Trent of The Simple Dollar Blog has an excellent post, outlining Ten Killer Tactics for Developing a New Skill. I know many teachers want to develop skills related to other areas of interest, but find themselves so busy with the responsibilities of the many hats that they wear that it’s hard to know how to go about it. Here are the ten tactics he recommends:

1. Clearly identify the skills you actually want to build.

2. Set aside time every day - or on an extremely regular schedule - to focus specifically on building those skills.

3. Develop a game plan for building a specific skill.

4. Invest in top-quality resources for learning.

5. Set a clear goal that you want to reach.

6. Use something in the “real world” to work on as you learn.

7. Gather support for this skill growth.

8. Share the progress you’re making along the way.

9. Capitalize on your newly-found skill by applying it to a project that you can share with others.

10. Get started. Now. Not later.

Trent explains each of these tactics further in his post and then gives some excellent, practical examples of how he’s developing new skills in his own life (including learning to play the piano!).

Stay tuned later this month for my announcement about a new project I’m working on that goes along with this idea…

Following is an article I wrote recently for our local association’s newsletter:

With the touch of a button or the click of a mouse almost anyone anywhere in the world has access to a vast anthology of music. Indeed, we are subjected to the sounds of music whether we are walking through a store, eating at a restaurant or riding in an elevator. Music is everywhere. This begs the question, “Whose music?” Whose music blares from the stereo in the car driving down the street? Whose music gently lulls a little one to sleep at night? Whose music wafts to the rafters in concert halls throughout the world? Whose music vividly recalls the footage it accompanied on our favorite films? The composers and musicians of today are the students of yesteryear. Conversely, the students of today are the composers and musicians of tomorrow.

When ten-year old Ryan walks in for his lesson on Tuesday evenings and eagerly slides onto the bench to play me the latest tune he’s figured out by ear, through what eyes do I see him? The eyes of a teacher who is intent on sticking to a set plan for the lesson? Or the eyes of one who wants to inspire and equip a young boy who has the potential to influence the culture of generations to come? The 18th century Scottish politician Andrew Fletcher once said, “Give me the making of the songs of a nation and I care not who writes its laws.” As one who is actively involved in local and state politics, I find myself nodding in agreement. While politicians may be recognized for a time and certainly make a profound difference in the operation of our society, their influence is primarily external. The melody and words that flow from the song-writer’s pen touch our hearts – for better or for worse. Consider the psalms of David, inspired by God Himself, that have brought hope and comfort to millions of lonely, hurting souls. Or the Hallelujah Chorus, whose notes were penned by the great composer Handel, that hundreds of years later still causes our hearts to swell in unrestrained joy. Or the pop songs of the Beatles that helped define the cultural revolution of the 1960’s.

It is with these thoughts in mind that I approach my teaching this New Year with renewed enthusiasm. I find myself often quoting this Bible verse from Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” I am reminded that I’m not just teaching a piano lesson; I’m personally investing in the lives of those who will continue to impact the culture after I am gone. One student at a time I’m making a difference in the world.

Six-year old Hayley played her piece for me with excellent implementation of the various dynamic markings. I was astounded, particularly because I knew that her parents had recently given away her piano in order to move and so she’s been practicing on a low-end keyboard until they get another piano. I asked her how she managed to play with such wonderful dynamics even though she couldn’t practice them during the week. She replied, “Well, when I’m practicing I just think about them so that I play them right when I come here.” I think I was speechless. Can some of my highschool students with perfectly functioning pianos please take a lesson from this amazing 6-year old?

Not once, but twice this week I heard things that brought a smile to my face…

1. Sunday morning after the church service I was talking to a lady about starting her 5-year old daughter in piano lessons next fall. She asked if it was okay for her to start on a keyboard. I told her that I actually require families to have a piano and explained why. After listening and understanding my points, she braced herself and asked how much she should expect to spend for a decent piano. I told her that to get a good lower-end used piano she should expect to spend between $1,000-$2,000. She let out an exclamation and said, “Oh my goodness! I was expecting $5,000 or $6,000! That’s no problem at all.”

2. Monday morning I got a call from a student. The message she left was, “Hello, Miss Natalie. This is Katei. I’m having some trouble working out my fingering on the Beethoven Sonata in F and was wondering if you could help me. Please give me a call. Thanks.”

Now if only those kinds of conversations happened more often!

Another e-mail newsletter I subscribe to is “Get Ready to Lead!” by Dr. Jeff Myers of Passing the Baton, an international organization founded for the purpose of “equip[ping] adults to personally mentor and coach the next generation of culture-shaping leaders.” The newsletter is both inspiring and practical, offering specific tips that teachers can apply in their teaching or in their personal lives. Here’s an excerpt from this week’s newsletter that I thought was a good reminder of the importance of constantly learning and growing. (It was followed by an excellent list of “Sixteen Simple Ways to Become a Lifelong Learner.“) The article is entitled “The Plateau Effect: Don’t Let it Happen to You!“:

As a teacher, I have a heart for learning. Unfortunately, for far too many educators, ignorance is bliss. A study done by Steven G. Rivkin, Eric A. Hanushek, and John F. Kain in 2005 showed that…

…There appear to be important gains in teaching quality in the first year of experience and smaller gains over the next few career years. However, there is little evidence that most teachers continue to improve after the first three years.

This is not new information. I recently reviewed a doctoral dissertation by Henry Joseph Hector, published in 1972. Hector reviewed 44 studies on teacher effectiveness and found that…

…Only 5 studies out of the 44 reviewed showed support for the contention that teachers continue to improve their performance with increasing age or experience throughout their careers. Thirty-nine studies found no continued growth in teaching performance as the teacher aged or gained more experience. These studies used an assortment of criteria for measuring teacher effectiveness; yet, the older or more experienced teacher performed at a lower level than the younger, less experienced teacher.

Interestingly, a teacher’s level of education has little to do with his effectiveness. Those with masters degrees are not necessarily better teachers. Rather, teacher effectiveness has to do with:

* Curiosity (”Why do you think that is?“)
* Growing (”You won’t believe what I just learned!“)
* Vulnerability (”I don’t know but I’ll find out.“)
* The pursuit of wisdom (”I promise you that I’ll keep learning as long as I’m teaching.“)

No matter your role in life, ask God to give you the courage to be curious all over again. Learn, grow and pass what you know on to others.

You can subscribe to Get Ready to Lead! on the home page of the Passing the Baton website.

Thanks to the suggestion of Mike Sansone, Business Blog Guru (who, incidentally, decided to learn to play the piano this year!), I posted a page about myself, along with a picture, for those blog readers who are curious to know a little more about me. I’m also working on some new ideas for Music Matters Blog, so if you have any ideas or suggestions of things you’d like to see here, just send them my way!

Yesterday, one of our local music teachers associations held a Mid-Winter Retreat for music teachers. We had a fabulous time and I came home with lots of great ideas that I need to mull over and try to incorporate into my teaching. Suzanne Tirk, a clarinet professor, was our featured speaker. She discussed “Ten Steps for Mental Practicing” and “Injury in Musicians.” Both topics were full of well-researched information, tips from years of experience and practical ideas for implementation. I’ll try to post some more specifics in future posts.

I gave a presentation in the afternoon of favorite pieces in my studio. These are the pieces that students hear at a recital or group class and come to their next lesson begging to play. Or the ones that I play for students at their lesson and they love them so much that they come back the following week with the whole thing learned. Here’s a link to my handout from the presentation. I’d love to know what some of the favorites are in your studios. What pieces do you and your students love to play over and over again?

Perhaps you will forgive me for neglecting my blog over the last several weeks since I’ve been out of the country celebrating Christmas and welcoming the New Year. Can you tell where I’ve been?

If you guessed Austria, you are correct! This is a picture from the house where Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria. I’ve enjoyed a multitude of memorable experiences including a trip to Vienna where I heard the Vienna Boys Choir sing and admired the incredible architecture of several cathedrals and palaces, a visit to my childhood home in a little German village, exploring the historical buildings in Germany’s oldest city - Trier, walking the streets Mozart walked in Salzburg and perhaps most exciting of all…a trip to Paris where I beheld everything from the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe and much more. Truly incredible!

I should be back into the routine of teaching and life back home by Monday and look forward to posting more regularly then. Hope everyone else’s New Year is off to a wonderful start!

After a year of just dumping various items I thought I might need when it comes time to renew my certification into a folder, I finally decided it was time to get organized! I firmly believe that taking the time up front to develop good organizational systems saves a lot of time and stress in the long run. Because I know that there are many teachers who have to keep track of renewal points, I thought I would post the system I came up with here, just in case it is helpful for anyone else.

1. I started out by printing out the Renewal Application and Documentation of Professional Renewal Activities Points Form from the MTNA Certification website. (Note: I am printing two copies of everything so that I have one notebook to send in and one to keep for my own reference.)

2. I placed the application form in the front pocket of a three-ring binder and added a sticky note with the date that I received my certification so that I can easily determine when I need to send in my renewal documentation.

3. I placed a list of Renewal Activities as the first sheet in the binder so that I have a quick overview of what kinds of activities qualify for renewal points.

4. Next come four dividers, labeled as Category 1, Category 2, Category 3, Category 4. Following each divider is a copy of the Renewal Activities Points Form for that category and then a handful of plastic sleeves. In each sleeve is where I place things like handouts from workshops I give, yearbook officer lists, convention programs, etc. Now I can record my activities as I go and make copies of necessary documentation and place it in the appropriate place right away.

5. At the back of the binder are a bunch of extra plastic sleeves so that I don’t run out and get behind in keeping up with the system!

Ideally this system will be easy to maintain and when it is time for me to send in my renewal documentation everything will be ready to go. No digging around in a folder at the last minute, running off copies and trying to get everything listed in the correct places. I’ll let you know four years from now how that works out…

Just read this anecdote and couldn’t help but smile…

There was this man who, many years ago, worked for a large business. That was his lifetime employment, but he wasn’t happy there. He wanted to go into business for himself. He saved his money and finally had enough that he could quit and start his own business.

About two years later, I was on vacation and was going through the town where his business was located. I stopped by for a visit. “Hey, John, I heard that the first year is the hardest for a new business.”

“Yeah, the first year was pretty rough, but we’re doing pretty good now. In fact, I’m getting to where I only have to work half a day.”

“Wow, that’s pretty nice. Maybe I should think about going into business for myself.”

“Yeah, and the nicest part of it is that it doesn’t matter which 12 hours you work.”