A private music studio need not just consist of one-on-one lessons. It is my aim for my studio to foster a sense of community where friendships are formed, music is shared, and music becomes a life-long passion. The ideas below are just some ways that this can happen.
Concerts and Workshops
These need not just be music-filled events, but also a time for people to mingle and get to know one-another. At my student concerts and workshops, I ask everyone to bring a plate to share, and to stay for afternoon tea at the end. These are a huge success – the kids play, the adults chat, and bonds are formed. This also helps with performance nerves as students are then playing for people they know and who support them.
Excursions
As musicians, we all know how important attending live concerts are. Why not put out a calendar of events in your local area and encourage attendance from your students? I meet my students at the studio, and we car-pool to the venue and have dinner or a drink afterwards to share thoughts. So far, this has been with my adult students, but I want to extend this to my younger students also and have a couple of parents accompany us as well. These outings add a social element to learning music, and also give added inspiration and motivation to practice. In this way, music can become a life-long passion with many levels of participation, not just lessons and practice.
Repertoire Days
A few of my adult students get together at one of their houses once a month to play for each other. This is more relaxed for them than always playing for a large audience or having their teacher present, and again, fosters friendships and community. This is such great motivation for them and allows them to share their musical journey with others who are experiencing the same trip. I have to admit, whilst I had heard of such repertoire days before, I was unsure of my student’s reactions to them. It was to my great surprise that one of my students actually suggested it!
Your turn…. how does your studio foster a sense of community?
One more thing… I know that there are a lot of articles regarding maintaining professionalism between teachers and students. I feel that getting to know your students in these musical environments does not alter the teacher-student relationships that we have in their private lessons, as we are there to make music. However, the benefit is that you have their loyalty and long-standing commitment to you due to the community that you created.
I like the idea of students attending concerts. It’s amazing how much a live performance can influence and raise the standards of a student’s playing.