Students
Student with Advanced Composition Skills
I am a new teacher; I started my first lessons this month. I have a student, 15 years old, who has been composing his own music for quite some time. I know I have plenty to teach him in other areas, but I have no idea…
Chat – Transitioning Traditional Students
Musicmaker: I am Cindy Bettinger, who, along with Karen Tucker, reside in Charleston Illinois. I switched all my students over to SM in the fall of ’03 and the winter of 04. Did anyone here start out teaching traditionally? Helen P (AUS) No. I was trained…
Articulating our Abilities – Thoughts from Neil Moore
Recently, a trainee teacher wrote to me expressing concern about a prospective student who had a pre-existing ability to play at a level that was, in some respects, beyond their own. The teacher was also concerned about the fact that were the student to progress…
Assessing Experience; Lesson Content Ideas
I have a student who will be starting with 8 years experience, not a great reader, usually reads just enough to figure out a piece and then just plays it from memory. I need to know how to excel an advanced student. Does one still…
Advanced Students and SHM
I love very advanced students and seem to be acquiring more of them as I go along. They are fun because of the pace we move and how many extra projects can be explored and accomplished. This type of student, however, will typically fly through…
Advanced Student in Groups
I have just had a call from an adult student with 10 years traditional background as a child, who, since seeing more advanced students playing at the my first recent piano concert, she is eager to get ahead and move faster with the program, feeling…
New Teachers and Relationship Conversation
I’ve been having more attrition than I’m used to among students. Two, I think, are a temporary hiatus, and two others were over-committed in their lives and needed to rearrange something. I know I can’t take it personally when a student decides to leave, but…
More on The Relationship Conversation
I’m seeing the effects of not staying on top of some things. One thing I have decided to do this year is to weave more conversations about the learning tools into my lessons, rather than just demonstrating them. My students need a better understanding of…
Chat – Getting Off To A Good Start
Bernie (USA) Welcome to this chat session entitled “Getting Off to a Good Start.” We’ll go ahead and get started. There may be others who will join us. What I’d like to do is leave questions for the end and take some time to share…
Students in a Valley
I know this subject has floated around, but any help you can offer is greatly appreciated! I have 2 siblings that have been with me for approximately 18 months. Practice is down and struggles have started at home! In fact I think it first started…