A few months ago I asked the question How do you write lesson notes for your students? in an online poll. 83 votes later, here are the results from PollDaddy:
- Typed directly to Music Teacher’s Helper in the studio via computer 13% (11 votes)
- Typed on an application such as Word to cut and paste into MTH later 2% (2 votes)
- Written into a teacher’s notebook to type into MTH later 7% (6 votes)
- Written into student’s notebook 57% (47 votes)
- I don’t write lesson notes 7% (6 votes)
- Other 13% (11 votes)
Even more interesting were the comments from readers, both on the blog posting and the poll page, that showed the varied and inventive ways that teachers in the MTH community create and deliver lesson notes.
Ed Pearlman says:
I print out my Daily Summary Report from MTH, leaving a wide margin so I can jot down notes to type into MTH later. This allows me to see on the summary what we did last time, how much the student owes or has credit for, phone numbers in case I need to contact a missing student, and as I reconcile the lesson notes later, I also can send materials by email if called for. I don’t mind jotting notes down during a lesson but would feel detached using a computer or palm pilot. For a few younger students I also write notes into their notebook, especially when the lesson notes are emailed to their parents instead of to them.
I agree – there are some students that respond well to their teacher typing out lesson notes and those who don’t. In my experience, the younger the student, the greater the chance that a mobile device or laptop in the room would upstage the entire lesson process.
Shannon’s unique system is worth quoting in full:
I stopped using a dictation book last year and opted instead to use my eensie laptop (it sits beside me on the piano bench). At the beginning of each lesson, I either start an email to the student (and cc the parent) or I go to my ‘sent’ folder and pull up their lesson email from the previous week.
I can then either add to the email or change what I need to change as the lesson progresses. Exercises that seem to help stay in the email for several weeks at a time and are added to at will (no re-writing on the next page!) while notes about particular things to work on in repertoire can be changed if required or deleted when accomplished.
Any notes or reminders (such as a lesson time change or recital location, etc.) I add in BOLD at the top of the email with a specific note to the parent.
At the end of the lesson, I click ‘send’ and -voila- lesson notes appear in the student’s inbox (and in the inbox of their parent, if the student is young enough).
I am a very fast typist and a very messy writer. This is the easiest, most convenient way to communicate effectively with most of my students (and their parents).
I think Shannon just gave me a reason to go out and buy a tiny new netbook, as my HP widescreen laptop tends to be a bit unwieldy in the studio…
Rhona-Mae Arca shares her unique system:
I have designed an assignment sheet/practice log that has evolved over the years.
Next year’s incarnation has the following on the front page:
To Do List
Practice Tips/Strategies cross referenced to the related task numbers
Lesson Performance Stats (to be filled at the next lesson) – think of the “completed level” screen you see in a video game, with the # hits you made, # combos, # items you picked up etc. It’s to be used for the incentive program and give students/parents feedback that’s easy to read.The reverse side is what the student fills out – they’re practice journal – # minutes practiced, what they practiced, parent’s initials, what they have questions on, trouble with, etc. etc.
I like the idea of emailing the lesson notes, however, I have quite a few studio parents who only check their home email once a week.
I particularly like the way that Rhona-Mae’s system turns the entire practice and lesson process into a complex RPG, a valuable technique that speaks to the videogame-influenced way that kids learn. Rhona-Mae’s system should definitely keep them coming back for more.
As always, your comments are welcome!
Sad to say, I was one who voted that I don’t use lesson notes. But, I’ve always kept a MSWord file on my computer of everything we do in lessons (if I don’t write it down, it never happened…). After my computer crashed this summer and I lost ALL my student files, when reconciling lessons I started copying & pasting into MTH (for recreation of a file later, if needed) what I type into the student file during the lesson. Most of my students are high school & above & so have their own emails – so this doesn’t present a problem. Also, it gives the parents some accountability (even for those who only check their emails once per week) as to what the student is doing in lessons. I’ve had nothing but positive feedback from my students in the 1.5 months that I’ve been doing this – AND I’ve noticed an improvement in practice habits (although NOT in logging their practice on the website – ideas anyone??). Thanks Chris! You’re the best!
music teachers are real people who love music when they teach their students they explains everything from the notes till how it will be applied
[...] Poll Results: How do you write lesson notes for your students? (Chris Foley) – the results of the poll above, along with some fascinating ideas and opinions [...]
I am not a big fan of lesson notes where I write down everything for the students. I do them for some of the younger students, and I do them for the transfer students that have had a lesson notebook since the beginning of time and can not seem to function without it. But I have to say, lesson notes in a note book format or even on the computer take up too much valuable lesson time, as you have to write down which book, which page, which measure, what to do etc. I find it much easier to just write notes onto the music itself, such as pointing out wrong notes/rhythm, alternate (better) fingering, missed accidentals, phrase marks, extra dynamics that are not printed but are inherent in the particular context, etc. I do always write the date of the lesson as well, so the student and I know where we left off. For the intermediate student and beyond, much of the lesson discussion is about subtle interpretative suggestions that are impossible and pointless to write down as some sort of one-sentence reminder, and as it is, there is never enough time to go through all the repertoire the student is working on! I don’t recall my own teachers writing lesson notes for me when I was a student, and I had great teachers! I find today’s students (and parents) are too dependent on the teacher. Students are supposed to concentrate during their lessons, and take in and remember what the teacher says; if they think they might forget afterwards, they should make a point of writing things down themselves after the lessons, in fact, I do ask my students to keep a journal for themselves, to record practice times, as well as write down things they learned in the lessons. I always tell my students that there is always homework in every book I give them, they are supposed to practice something in every book, look for the date of the lesson, that is what you need to practice, if there is no new date, that means we did not get around to that book in the lesson, so practice the piece that has last week’s date on it. After they practice the new pieces, they must spend some time to practice some of the older pieces, in order to commit them to memory. While practicing, always look at the score, as I write down on the score what they need to watch out for, including any wrong notes or bad fingering choices etc. Some of my students come to lessons with digital voice recorders to record the entire lesson. Fine by me!