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.

These are questions I have routinely asked my students, but thanks to a conversation I had on Google+ with Wendy Stevens,composer/pianist/teacher, in response to her blog post, “Never Ask This,” I’ve changed my approach even more.  My husband had once asked me why I asked “Does that make sense?” so often, but it didn’t hit me how easily students cop out of answering that question until Wendy wrote her post.

Since Wendy’s post, I’ve been MUCH more aware of how I phrase things and how I ask students to respond.  Much of the time I try to say, “When I say XX, what does that mean to you?”  I also ask students how they would like me to write down something in the lesson notes; I take notes on my computer during lessons to copy & paste into lesson reconciliation on MTH at the end of each lesson.  Each student also has their own file, so I can easily call up what we’ve done since their first lesson.

What kinds of questions do YOU ask your students to try to make them think and personalize your teaching?

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.

Practice Time

Needless to say, learning an instrument properly requires students to spend a sufficient amount of time in daily practice, which usually means 30 minutes to an hour each day at the very least. This is time they must spend practicing rather than doing homework or focusing on some other type of activity. In some cases, parents will also have to dedicate some time to helping their children practice.

Commuting to Lessons

Commuting to private lessons can become an issue. Students just starting out will probably do fine with basic lessons anywhere, but if they become more serious about music it may be necessary to travel even farther to find better instructors. Lessons will usually be at least once a week, and will represent regular travel time and gas costs.

Sheet Music

The cost of sheet music and books can add up rather quickly as students progress. Like textbooks, sheet music and instructional books are really not cheap, and students will need more and more of these materials as they expand their repertoires and develop their abilities and musical interests.

Recitals

When students make a serious commitment to their music, parents likely must work around recitals, competitions, and other performance events. Just traveling to attend such performances can be expensive depending on where they’re held. As with attending regular lessons, scheduling issues may arise.

Maintenance, Repair, and Accessories

The costs of instrument maintenance, repair, and accessories add up very quickly. All instruments require regular upkeep and repair, whether they need new strings, reeds, or occasional cleanings. Accessories like cases, straps, and cleaning cloths will become necessary as well. Most instrument repair and maintenance procedures are expensive as instrument technicians are skilled workers with relatively high hourly rates depending on their experience, the instrument, and the nature of the procedure.

The true cost of learning an instrument can easily equate to thousands of dollars if it includes the long-term requirements related to time, lessons, repair, accessories, sheet music, books, and travel. Learning an instrument is a significant commitment if made seriously, much more so than the price tag of an instrument itself reveals.

About the Author

Elaine Hirsch is kind of a jack-of-all-interests, from education and history to medicine and videogames. This makes it difficult to choose just one life path, so she is currently working as a writer for various education-related sites and writing about all these things instead. She is currently a writer for an online master’s degree resource.

Now, there is research to counter that assertion. New research indicates that intelligence does indeed play a role. An article titled, “Sorry, Strivers: Talent Matters” appeared in the New York times about this research. To quote the article:

In our own recent research, we have discovered that “working memory capacity,” a core component of intellectual ability, predicts success in a wide variety of complex activities. In one study, we assessed the practice habits of pianists and then gauged their working memory capacity, which is measured by having a person try to remember information (like a list of random digits) while performing another task. We then had the pianists sight read pieces of music without preparation.

Not surprisingly, there was a strong positive correlation between practice habits and sight-reading performance. In fact, the total amount of practice the pianists had accumulated in their piano careers accounted for nearly half of the performance differences across participants. But working memory capacity made a statistically significant contribution as well (about 7 percent, a medium-size effect). In other words, if you took two pianists with the same amount of practice, but different levels of working memory capacity, it’s likely that the one higher in working memory capacity would have performed considerably better on the sight-reading task.

Read the entire article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/opinion/sunday/sorry-strivers-talent-matters.html?_r=1

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. 

“The War of Art” is an easy read. It takes every excuse you have ever given yourself for not practicing and tells you why you are wrong. The title alone makes me feel like everyday is a challenge to be won, and the challenge is resistance to my own practice. The thing is, since I began taking on the challenge, my students are performing better than ever. 

Once I began practicing 2 hours a day, I got a little cocky and began expecting more from the kids. Just like a baby boomer who loves to brag about all the snowy miles they hiked in order to get to school, I love telling my kids that 20 minutes a day is nothing compared to what I log in practice time. I love seeing their jaws drop open when I tell them how long I practice, and I really believe it is inspiring them to work hard. They sound better than ever.

Do you make time for your own practice? How do you make it work? Do you have a set time each day and for how long? How do you stay motivated?

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

1. All students receive $20 each week IF all 5 bubbles in front of each assignment on the assignment sheet are colored in.  This shows me my instructions were followed and practiced 5 times since the last lesson.

2. If there is a new concept to master I like to challenge with cash. For example, when working with Kyle to make lovely shaped phrases, he was offered $5 for softening the end of each slur. After listening to my example, Kyle rose to the challenge, watched for the end of every slur, softened them with a gentle wrist lift and added $35 to his stash.

3. A favorite office supply product–post-it arrows–proves profitable for all. These are placed near a measure on the page that is tricky or error-prone and warrants discussion at the lesson. When the student returns for the next lesson, the pianist must remind me what the arrow signified and play the section/note correctly. Each arrow is worth $5 and sometimes a page can be plastered with arrows so the payout is big!

4. Once a piece is mastered and error-free, it needs to stay that way. To build reliability, students are asked to play a piece (or section) 20 times perfect. Students keep a tally on a post-it and if they return with 20 tallies, they earn $50.

5. Lessons are always filled with questions so if a question is answered correctly OR if the pianist speaks with particularly amazing intelligence (!) $5 is added to the stack of bills.

6. Each time a pianist participates in a studio performance opportunity or performs at school, church, etc, they receive $50-$100.

7. Group lessons are filled with games and opportunities to reward with cash and bonuses.

8. Each bill features a picture of a great composer providing opportunities to introduce great musicians of the past.

9. When drilling a tricky phrase it is fun to place a bet. Once students hear “Twenty bucks if you can play that phrase with zero errors” they eagerly rise to the challenge and drill the phrase until it is perfect.

10. Dynamic markings are often overlooked.  Offering $5 for each one I hear in a performance heightens awareness in the eyes and ears of the performer.

Meant to be Spent

If there’s money burning a hole in an assignment binder pocket, it must be spent. So, once a quarter I set up a store stocked with candy, toys, sheet music, jewelry, gadgets, etc. Students arrive unaware of market day and drop their music bags to eagerly count their money. A timer is set for 5 minutes to browse as the shopping experience for some can take a great deal of time. Some enjoy bargaining, others always seem to overspend (and ask for financing!) and the misers save their dough.

It Doesn’t Grow on Trees

Invest in Music Money and see long term results. You can find your cash at  TCW Resources, published by Neil A. Kjos Music Company.  The company crafts countless creative even “wacky” games and theory books that enage students in fun and theory! (FYI: You’ll get a kick out of the origin of the acronym “TCW“)

I use many TCW Resources materials and recommend them all. Their products are packed with a delightful sense of humor, dynamic illustrations and solid theory tools that are SOUND investments for your studio.

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?

The exact questions I ask differ, depending on the basic learning style of my student.  Sometimes we have to focus on feeling.  Sometimes it’s a color.  Sometimes it not thinking at all & just letting the sound happen.  But then, I ask questions of how we got there & we try to replicate it a minimum of 3 times (the amount of time it takes for the body to learn a new action).  But, while I am exacting (my students know that something they’ll hear from me time & again is “That was good, now give me more!”), I also always try to say things in a positive language.  This means that I focus on what we have and where we’re going, rather than what went wrong.  If we reinforce the correct physicalization in the voice, then ultimately the bad habits fall by the wayside without us having focused on them & given them more weight than they needed.

Because the voice is part of the automatic nervous system, what we think has a HUGE impact in how the sound is produced.  The other side of the “think positive” equation (besides creating a more supportive environment) is the fact that studies have shown the brain doesn’t “understand” a negative directive.  This means that when we tell our students “Don’t gasp,”  the brain hears “Gasp.”  The negative (don’t) is not computed at the same time as the directive.  So, I try to state the same thing in terms of what we DO want (a positive directive), such as “Inhale slowly, directly off of the sound so the muscles engage easily.”  Now, that takes a bit more time to say, but it’s clearly exactly what we want – if I had just said “Don’t gasp,” then I would also need to say what we do want.  We don’t care what we don’t want – it’s a waste of our time and energy.  State clearly what we want, figure out how best to get there, & think THOSE lovely thoughts.

Concern yourself with where you’re going & what you want (and how best to get there!).  Anything else is a waste of your time and energy.

“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.  

I see the same tendencies in my students.  They love to play, but practice?  Not so much.  Some are willing to practice because they love the fruit of their efforts – being able to play well.  Others practice because their parents insist, and some practice the least amount possible.  A few have become so adept at sight-reading that they can play their lesson well without a lot of practice.  I want to see them all excel, so I have to creatively find ways to encourage my students to practice their lessons.  But I don’t ever want to come across as mad, or mean, just because a student didn’t have time to sit at the piano.  I remember coming out of a number of my lessons in tears because my teacher yelled at me for not practicing enough.  It became so stressful that I quit taking lessons for a year.  Thankfully, I loved to play enough that I eventually found a new teacher who encouraged me and helped me prepare for music school.

So how do we encourage our students to practice without being overbearing?  How do we help them make their music lessons a priority when they are already so busy and over-scheduled?  How do we instill in our students the value of studying a piece of music or a style of playing that isn’t their favorite?  

Teach students how to practice.  I think this is one of the most important things a teacher can do.  Students don’t come to lessons knowing how to practice; they have to learn it.  With all of my beginner students, we work our lesson time just like I want them to structure their practice time.  For instance, when a young student learns a new song, I have them study it first.  Then they look for their hand position and play through the piece.  Next, they play it and say finger numbers, then they play it and say letter names, and lastly, they play it and say the rhythm.  Obviously, this only works with beginners since more advanced lessons require multiple notes, complex rhythms, and varied fingering all at once.   But the benefit of playing and saying is that it uses more parts of the brain at once, creating more complex connections in the brain, and helping all the parts of music to come together better.  It also helps the students learn faster.  Better yet, it sets them up to be able to sing and play together. Finally, I ask them to play the song (while singing if they would like) and just enjoy it.  We practice practicing at every lesson so that the students gets a good handle on just how to learn at the piano.  

Outcome based practicing.  When I was in band, we had to practice a certain number of minutes each day.  And every day, I stared at the clock, fiddled with my instrument, and avoided practicing my music as much as possible.  I did the bare minimum, waiting for my jail time to be over.  What I prefer for my students is outcome based practice.  Each lesson incorporates a set of ‘goals’ for the student to accomplish that week.  For beginner students, the goals essentially boil down to maintaining what was learned in the lesson and developing good practice habits.  For more advanced students, practice might involve learning a difficult run, bringing a slow piece up to tempo, or incorporating dynamics into a song that has been sounding a bit mechanical.  Since the goals are tangible, it helps make practice time more interesting.  Practice may take more time or less time, depending on the music that particular week.  It helps the students avoid that clock-watching mentality which makes practice seem long and boring.  I use an assignment sheet at each lesson with a chart.  Students can check off each goal each time they practice so they can see where there efforts are going.

The two minute technique.  I recently read about a practice technique that only takes two minutes.  The concept, created by Hans Jensen, means you only practice for two minutes.  You choose one very small, very specific goal, and work on it very hard for two minutes with no interruptions.    You work very intensively, but only for two minutes.  Then you put it away until the next day.  This helps you prioritize your practice time.  It also keeps you focused because you know its only for two minutes.  

Relationship building.  I find that when students are new, the novelty of lessons and the excitement of learning helps them to practice.  This is the time to capitalize on and help them develop good practice habits.  But eventually, the honeymoon will be over, the novelty will wear off, and students will have to show a little discipline to keep on keeping on.  But if you have a good relationship with your students, they will naturally want to please you, and it will help with their desire to practice.

Incentives.  Incentives can be a fun way to help your students practice more.  Right now, my studio is having a little contest.  Students earn points for completing particular activities each week – for instance, 10 points for each time they practice (there are guidelines as to what constitutes as ‘practice,’ though), 5 points for attending lesson, 5 points for being on time with all necessary materials, and 2 points for achieving their music goals.  The student who earns the most points at the end of the month will win an MP3 player.  Everyone will win some sort of prize, and there will be bonus points for extra credit throughout the month.  Naturally, students get the most points for their practice time.  The goal is to help them build solid practice habits.

Practice log.  Practice logs are a great way for students to keep track of their progress.  You can provide paper practice logs as part of their assignment sheets for easy tracking, like mine.  Better yet, students can log into Music Teachers Helper and record their practice time online, making it easy for you to keep an eye on their progress.  This is especially great for those students who thrive on computer time.

Encouragement.  There is nothing like good, old fashioned, praise to help a student desire to succeed.  Words of encouragement for a job well done, a pat on the back for an honest try, and a sincere smile of appreciation are never unheeded.  

Hopefully, your students will all love to practice and it won’t take much reinforcement to help them work on their lessons at home.  But I honestly believe that the time spent in one on one lessons is beneficial musically and emotionally for each and every student, whether or not they are able to practice at home.  Practicing just makes it all the sweeter.  

When I was a child I would receive a gift voucher to the largest sheet music store in the city for every birthday and Christmas. I would look forward to gift more than any other, enthusiastically browsing through the sheet music and selecting books of the latest pop music, songs from musicals and Christmas carols. I was fortunate that my mother, who also played the piano, understood the excitement I found in selecting the music that I wanted to play. Many of my students don’t come from musical families, so buying extra sheet music in addition to the music that is required for lessons doesn’t cross their mind. That is why at this time of year I write to the parents of my students with a range of suggestions for music that might make a good Christmas present for their children. I add links to items in online music stores and write a short blurb about each book that explains what level the music is and what songs are included. I list a range of Christmas Carol collections, TV and Movie theme songs, and anthologies of the latest ‘top 40’ pop music. I also inform parents about the digital download options for single pieces that are very reasonably priced.

My letter not only contains the above recommendations, but also outlines the importance of this gift. The autonomy that students feel when they learn a piece independently gives a huge boost to their confidence. Students often learn music that extends their current skills. They are more likely to ‘stick with it’ even if they are finding it difficult, because they want to learn the song. There’s a great social aspect to learning the music that their friends listen to. I love watching my students proudly share their piano skills with their non-musical friends, who are in awe of their ability to play the latest pop songs. Another great benefit to students choosing their own repertoire is that here in Australia our long summer break happens at Christmas, so students who are not having lessons over the summer are still motivated to practice, learn new repertoire and improve their skills without the guidance of their teacher

I always encourage parents to contact me if they are uncertain what music is at an appropriate level for their child and I also organise bulk orders of music through a local retailer that willingly offers a discount for a certain quantity of books. I always look forward to the first lesson of the New Year when students race into their lessons, proudly demonstrating their new repertoire for me. The look on their faces is most definitely worth the little time it takes to write to parents with a list of suggestions!

Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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.

Use ISOLATION to Make it EASY

Playing HT (hands together) is difficult or “HARD” for pianists at any level. After EASY stamping a post-it, the pianist (let’s call her Melody) and I discuss a practice prescription for “Carefree Stroll”.

Section A:

1. Play RH (right hand) 3x, counting aloud
2. Play LH (left hand) 3x, counting aloud
3. Play HT (hands together) using EASY Post-it practice

Melody and I then briefly review the prescribed practice routine to ensure correct reading and counting, and then we give the EASY Post-it practice a try.

The Post-it is placed so that beat one of a measure is isolated and Melody is asked to play it–perfectly (fingering, rhythm, pitches, etc). To her amazement it looks EASY and yes, she succeeds at beat one HT. It is important that Melody (not just me) recognizes success, so she is asked to make her own evaluation of how she did. If she declares victory, we move on to the next beat.

The Post-it is moved to reveal beat two. Melody plays beats 1 and 2 HT. Melody evaluates the attempt and usually wants to try it one more time to ensure confidence.

Within a few minutes a measure can be mastered HT and Melody happily pushes that EASY button. In addition, she is eager to continue this strategy at home because success was discovered at the lesson. (Hint: this also works well with backwards practice!)

As you know, if it’s hard, it will most likely be avoided on the home practice bench which means no progress. Make it EASY and it will get practiced, HARD!

“That was EASY”

I downloaded the free version and found it to be very useful and not too limited, as many ‘lite’ versions can be. The lite version of the app covers Intervals, Major & Minor Triads, Cadences & Chord Progressions and Scale Recognition. The app contains information explaining each of the concepts that it covers, with links to websites more information if required. There is a section where students can track the statistics of their progress, which would be great for teachers to check in with how their students are doing as well. Exercises can also be slower down (a must for any ear training app I believe) and you can also limit the exercises to certain keys. A small keyboard can be activated for students to work on during the exercises also, although none of my students used this feature.

The Interval training is set up so that students choose between two intervals, which I think would be fantastic for beginner students, where you might only introduce one or two intervals at a time. There are options to play melodic intervals both ascending and descending, as well as playing them as harmonic intervals. The same options are given for major and minor triads.

I like the versatility of this app, the ability for it to be used by students of all levels, and of course, the price (free!). I think it will definitely be recommended to my students who haven’t already discovered it and exploring the full-priced version also. If you have a favorite ear training app I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net