencing can be limited to just playing the piano parts and bass parts.
5. The student and I listen to the piece with the sheet music in hand. I ask the student to point at the notes and begin singing the melody along with the play along track. Eventually, I mute the melody and we continue singing along with the accompaniment portion of the play along track. The student could also go back to just clapping the melody as well. Here is where pitch begins to matter, though. I try to keep my students singing the melody as close to what’s written as possible.
6. By dropping different parts in and out, ie. Muting the bass part or the drums, the student begins to understand the concept of playing with multiple musicians. I am always referring to the bass player or the drummer that will be on the gig. I am not referring to the computer. The student doesn’t need to know that it is a sequenced MIDI part. Let them believe they are hearing what the bass player is actually going to play.
7. Finally, I have the student sit at the piano (we take a moment to find the hand position, etc.) and wear headphones while they attempt to play along with the recording. I always keep the melody in their headphones to start and then slowly fade it out. Soon the student is only playing with the bass player and drummer. They love it. The headphones can be problematic because they can’t hear themselves well, but they love that they feel as though they are in a recoding studio.
8. The final step is to send them home with a burned CD of the play along track. I always include one version with me playing the melody and one version with just the accompaniment. Lately I have also been including multiple versions at different tempos, again with and without the melody.

I am a firm believer in using the technology to help students in their preparation for performance. But the end goal is always the same, to encourage the communal aspect of music, ie. working towards a gig where they will be fortunate enough make music with others. Students that play with other musicians and play with them often (I book three gigs per year for my students) are, in my experience, far more likely to make music a part of their life for the long haul.  And that is my mission as a teacher.

My first step was to change the recital to a ‘gig.’ I explain to the students that in my world (as a jazz pianist in New York) all of my friends and I referred to each performance opportunity as a ‘gig’ and sometimes a ‘concert.’ So the students and I talked about the upcoming performance as one of many gigs we would play over the year. In conversation, I talked of their gig no differently than any one of the gigs I play each week.

The second step was to move the venue from a recital hall to a local jazz club with a nice piano. I simply called a club that could accomodate the numbers I expected and pitched it as a ‘happy hour show’ that was not open to the public. I assured them that they would have a decent crowd and they jumped at the opportunity. This is probably the most fundamental shift for both parents and students (especially adult students). The jazz club feels more ‘real’ than a recital hall to most involved. The fact that shortly after our show is done (we run from 5-7pm on a Friday) another group loads in for the their first set, validates the student’s show as ‘real.’ In their mind they are part of a long list of performers that work at the club.

The third step was to hire a rhythm section. Both an upright bass player (a good friend I worked many times with before) and a drummer (sometimes me..sometimes a pro)  were brought on board to play with each student. Every student was given the opportunity to work with professional musicians when performing. While I did not force them to work with the group, I strongly encouraged it and they all jumped at the chance. One very important point to stress is that the student’s level absolutely does not matter. I have absolute beginners playing 4 bar pieces (repeated a few times) that include nothing more than the notes F and G. I also have very advanced students playing a blues they composed themselves. The key is to address all pieces as equally valuable and ready to be arranged and performed with great musicians backing them up. As one of my mentors once said, ‘treat every gig as if it were the last you will ever play.’ I try to impart that sense of urgency and desire to all my students and their approach to their pieces at the ‘gig.’

The fourth step is to prepare students and parents for a different kind of recital. I send out multiple email invites that list the jazz club with a web link to it’s site. I encourage everyone to invite family and friends (which many of them do). And I let them know that the club is a working jazz club with a bar and restaurant that should be taken advantage of by arriving early, ordering up drinks and food, and mingling with other musicians. This final point I think is crucial because what I believe keeps students continuing for the long haul and staying committed to music studies is less their level but more their sense of belonging to something greater than themselves and their studies. The jazz club creates an environment that allows the students to get to know one another. Parents mingle with one another and celebrate the music together. Instead of merely focusing on their own 2 minutes of fame at a traditional recital, I find students become much more invested in the success of their fellow musicians. In large part, I believe, this is due to the fact that they all perform with the same rhythm section and share the same energy of the jazz club environment.

Yes, my personal experience as a performer (predominantly as a jazz pianist) lends itself well to this type of adjustment to the traditional recital model. But I think every teacher could stand to take a second look at how, where, and why they ask their students to perform in a recital. See what kind of new and unusual performance opportunities you come up with. Maybe instead of a rhythm section, you hire a string quartet or a harp to accompany your students.

Next month I will continue this entry by discussing how I prepare my students musically to perform at a club and with a pro rhythm section. And we will look at the many lessons that can be taught in preparing for the opportunity.

I am currently teaching two very enthusiastic 8-year old boys. They are in their first year with me and, to my knowledge, piano is their first instrument. They are unique in that they both are sons of well-known, successful musicians in New York. They are very musical, are clearly happy to come to the studio each week, and truly want to learn. The one problem is they just can’t sit still. Sound familiar? They are, after all, 8-year old boys.

I have decided to create games that work specifically to their desires to learn and to move at the same time. The first game I call ‘Jumping Jack Hand Position.’ It is very simple in concept, but amazingly effective in focusing the student’s attention. I use it with new pieces that require an unfamiliar hand position. The student first sits at the piano and takes as much time as needed to find the hand position for the first measure of music. I then point at a note, and he plays each note as I point. I am not interested in rhythm and not even that interested in pitch precision. I only allow him to play the 1st measure, though. I then have him jump up from the bench and run to the center of the room and do three jumping jacks. He then quickly returns to the piano and has to refind his hand position. I then point him through the first two measures (again, not concerned with rhythm or pitch). This pattern repeats with the number of jumping jacks increasing each time. Simple but effective. The best games usually are!

Another games uses drum beats to keep the student moving. The idea is to take a fairly new piece that the student is just getting comfortable with and create a game that gets her to play it many times. Here is how it works, again very simple but surprisingly effective. I either sit behind the drum set in my studio and play, or program a simple beat in Apple’s Garage Band (or whatever sequencer you can get your hands on). The beat has a cowbell ‘count off’ in the appropriate time signature, and the beat lasts the length of the piece being played. The student has to stand on one side of the studio and listen and clap to the beat (dancing is OK too!) all the way through. Then while the beat loops back to the beginning and starts off the count again, she has to run to the piano, sit, get hand position, and play with the drums. The student only has a short period of time to get to the piano and get set, so they need to focus. They play the piece through as best they can once and then must get up and return to me across the studio. We clap and dance again together one time through the beat until it loops back, at which point they sprint back to the piano and try the song again. Often at the beginning, I need to sing the song with them to help them start at the downbeat or find their place after a delayed start. They eventually, though, get into a groove and may end up repeating the song 10 times before we stop the beat. Any song is fair game. Easy, difficult, it doesn’t really matter.

The idea behind these games is to help a student focus by getting his or her whole body involved. Some students need to move in order to expend the proper amount of energy.