Simpedia

Explore information, seek advice, and get answers from Simply Music

Latest Posts

Browse the latest articles on Simpedia

  • Parent Participation Videoconference

    Hi Teachers, here is a conversation I had with a few Simply Music Teachers about: parent participation in class, setting up the expectations & agreements, how to help a child when his/her parents are not in attendance (but a grandparent is), do teens need a parent present, and making sure a child knows that a…

    Read more
  • Videos on Social Media

    Question for you social media whizzes. I am just starting to be visible on social media and am trying to post regularly. I posted a video today of a student playing and FB, or instagram or both, suggested I also post as a “Reel” to reach more people I don’t know. Is that a good…

    Read more
  • Eliminating Registration Marks in Design Suite Images

    Is there a way to get rid of the markings on the sides of the page (besides upgrading to Adobe acrobat Pro)? They also show up in the business cards of the teacher design suite. There are ways, and it depends on what software you’re using, etc. Two examples: If you simply want to edit…

    Read more
  • Slowing Students Down & Rewards

    Please read this post with the mindset that a student is playing too fast and you CAN’T slow them down they are great students and they totally on board for the long term relationship they don’t have any other problems other than slowing down ( if your student needs stickers to just practice then they…

    Read more
  • Looking at Hands While Playing

    A new adult student with a small amount of previous experience told me that it’s hard for her to watch her hands because she took a beginning piano class in college with a teacher who insisted that students never look at their hands and would stick a ruler under their chin to push it up.!!!…

    Read more
  • Trading-Card-Sized Certificates

    I am always looking for ways to motivate students. While I like the certificates for each level that are available to us, I’m wondering if students actually keep these as a record for all they’ve accomplished. What I would like to have is a trading-size card (can be made from paper) that will fit into…

    Read more
  • Change Audio Speed

    I have an adult student asking if there’s anyway to slow down the audio songs in order to play along with them. She’s in Level 6 and would love to play along with the Gaz, and others but esp. the Gaz. Maybe something corp. adds on the site. I never thought of this. Whether or…

    Read more
  • Referrals and Reviews

    Facebook, Yelp or Google Reviews? How important are they? Well… I had a meeting from my business advisor from a company called Cultivate Advisors who said that any company with a yearly revenue of less than $1M should refrain from paying for google/facebook ads. This company has been in Inc 5000’s Fastest Growing companies for…

    Read more
  • Questions for Students to Ask Themselves

    Here is something that every one of my students have above their pianos. Obviously if your students are in the lower foundations, intervals, counting would not be needed but I find it a great tool to help remind them what boxes need to be ticked. I hope it helps you Did I practice separate hands…

    Read more
  • Metaphor To Support Learning Strategies

    Metaphor I came up with today while coaching a student, expanding on the notion of working slowly to learn quickly. Student wasn’t speaking instructions. I reminded. Student resisted, said it’s harder. I said, you know what? You’re right. It’s harder to do two things at once — speaking and playing — than it is to…

    Read more
  • Turning Down Potential Students

    Have you ever turned down a potential student even though they really wanted to start lessons? 😬 What were your reasons? What questions do you ask potential students either during FIS or during initial interactions in order to get a better sense of whether they will be a good fit for your studio or not?…

    Read more
  • Travel Keyboard

    I’ve read in Kat M.’s post about travelling. So, here’s a question to all INTERNATIONALLY travelling teachers. I’m travelling in Europe for a month in the summer and the airline charges an arm and a leg if I took a keyboard. How do you travel with your keyboard? Do you use one specifically for travelling…

    Read more