I’ll admit it. I was having a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”* I was tired. And I was cranky. Very cranky. The last thing that I felt like doing was sharing the love of anything with anyone, especially not music and children. I didn’t want to smile, be polite, or encourage. I just wanted to go crawl in a hole and wallow in my [now laugh-able] self-pity. Can you tell this was not one of my finer moments in life? Pity or no, my students were coming in just a few minutes and I had to teach them. My energy was gone, my head was hurting, and I had nothing left to give that day. I’m pretty sure that I was so desperate that I even prayed for the flu. But instead of getting ill, one of my favorite teachers came to mind and I began to think about what she would do in this situation.
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Posted in Professional Development, Studio Management, Teaching Tips
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
Why are you a teacher?
Honestly, for me, I began teaching because it was a way for me to pay the bills when acting jobs weren’t coming and stay connected to what I love to do.
As I’m sure you have discovered in your own path as a teacher, there are hidden rewards that you discover only as you do it.
Lately, I have been noticing how many of my clients’ lives are really taking off since they committed themselves to singing…and it’s made me think about the real reason we want to make music and share it…as performers or teachers.
It’s great for our souls.
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Posted in Teaching Tips
As I write this blog entry, I realize that it was about a year ago that I joined this wonderful Music Teachers Helper community. My first article here was “Time to plan the Holiday Recital” – it is that time of the year again!
Over the years, I have come across a great variety of holiday music for students. My favorites include: Music for Little Mozarts Little Mozarts Perform the Nutcracker, Famous and Fun Christmas by Carol Matz, Christmas Jazz, Rags & Blues by Martha Mier, and Especially Popular Christmas by Dennis Alexander – all of which feature fantastic arrangements of some of the most popular holiday classics. They are carefully graded to suit different student levels, musically appealing, and provide a good deal of pedagogical merits.
While I always enjoy teaching holiday music to my students and playing the teacher duet parts, every now and then I want to play those beautiful, familiar tunes, too! There are countless Christmas songbooks out there, but most of them are collections for voice/guitar/piano. I am not a big fan of these fakebook-style anthologies – the piano part is usually not very pianistically written, either it is too simple and boring, or it is awkward with big leaps and stretches. I want pianistic, musical solos that sound sophisticated, have a bit of an improvisational nature, do not sound juvenile, and are “showy” enough to play for friends and family! This year, I have found three books that fit the bill! Read more…
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Posted in Product Reviews, Teaching Tips
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
New Release Review: Alfred Pop and Movie Hits Level 5 and Level 6
This series is part of Alfred’s Premier Piano Course, designed to provide students familiar music from Disney cartoons, movie hits, jazz and popular songs, while reinforcing concepts introduced in the lesson books. Each piece correlates page-by-page with the materials in the lesson books; teachers may assign them according to the specific instructions, use them as review material, or to supplement another method.
Although I am familiar with the lesson books of Premier Piano Course, I have not tried the Pop and Movie Hits in my studio, so I decided that I will play through the entire Level 5 and Level 6 books and see. My verdict? Worth every penny! Here are some of the reasons why I think this series is superior in the field of popular music arranged for piano students. Read more…
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Posted in Product Reviews, 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
