Yes. By all means, YES! Here are 10 reasons why I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to teach those who are 18 and above and even those who might be considered “chronologically challenged.”
Posing proudly after a No-Worries Workshop
1. Lesson Time: Adults are able to schedule lessons during those hours when most K-12 school students cannot attend.
2. Income: Because adults can come during “off hours” weekly income is expanded.
3. Friendship: Every time a new student enters the door a new relationship is established and inevitably a friend as well.
4. Variety: Each adult student arrives with a unique and distinct musical background and agenda. While some desire to master Mozart, others want to learn note names, while others wish to play current pop hits. Because of time limitations, I have not initiated a Recreational Music Making (RMM) class but this could be a possible option for your studio. This program, that emphasizes recreational and not traditional lessons for adults, continues to grow in popularity. For more information check out the Recreational Music Making Handbook. Read more…
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Posted in Promoting Your Studio, Studio Management, Teaching Tips, Using Music Teacher's Helper
I am completely fascinated with online networking. It’s such a fun way to interact
Are you a social media expert?
with people you know and meet people you don’t. In fact, social media is all the buzz in advertising in today’s market. It’s free, it’s fast, and you can hit a large market. Big companies are even hiring social media experts whose full time job is to tweet you, text you, and message you about hot deals and cool stuff. It’s the next big thing in marketing. But should you use it for your private music teaching studio? I do.
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Posted in Customer Support, Music & Technology, Music News, Press, Promoting Your Studio, Site Announcements, Studio Management, Uncategorized, Using Music Teacher's Helper
Many of my students are ‘first generation’ musicians, meaning that they come from families where no one learnt an instrument. Consequently, there usually isn’t a culture of concert attendance in their families. Access to live music is vital for inspiring students, reminding them of the results of countless hours of practice, teaching them performance etiquette and refreshing their interest and passion. Read more…
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Posted in Performing, Promoting Your Studio, Teaching Tips, Using Music Teacher's Helper
Based on a Novel Idea by Wendy Stevens.
In her recent website newsletter, Wendy Stevens described a holiday project she designed. She asked her piano students to learn the theme of the “Jingle Bell” chorus and create a variation. Each arranger was filmed debuting his/her arrangement and made into a lovely video.
Fortunately, Wendy shares her marvelous teaching ideas and inspirations on her unique website www.composecreate.com. Subscribing to her free newsletter provides me with numerous ideas and resources. I must give full credit to her for the subject of this blog and am so thankful to find her as a continual resource of inspiration.
The Plot
When preparing for the upcoming holiday recital, lesson time can be zapped by ironing out wrinkles in performance pieces or drilling the performance etiquette routine. Little time is left for covering new concepts or new pieces. This calls for an assignment that captures the students’ attention, challenges their creativity and that can be accomplished in a short amount of time.
The Production
The following steps were taken to prepare students:
1) A lead sheet featuring the melody and chord symbols was reviewed. Early level students were provided with a simple LH version.
2) For inspiration, students were asked to listen to Mozart’s Twelve Variations on “Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman” and follow along with the score. Next they watched the youtube video of Wendy’s students. (As I offer 30-minute lessons with a 30-minute lab time, this was assigned during the lab time and did not take away from lesson time.) Read more…
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Posted in Composing & Arranging, Music & Technology, Music Theory, Performing, Promoting Your Studio, Teaching Tips, Using Music Teacher's Helper
Once upon a time (well, six months ago,) I was hard at work planning the re-opening of my piano studio. I was full of visions of how my studio would be run differently this time around, how I’d attract students with a strong work ethic and passion for music, and how clearly I would lead them to musical nirvana. I reasoned that if I outlined my expectations thoroughly and interviewed prospective students carefully, teaching wouldn’t be tedious and I wouldn’t be stuck with those mind-numbing lessons in which I repeated everything I had taught the week before.
It’s fun to dream, isn’t it?
Five months into reality, I am having a wonderful time teaching. I am enjoying the different personalities of my students and discovering what makes each of them tick. And I’m eating a few of my words, for as it turns out, despite my careful outlining of expectations and interviewing, I have ended up with a student pool with a wide variety of abilities.
Some of my students are well-prepared every week, consistently doing more than I ask and enjoying the quick trajectory of our goals. Some of my students are practicing the required minimum most days of the week, doing most of what I ask, and making decent progress. And a couple of my students can’t consistently remember where middle C, treble G, and bass F are, even after months of drilling, flashcards, computer games, and away from the keyboard games.
The best thing about it? I love them all. Read more…
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Posted in Promoting Your Studio, Studio Management
Google is practically my BFF. Anytime I want to know something
, go somewhere, or learn about someone I hit up Google. It’s fast and it’s easy. Better yet, I can Google at my leisure, whether its first thing in the morning or in the middle of the night. And, I gravitate towards businesses with a web presence because I can learn all about them before I ever set foot on their doorstep. So when I really decided to take my piano teaching studio seriously, I figured out that I needed my own studio website.
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Posted in Promoting Your Studio, Studio Management, Using Music Teacher's Helper
Last month, I began by discussing Habit Number One: Be Proactive. Paying attention to how I perceived my studio helped me focus on the positive aspects of my teaching and kept me looking for solutions to my teaching problems instead of giving in to complaining and being resigned to the status quo.
The second habit of highly effective music teachers may well be the very most important. It has led me to a partial transformation of my studio. This habit is: Begin with the End in Mind.
Here’s a story, demonstrating what happens when I did anything but begin with the end in mind. I was in my first weeks of my first pedagogy class, and a family member asked if I’d teach her three children. I was beyond excited. It didn’t matter that the family had only a small keyboard without 88 keys, (and those keys weren’t even full-size), touch sensitivity, or a pedal. Read more…
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Posted in Promoting Your Studio, Studio Management, Teaching Tips
In July, I posted some unique features of my studio after a parent mentioned that my 
lesson notes “set my studio apart.” Below is a continuation of the list of features which concludes with (as this parent indicated) perhaps the most important element–Accountability.
VersatilitY
Personalities and learning styles vary and so must each lesson. Spontaneity seems to be key. Activities within lessons are chosen to suit individual needs.
By holding daytime Exploring Music Classes for 4-5 year olds and seeking adult students, not only do teaching hours and student numbers increase but my capacity to meet the needs of a variety of ages and levels expands as well.
Providing quarterly group lessons and workshops offers a break from the routine of weekly private lessons and time for performance opportunities.
By summer time, lesson options like Piano Olympics, Invention Camp, Composition lessons, Improvisation lessons provide everyone (me included) a fresh venue for learning. These options have attracted ‘drop-ins’ which provide extra income in the summer and expand my wait list.
FlexibilitY
As a parent, I appreciate flexibility so I have carved that into my policies. Two excused absences are offered between August and May. With one week’s notice, students may cancel a lesson and will receive credit towards the next tuition invoice. Read more…
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Posted in Practicing, Promoting Your Studio, Studio Management, Teaching Tips, Using Music Teacher's Helper
Many of us are expanding our teaching practice to include online video chat instruction. This is clearly evidenced by the number of recent posts about the topic here on the MTH Blog.
Here are a few things I’ve learned as a voice teacher using Skype with some of my clients that I hope will be helpful to any of you who are currently using this new technology or contemplating it…
I do have to say that nothing can replace being in the room with the client. You get a clear read on their sound, energy, and where they are mentally and emotionally. All of these factors help us as teachers to clue in to what the client needs the most.
For me, though, the Skype/online chat lesson offers a lot of advantages by virtue of its limitations.
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Posted in Music & Technology, Professional Development, Promoting Your Studio, Teaching Tips
How connected are you to your local music community?
Do you have an instrument repairer who you could call on at the last minute if something goes wrong just before a performance? Do you now teachers who you would be willing to pass students onto if your studio is full? Do you have teachers who refer students to you? Do you have a physiotherapist who understands the nature of your instrument? Read more…
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Posted in Financial Business, Promoting Your Studio, Studio Management
