I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the importance of making music at every lesson. There are so many things that I want to fit into our 45 minutes together each week, but if I had to pick just one thing, I would make sure that in some way or another the student gets to […]
Archives for November 2011
Stop Moving!
Trevor, of the Teach Piano Today blog, posted a fabulous little lesson gleaned from a skating outing with his daughter the other day. It reminded me of the importance of making sure that students know what we expect of them and then praising them appropriately when they achieve the goals we’ve set for them before […]
Monday Mailbag – Lesson Scheduling Nightmares
After 5 years of private teaching, my students are growing older and have many more conflicts in scheduling. Do you expect your students to be present every week (I do) and if they can’t, do you give them vacations or how do you make it work? What are your lesson attendance policies and do you have […]
Group Class Video Recap
Last night we had a group class here at the studio. I put together a short video recap using the awesome free app Videolicious! [Find the full explanation of the Rhythm Chart game we played in the 5 for Fun! book of games and activities for the private piano lesson.]
Free Circle of 5ths Diagram in Color
The Piano Teacher Resource website is offering a free circle of 5ths diagram in wonderful bright colors for a limited time! We use the circle of 5ths all the time in the studio for learning and understanding keys and key signatures, so I think my students will enjoy this colorful version!
Solution-Oriented Teaching
In the current (Fall 2011) issue of Listen music magazine, I was greatly inspired by an instructional approach advocated by David Robertson, music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. In his interview with Ben Finane he has this to say: “One thing that I have found is very helpful – and I wish that […]
