Students
Student with difficulty pointing
I just had an 8-year-old boy here for an FIS. He had trouble with pointing to his own RH fingers (for the Ode to Joy patterns) with his left pointer finger. Instead of pointing, he kept grabbing the RH fingers with his LH thumb plus…
Webinar Series: 11/29/2017 – Piano – How Unfulfilled Expectations Impact Your Studio & Your Results
In this webinar Neil talks about the design of upset, what that means specifically and how to manage, and more importantly, prevent upset from occurring. This includes developing an understanding of some underlying dynamics in your relationships with students and coaches with regard to expectations.…
Supporting busy students
How would you support your students if they have been good students (Level 11) but then their home practice time got bumped by their school work and their commitment to school activities, and they are still committed to piano lessons? This is a group formed…
Omitting components of the program
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…
Enrollment with over-committed families
Do any of you have an enrollment protocol to keep people who are over-committers from enrolling, or do you just let the turnover happen? At the FIS, I make it very clear that I require a parent to attend class — to see the value…
Students in valleys
I have two students who have become incredibly frustrated lately and are ready to quit. They’re both in Level 2. One, a 16-year-old beginner who was very motivated to learn and was doing absolutely great, stopped practicing about a month ago, and it was obvious.…
Parents anxious to start reading
I’ve lost a few students recently (starting Level 3) because the parents are taking them to a traditional teacher to learn to read notes, even though the kids were doing well and I told them that we were moving toward note reading soon. They compared…
Webinar Series: 10/25/2017 – Gateway – Open Forum with Karen Nisenson
In this webinar the Gateway Teacher Training Program is summarized, and teachers ask questions about teaching their students with autism, cerebral palsy, and other learning and processing difficulties. Topics include: Teacher Input on Gateway (00:00) Student with Cerebral Palsy: Non-verbal, Fine Motor Issues (01:46) Teacher…
Webinar Series: 10/24/2017 – Piano – Developing Strong Communication Skills
Neil discusses some the components of powerful communication in this webinar. Learn how you can ensure that your studio requirements are clearly understood and met by your students and coaches, thus maximizing your success as a teacher and your students’ success with their lessons. Topics…
Webinar Series: 09/12/2017 – Piano – Creating a Strong Alliance with Coaches
In this webinar we discuss the importance of a strong ‘3-legged-stool’ – an alignment among the teacher, student, and coach. Neil shares an analogy, The Five S’s, to help you visualize this concept and discover your influence as a teacher. Topics include: Introduction & Context…