Students

If you’re a requirement based studio, how much responsibility do you place on teenage students vs life coaches? I’d say if the student is not meeting the requirements on their own, the coach should still be responsible for making sure it happens. I agree that…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• alignment with coaches, busy teenagers, busy teens, claiming territory, coach, coach not coaching, coach responsibility, coaches, coaching, coaching teens, communication, holding coaches accountable, importance of life coach, keeping teens interested, Laurie Richards, lesson requirements, life coach, life coach for teen, life coaches, Long Term Relationship, managing coaches, method coach, motivating teens, parental responsibility, reclaiming territory, relationship with coach, requirement, requirement based studio, requirement-based, requirements, requirements in lessons, responsibility, Robin Keehn, supporting teens, teen, teen students, teenager, teenagers, teens, working with teens

I’d love to get feedback on how you handle absences from students who are ill. I offer make-up lessons or even extended lessons to “make up” the time. Also, what about adults or youth who are so involved in other activities that they aren’t always…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• absences, absences in group lessons, activities, adult students, busy coaches, busy families, busy students, busy teenagers, busy teens, catching up after absence, commitment, commitment to lessons, communication, extended lessons, extending lessons, group lessons, illness, make up lessons, make-ups, makeup, makeup lessons, makeup sessions, makeups, missed lessons, over committed families, policies on makeup lessons, requirements, sick students, student absences in shared lessons, studio policies

So how do you encourage or console a student who really struggled in performance? He did many things beautifully, but a few errors started to throw him off and it deteriorated rapidly with him visibly upset by the end. I feel for him! He left…

• Last updated 4 years ago
• ccs, communication, console student, creative coaching series, emotion, emotional, emotions, encouragement, encouraging students, errors, failure, feelings, Gordon Harvey, Laurie Richards, Long Term Relationship, mistakes, nerves, nervous, nervousness, performance, performing, playing in the moment, playing through mistakes, public performances, struggling students

Teaching students with profound special needs is a different experience than teaching typical students. Karen discusses this in relation to goals and expectations, your own confidence, and dealing with parents’ expectations. Topics include: Introduction (00:05) Teacher Temperament (04:18) Readiness to Progress (10:11) Visually Impaired Students…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• autism, autistic, blind student, blindness, books on autism, communicating with parents, expectations, flexibility, frustration, inner child, learning differences, mindset, on the spectrum, personality, slow progress, special needs, student behavior, teacher mindset, teaching special needs, temperament

I have an adult, private student who came to me already reading. She is near the end of Foundation Level 6, has completed Reading Rhythm and Reading Notes, and is working her way through Read n Play. I’m realizing I’ve procrastinated on introducing Time for…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• big picture, Laurie Richards, playing-based strategies, Robin Keehn, simplicity of TFMM, tfmm, Time for More Music, value of TFMM

I need some help or suggestions form those of you who have experience in teaching autistic children. I started recently with my first autistic student (6-year-old boy), and I really love him. He can be quite fun and funny at times! He is verbal and…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• autism, autistic student, communication, gateway, pushy parents, Simply Music Gateway, structure

I am trying to choose the right words to discuss a student’s minimal effort with her parent. The student is 8 and has been taking lessons since she was 5. She progressed quickly, then hit a valley and has been putting in the bare minimal…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• Long Term Relationship, LTR, minimal effort, Music and the Art of Long-term Relationships, navigating a valley, sensory processing disorder, valleys

One of my students is a six-year-old boy who has confidence problems to the point that when he thinks something looks too hard, he gets anxious and teary and refuses to try. Last week when I demonstrated Dreams Come True, it took a whole five…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• anxiety, anxious student, small doses

In this webinar Karen shares videos of her teaching her own students with learning disabilities and discusses their stories and their successes with the Gateway program. Introduction (00:05) Student Video 1: Nikos (00:43) Student Video 2: Rick (09:35) Student Video 3: Eytan (22:28) Student Video…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• autism, gateway, Jewels, Karen Nisenson, special needs

I have a super fast learning adult student. In 4 lessons he’s done Foundation up to and including Ode to Joy; composed a short song, improvised on black notes, learned the C blues scale, done an arrangement of Dreams, learned different rhythms for Jackson Blues,…

• Last updated 6 years ago
• arrangements, comp & improv, fast moving student, learning a new way of learning, learning strategies, playing-based strategies, playing-based tools