Kerri Green

Music Teaching Financial Binder Makeover

June 15th, 2013 by

I have a confession to make.image

I am a musician. I possess a wonderful, creative, passionately-interested-in-the-world right brain. I love to explore, to learn, to ponder, to express. I love to share ideas, to share emotions, to create beauty.

It is a great kind of brain to have.

Most of the time.

There are those times, however, that the possession of such a brain creates chaos, confusion, and disorder. I am sure that there are many of you fellow musicians who have never had these feelings. I am sure there are many of you who have learned to harness both your right AND your left brains, that your paperwork is all in order, all of your financial dealings with students have been handled in a timely, professional manner, and that you have no questions about how to start over from a muddled, unsure record-keeping state.

This post is not for those of you who fit that category. Instead, please fast forward to the end of this post and leave us your wise counsel and organizational tips in the comment section. We need you. We really really do.

For the rest of us, though, I have this promise: you are not alone. We creative sorts have many gifts. So what if filing isn’t one of them? Let’s use our creativity to find new solutions. I have some advice, some tips, some words of hope for you. Read more…

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Posted in Financial Business, Studio Management, Using Music Teacher's Helper

Amanda Furbeck

Summer Performance Opportunities

June 10th, 2013 by

IMG_2847Summer is a terrific time to organize some extra performance opportunities for your younger private lessons students. Don’t worry if they’ve never performed in front of anyone before – now is the time to start.  Performance opportunities help students in a variety of way.  Students learn to play well under pressure, and they learn to play through their mistakes, instead of stopping to fix them. They learn poise, professionalism, and they learn how to encourage one another.  Performing has a way of maturing a piece of music; the more people your students perform in front of other people, the better, especially if they are transitioning or auditioning for colleges and special groups.  Here are a few ideas to squeeze in some fun and exciting performing opportunities for this summer.

Nursing homes. Nursing homes are some of my favorite places to play.  They usually have some sort of large activities room, often with a stage and piano.  The elderly folks who live there generally love music and children – bringing both front and center will likely make their day.  A 45 minute program is perfect.  Let students know ahead of time what they may see as far as wheelchairs, oxygen tanks, or severely disabled adults.

Coffee shops.  Coffee shops may not be willing to give up ‘prime time’ to inexperienced musicians, but they may be willing to work with you on a time that has low attendance.  It will certainly help if your students’ parents are willing to come by and drink some coffee, too. Students can sign up for time slots or even rotate. Read more…

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Posted in Performing, Practicing, Studio Management

Ronnie Currey (Editor)

The Pros And Cons Of Teaching Students At Home

June 5th, 2013 by

Guest blog by Marcela De Vivo

pros and consProviding your child with a well-rounded education is a highly important part of their development. Introducing children to music is one of the most readily available and common components of that education.

Whether your child is interested in the typical piano and guitar or something completely different, like the viola or a wind instrument, chances are good that you’ll be able to find an instructor for a decent hourly rate.

One of the less-discussed aspects of that decision is whether or not your child’s music lessons should take place in your own home or in the home of the instructor.

Making the call will have a lot to do with your kid’s personality and learning tendencies. Some children learn much better at home while others need to get away from their familiar surroundings in order to concentrate on anything academic.

Yet, aside from the personality of the child, there are some fairly universal pros and cons to having your child’s music lessons occur inside of the home.

Let’s take a look at each side of the coin. Read more…

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Posted in Studio Management, Teaching Tips

Yiyi Ku

Piano Competitions – An Open Letter to Students

May 1st, 2013 by

1819medalDear student,

I am writing this letter to you because I am thinking about your upcoming piano competition. You have worked so hard for this and I want to let you know first and foremost how proud I am that you will be performing in this event. As your teacher, I am so happy you will have the opportunity to play in front of seasoned judges and other accomplished pianists.

Have you ever watched the Olympic Games on TV? The best athletes from all over the world get together to compete for the Gold Medal. Those athletes must have trained so hard, and they must have been the best from their country in order to be chosen to represent that country. Yet at the end of the game, there can only be one Gold Medalist.

Piano competitions are sort of like that. All the competitors are the best students from their teacher’s studio, but because it is a competition, the judges must select only one person to receive First Prize, Second Prize, and so on. It does not mean those not selected to win a prize are not good. Sometimes the person that gets First Prize is indeed the very best and really deserves it. Usually, however, it just means that particular person played that particular piece the best that particular day, on that particular piano, in that particular hall, for that particular judge. On another day, at a different venue, using a different piano, with a different judge, a different student may very well be selected as the First Prize winner instead. What matters the most is not who wins and who doesn’t. What matters is that you have graciously accepted the challenge, set a goal for yourself, worked hard to master a difficult piece of music, and improved so much from the experience. Read more…

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Posted in Studio Management, Teaching Tips

jkroll

Returning Student Scheduling Made Easier with MTH!!

April 24th, 2013 by

Returning Student Registration and Fall Scheduling Made Easier with MTH!

Many music studio schedules follow the local school schedules. The end of the year fast approaches with extra work often necessary for recitals and registration for the next fall.

One may use MTH website to eliminate the hassle of tracking changes to fall schedules.

Spring registration

In contrast to music teachers who request registration during the late summer months; at my studio registration is due in April. This accomplishes several goals: I am able to determine how many lesson slots I have available and advertize accordingly, I do not have to work with customers during the busy summer months when they are often traveling, and it may be a lot more difficult to tell an instructor you are not returning when you have lessons for another month (perhaps a good marketing strategy). This also allows time to discuss reasons for discontinuing lessons and possibly the opportunity to suggest changes to keep a student playing.

Use MTH to make yearly registration and scheduling much easier!

Every year when I set up the yearly schedule I include an extra week of lessons on the web calendar. Example: Lessons end May 19th but my web calendar shows lessons running through May 26th. I let customers know that lessons will not actually be held on these days but are only there for administrative purposes. It is easy to add a fake event for all students stating there are no lessons during this week and that the extra lesson showing on the calendar is only for fall scheduling purposes. When a parent/student logs onto the website they will see this note on the calendar (See picture 1). Read more…

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Posted in Studio Management, Uncategorized, Using Music Teacher's Helper

Ronnie Currey (Editor)

You Won’t Be Lonely Long – It’s International Week of the Piano Geek

April 22nd, 2013 by

Life as a private music teacher can be a lonely one indeed. When the rest of the world is chatting it up at the water cooler with co-workers, we are doing everything everyone else does after work. And when “after work” has arrived for everyone else, our day begins!

But our day does not look like everyone else’s day! While many see work as a social outlet, private music teachers spend their time, (for the most part) with preschoolers, children and tweens. And while this group is a blast, we need the opportunity for a water cooler chat too.

And that’s why next week we are presenting International Week of the Piano Geek; an opportunity for private music teachers to connect with online piano personalities and resources that are making our profession a little less lonely.

Every single day between April 29 and May 3, we will be sharing a wealth of resources that exist online to make life as a piano teacher easier. From blog posts to live Q and A events, to comment discussions, there will be a ton of action to keep you entertained and informed. And you can be a part of it all at PianoGeekWeek.com.

Click here to register today and get in on an exciting week of resource showcases, giveaways, freebies, and more.

About The Authors
Andrea and Trevor Dow are piano bloggers and educators with a passion for creating innovative music education resources and sharing cutting-edge teaching strategies. When they aren’t in front of their computers writing for their TeachPianoToday.com blog, they are busy running their thriving music school on Vancouver Island. 

With International Week of the Piano Geek, Andrea and Trevor hope to advance piano education by opening up a world of resources that are continually evolving online each and every day.

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Posted in Studio Management, Teaching Tips

Kerri Green

Some Not-So-Helpful Tax Tips for Music Teachers

April 15th, 2013 by

It’s tax day in the United States.

Does that sentence fill you with dread?

Or are you lucky enough to be one of those music teachers who has all of your receipts in perfectly organized envelopes, a well-filled-out mileage tracking notebook in the glovebox of your car, and a tax accountant on hand to answer any tricky tax questions?

If, indeed, you are one of these blessed souls, can I come watch how you work? Can I adopt your systems? Because here is how tax season works at my house. Read more…

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Posted in Financial Business, Studio Management, Using Music Teacher's Helper

Amanda Furbeck

Select the Right Piano Teaching Method

April 10th, 2013 by

Selecting the right piano teaching method can be a daunting task, especially if you are a brand new piano teacher.  There are probably as many piano methods as there are piano teachers to teach them.  So how do you know which one to use? You could choose a single method to teach across the board – all new students start with the same materials.  Or, you could find out what each student wants to learn and choose a method for them individually.  Chances are, after a few years of trial and error, you will find a method that you truly feel comfortable with and very much enjoy teaching from. Maybe you’ll even write your own!  Regardless, here are a few piano methods that I enjoy teaching from.

John Thompson’s Modern Course for the Piano.  I love this piano method, for several reasons.  First, it’s the method that I learned from as a little girl.  I was so excited when I got to play from the big red book!  It brings back many fond memories of piano lessons.  Of course, given my age, you might not think of it as being all ‘that’ modern, but that’s the name of it.

In all seriousness, this method is my go-to method for students who want to learn classical piano.  It contains great directions for classical technique (think wrist staccato and drop and roll) as well as many classic style pieces that every budding pianist needs to learn. Book 1 is great for the late elementary school student who has had some music experience at school.  For the younger beginner, check out Teaching Little Fingers to Play, which is a great introduction Read more…

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Posted in Product Reviews, Professional Development, Studio Management, Teaching Tips

Ronnie Currey (Editor)

Studio Basic Business

March 28th, 2013 by

The following is a guest blog by Diane Hidy.

Every day I am reminded of how difficult the business end of piano teaching is for teachers. The questions which plague the thoughtful, kind, well-meaning teachers make me sad. Underlying it all is the idea that if we’re really good people, we need to be accommodating, if not down-right inept business people. This is untrue. I am, at least I like to think I am, a thoughtful, kind, well-meaning teacher and I run a profitable business. I am also flexible when I choose to be, but my business is not suffering from my clarity and business-prowess. In the hopes of a few more teachers asking a few less questions, I propose these basics:

Have a website. It’s like having a business card in the 21st century. You must present a professional appearance and that’s the first step. Having a website allows you to put things like your studio policy out for the world to see. People can see what your business entails before you waste your time trying to talk to them only to find out that they don’t want to play by your rules. This in and of itself will save you time and money. Read more…

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Posted in Studio Management

Yiyi Ku

Role of Parents

February 27th, 2013 by

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All private music teachers know that in order for a student to succeed in their music study, parents play a very important role. Some parents were music students once before, so they understand the commitment involved, others are new to the world of private music lessons, and often need to be reminded what their responsibilities are. Of course, this does not mean that parents need to be musically literate or even play an instrument, but without the encouragement, support, and cooperation of parents, music lessons can be short-lived and frustrating for everyone.

I shall attempt to list some of the parent responsibilities:

1. Bring student to lessons on time – On time means just that, not five minutes late, or ten minutes early! Yes, traffic is hard to control, the occasional early arrival is understandable, but being consistently early means either interrupting the previous student’s lesson, or taking up the teachers’s private time.

Read more…

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Posted in Financial Business, Studio Management

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