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Are new Student Interviews necessary?

9/28/2017

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​One requirement for all my new potential students is a new student interview. During the interview I'm watching, listening and playing with the child, as well as interviewing the parents. 

Why the parents, because learning a new task takes work and it may become the parents' job to help their child play piano each day. My job is to make playing look easy and break down each step into small enough parts to grasp. The parent can and does listen and encourages way more than I do seeing the student once a week. I really want to make sure that even when the student gets frustrated or bored that we have an open line of communication. Policies are covered, to make sure that we all start on the same page with the same expectations. Type of instrument is covered, I wouldn't ask to join ice skating without skates or with double bladed skates, but so many parents want to try out piano without having an instrument at home. 

What am I looking for in the student?  Actually not necessarily musicality or artistic bends. Most importantly am looking and listening to see how they follow directions, and if the students' schedule has space for another activity. 
​While playing and improvising on the piano I'm asking the student to follow my lead on high low, bouncy, smooth, or loud and soft. The student will be asked to draw a picture containing 3 items. This may seem like a strange request, but it really isn't. During our time together, I may have to ask the student to fix 2-3 things in a short piece which they will need to remember the rest of the week. Asking them to remember such things is harder for some students than others.This helps pick out lesson materials. I don't automatically assign the same books to each new student as a matter of fact this year I have students working out of 3 different method series some containing multiple tracks within the series. As for wondering about other activities, I do believe that especially young students need time to play and be creative on their own, so if I hear your child is an activity 3 times a week, swimming lessons, and now you'd like to also add piano, I may ask when each day will the student be able to sit down to play piano? 

Piano can teach many great things however it needs to be something that isn't expected to learned overnight and will be frustrating sometimes. -- My mom can't even tell you the number of times I wanted the throw the metronome out the window. 
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Quick learning day :)

4/13/2013

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Today I had the opportunity see and hear all my hard work organizing a one day conference with a master teacher come to a completion. It included loads of information, some of which I am already using in my studio with Home Concert Xtreme. I enjoyed learning about many Apps that I can also have students download and play with while also learning. One of my students' played in the masterclass and I think she learned a lot too. It was awesome having a masterclass with all levels of voice and piano on display. 

Question: How do you view my job as a piano teacher? What is it that I do?
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Al Carte' Piano Lessons Now Available

12/3/2012

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Adults must have taken 6 months of piano previously with Shannon’s Piano Studio

Students will pay for 4 lessons to be used within 3 months. Students can choose which day/week they would like to have a lesson 24 hour advance notice is expected. Lesson times will be offered at the teachers’ discretion. Most lesson times/ dates will be Lunch hours and before 3:30pm, though there might be an availability after school depending on cancelled lessons.

This package costs $100 every 4 lessons.

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WMTA 2012 Conference notes 

11/1/2012

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Session 1- Pedagogy 101 for experienced teachers
  In the opening session of the WMTA conference I was encouraged to go back to the basics and check the reasons behind why I teach. Do I see myself as a piano teacher or as something else? Why do I continue being a teacher? What do I value most in teaching? 

  Being a piano teacher is obviously a big part of who I am but I'm also a wife, a mom, and volunteer.  Those are big hats to wear and those roles can compete with being a teacher.  I'm reminded to be fully present during lesson time and fully engaged with my student and to continue to guard that time carefully.

  I continue to be a piano teacher because I enjoy helping my students learn to appreciate the work that goes into performing on stage. When they know that the performer has put in a lot of time to play with excellence, they not only have a deeper respect for the performance, but are inspired to work hard themselves. 

  I value the time spent with students to watching them grow from week to week. When students come to a lesson excited about a new piece, or something else that really engages them, I am excited too and we dive in together.

Session 2- Smart Marketing
 Any person running a business needs to keep their name in front of possible consumers. As a very small business owner I need to do that all the more, using simple, measurable, affordable, and targeted tactics to help potential clients remember the services I offer. One shortfall I have is not asking potential clients how they found me.  I know many have found me recently because this web site but I don't know how many have heard about me from friends or by other means. 

Session 3 - Behavior and Relationships
 In this session I learned that the way I relate to others' personalities affects communication. This session had me thinking about myself and my personality as well as those closest to me. The key to great teamwork is communication and that communication happens many different ways. The more you know about how that communication occurs and what people perceive the better communicators we will be. 


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Why do I require summer lessons?

6/12/2012

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I love teaching in summer, if offers so much more freedom from the normal school schedule. School takes up a good 6 hours of a students’ day and with that 6 hours now freed up a little the students have the opportunity to play more music. They can also attend earlier in the day sometimes, and they are able to play music with others, as the schedule can be more flexible. Just like reading if you don’t play at least some piano during the summer break, going backwards in the lesson books is to be expected. I require 4 lessons during the summers to make sure that during the summer vacation the students’ have touched the piano. I have had students at a late elementary level come back from a summer break and have to do a quick review of the keys on the piano- something they learned the first month of lessons. I have also had students who have had to restart books and 6 months later were where they had finished the year before. It is hard for me to comprehend the reasoning behind taking summers off completely when doing just a little bit would be better for the brain and fingers than doing nothing at all. That’s not to say that breaks aren’t necessary sometimes. I take a month vacation in summer, just not a full 3-month hiatus.  

Some teachers offer summer camps weeklong sessions dealing specifically with various elements of playing the piano, these camps are lots of fun and really do help group dynamics later in the school year. While other teachers change the focus for summer, as it really is hard to keep up on ALL the interests of each student and summer can be a good time to focus on just composition, popular music, ensemble playing, or theory.

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Preschool Music lessons

4/12/2012

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I'm often asked about teaching very young students, here's my thoughts on those lessons. I feel that for most preschoolers a classroom experience which is based on getting to know many instruments and sounds, exploring music by moving your body is a great introduction to formal music lessons. As the student becomes more adapt at rhythms and singing, they  also pick up some of the language of music.  Being in a group with friends makes the study of music more of a fun. 

That is not to say that it's for all students, as there are some children who will excel in private lessons, as long as the parent remembers that private lessons started so young will take many hours of parental help, and progress will be slow. The young student doesn't have the developed fine motor skills of an older student, nor the attention spans.
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Good Sight Readers Read

12/21/2011

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I've wondered how some students can consistently sight read new peices so easily and others seem like they can't sight read to save their lives. One key thing I've learned about becoming a good sight reader is that a student has to be willing to read; not just read a bit here and there, but like a good bookworm, read new material regularly. However there are some challenges: not having the right amount of music to choose from,  not having a goal or direction, the presence of an eye problem, or not having time to sit down and sort through tons of music.

A teacher can make sure their students can have plenty of music to choose from. A music lending library or a quick search of the web for free sheet music can put lots of interesting pieces at a students fingertips. However, finding pieces the student will enjoy can be a challenge for the teacher, which is often a good reason to put it back into the hands of the students. 

A teacher can make sight reading a goal for the students by taking time to organize incentive programs. Maybe a race against other students to see who can play through the most music (sight reading doesn't mean playing a song more than once). Another goal could be, "instead of sight reading at  two levels below your lesson book let's see if next month we can be only one level below where you're currently playing".

The time commitment factor doesn't have to be a huge amount; 3-5 minutes gets a person going. There are many sight reading books available that have 1-3 lines per day already organized. Perhaps daily reminders such as texts or emails are needed to play one song a day in old lessons books. 

An eye problem can be one of the more challenging reasons a student has a hard time playing. If you as the parent feel that your student is having a hard time seeing the notes it might be a good idea to have their eyes checked by an optometrist.  As a private teacher working closely with the student, it's often easier for me to notice an eye problem than it is for a school teacher. Privacy laws effect school teachers and they are not always free to share if they suspect a problem. If a student has to wear glasses at school encourage the student that they should also wear glasses when playing piano. If the problem seems more complex than that, check out this webpage (http://eyecanlearn.com) which has a wide variety of exercises that can help many students develop their seeing ability and reading skills. 

Sight reading, like any skill, is one that needs to be intentionally nurtured and cultivated.  This is a very rewarding ability and if this is something you or your student would like to develop, I fully encourage it and would be glad to help you design a program and collect materials to help you meet your goals.
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Short Stories about Christmas Carols

11/22/2011

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I've been giving out Christmas music for the past month, it's a great break from the lesson books and give a chance to sightread on a theme. A few short stories behind some Christmas carols. 
"I'll Be Home for Christmas" was first copyrighted on August 24, 1943. Then it was revised and re-copyrighted on September 27, 1943, it was the 2nd version that was made famous by Crosby. The song comes from a homesick college student named Ram. Soldiers from WWII quickly picked up the song, and turned it into their sentiments, being away from home for the holidays. It quickly became a hit, and was requested frequently at U.S.O. shows.

Jingle Bells was written by James Pierpont as a Thanksgiving song in 1850 titled "One Horse Open Sleigh." It was inspired by the Massachusetts town's sleigh races.  Have you heard this verse of Jingle Bells before? "A day or two ago, The story I must tell, I went out on the snow, And on my back I fell, A gent was riding by, In a one-horse open sleigh, He laughed as there I sprawling lie, But quickly drove away."


Good King Wenceslas By John Neale 1853. The song is based on a legend about a Duke named Wenceslas in Bohemia who was known for his actions of giving to the poor. He gave so much to those in need that he was know not as royalty but as a "father to the wretched."

Sources: wikipedia, "Christ in the Carols"
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Watching a student's development and monitoring progress

11/2/2011

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One of the biggest at assets for any young student is the parents. I love when a student comes to lessons having taken a sudden leap in the level of preparedness, because mom or dad sat down and listened or encouraged them in playing. One of my past students used to teach her dad the songs she was learning. Was he really interested in learning piano? Probably not, but he was interested in learning what she was working on and spending time with his child. The parents who ask the student to play the song again saying “I enjoyed listening to it” from the other room are also taking time to encourage that student. A simple question the parents can ask the student if they seem to have rushed through practice is “did you do your best?” It’s not whether the parents knows a thing about the music, it’s if the parent is interested in what the child is doing.

Another important step for development is modeling good practice during the lesson time. When a student plays something wrong at the lesson it is imperative to correct it, not just circle the problem, but to really work with the student until they can do it correctly 90% of the time. Then to point out that I expect that type of practicing to be done at home. When the student doesn’t have 30-60 minutes each day, taking time to focus on problem areas is much better than playing a piece through 10 times. Check out http://www.practicespot.com/article.phtml?id=105&t=7 to find ways to make repetition fun. As the lesson is concluding, it’s also helpful to do a quick review asking the student how they are going to practice and what is going to be there focus when they are at home. This helps keep the at-home practice productive and fruitful without needing hours of time.


   Sometimes it seems as if students play the same songs for a long time and they always sounds the same, when in reality most weeks the pieces are progressing to a more polished form. It’s hard for students to know what’s changed from week to week. Sometimes it’s helpful to record a student playing a song the first week and again every week or so then they can hear the changes themselves. I’ve also taken the last lesson of the school year to review what that student has learned this year or in the past years. Reviewing old materials in progression, this gives the student a chance to hear and see how much growing musically they have done over the course of there study.  Putting this in front of them can be encouraging and motivating as they get a sense of accomplishment

Piano can so often become a chore that students don’t always have the motivation to keep up with their peers. As a private teacher I aim to help my students find one or more partners to draw energy from. Group lessons are good for that especially when everyone has to come prepared to play a song for the group they didn’t play the last time. Duets, trios, ensembles, as well as accompanying other instruments can also help motivate. 

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Why talk about composers with young students?

10/14/2011

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Talking about a composer helps the student see that there really is a person behind the name at the top of a piece of music. They enjoy hearing about favorite foods, or stories that can bring that person down to a more personal level. We’ve learned about both dead and living composers.

I focus on one composer every group lesson, and sometimes we will continue talking about that composer for the rest of the month. We’ve even had treats in honor of the composers’ birthday before.

This month at the group lesson we talked about Franz Liszt. His birthday is Oct 22, 1811 so if he were still alive he would be 200. We learned that his dad worked for Prince Esterhazy, and had known Hayden personally. Did you know that Liszt was denied entrance into a conservatory in Paris, because he was not a citizen of France? Liszt was amazed at a concert given by Paganini, and wanted to become the Paganini of the piano. He became friends with Fredrick Chopin, another composer and was encouraged by Chopin to write more songs. Liszt wrote over 1000 piano pieces, and gave many piano concerts. He also worked for the court at Weimar and helped many composers of his day by performing their works, and contributing financially to them. In 1866 he was given the title of lay priest by the pope. He died in 1886.

Information from: Norton music dictionary and “Meet the Great Composers book 1.”
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Shannon Whaples | NCTM Piano Teacher | Wausau, Wisconsin | 715-843-6843