I'd love to get feedback on how you handle absences from students who are ill. I offer make-up lessons or even extended lessons to "make up" the time. Also, what about adults or youth who are so involved in other activities that they aren't always able to commit to a lesson/week? Does anyone have a minimum monthly requirement? Just wondered... If students are ill they miss that week, I don't do…
I have an adult, private student who came to me already reading. She is near the end of Foundation Level 6, has completed Reading Rhythm and Reading Notes, and is working her way through Read n Play. I'm realizing I've procrastinated on introducing Time for More Music because it's so much easier than the reading projects that she continues to work on outside of lessons. I know she would beieft from focusing on playing-based strategies with…
I have a super fast learning adult student. In 4 lessons he's done Foundation up to and including Ode to Joy; composed a short song, improvised on black notes, learned the C blues scale, done an arrangement of Dreams, learned different rhythms for Jackson Blues, and we have started Accompaniment 1. What would others suggest as I think 30 minutes is too long a lesson for him (or me!). He's a shift worker and so has…
In my initial lesson with adult students, I often will introduce the Basics followed by Dreams Come True. It has become a common theme that people really don't understand that diagram; I am considering starting with the right hand of Ode to Joy. Sadly I have lost a couple of students, or their initial trust, because of their discouragement with Dreams Come True. Any suggestions? I say that the diagrams are…
Any advice for teaching students in their 70s? I've got a couple in their early 70s who seem to lack a sense of time. The motor skills are also a struggle. She has some arthritis as well as a finger that locks, and he is quite tall with large hands, with fingers a tad wide to fit in between the black keys. He is also quite tall and struggles to fit under the piano. Progress has…
I'm just curious to know if anyone ever omits a part of the program if a student doesn't like it. I have an older senior that doesn't like accompaniment, wouldn't sing for himself or know anyone else that would. He hasn't been using the audio at home. We talked about it today. Just wondering how to handle this with this student! I mentioned how foundational the entire program is and how accompaniment (and chords) are developed…
Some folks asked me to share about growing your adult student population. Here are a few things that have worked for me. 1) Deciding that's what I wanted. Yes, I have turned down requests for teaching children. I adore kids, but at this point in my life, I realized I wanted to teach adults since most of my career has been with children. 2) Social media has been amazing for me. I post on FaceBook…
One of my students will have a baby in a couple of months and she already has three other children, so she said she will need a break at that time. Any suggestions how to support her to keep up with her piano journey at this time? She absolutely loves SM and is making great progress, and she is a wonderful imaginative improviser and composer. I was thinking of offering her a once-a-month lesson instead of…
In working with different seniors, I'm routinely finding they want fewer songs on their list (to manage), but more advanced pieces. Has anyone else encountered this? I had a discussion with a lady I teach who is in Level 4, that this is typically the point where it gets more challenging. She thinks we're moving slowly because now reading is in the mix, but that is normal at this stage. It does slow down and learning…
I just had an adult come to a FIS, who already plays very well by notes and also by ear. What he plays by ear is absolutely lovely and full of expression, and he has a lot of background from playing fiddle and he knows a lot of chords. Yet he said he is interested in lessons because he feels he needs structured lessons, possibly for filling in some gaps. He likes the playing-based approach used…
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