A number of people have commented and/or asked questions about the Year-End Evaluations that I hold in my studio. I started doing this ten years ago and it has been so helpful for me and the families! The last lesson of the year one or both parents attend the lesson with their child. The week […]
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Create Your Own Music Worksheets Using Music Fonts
Have you ever wished you could just whip up a quick worksheet to use with one of your students that would address a particular concept? Joy, of the Color in My Piano blog, has put together a wonderful guide to using music fonts to create your own music worksheets! Like Joy, I use Finale to […]
Monday Mailbag – How to Raise Tuition Fees
I have not raised my rates since I began teaching in 2007. I charge a flat monthly rate, and am considering increasing each month’s payment by $5 starting in Sept. I find myself worrying about how my families will react to this change, and how I’ll prepare to answer. I am very involved with MTNA […]
Monday Mailbag – Do Independent Music Teachers Get Sick Days?
Though I don’t like hanging on to the per lesson price part of my plan, I don’t see a way around it to be fair to the parents if I have to miss a lesson. Do you ever have to miss a lesson, Natalie, anyone? What do you do? Last week’s Monday Mailbag post on […]
Monday Mailbag – Determining Monthly Tuition
After the past few months of lost income due to students canceling lessons for injuries, soccer games, vacations, etc., I am realizing how wise you and other teachers are for charging monthly tuition rather than per-lesson fees! Switching to such a policy for this fall is top on my priority list, but I am curious […]
What if Your Student Could Compose a Piece and Have it Performed by a Professional Musician?
That is exactly the vision behind Music-COMP (formerly the Vermont Midi Project). The organization began in 1995 with the purpose of “encourage[ing] and support[ing] students in composing and arranging music.” This is accomplished via “A community of professional composers, teachers, pre-service educators, and students engage in mentoring and online discussion of student work.” I had […]
