It’s been over a month since our annual Christmas recital and I’m finally getting around to posting pictures! I’ve gotten some questions and requests from other teachers related to the recital, so here is a glimpse into our 2009 recital, themed: Jesus: God of the Galaxy. First off, I LOVED having a professional photographer! It […]
Monday Mailbag – More about the Treble Clef Game
[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 […]
Monday Mailbag – Adult Method Series
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 […]
Monday Mailbag – Moving Away from Method Books
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 […]
Monday Mailbag – Student Interviews
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 […]
Monday Mailbag – Jazz and Pop Music
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 […]