I checked out SImpedia and saw the idea of using Mad Libs with Christmas. It sounds super fun, but wonder if anyone could help me with more specific details how you set it up? Just Google “Christmas song Mad Libs” and some pre-made ones will come up. You can go around the room and have them take turns making up their fill-in-the-blank words, then you (or a student) can play the…
Has anyone heard of school teachers saying children should use their own 'internal motivation' rather than pushing them to do something? We were discussing reward for completing tasks. Poor Mum is confused, I am telling her she needs to guide her children, manage their activities and their long term relationships. The school teacher is telling Mum to let her children explore multiple activities, quit if they don't like it and try something else. [answer author="Gabrielle K.,…
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 ultimately the coach is responsible regardless of student age. Teens need their coach more than ever to protect their practice time.…
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 able to commit to a lesson/week? Does anyone have a minimum monthly requirement? Just wondered... If students are ill they miss that week, I don't do…
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 quickly afterward and I wasn't able to speak with him, but his lesson is tomorrow. Any wise words to share? If someone had asked this…
In this webinar, Laurie discusses some tips for managing several different streams in the curriculum and answers teacher questions. Topics include: Introduction & Purpose (0:05) When to Teach Variations & Arrangements (1:05) Expected Level of Mastery (07:25) Planning Your Training (11:03) Teacher Questions: Comp & Improv; TFMM; Jazz Clues (14:16) Determining Order of Programs/Songs (16:55) Keeping Arrangements Alive (19:01) Managing Multiple Streams in Class (28:45) Managing Repertoire Review; Planning Lessons (40:42) Click through the video to hear Laurie discuss the…
Hear from Jy Gronner and Sheri Reingold, creators of our Supplemental Program, Playlist Management. Learn about all the wonderful content included in this program as well as how to implement it in your studio. Topics include: Introducing Jy & Sheri, Creators of Playlist Management (00:05) Teacher Questions (03:53) Communicating Reasons for the Playlist (05:24) Double Pipes (11:20) Parties & Fun Ways to Keep Playlist Alive (14:39) Utilizing the Playlist from the Program (23:16) About Arrangement Names (28:56) Conclusion (35:29) Click…
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 from the start he was willing to come to the piano. There was some resistance in the last two classes, perhaps because of him struggling to understand and do the next…
Are the songs in Time for More Music meant to be added to their repertoire of memorized songs and the long term playlist? Or just used for learning to decipher the written music, and once they can play it well, they move on? I believe that once they have processed it and can play it, they move on. I tell my students that it doesn't need to stay on the playlist…
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 effort for the last 18 months or so. She reached level 3, completed Reading Rhythm, and started Reading Notes, then just seemed to forget everything. So we have been reviewing to…
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