Simpedia

I find that my students who don’t like to sing often shorten the ends of phrases in Dreams, Dog, Sleeping, Fur Elise, etc. so they have to work at unlearning, then learning the correct rhythm by singing with me, reviewing the audio, playing with the audio. Yes, I emphasize using the voice, and yes we…

Any suggestions for in-person lessons while I have a black out? Won’t get power till after the lessons. Level 1 through to 3, kids, the adult I think I’ll just move if the powers not on at his lesson time Cate R. pull out your music pads and get the kids on those while you…

What is your approach with young people who come to you after teaching themselves with online videos? I’ve encountered several who will work for months to master one difficult piece like Bohemian Rhapsody or Moonlight Sonata, but they can’t play anything else. They can’t read music, don’t know chords, and sometimes they can’t put 5…

Late in TFMM, I’ve begun assigning my students to write a few bars from Foundation pieces they’ve learned long ago. All kinds of interesting issues have been coming up – how to add articulation, how to figure out the time signature, stem directions, etc. I have a student who just wrote the first four bars…

Hi there! This question might be asked before. I have a student who injured his RH thumb and the whole RH is on a cast. I told the parent to have the student continue to play with his LH to keep the songs alive. He might need at least a month to recover. We are…

Here’s a project I’ve done which incorporates different strategies and programs, step by step (one of my favorite things to do): 1. Preparatory Learning: Teach the 4 LH positions of Greensleeves (before we get to Greensleeves). That’s the whole assignment. 2. Comp & Improv: Once that is learned, add RH improv 5/5 D on bottom.…

I wonder if anybody has experienced this with online students – I have had many many online students during the years, primarily using Zoom (a 10 mth interlude with Rock out Loud), and with two different families who have keyboards, I cannot hear their keyboard on Zoom, and yes the original sound is on. It…

I have several students who are reading music and want to learn to play hymns from their church’s hymnal that is arranged for SATB singing (see photo for example). I’ve been reading a few related conversations in Simpedia about the process of teaching hymns (most notably, this one: https://simpedia.info/reading-from-a-hymn-book/). I’m wondering if any teachers who…

I think sometimes students do mindless repetition for practice without breaking it down in such a way that the brain retains the piece. I had a student today who struggles with remembering her pieces so we just slowly went through a series of questions and answers before she played. 1] tell me anything you remember…

I have a private student break his left arm. I need ideas for how to engage him for the next 6 weeks. He is just starting level 5. He is reading music and came from a traditional background. He is almost done with RR. I could focus on lots of reading and playing pieces with…

HI everybody – any tips for growing skills to line up fingers accurately to play fast passages like the beginning and end of Ballade? Of course – play slowly and gradually increase speed. That alone doesn’t seem adequate. I feel like all the things I did in my traditional piano years make this kind of…

Do other teachers have rules on strong scents in their studios? I have an adult that swims ahead of our lessons and the chlorine smell bothers me. She seemed upset that I prefer she swim on a day other than before our lessons. What would you do in a situation like this? I have had…