In my Get Organized! and Storing Music posts, I alluded to a system I use to help stay organized when teaching lessons to 30+ students each week. It’s nothing fancy, but it helps me keep track of what materials need to go to what student and keeps my most frequently used teaching tools readily available. Here’s a snapshot of my weekly lesson organizer:

I have a hanging file for each day of the week that I teach. If I get a new book for a student, I just drop it in the file for the appropriate day. If a student accidentally forgets a book in the studio, I drop it in their lesson day file. Same goes for worksheets I want to remember to give to a specific student.

Here’s a closer look at some of the other items I keep in the organizer:

This handy notepad is where I keep track of all the music I need to look for or purchase the next time I make a trip to the music store.

I love these music flashcards! The ones I use the most are the notes on the staff. I like that each card has the full staff, regardless of whether the note is in the treble or bass clef. And I really like the second and third sections on each card that contain short patterns incorporating the specific note so that students can practice identifying and playing the note in a context similar to what they would find in a piece of music.

A collection of dice and pawns that can be used for various games at the keyboard. Very handy!

An assortment of magnets that I use with a magnetic white board. I use these for melodic dictation or I draw a quick staff on the board and use the magnets for note or interval identification.

The white board and markers get used every day in my studio! I can’t imagine functioning without them. Whether it’s something simple like writing out the Major scale pattern or practicing drawing treble clefs to fine-tuning notation skills or writing answers for listening activities, this board is well-used (obviously, since it’s falling apart!). Using a white board and markers provides an easy way to incorporate activities that address all three major learning styles - aural, visual and kinesthetic.

I’d love to know if you have tips for staying organized in your studio! I’m constantly looking for ways to run things more efficiently and love to know what’s working well for other teachers!

Following is the third installment of the Survey Question idea I’m using in my studio this Spring.

If you could automatically improve one area of your piano skills, what would it be?

* Increasing my piano level.
* Learning hard pieces.
* Sight-reading.
* Lesson work.
* Romantic sounding pieces.
* Sight-reading.
* Sight-reading.
* Sight-reading (understanding chord structures, etc.).
* Curving fingers.
* Scales.
* Staying on beat.
* Improving my piano skills faster.
* Sight-reading.
* Playing really hard notes.
* Keeping fingers curved.
* Play all the songs in the world.
* Everything! (Learn more difficult pieces faster)
* Listening and playing big compositions by ear.
* Not having pauses.

My students seem to really be enjoying the survey questions! Here’s the second question I asked, followed by all the responses I received:
What’s the most helpful technique you’ve learned in piano lessons?
* Playing one hand at a time.
* Putting your weight into the keys instead of playing all with your fingers.
* Keeping my hands up, not flat.
* Learning chord progressions.
* Piano games.
* Emphasizing notes.
* Using the metronome!
* To have a good thumb.
* Counting.
* Curved fingers.
* Fingers curved.
* Scales.
* Dynamics.
* Playing slow.
* To relax my arms!
* Scales.

Several weeks ago I started posting a weekly survey question on a white board outside my studio. At the end of each week I draw a paper from the jar with all the entries and the winner receives a prize. So far I’ve been letting the winner choose a piece of sheet music from my overflowing collection that’s accumulated as a result of receiving New Release packages from various publishers. The students have really enjoyed it and their answers to the questions have been rather enlightening! I’ll try to keep up with posting our studio questions and answers here each week. Here’s the question from the first week, “What is your favorite thing about piano lessons?”

Here’s my student Addi filling out her answer…

Here she is dropping it into the entry jar…

Here’s a list of the answers I received. (BTW, I’m tracking all these in a spreadsheet for easy reference in the future.)
* Playing at recitals. I also like how Natalie treats and helps me through difficulties and other things just the same as others even though I have a handicap.
* A nice teacher to teach me.
* Playing the games.
* Time with Natalie and making up songs.
* New songs.
* You don’t let me get lazy! I love the accountability.
* Piano games.
* Miss Natalie.
* Adding up points at the end.
* Points.
* I like everything.
* Playing songs.
* Pentascales.
* The interesting songs I get to learn.
* Reading music.
* I like learning new techniques to make the motion of a piece better (like wrist motion, etc.).
* The end. Practicing the songs.
* The help I get.
* Getting points.
* Learning to play fun and difficult pieces.
* Playing.

Several years ago, our local music teachers association organized one of my all-time favorite meetings - we toured the studios of several of the teachers in our group. It was a blast! We got to see how they decorated, how they organized their music, listen to them share about how they teach, what inspires them, etc. It was truly memorable! With that in mind, I’ve decided to host a series of virtual studio tours. (Don’t all music teachers just love peeking into the studios of other teachers?!)

If you are interested in participating, please e-mail me either pictures or video of your studio, along with any descriptions or organization tips you’d like to include in your tour. I’ll feature a different studio in each post of the series. Let me know if you have any questions!

As I mentioned in my Get Organized! post, one key to staying organized is developing a system that is easy to maintain. After trying in vain to keep my piano books and sheet music organized on shelves, I acquired this 4-drawer lateral file and it has worked wonderfully!

Here’s an outline of how I have each drawer organized (I would post a picture of the inside of the drawers, but someone inadvertently locked my file cabinet and I’m waiting for a replacement key to arrive…since I got it used, I didn’t get the key with it. :-)):

Drawer One (Top): Method Books arranged by level - Primer Off-Staff, Primer On-Staff, Level One, Level Two, etc.; Supplemental Technique Books; Supplemental Theory Books; Sight-reading resources.

Drawer Two: Repertoire arranged according to Time Period - Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Late Romantic/Impressionistic, 20th Century. Within each of the categories, the books and sheets are placed alphabetically according to the last name of the composer. Following the chronologically arranged files are anthologies according to level - elementary, intermediate, advanced.

Drawer Three: Supplemental books and sheets arranged according to level - beginner, elementary, late elementary, early intermediate, intermediate, late intermediate, advanced. Each category contains file folders with sheet music first followed by file folders with books.

Drawer Four: Duet and ensemble literature, arranged by type - 1P/4H, 2P/4H, 2P/8H, 1P/6H, etc.; Miscellaneous categories - movie music, wedding music, songs; I also have a section for my Duds - books or sheets I don’t want anymore and want to send on the next time I receive the Duds Box.

I have a separate file cabinet (a regular sized 5-drawer one) where I use a drawer for Christmas music, arranged by level and with a section for duet and ensemble arranged the same as the above duet literature; a drawer for sacred music, arranged by level and with a section for duet and ensemble arrangements; and a drawer for choral music, arranged by type - SA, SSA, SATB, etc.

Anytime I receive new music from a new-release club or pick something up at the store to add to my collection, I file it away. If it’s for a particular student, I stick it in their file to give to them at their lesson. (I’ll share about my lesson files in another post.) I have one student who likes to be my new music reviewer, so I’ll often set aside new music to send with her for evaluation before I file it away. This system allows me to quickly pull a new sheet or book for a student, look for something they request at their lesson or let them go through the files themselves and see if there is something they want to check out. If they do check something out, they make note of it on the Piano Music Check-Out Sheet on the front of the file cabinet.

So, in case you can’t tell…I love file cabinets and highly recommend them! (You can check out Office Max for file cabinet options and free shipping on orders over $50.)

Anyone ever struggle to keep their studio organized? I just came across this great list of excellent and practical organizing tips! Here are the five main points given in the article, but go check out the website for more detail:

1. Organize with organizers.

2. Give everything a home.

3. Don’t procrastinate.

4. Make a decision.

5. Get in the organizer’s mindset.

I’ve just spent part of my two week break decluttering and reorganizing my studio. I think half the battle is coming up with a good system. If you set up an organizational system that does the job and is easy to maintain, there is much less chance that a mess will pile up than if items are randomly or carelessly placed. Here are a couple of systems that I’ve come up with in my own studio that have helped immensely!

Keeping track of business expenses. After I record my expenses in my spreadsheet, I drop the receipts into this binder system.

Student Worksheets. This system makes it easy to find appropriate worksheets for students who need to work on specific areas.

I’ve also got a system for organizing all my piano books and sheet music that works wonderfully. I’ll try to post about that tomorrow. And I’ve got a system for setting out books and materials for specific students each week. I’m working on a better system for handling billing and record-keeping (thanks to Music Teacher’s Helper. I’m hoping to give an update on that soon.) Now if only I could come up with a system for turning all my students into well-rounded musicians who can easily sight-read, play by ear, transpose on the spot, etc., etc.

The following is part of a presentation shared recently by Janna Williamson, a music teacher in Illinois, with a group of pedagogy students. I was able to read her notes from the meeting and thought what she had to share was excellent. She has given me permission to post from her notes here, so I hope to include several posts, chock-full of great tips for new and experienced teachers alike! Enjoy!

Top Ten Tips for New Piano Teachers
By Janna Williamson, NCTM
Wheaton Yamaha Music School

10. Read good teaching magazines (Keyboard Companion, Clavier, etc.)

9. Encourage your students to perform regularly, and provide them with developmentally appropriate performance venues.

8. Research all the teaching material out there – and use the best.

7. Join a piano teachers’ email list. It’s an unbelievable wealth of practical and pedagogical information. (I love the one I’m on – visit it here.)

6. Join the local piano teachers’ organizations in your area to stay connected with and learn from other teachers near you and take advantage of the performance opportunities for your students. [Natalie’s note: visit this page on MTNA’s website to find a local association in your area.]

5. Interview students and their parents before teaching them. Only take the ones that actually want to learn how to play the piano, and whose parents will abide by your studio policies and are doing this for the right reasons. It is better to have fewer students who genuinely enjoy lessons than more students who you will have to “cut” later on.

4. Know your strengths and limitations. Teach the ages, levels, and materials that you’re comfortable with. Don’t be afraid to tell a student that you’re not the right teacher for him or her.

3. Don’t just be a good teacher – be a good administrator of your studio. Have a good studio policy, and stick to it. Stay in regular communication with your students and parents about payments due, upcoming events, and progress being made.

2. Teach your students to be well-rounded, independent musicians, not just people who can play pieces on the piano. Include sight-playing, music theory, ear-training, and music history in every lesson. Encourage independent learning by giving your students these skills.

1. Demand excellence from your students. Insist on regular attendance, good technique, regular practice, completed assignments, and overall good musicianship from all of them.

[Natalie’s note: For several other great Top Ten lists, check out this page on the Piano Education Page website!]

If you have a Yamaha Clavinova in your studio, you can practically set up your own recording studio! (If you don’t have a Clavinova, check out this post for instructions on how to set up recording with your acoustic instrument.) I just recently found out how to connect the Clavinova into my computer so that I can record directly from the Clavinova into my computer as an audio file - not just a midi file! I’ve been recording in my studio for the past couple of weeks this way and it works incredibly well! The sound quality is wonderful, since it’s recording directly through a cable and there is no interference. And it’s so much easier than recording a midi file and then converting it to a wav file.

Here’s what you need:
1. Clavinova (I’m sure this would work with other brands as well, but the only one I currently have in my studio is a Clavinova - a CVP-301 - thanks to our wonderful music store, who is loaning me one so that my students can prepare for the upcoming Clavinova Festival!)

2. Audio Cables (this is the one I purchased from Radio Shack and it works great!)

3. Computer (within 6 feet of the Clavinova because of the cable length…a laptop is ideal, because it can be placed right on the Clavinova.)

4. Free Audacity Recording Software

That’s it! It may seem like a lot, but don’t be overwhelmed, because it’s incredibly easy to use once you get everything set up. And it is well worth it!

Follow these easy steps:
1. Plug the phono end of the cable (one white, one red plug) into the corresponding color input jacks on the underside of the Clavinova.
2. Plug the 1/8″ stereo plug into the mic input jack on your computer.
3. Open the Audacity recording software.
4. Click the record button and begin playing. (You can also pre-record onto the Clavinova, especially if you want to do some sequencing first, and then start the recording in Audacity and hit the playback button on the Clavinova.)

It will record directly through the cable (no feedback!) as an audio file. Once it’s in Audacity, you can export it as either a wav file or an mp3. The files can then either be burned to a CD or downloaded to an mp3 player - or shared on-line for that matter! In fact, if you want to hear a sample of a recording, click here to hear an mp3 of a piano accompaniment part I just recorded a couple days ago. It will give you a pretty good idea of the sound quality you can get when recording this way.

Have fun recording professional-sounding CDs right in your own studio!

One of the frustrations Independent Music Teachers often deal with is requests from parents that seem unreasonable and outside of what is allowed in our studio policy. The importance of communicating openly and clearly with parents became clear to me in a recent situation I encountered.

A student showed up at my studio for her lessons even though I had scheduled that week off, as I was out of town. (There was a phone message waiting for me when I got back home alerting me to this.) In addition, the student was going to be unable to attend another lesson that month, thus reducing the number of lessons she would receive that month to two. Her Grandma (the one who pays for and brings her to lessons) called me and expressed concern that her granddaughter would only be receiving two lessons that month and that she was paying more for lessons now since I raised my rate the first of the year. I acknowledged her concern, but also tried to let her know my perspective on the situation. Later that day I decided to send her an e-mail explaining things more clearly. This is what I wrote,

Because you expressed some concern over the cost of lessons, I wanted to let you know that once you spread out the cost over the spring semester (18 scheduled lessons), it averages out to just under [$$] per lesson. This doesn’t factor in the additional group classes that are also offered and included in the regular monthly payment. This is actually at the low end of what most of the teachers in the local associations charge for lessons and I try very hard to make sure that I offer all of my students a good value for their money. I put in quite a bit of time outside of the lessons planning and preparing for lessons and organizing different events so that students gain the most benefit possible from their music lessons. I am so pleased with how [student] is doing in piano and I’m so grateful for your willingness to invest so much in seeing that she takes piano lessons.

I hope this adequately addresses some of the concerns you mentioned. Please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thanks!

A short while later, I received this very nice reply,

Natalie, thanks for explaining to me. I guess I was just thinking of a monthly rate, instead of the overall lessons. I really do appreciate the way you work with [student] and feel she is making much more progress this year. I will let you know about this week’s lesson, as soon as I talk with my daughter. You are a wonderful piano teacher! [signed]

It is SO important to communicate to our students and their families what we expect and to address their concerns in an honest and kind manner. It’s so much more effective than taking these misconceptions personally and getting frustrated and irritated over a [often perceived] lack of respect. We’re all coming from different perspectives and different frames of reference in regard to music lessons. Try to get right to the heart of the issue, address it, then move on and continue being the best teacher you can be!