Especially as singers, we HAVE to think, as that’s the only way to affect our instrument. Questions I ask are: “What was the difference between that time and the time before?” “What are you going to do to try to change XX; How successful was what you tried and why?” “What did you think about that sound?” “What did you do differently?”
Overall, I have banned the words “good” and “bad” because neither tell you what to continue working with and what to try to fix. I also try to always use only positive directives. We’ll identify both what behavior we want to replace and then what we want to happen instead. Focus is then on what we WANT to happen, rather than what we don’t want.
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Posted in Practicing, Studio Management, Teaching Tips, Using Music Teacher's Helper
This is an article by Guest Blogger, Elaine Hirsch.
Learning an instrument is a costly endeavor that doesn’t necessarily have that much to do with the actual cost of the instrument itself. Buying any instrument is usually rather expensive even in the case of models designed for children. Students just starting out may have no need to pay for a professional model, but whatever the price of the instrument, it doesn’t include all of the other costs associated with learning to play it, which may add up to as much as a master’s degree. Here are some the unseen costs of learning an instrument:
Buying vs. Renting
Buying or renting an instrument is a decision parents will have to make from the very beginning. Each option has different pros and cons depending on the needs of the student.
Buying an instrument is a good idea if students have made a serious commitment to learn the instrument and plan on playing it in the future. Buying from the beginning is always cheaper compared to renting an instrument over time. However, renting is a good idea for students who’re just trying out the instrument and aren’t sure if they want to pursue it long-term. Read more…
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Posted in Practicing, Teaching Tips
The pursuit of mastery has been a popular topic in recent years, with plenty of research and information being presented in books like Outliers. The basic assertion of the mastery research is that to become a master, one needs to do 10,000 hours of practice. Studies have been done on chess masters, musicians, and even youths who grow into soccer pros. Part of the research on the process of mastery has been the assertion that high intelligence is of little or no help to the process after a point.
Now, there is research to counter that assertion. New research indicates that intelligence does indeed play a role. Read more…
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Posted in Music News, Practicing
“The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield has become my bible. It was recommended to me by a friend 3 years ago and I have read it over and over again since. The author declares resistance to be the official enemy of all creative endeavors, and it is a demon that takes on many, many forms. Self-pity, television, relationship problems, a messy house, long to-do lists, volunteer committees, any kind of personal drama, etcetera, etcetera. You get the point. As music teachers, it can be difficult to make time for our own practice, but I am beginning to realize how essential this is.
When I started teaching, I told myself I would work really hard to get my teaching business going, and once that happened, I would begin making my own practice a priority again. That was 7 years ago. What happened? Life happened. It became difficult to not only find time, but also motivation for practice. There was always an excuse. The kicker came when I was asked by a student how long I practice each day. I was so embarrassed to say that I was so busy with the business that I probably only practiced a few hours a week. Yikes. What a bad example. Read more…
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Posted in Practicing, Professional Development
Most students need motivation to move forward. My theory is that if one loves the
musical selection, the motivation will follow. However, the long journey towards transforming a favorite piece into a successful performance can often frustrate, dampen spirits and lessen the attraction.
Let’s be honest–why do we work? Because we love it? Perhaps, but back in the fast-food-job days, I worked for that paycheck. With the demanding, repetitious practice required during the “transformation period” an incentive or a “paycheck” can prove helpful. Music Money, created by TCW Resources, sparked my curiosity years ago and I continue to see the benefits of paying students for practice and progress (and so do my students!)
Ways to Pay that Can Make Huge Dividends Read more…
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Posted in Music Theory, Practicing, Product Reviews, Teaching Tips
I care what you DO want.
Why do we spend so much time worrying about what we don’t want in life (& singing)? I learned SO much from my three days with Shirlee Emmons at an Arizona NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) workshop in 2007 that it is still influencing my thoughts of how I approach life and teaching. Her book Power Performance for Singers, co-written with sports psychologist Alma Thomas, focuses on how to think so that we perform better. Unfortunately, we lost Shirlee in 2010, but her thoughts and words are still a daily inspiration to many throughout the singing community.
One of the biggest thoughts I learned from Shirlee that I try to focus on, in singing, teaching & life in general, is that “We don’t care what we don’t want.” Basically, let’s not focus on what went wrong, let’s focus on what went right and how to repeat it. To that end, I ask questions of both myself and my students: What happened? What worked? What could you do to make it better? Where did the sound go? How did it feel? How did it sound? What were you thinking about? Read more…
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Posted in Performing, Practicing, Teaching Tips
“That was great. Now imagine how good you’d be if you actually practiced….” my teacher chided. I heard that statement a countless number of times. I always loved to PLAY piano, but I never wanted to actually PRACTICE piano. “Practice makes perfect, “ I heard over and over again. “If you want to play 
well, you need to practice!” Nowadays, I actually do enjoy practicing most of the time, although occasionally I find that my old habits still creep in. Suddenly, I am at the bench playing for fun instead of wood-shedding those tough spots that need a lot of attention. It’s those times that my dear, public school, music teacher hubby calls from the next room, “Honey, PERFECT practice makes perfect….” And he’s right.
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Posted in Practicing, Teaching Tips
With the retail hype surrounding the festive season starting earlier and earlier every year I am reluctant to write a post about Christmas in October, however this is the time of year that I start to prepare my students for the upcoming holiday season. I have just written to the parents of my students with some suggestions for sheet music orders. Read more…
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Posted in Practicing, Teaching Tips
Use PRACTICE to Make it EASY
What should practice accomplish between lessons? Progress.
What is progress? Improvement, betterment, advancement.
To simplify, progress is when what was perceived as HARD becomes EASY.
Use SUPPLIES to Make it EASY
The Staples “Easy Button” has set next to my piano for years. Every Fall I make a point of revisiting practice strategies–they can always be refreshed. This summer, Staples featured 
an “EASY Stamp” and I was smitten. So, my goal was to somehow incorporate the EASY button with the EASY stamp for a new-fangled practice strategy. Little did I know how successful this combo could be with Post-its–yet another favorite office supply.
Use a THEME to Make it EASY
This year’s Fall studio theme is Make it EASY, then practice HARD. A bulletin board next to the piano, a picture frame with a picture of an EASY button, an EASY button screen saver and of course the EASY stamp AND button have fully immersed students in this latest theme.
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Posted in Practicing, Teaching Tips
Recently I set the challenge for some of my students to find what they thought was the most useful free music iPhone app. A recent focus in my studio on developing aural skills was evident when multiple students came back raving about a free app called ‘Ear Trainer Lite’ (the full Ear Trainer app costs $7.49). Read more…
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Posted in Music & Technology, Music Theory, Practicing, Product Reviews, Teaching Tips
