Laurie Richards

I am pretty brand new – only taught 2 lessons so far. I have just got off from a phone conversation with a Dad. He has pretty much decided to have his son (7th grader with 5 years of traditional lesson) taking lessons from me.…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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I’m starting my third year, and my studio just grew from 20 to 27. At the smaller size I had smaller classes, designed not only around age and ability but also around each family’s schedule. My scheduling process has been to ask each family what…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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I am going deeper into “scale” with my more advanced students in the Development Levels and in Accompaniment 2. Having come from a very extensive classical musical training, I understand scale, key signature, and advanced theory. However, a student has asked me, and I ask…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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I have finally gotten good at teaching SM and the studio is quickly growing. My biggest problem is still left over from being a traditional studio. Coaches are not doing their jobs 50% of the times. They won’t sit down at the piano, they won’t…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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I am in my first go-round of teaching Reading Rhythm. I think it’s going alright, and I have looked through the ECL archives, etc, but I still just would love to hear more ideas from you all of how exactly it looks in your studio,…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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Sorry, it’s me again (have a few things floating around in my mind at the moment : ) A parent queried me re the diagrams this week, and I’m looking for a solid answer. The question is: why do some songs have substantial learning clues…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• brains and patterns, diagram, diagrams, Dreams, Dreams Come True, identifying patterns, Laurie Richards, learning clues, Lullaby, Night Storm, patterns, reference clues, remembering patterns, teaching Lullaby, understanding diagrams

Here is another playlist dilemma. Most of my students use their playlist pretty diligently however I have a 15 year old who just doesn’t. She won’t use the materials (CD, notes, DVD) plays by ear, doesn’t practice a great deal but most of the time…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• accountability, checking in, holding students accountable, importance of playlist, Laurie Richards, LAWOL, learning a new way of learning, learning a way of learning, managing playlist, managing the playlist, marking, Playlist, playlist check, playlist review, repertoire, repertoire review, responsibility, review, review ideas, reviewing, using playlist

For those of you who teach mostly in groups, how have you addressed complaints from parents about group lessons and the student to teacher ratio? (Meaning they feel their child isn’t getting enough ‘piano time’ in their new group lesson)? I teach mostly small groups.…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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Siblings in a shared lesson with 2 others, just finishing Foundation One (12 lessons) Big brother learning faster than average, and faster than his sister. Mom says they are having trouble at home because they are playing the same material, he wants to go faster…

• Last updated 3 years ago
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Hi everybody – is there an optimal/preferable way to process Jazz pieces and JC 1-4? Option 1: start with the Mirron and process all 4 Jazz Clues, then move on to the next piece, all 4 clues….vs. Option 2: Learn each song with Jazz Clue…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• jazz, Jazz 1, jazz clue 1, jazz clue 2, Jazz Clue 3, Jazz Clue 4, jazz clues, jazz program, jazz program questions, JC, Laurie Richards, Robin Keehn