Students
Supporting a student who needs a break
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…
Student picks up songs quickly
A delightful young adult with autism had his second lesson with me tonight. He loves patterns, numbers, and music, so of course Simply Music i?s a great fit. After playing Night Storm for him once, I told him “This song is all about 2’s. May…
Curriculum Pacing in a School Setting – Neil Moore
I’ve been teaching Simply Music in an R-13 school the last three years and my students don’t get anywhere near the progress expected from the SM program. Most are getting though around 2 levels a year. This is obviously falling very short of the 4…
Busy teen student and critical music teacher
My 15-year-old student started school band last September playing vibraphone and has been very consumed with rehearsals, competitions, and a critical band teacher who wonders “what kind of piano teacher did not teach her to sight-read”. Her practice time if infrequent (mainly due to band)…
Working with blind / visually impaired students
One of the reasons we got connected with Simply Music is because my oldest daughter is blind. She uses the SHM videos from my teacher access (but not the teacher videos), and she’s in one of the groups I teach. We have found that some…
Non-verbal autistic student
I’m going to be starting an autistic student who is non-verbal. I’m thinking I should create picture boards to set up the activities in the lesson. Can anyone offer other ideas/resources to assist in starting up this student? Also, do you have specific questionnaires that…
Managing coaches / lesson time management
I have a situation I’m not sure what to do with. Maybe some more experienced teachers have some advice? Two little girls recently started lessons with me in a group, each with the grandmother as the life coach. Neither lives with grandmother. One student’s mom…
Senior student and pacing
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…
Students leaving and using digital SHMs to continue
I’m after some advice as to what conversation to have with a student that is leaving to continue teaching himself online. The student is 9 years old and halfway through Level 2. His lesson is tomorrow and I want to have a response prepared to…
Taking on a more advanced student
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…