Students
Students asking for water in class
I have quite a few students who come in (say 7-10 year olds) and after a minute or two say, “Mrs. B, may I have a glass of water?” Sometimes I’ll say, “Class is only a half hour long, I think you can wait that…
Keeping students focused in group lesson
I am regularly frustrated after my group lesson with 3 boys ages 7-8 years old and one 9-year-old girl. The boys’ attention span just doesn’t seem to last through the lesson. They are so fidgety and eyes are always looking everywhere except where they should…
Parents taking extra notes
I discovered a parent taking extra notes in her own notebook. I have two of her kids. One is older and takes his own notes, so in her notebook she took notes on the arrangement for herself only. She promised it was only for her…
Students learning from music book
I have an 11-year-old that has been learning with me and I have just learned that she is teaching herself from the music book and NOT looking at the videos or listening to the audio files. I couldn’t quite work out what was going on;…
Adult student says she has memory problems
Any tips for teaching someone who has memory problems? She is otherwise a “normal” middle-aged adult, very intelligent, but she can never remember any artistic things (i.e. dance moves) that others teach her, so she thinks she will forget whatever she learns in the workshop…
Infrequent lessons and teaching multiple songs
I need some counsel. Earlier this year, three ladies signed up for lessons after attending a workshop together. They are close friends and want to continue as a group, but here’s the catch. They say that due to their varying schedules and frequent absences to…
Students want to move faster
I’m having some issues with some students that want to move ‘faster’. There’s a lot we’re trying to fit in during a lesson, but for some students it doesn’t feel like enough, at least according to them. Usually with these students, the playlist suffers. Just…
Student refuses to play
I had this experience in class this week and I don’t know how to tackle it. My student (9 years old) announced he wasn’t going to play anything. His exact words were” I don’t want to and I don’t have to and you can’t make…
Students with multiple learning challenges
I teach a pair of siblings with autism, dyslexia, and dysgraphia among other things. The boy sits at the piano and refuses most of the time to play. He is very intelligent and when I can actually get him to play, he bangs out the…
Keeping teens engaged
I have several teens in my very small studio. I recently lost 2. I do think we are all needing more inspiration in lessons. Do you have insight as to how to keep these busy folks engaged? One of their moms suggested sitting down with…