Music Teachers Blog

I had an interesting experience working with a pianist who was frustrated with the young singer’s lack of precision with whom she was playing for the other evening. I had witnessed this happening for a bit of time, and decided it was time to have a discussion with that pianist. As I began to talk about my teaching process for my singers and how it differs from learning to play the piano I realized that as a voice teacher teaching technique: I am building a piano.

Unlike instrumentalists who sit down to or pick up their instruments to play, we singers are our instruments. If we have a bad day, a string is broken, or the sustain pedal doesn’t work. If we are not well, have allergies, received a bad grade on exam, or were almost in a car accident – all of these experiences affect our instrument. With singers just developing or perfecting their technique, first and foremost their teacher must ensure that all is well with that “instrument”. One would not ask a student to play a perfect piece on their flute with a popped spring, nor would one ask for a pianist to play a perfect piece with the b flat out of tune. So it is with singers.

Often singers are looked at askance as poor musicians – and it is true in my experience that singers are often not asked to learn music theory in depth as instrumentalists must do to play their pieces well and to progress musically. I learned my theory playing piano and gained most of it in college as a voice major where it was taken much more seriously. I have my singer’s studying theory at their own paces, or playing piano, but first and foremost – comes technique.

I find that once a singer has a developing technique, putting them into “stressful” situations – sight reading in front of others – is challenging and drastically affects their instruments. Subsequently I have formed performance groups which I vary with my students private lessons – which act as master classes and introduce stress in moderate amounts – ie: sight reading in front of other singers. At those moments, I have “controlled” stress which I put my singers through to test their technique – and I always choose the technique staying strong over the precision of the piece at those times. This is so often confused with singers! You would not ask a flute player to throw out their embouchure to get through a piece! You must strengthen the singer’s confidence in these small stressful situations – technique first, music second – before the singer’s mind and instrument can begin to trust, relax, and fall back into alignment when stressed. I feel this is an often overlooked step when building technique in a singer.

So, to ease this pianist’s frustration, I explained that I am not teaching my students how to play the piano; I am helping them to build one.

I hope you enjoy this series of fictional scenarios about teaching music, and find it at times thought-provoking, familiar, and even humorous.  We look forward to reading comments by yourself and other teachers at the end, about “what would you do?”

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Anabel is very excited to be taking music lessons.  She is a middle-aged adult and is committed to practicing.  At her lessons she asks many questions, and does what you tell her as best she can.  She takes notes in her notebook to use at home.

She understands your lesson polices, having printed them out from your policies page on your Music Teachers Helper website.  Your policy is that a student has to pay for a lesson if they cancel the same day, or if they don’t show up.

Anabel is very particular about lesson times.  She wants her money’s worth.  She is not overbearing about it, but she lets you know that if you start her lesson 3 minutes late, she does not want to quit on time.  She does not mind if her lesson goes a touch late, however.

One winter day, the day of Anabel’s lesson, there is a snowstorm in the morning.  The snowplows are at work quickly and by Anabel’s lesson time, roads are reasonably clear.

One minute before her lesson time, your phone rings.

“Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Anabel.  Are the roads terrible?”

“No.  They’re pretty clear.  Just basic winter driving.”

“I know I’m supposed to be there, but I thought the driving would be bad.”

“Well, not that I can see.  How is it out where you are?”

“Oh it’s not too good.  And I think I’m getting a sore throat.  You don’t want to get that, do you?”

“No, sounds like you want to stay home.”

“Can I get credited for this lesson?”

“Well, you’re canceling the same day, so the policy is that you’ll have to pay for this one.”

“Could I take my lesson over the phone?”

“What?”

“Can I take my lesson over the phone?  You know, we talk, I play, you comment — over the phone.  Now.  Since I’m paying for the time.”

OK, teachers!  What would you do?

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Please add your comments below; if you have any hesitations about it, please see the earlier post about “Adding Your Two Bits! How It Works“.

An assignment given to me as a grad student was to visit various successful piano teachers in the area. One studio that particularly inspired me offered a computer session with each lesson. Upon graduating I embraced the technology of the 20th century and since then have attracted many students because of the “Lab” (computer session) with the “Lesson”.

In the 21st century, most households have succumbed to the technology and expect others to do so as well. At this point, why not capitalize on the countless options provided by the virtual world? WHY NOT set up lab time for your students and hire your computer?

Why?

• More Students–show that you care and attract students by meeting them where they are–online, on the phone, xbox, iTunes…
• More Time–spend 30 minutes teaching your student and then increase his/her learning time by a 30-minute lab
• More Income–charge for the lesson and add a lab fee as well (about one-third of your lesson fee)
• More Learning Tools–with more income you are able to purchase more equipment, music, software, etc that provide a variety of options for all learning styles

When?

• Schedule two students each hour, one works with you for 30 minutes while one works on the lab assignment for 30 minutes, then switch
• Consider this schedule for students in preschool, 1st-8th graders and beyond

How?

• Create Lab Folders for each student that lists the assignment to be covered for the day
• Choose software, or activities that provide tutorials, ear training, note name drills, YOU decide
• Create a unit and choose games, drills and tutorials focused on that concept

Why Not?

• Do not attempt to add a Lab if you are NOT  interested in computers, software, internet…
• If you are NOT able to multi-task, reconsider the Lab. You must be prepared to teach one student and expect interruptions from the other working on the computer
• If you are NOT willing to spend time determining lab assignments (however, great resources like www.keystoimagination.com are available to lift this burden!)
• If you are NOT interested in learning about, acquiring and installing software

What?

“Low Budget” Options

• Assign students theory workbook pages–it will get done if you are watching!
• Use Hal Leonard’s All Purpose Music Flash Cards (Dry Erase Staff Cards) to practice drawing rhythms, Treble and Bass Clefs, Sentences for Staff note names (ex: Elvis’ Guitar Broke Down Friday)

• Download your CD’s to iTunes, make playlists and ask students to listen and rate specific tunes with 1-5 stars (I did this with a Sonatina unit)
• Use iTunes for students to “shop” for future repertoire
• Download free games for students to drill specific concepts such as http://www.musictheory.net
• Subscribe to www.musiclearningcommunity.com and charge the students $12 per year–this will cover your fee of $19.95 per month
• Alfred Music Games–inexpensive and fun!
• Show clips of movies: Stomp Outloud, Trans Siberian Orchestra, The Best of Victor Borge, The Gravi- DVD, Note by Note: The Making of Steinway, Freeing the Caged-Bird, Maurice Hinson’s Performance Practices DVD Series…
• Design a unit on music history using iTunes and Alfred’s Meet the Great Composers
• Collect books such as Musical Instruments: Keyboards or Practiceopedia and choose excerpts to read
  

• Collect unique flashcards  like MusicColoride or from sites like http://www.solotimegames.com/index.html, or http://www.tcwresources.com
• Subscribe to Piano Explorer Magazine (designed for ages 9 and older) and assign articles to read about composers, theory concepts, artists, instruments, etc.
• www.Youtube.com–there is no better way for students to master listening skills than comparing performances of favorite pieces

“No Budget” Options (some of my favorite software)

• Children’s Music Journey
• Piano Wizard
• Music Ace Maestro
• Alfred Interactive Musician
• Alfred’s Essentials of Music
• Auralia
• Early Music Skills
• Groovy Shapes, Jungle and City
• Garage Band
• Sibelious
• more…

I have NEVER regretted my decision to incorporate lab sessions into my teaching format. There are so many more lab options that are not listed here. Consider adding additional contact-time with your students that enables you to offer a more comprehensive curriculum. WHY NOT capitalize on the undeniable opportunities of technology?

Next month, I will provide some software reviews and more details about setting up a lab. Let me know of your questions!

The holidays are almost over, you’ve finished debating the merits of “twenty-ten” vs. “two thousand and ten”, and you’re nearly ready to start your early January crash diet. But one thing seems to have slipped your mind completely over the holidays – your practicing. Yes, the spring semester is almost upon us, along with its juries, recitals, RCM exams, master classes, and festivals. And while you’re about to restart your daily practice sessions with a vengeance, here are ten things to keep in mind this year as your improve your musical skills in the coming year:

1.  Define your goals. What do you really want out of your encounter with your instrument? Solo enagements? First-class honors in your spring RCM/NMCP exams? The pride and satisfaction of improving your abilities over time? Or simply to bring musical enjoyment to others, and pretend you’re a rock star for the short time you’re on stage? Determining what you want out of your musical studies can in large part determine the rest of the journey.

2.  Stick to a regular practice schedule. Now that you know what you want, hard work and regular practice are the surest way of getting there. The hardest part? Showing up every day and spending the time mastering your craft. Single-mindedness and dedication will in large part determine the outcome in a process where talent usually means less than the hard work required for others to think that you were talented in the first place.

3. Refine your practice process. Now that you’re showing up regularly to practice, you need to figure out exactly what to do each day in order to optimize your time. Do you need to take apart pieces in order to fix problems? Or do you need to run larger sections in order to put them back together again? What can you do to make the initial process of learning new pieces more efficient? Feel free to ask your teacher to assist you in managing the details of your practice routine for a clear path to success.

4. Take it to the people. Playing an instrument can be a worthwhile solitary pursuit, but it is the act of performing that really brings the music alive. Find and participate in as many performance situations as you can, whether they be festivals, salon concerts, studio recitals, competitions. And if you suffer from performance anxiety when on stage, there’s always one sure-fire way to tackle it: perform even more. The high that one experiences in the act of performing awesome music for an audience can be both rewarding and addictive.

5. Go on a diet – of listening. There is a saying in the arts that our accomplishments are created on the backs of those that came before us. Spend some time both devouring as many recordings as you can and going to concerts on a regular basis. Get to know the masters of yesteryear as well as the superstars of today. If you become a part of the performing culture of your chosen musical style, it will add an energy and passion to your musical endeavors that will help propel your playing to the next level.

6. Spend time on ear training. Can you hear the difference between a major and minor sixth? A diminished and dominant seventh chord? What about the distinctive sounds of plagal vs. authentic cadences? Developing the skills to discern these important musical elements will carry over into your own playing and will help open up a world of musical detail just waiting for you to hear it.

7. Get technical. Just as a sports team needs to learn the core skills of their sport before heading out into games, we musicians need to learn the value of repetitive practice of scales, chords, and arpeggios. And once you’re spent the time learning these exercises, you’ll not only be able to recognize these elements in musical compositions, but be on the road to virtuosity as well.

8.  Learn the theory. Music might be a royal road to an individuals’ self-expression, but the component parts of any musical style require a sound theoretical basis as well. It might seem like a chore writing out scales, key signatures, counting note values, figuring out chord symbols, and memorizing Italian terms, but what you get out of it is a thorough knowledge of music that will have your intellect in the right place to allow your heart the freedom to truly express itself.

9.  Learn the history. Music doesn’t exist in a vacuum, nor is it a universal language. Each musical style is part of a larger historical perspective that must be discovered and understood in order for it to come alive and stay relevant, whether you’re learning Mozart Sonatas, Italian opera, or contemporary jazz.

10. Learn to sight read. One of the greatest pleasures of being an accomplished musician is that of having the skills to read a piece of music for the very first time and already be able to give a good account of it. Having excellent sight reading skills also means that the amount of time you spend on the initial learning stages of a piece will be drastically reduced. This ability is not a natural one, and must be practiced, day after day, month after month, in order for it to come to fruition. The upside: picking up nearly any piece of music and having the satisfaction of being able to play it at first sight.

Have a great year and best of luck for your musical journey in 2010!

Many thanks to Michelle for her recent helpful and readable post about tax deductions.  I can see by the comments that (no surprise) there’s some confusion as to how to interpret things.

I’ve personally found it a little confusing, even if I know what to deduct.  Which category of deduction do I put Music Teachers Helper in, for example?  See below.  What I’ve done here is to reproduce some examples from IRS publications for you.  The IRS even specifies some expenses that are suitable for musicians.

Consulting an accountant is usually a good idea because these are only examples and there may be specific situations that you will need clarification on.  My preference, instead of paying an accountant, has been for many years to use a good accounting software because it takes you through all the steps, asks all the questions, incorporates all the latest changes, and makes sure that you have everything right, and explains things if you’re not sure.  I’ve found that TurboTax has done a great job for me–here is a link to getting TurboTax if you’re interested.  It includes your state forms and efile as well. (It’s deductible, too, of course!)

Business deductions are relevant to musicians who use Schedule C on their taxes, which you need to do unless all your income is from wages on W2 forms.  The deductions below are broken into these categories:  Mileage, Home Office, Meals and Entertainment, Advertising, Supplies, Office, Dues & Fees.  Remember that you need receipts for everything, to back up your claims.
MILEAGE:  musicians and teachers often drive a great deal and this year you can deduct over 50 cents a mile.  You can’t deduct mileage if you’re “commuting”, in other words, if you’re an employee and drive to and from work.  But if you drive to other places than your primary place of work, or if you’re not an employee but work for yourself, you can deduct mileage as you drive to various locations for any business purposes.  The catch is that you have to keep a written log of your odometer readings, dates and destinations.

HOME OFFICE:  you can deduct utilities and other expenses for maintaining a home office space based on what percentage of the home it is, only if it is a space you regularly and exclusively use to meet with students or do only business work; it doesn’t have to be a separate room or have a separate entrance.

MEALS AND ENTERTAINMENT — IRS examples include:
–meals where you meet with an interview subject, agent, editor, agent, manager, lawyer, accountant, or with colleagues at an event or retreat to do with your work
–meals while traveling to gigs, workshops, etc.
–tickets to performances that relate to your work

ADVERTISING — IRS examples include:
–promotional photos and videos
–brochures, mailers, flyers
–newspaper, magazine, TV, radio ads
–fees for listing services, PR services
–website creation and hosting expenses (Music Teachers Helper can fit in here or see below under Supplies)
–promotional giveaways such as CDs (deduct your cost)
–signs, banners, bumperstickers
–stationery
–ads on the web, in Yellow Pages
–marketing emails or direct mail
–costs for promotional events
–business cards

SUPPLIES — IRS examples include:
–music stands, cases, gig bags, transportation carts
–reeds, picks, oil, strings
–sheet music, music paper, notebooks
–tuners, effects pedals, metronomes
–mutes, mouthpieces, microphones
–books for a curriculum
–monitors, amplifiers, speakers
–blank media, CDs, tapes, recorders, memory cards
–performance wardrobe
–cords, cables
–music filing envelopes and boxes
–bottled water for performances
–reference books, study guides
–GPS systems, map guides
–pens, pencils, paper, paper clips, tape, staples, staplers
–printer supplies
–whiteboard, markers
–stamps, labels, envelopes, mailers
–software for keeping track of billing and expenses (Music Teachers Helper could fit in here or see above under Advertising — as long as you don’t duplicate your expense, either category is justifiable)

OFFICE — IRS examples include:
–business membership fees to superstores like Costco & Sam’s Club
–pickup and delivery services
–bottled water delivery
–costs for backing up data
–office decorating expenses
–cable line if separate for your office

DUES, LICENSES AND FEES — IRS examples include:
–copyright fees
–union dues
–social security, medicare and unemployment taxes
–professional license fees
–fees for professional organizations

The nation’s economic downturn is affecting more than prices at the gas pump and the grocery store. More and more parents are struggling with budget shortfalls and making tough decisions about which essential services to continue and which to cut. In some situations, the budget crunch is endangering funding for children’s extra curricular programs, which can include dance, sports or music.

Private music teachers across the country are feeling the impact of the economy in their studios. Students may have to decide between paying for gas and groceries, or canceling their lessons for the next few months. So how can a private teacher provide tools for the student who needs to temporarily suspend lessons with you due to financial reasons?

1. Encourage the student to keep on playing even though she won’t be seeing you on a weekly basis for a while.
2. Send the student away with material she can learn on her own during the hiatus. Usually, this will be material one level below his current one; sometimes, two levels below is a better choice so that the parent and student will be better able to teach themselves the material.
3. Encourage her to work on assigned sight-reading exercises, review old pieces, and work on technique exercises.
4. Give her the basic skills so she can explore playing by ear, improvisation, and playing fake book style.
5. Suggest that composing might be a good way to make use of this non-lesson time.

Most students can work in this fashion for two or three months, particularly if you counsel them or their parents about what you are doing and engage their help in keeping the student practicing and performing. Suggest home concerts, which the entire family will attend. Encourage the student to use skills in a community setting (school, church, etc.), which will help keep them sharp but also provide a “goal” for practice.

If the suspension is longer than this, perhaps the family can afford one or two lessons each month at your normal fee until the financial crisis is solved. Offering reduced or free “scholarshiped” lessons poses some problems.

1. It devalues your service. The family will wonder if your teaching is worth the normal fee if you are willing to deliver it for less.
2. Sometimes there is a noticeable drop in the student’s effort; what she’s getting for free somehow seems less important to her than when her family must pay for it.
3. The “normal value” of any tuition-waiver scholarships you give are not tax-deductible. The IRS considers this a gift of your services. Since you do not collect a fee, no tax is due on it, and therefore no business expense can be claimed.

What have you experienced in the studio? Are some areas of the country more affected than others by the economic downturn? Have you been able to find other solutions to continuing a gifted student’s progress? Are there avenues to find private funding for students to continue lessons? Please share with us your thoughts and ideas.

1. In learning music, as with many other skills, good habits lead to good results. All music teachers seek to build good habits.

2. Good habits come from discipline. The dictionary lists a dozen definitions of “discipline” but I suspect the most important types of discipline are only two: external and internal.

3. Musicianship, though it requires discipline, is more than a skill. It draws upon something deeper than habit. Some teachers consider musicianship fundamental; others feel technical skill must be established first.

4. Being aware of differences between external and internal discipline can help us lead students to good habits, good results, and good musicianship. Sometimes teachers and parents, or adult students, seem to have very different presumptions about what discipline is. Some uses of external discipline confuse management with teaching (school systems often carry this to an extreme).

5. “Internal” discipline is shaped by inspiration, pride, determination. It can be built through routines, and affirmed or changed by rewards and punishments meaningful to the student. Internal discipline is the goal of a good teacher, and is the wellspring of good musicianship.

6. “External” discipline is established by teacher, parents, schools. It can be modeled, as when a teacher demonstrates consistency of approach in teaching and performing. It can be imposed via rules, as when policies are established regarding practice, respect, or timeliness. Routines can be required through consistent exercises, positioning, practice schedule. Rewards and punishments can regulate behavior.

7. External discipline is a part of good teaching but doesn’t necessarily lead to internal discipline. Sometimes external discipline is used to manage students, rather than to teach them. We need both, but in balance. Management can shape behavior, but teaching reaches through to the person. For me, too much time managing students becomes technical and tiresome, while teaching can be uplifting.

**** Your thoughts? Examples? Experiences? Add a Comment below!

Do you provide practice charts to your students? Do you have them make their own charts? Or do you have them mark their practicing into a lesson book?

Sometimes I use charts, and would like to use them more often. They’re very helpful for many students. We all know that practice results in progress, but having a written record of practicing rewards us with concrete evidence of having put in the time.

My motto about practicing is, “The more you play, the better you get; and the more you play correctly, the faster you get better.”

Not everyone would agree with me. Some feel that if you play a lot with bad habits, you’ll get worse. But I think that if someone plays a lot, it’s because they enjoy it, and habits are fixable, especially if someone has the motivation that comes from enjoyment of the instrument. On the other hand, some people who are dedicated to perfect habits can also be so afraid of making mistakes that they don’t practice enough to make progress and enjoy themselves.

What should a practice chart display? The number of minutes spent practicing per day? I think only a few students respond well to demands that they practice a certain number of minutes per day. Sometimes this demand just chills the motivation of students. It happened to my daughter, anyway.  She used to practice piano often during each day–a little at a time as she passed by the piano. Then her teacher required one hour per day, and she stopped playing. She said she felt any playing she did was a drop in the bucket towards that day’s required hour, not to mention the hour she missed the day before.

Of course, some students love the challenge of organizing themselves to meet the required time allotment per day, and for some, having a time slot is the only way to practice regularly.

But I prefer to focus on frequency rather than quantity of time. If someone practices frequently, they become conversant with their music, and with the challenges they are tackling. They usually can’t help becoming more intrigued with their own progress, the more frequently they play.

I ask students who make charts to mark off not how many minutes they played, but simply whether they played that day. They use check marks for exercises that just need to be done, and then for musical pieces they are working on, I like them to use symbols, smiley/frowny faces, stickers, or numbers, to grade themselves.

Having them grade themselves allows them to play a piece however they play it, even badly, but still to mark down that they played it that day.  This gives them permission to play even if they didn’t do so well–and they get to make clear that they recognized they didn’t play so well that day.  It also provides an interesting history of how they feel they did on that piece, sometimes going from bad marks to better, sometimes going from okay to worse to better.

Having said all that, I wish I could say I use charts for everyone but I don’t.  I do think charts can make practicing more fun, and concretely rewarding. After all, a student’s playing may improve incrementally, but they may not really feel that way for a while, so having a chart to show for their work is a nice touch.

Maybe you have a tip on how to make or use charts. Do you use them? Do you use rewards for practicing? It would be great to hear from you–just click on “Add Comment” below.