Special Needs & Learning Differences
Two Lessons Per Week
One of my new private adult students (she is practicing diligently, LOVES SM, her playlist so far is very strong) wants to switch from having one (half-hour) lesson per week to two (half-hour) lessons weekly (several days apart) because she is eager to make even…
Gateway Appropriate
How would I decide whether a student would learn reasonably well using the classic Simply Music approach, or whether he & I should invest in the Gateway program? I don’t think you can really know until you start. It’s always safe to start with Gateway.…
Students Wants to Limit Assignments
How would my expert teachers out there manage a student who was absolutely adamant that they should only have 1 NEW song to practice each week. Regardless of if they get it easy or not; how can I correct this limiting belief in their psychology…
Webinar Series: 02/15/2019 – Gateway – Skills & Mindset of a Successful Gateway Teacher
Teaching students with profound special needs is a different experience than teaching typical students. Karen discusses this in relation to goals and expectations, your own confidence, and dealing with parents’ expectations. Topics include: Introduction (00:05) Teacher Temperament (04:18) Readiness to Progress (10:11) Visually Impaired Students…
Dealing with mother wanting teacher to be more strict
I need some help or suggestions form those of you who have experience in teaching autistic children. I started recently with my first autistic student (6-year-old boy), and I really love him. He can be quite fun and funny at times! He is verbal and…
Strategies to help an anxious student
One of my students is a six-year-old boy who has confidence problems to the point that when he thinks something looks too hard, he gets anxious and teary and refuses to try. Last week when I demonstrated Dreams Come True, it took a whole five…
Webinar Series: 06/15/2018 – Gateway – Music Stories from Karen’s Studio
In this webinar Karen shares videos of her teaching her own students with learning disabilities and discusses their stories and their successes with the Gateway program. Introduction (00:05) Student Video 1: Nikos (00:43) Student Video 2: Rick (09:35) Student Video 3: Eytan (22:28) Student Video…
Parents requesting discounted lessons
I started to work with a student who has cerebral palsy. Tova is an amazing person and student but does have a lot of challenges, as well as in the class. Because of her many issues, the 30-minute lesson can easily extend longer than that…
Webinar Series: 04/20/2018 – Gateway – Improving Fine Motor Function at the Piano
Karen discusses some very common fine motor challenges in students with special needs and ways in which teachers can address them in the Gateway curriculum, and addresses teacher questions about some of their students’ fine motor issues. Topics include: Typical Fine Motor Issues (00:05) Fine…
Webinar Series: 03/23/2018 – Gateway – What Can I Do If…..?
In this webinar you will hear about actual situations that teachers have encountered with their special needs students and learn from Karen’s expertise how best to handle those situations. Topics include: Using a Schedule with Students on the Spectrum (00:05) Difficulty Finding Black Note Groups…