Students

A mom of one of my special kids mentioned yesterday how much fun they are beginning to have as a family playing together and the music conversations happening between siblings and parents. I have three students from this family, and the mom is a traditional…

• Last updated 8 years ago
• ensemble playing, parents, playing with families, siblings

I have an adult student who loves to sign but who sings very off-key. She knows it, and she asked me if I teach how to sing. I don’t. I’ve taken some singing lessons, but that’s about it. And while I’m not the best singer,…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• singing in class, singing off key

Brand new SM teacher here. I just completed my ITTM and I’m starting to work on strategy for implementing SM with my current roster of students. I have a lot of questions concerning this process (for teachers that come from traditional) so I wondered first…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• Robin Keehn, shared lessons, sibling lessons, starting SM with traditional students, traditional students to SM, transitioning to SM, transitioning traditional students

I have a brother/sister shared lesson who can read music (although not confidently) and I’ve just assigned their first MOR. Next would be to ask them to take the rhythms to the keys over 5SS. Being that they can read music, would you still do…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• 5 steps of sound, 5SS, Laurie Richards, masters of the rhythm, mor, reading notes, reading rhythm, rhythm tracks, RN, RR, tfmm, Time for More Music

Someone asked me recently if the progress in group lessons is the same as in private lessons. As I am still a relatively new teacher, I welcome comments from the rest of you on this. I think the progress could be the same; and also…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• benefits of group lessons, Laurie Richards, requirement-based, shared lessons, shared vs private

I have a parent who requested not attending the lesson with her 6th grade boy (who has been with me for 2 years) and I sent her a reply to explain why I needed parents to attend lessons. She also said the little sister of…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• claiming territory, dealing with parents, distractions, Robin Keehn, siblings, siblings at lessons

I have a prospective student who has been playing piano at church since she was 12, and she’s in her fifties now. She said several times that she was “groomed” for playing hymns at church, and she reads music, but she doesn’t play with freedom…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• accompaniment, blues, chords, church music, freedom, praise band, praise music, worship band, worship music

I have an older (70ish) student who plays pretty well, but stumbles over what the diagrams mean. I’ve reviewed them countless times and of course, told her to watch the videos. When she’s playing at her lesson, she looks at her hands most of the…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• diagrams, Gordon Harvey, older students, playing-based, self-generation

One of my students hit a valley this week and I am struggling to know how to navigate it with him. It is a very personal connection as my student is also my husband! He has been taking for about five years from me, and…

• Last updated 9 years ago
• blues, husband, improv, Laurie Richards, Long Term Relationship, shared lesson, spouse, valley, wife

No matter how consistently we have the long-term relationship conversation, in my experience there are some students who really never like piano. They fight their moms start to finish, and their moms do very well to hang on for a few years. With diligent efforts,…

• Last updated 8 years ago
• Laurie Richards, Long Term Relationship, music as a lifelong companion, resistant students, students who don't care, unmotivated students