I wasn’t prepared for all the questions from my student as she sought to understand the “why” behind things, and I think I’ve overwhelmed her at times with my in-depth answers. I’m learning to sometimes say, “The reason ‘why’ is pretty complicated, but as you progress it will make more sense.” Is that OK? Do you always answer their questions?
Finally, do you use a theory book with your adult students? I want them to practice drawing all the musical elements and such, but most theory books (even Faber’s) can be beneath the adult at times.

It’s actually been a little while now since I’ve taught an adult student, so I’ll just answer these questions a little more generically. Whether a student is a young beginner or an older adult, I think it’s always important to assess what they can handle in terms of theory concepts and terminology. There are definitely times when I only give partial answers so that I don’t drown them in a sea of information beyond their comprehension. But if a student is especially inquisitive, I’ll keep explaining away as long as they keep asking questions. Also, often times I tell them that I will explain the answer to them the best that I can, but that I don’t necessarily expect them to understand everything I’m saying. There’s some truth to the statement that you have to hear something seven times before it really sinks in!

As far as theory books…I rarely use theory books with any of my students, including adult students. I prefer to use the repertoire they are working on for discussing and analyzing theory concepts and/or use a manuscript book so that I can customize the assignments to the areas they are interested in or with which they are struggling. Another excellent way to incorporate written theory work is by having students compose original pieces or arrangements of other songs and then learn how to notate it. Most of the time, these approaches seem to work better for actually understanding and integrated theory concepts into the study of music.

Do any of you work with adult students regularly? Do you have any thoughts on the above questions? I’d love to have some input from others who are currently working with adults!

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

My question is regarding the CDs that are sometimes included in music books. Do you keep them and use them with the student at their lesson, or do you send it home with instructions and have them bring it to the lesson? I was listening yesterday to 3 new CDs and reviewing the books and wondered what the best way is to handle this. I have a student who is so gifted she could listen to the CD and “basically” have her practice done. I used to have my teachers play the music for me so I would know how it should go. I’d go home and play it as I heard it-which wasn’t the way I should have learned!

Oh, how well I know these kinds of students! I think most teachers have a mixture of students who are good sight-readers and those who play well by ear. One of the things I love about teaching is the challenge of identifying each student’s strengths and weaknesses and then capitalizing on their strengths while helping them overcome their weaknesses. For those who learn and play well by ear, I love to get them books that have CDs so that they can listen to the pieces, choose favorites, and work on songs that are appealing to them. Actually, even for the strong sight-readers, I love for them to listen to quality CD recordings when they are learning their pieces.

I also sometimes give the “Any Song” assignment, where they can prepare any song and then surprise me with it the next week. For those who need a little more direction, we choose a familiar tune at the lesson and then I walk them through the process of picking out the tune, adding chords, developing original arrangements, etc. However, in addition to these things, I am an absolute stickler for learning to read music. This takes the form of flashcards, note identification drills, assigning lots of easier level music and anything else that I think might help.

So, yes, I am a huge fan of utilizing the CDs that come with some books. Since it has become much more cost-effective to purchase the books that include CDs, I usually have the student keep the CD so they can listen to it on their own during the week. Some of the method books even come with accompaniment CDs that I’ve just started getting into a bit more. I don’t know why I haven’t made a point to use these more with students, but they are wonderful for helping them develop rhythmic accuracy and a consistent pulse.

That was a bit of a rambling answer today, but hopefully that answers the question! Feel free to jump in with your own thoughts on using CDs with students!

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Do you have any incentive ideas for a memorizing contest, or something of that nature to encourage memorizing pieces? Some of my students are very beginner, and some are older students who have transferred (or who have REALLY applied themselves). How do you make it equal for both types of students – the 6-year olds and the 16-year olds, working on very different material?

I’m hoping that some others will chime in on this one, because I’m not sure how helpful I will be! For one thing, I don’t make a very big deal about memorization in my studio and I don’t require it for my recitals. Some students are naturally gifted in this area and memorize almost simultaneously with learning to play the piece. Others are strongly note-reading oriented and feel extremely nervous and uncomfortable playing from memory. I fit into the latter category and have had too many disastrous memorization-related experiences to enforce memorization across the board.

That said, there are, of course, certain times when memorization is required – for our state evaluation programs and for competitions. And many times I’ll have students elect to memorize a piece for one of our group classes during the year. In these cases, I have certain strategies that I use with my students to help them learn to memorize effectively, but I haven’t done a strictly memorization-oriented practice incentive in any of my practice incentive themes.

Here are a few strategies that I like to use for memorization:

1. In the Faber Piano Adventures Level 1 Technique and Artistry Book there is a piece called Kaleidoscope Colors. I love to introduce this piece by having the student discuss the patterns they see in the first line. Then I take the book away and have them play it by memory. We do this with each subsequent line so that in a few short minutes they can play the entire piece by memory based upon an understanding of the patterns. We do this a little bit with earlier level pieces, but this is typically the point where I officially introduce the principle of cognitive memorization.

2. Label various sections in the piece with numbers or letters and then write the corresponding numbers/letters on slips of paper. Have the student randomly select one of the slips and then work on memorizing that section. Continue until all sections have been worked on. Then I drill them at the following lesson by randomly choosing sections to see if the student can play them as stand-alone sections.

If you have other suggestions for memorization strategies or contests, I’d love to hear about them! This is an area where I could definitely use some improvement!

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

How do you schedule the right to take a week off each semester?

This is the exact wording from my studio policy:

The schedule for each semester, including weeks that there will be no lessons, is posted on the website (here) and included in the September newsletter each year.
The schedule is structured to allow for one additional week of no lessons each semester. This may be scheduled at Natalie’s discretion. In the event that such a week is not scheduled, the student will benefit from an extra lesson that semester.

At the beginning of each studio year I figure out my schedule and make note of what weeks I’ll be traveling or taking breaks. These are reflected on the studio calendar. The additional week off mentioned in the policy is primarily in case I am sick or have another emergency that prevents me from teaching. In theory, I could just take off the week if I wanted some time off, too, but I’ve never been able to bring myself to do this. So usually, my students just benefit from that extra week each semester.

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Do you ever play a piece in your student recital yourself? I was thinking about doing this in order to show students and parents the possibilities of the piano, but I am not sure if it doesn’t look like I “need” an audience. Actually, my students could attend some of my own recitals if they want to hear me. What do you think?

Yes, I almost always play in my student recitals. This is mostly because I don’t enjoy performing, though, so I do it to let my students know that I’m willing to go through the same torture I put them through! Actually, many of my students and I have experienced significant improvement in our performing abilities since I started holding regular group classes with informal performance settings several years ago. From my experience as both a student and a teacher, I would say that it is always a positive thing for the teacher to perform something in student recitals, even if it’s a duet or ensemble with a friend or advanced student.

Rather than it looking like you “need an audience” or appearing showy, I think performing for your studio families lets them see how much you love playing your instrument. You are sharing your music with them, and they love to hear it! Does anyone else have input into this question? Do you perform at your student recitals? Do you think a teacher performing at his/her students’ recital could be perceived negatively? How so?

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

[Natalie's Note: Following is a series of questions I received pertaining to this treble clef game - a favorite in my studio!]

I began teaching beginner piano lessons this summer.  Being a teenager with no experience, I feel like I “run out” of new ideas quickly. I really like your game ideas, and I have a few questions about the Treble Clef game.

The treble clef shape is cut out of white posterboard and orange and blue circles are placed on the treble clef to create a path. Then I laminated it to preserve it. To play, each student places their game token on the first circle and draws a card from the draw pile. If they answer the card correctly, they get to roll the die and advance their game piece.

First, what is written on your cubes?

The dice are made from foam cubes and then I used a black ink pen to draw a keyboard or staff with a different interval on each side. The student rolls the die that corresponds to the color space he is on on the treble clef board. He must identify the interval and then move the equivalent number of spaces (i.e. 4th – move 4 spaces).

Can you explain how many spaces a student would move based on what the cube says?
The above answer should have answered this. Incidentally, I have them move how they normally would in a game, not how they would count intervals on a keyboard (i.e. including the starting space in the count).

What do you suggest I write on the flash cards for a pre-reading student?
* pictures of a piano keyboard with an “X” to identify the name of the key
* simple rhythm patterns
* note values
* basic dynamics
* pictures of instruments to identify

I also have a student who just started reading the staff.  What kind of flash cards should I make so she will keep advancing, without feeling overwhelmed at the difficulty of the questions?

You could make cards with all the staff notes and just include a specified range of those in addition to other easier cards. Or you could make it multiple choice. Another fun approach might be to do a series of notes and have the student see if she can identify the word that is spelled. (Click here for a list of Musical Alphabet Words.)

Also, another game that seems to work really well with students learning their notes is Whack-It! This is great for identifying key names or notes on the staff.

Hope this info is helpful! Feel free to comment below if you have suggests for other cards that could be made for pre-reading students.

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Do you have a favorite adult method series?

Honestly, no. I don’t really like any of the adult method books that I’ve used. For beginning adult students, I usually use the Faber Accelerated Piano Adventures. Many of the adult methods are more chord-based in their approach and I feel like that is a disservice to an older beginner who really needs to develop good technique and reading skills in both hands.

I also start adults almost immediately on scales, chords, and cross-hand arpeggios. They tend to have lots of questions and want to understand what they are playing, so I think learning applied theory is the best way to do that. In addition to the method book, I try to track down a supplemental book with a bit more challenging music along the lines of what they want to learn to play – hymns, praise songs, classical themes, folk music, etc. This is especially motivating and gives them a chance to learn big-sounding music or favorite tunes while still developing their reading and technique skills through the method books.

Well, that concludes our week of Mondays! That made a bit of a dent in the Monday Mailbag folder. It’s so much fun discussing these sorts of issues and getting input and different perspectives from other teachers. Thanks to those of you who have contributed to the discussion!

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

At what point do you discontinue using method books with more advanced students? What does their curriculum consist of (i.e. what do you do for repertoire, technique, etc)?

Wow! Like my Introducing Baroque Music post, I’m afraid this will reveal my lack of structured lesson planning when it comes to the higher levels! Just don’t report me to the pedagogy police, ok?

If a particular student really thrives on sequence and structure, then I’ll keep them in the method books (Lesson and Technique and Artistry) through all the levels, but otherwise, usually after the second or third level of the Faber series, we transition into early classics and other supplemental music. I’ve used a whole variety of early level Classical repertoire books over the years. Usually when a student gets to that point, I spend some time at the music store pouring over the new releases and looking back through the previous series’ I’ve used, trying to pick the books that I think will be just right for that student.

I look for books that have representative repertoire from each of the time periods so that I can incorporate stylistic techniques and tidbits of music history along with the learning of the pieces. The Exploring Piano Classics series is my newest favorite! I’m not very good at remembering book titles, but here are a few others I really like that come to mind:

Essential Keyboard Repertoire edited by Lynn Freeman Olson

Masterwork Classics by Jane Magrath

Beautiful Etudes by Victoria McArthur

Expressive Etudes by Suzanne Guy

Succeeding with the Masters Festival Collection by Helen Marlais

I’m sure there are other great ones as well, so hopefully some others will chime in! What are your favorite repertoire and technique books for advancing students who are moving out of method books? Also, at what point do your students move out of the method books?

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

What do you do in your first interview with a student?

Check out this Student Interviews post for an overview of what I include in Student Interviews and for free interview questionnaires that you can download and use in your studio. In a nutshell, though, here are the main things that I aim to accomplish in each interview:

1. Get to know the student and parent and ascertain if we will work well together. I try to get a feel for their personality, how they learn, and what their interests are.

2. Assess the student’s musical aptitude and interest and the parents’ expectations. Only under rare exceptions will I accept a student who is not personally interested in taking piano lessons. If they are interested, then I like to get an idea of what their musical strengths and weaknesses are/will be.

3. Give the student a chance to make music at the piano. I do simple activities and a couple of improvisation exercises to try to build excitement for learning to understand and make music. One of my primary objectives is for them to go home from the interview even more enthusiastic about lessons than when they arrived!

4. Discuss policy issues, studio opportunities, and scheduling considerations. I want to make sure that we are all on the same page and give the parent an opportunity to ask any questions before they sign that they agree to abide by my studio policies. We also figure out lesson times at this point.

I’d love to hear what things others include in the initial student interviews. What else have you found important to include?

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!

Yes, I know it’s not Monday, but I have a backlog of questions, so I thought I would take a week to try to catch up a bit!

What do you think about jazz music and popular music? Do you use it in your studio?

Honestly, it depends a lot on the student. I don’t make a special point to include jazz or pop music in lessons, but if a student requests it, I will try to help them find something appropriate for their level of playing. Also, tend to evaluate or determine what I teach based on the individual piece rather than the genre. If I like a piece, I will eagerly recommend it to a student and help them work on it. Same goes for if they bring in their own piece that they are interested in learning. But if I don’t like a piece of music, I figure that I won’t be very effective or encouraging in helping the student work on it.

For example, if a student is interested in learning jazz music, I don’t just give them a book of pieces at their level, I’ll play through numerous books until I find a piece that really grabs me and then I’ll introduce that one to them. Same with pop music, although it’s a little harder to be picky with these because the options are more limited if you’re looking for a particular song!

Incidentally, I use the same approach with classical music, method book pieces, hymns, etc. I am always open to learning new music, finding out about different composers and arrangers, and looking through newly released books, but if I don’t find the song/arrangement appealing, I usually pass it up and look for something else. I tell my students the same thing, if they don’t like a piece of music (because of the sound, not because it’s too hard!), we skip it and move on to something that they do like. There’s too much music available to spend our time playing music we don’t like. That’s my philosophy, anyway.

Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!