In the last New Release Club shipment from FJH there was a flier announcing a new piano method by Helen Marlais that will be available in March, 2010. I am thrilled! Helen Marlais’ books are all fabulous and I can’t wait to see what this new method is like! The two cover illustrations portrayed on […]
Teaching
Monday Mailbag – Introducing Baroque Music
How do you introduce baroque period music or any music with counterpoint to a student for the first time? What a great question! However, I’m afraid my answer will reveal my total lack of structure when it comes to intermediate level students, so I’m hoping that others will share their thoughts on how to approach […]
Re-igniting Enthusiasm – Congregate with Colleagues
Okay, I think I’ve saved the best for the last! You must, must, must find a way to get together with other teachers on a somewhat regular basis. Virtually is good, but in person is the best! I am a member of several local music teachers associations, plus our state association, and Music Teachers National […]
Re-igniting Enthusiasm – Strategize and Systematize
Most of us teach because we love playing music, we love working with students, and/or we just love teaching. Few of us run studios because we just love doing recordkeeping, filing taxes, and handling other aspects on the business-side of things. I will confess, however, that I love the challenge of strategizing and coming up […]
Reigniting Enthusiasm – Cultivate Creativity
What makes you really excited? Studying music history? Sight-reading new repertoire? Dreaming up game ideas? Improvising arrangements of familiar tunes by ear? Capitalize on your own area of interest to build the enthusiasm of your students. Invest your excitement into putting together creative assignments for your students. For example, plan a group class around composers […]
Reigniting Enthusiasm – Examine your Expectations
One of the driving motivations in life is to increase my knowledge and skills and strive for excellence in all that I do. While these qualities reflect some of my core values, I realized several years ago that I was running myself into the ground because I was expecting more of myself than I could […]
