Studio Management

I’m curious about the psychology behind the brain’s ability to increase the speed of muscle memory (play a song faster), but its struggle to decrease the speed of the same task. Anyone? Not an expert neurological answer, but: Speed comes with familiarity and comfort. Slowness…

• Last updated 2 months ago
• adding expression, automatic, automaticity, competence, control the events, controlling the events, creating awareness, CTE, deliberate practice, expression, expressive playing, fast playing, flexibility, getting student to slow down, knowing, learning slowly, memory muscle, mindfulness, muscle memory, musical expression, Neil Moore, neurology, playing fast vs slow, playing slowly, playing speed, playing too fast, playing with expression, practicing slowly, psychology, self expression, slow practice, slow-steady-musical-even, slowing down, speed of learning, tempo, thoughtlessness

Hi guys, I have an 11yr old student in ons of my groups who always tries to control the events! I have to manage her alot, bring her back to the room. She is on Foundation 1 and we have just got to Chester. After…

• Last updated 2 months ago
• delay the reading process, delaying reading, outside materials, outside music, outside pieces, outside reading knowledge, outside repertoire, pieces outside the program, previous experience, previous reading knowledge, prior experience, prior reading experience, priorities, reading, songs outside the repertoire, student knowledge, student with previous experience, students with previous experience, students with prior experience, tutorial, YouTube

Hi everyone, I didn’t sleep well last night and feel like I’m at a crossroads here. I hope it’s ok to vent some frustrations and maybe get some additional perspective from all you teachers… It seems like my studio has dissolved to a lot of…

• Last updated 2 months ago
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Looking for some advice…I have student who stutters everytime he starts to play. He’ll replay his starting note numerous times before finally getting into the song. Once he gets going, he plays well. But if there’s a break in his playing, or the start of…

• Last updated 3 months ago
• anxiety, anxious, anxious student, autism, autism spectrum, autistic, autistic student, autistic students, beginning notes, beginning song, breaking things down, calm, control the events, controlling the events, CTE, dosage, dose, doses, first notes, fragmenting, fragments, getting student to slow down, home use of practice pads, Laurie Richards, microdose, mindfulness, on the spectrum, opening notes, performance anxiety, practice pad, practice pads, relax, single thought process, single thought processes, slowing down, small doses, smaller dose, smaller doses, special needs, spectrum, starting notes, starting positions, starting song, STP, student anxiety, students on the spectrum, stutter, stuttering, teaching special needs, trouble starting song, using practice pads

I would greatly appreciate your feedback in a new situation that has never happened to me before. One of my adult students, who just moved into Book 4, is a retired doctor and used to getting his own way. While he initially was willing to…

• Last updated 3 months ago
• adult, adult lessons, adult students, adults, claiming territory, coaching adults, comp & improv, comp and improv, comp/improv, enjoying the process, explaining claiming territory, life coach roles, music education role, Neil's Responses (YouTube Videos), refusing to compose, refusing to improvise, reluctant students, roles, student reluctant to improv, teaching adults, territory

I had a horrible time last night with a shared lesson. I have two kids together in a shared lesson – ,my room is not big enough to have more than that. The two mums sat on the couch and chatted most of the way…

• Last updated 8 months ago
• behavior, behavior in class, behavior issues, challenge, challenges, challenging behavior, claiming territory, controlling your space, distracted coach, distracted student, distracted students, distractions, expectations for behavior, group, group dynamics, group lesson, group lessons, group obstacles, groups, managing groups, managing shared lessons, misbehavior, negative behavior, reclaiming territory, regaining lost territory ideas, shared, shared lesson, shared lesson management, shared lessons, shared lessons management, siblings at lessons, student behavior, teaching groups, territory

I’m starting my third year, and my studio just grew from 20 to 27. At the smaller size I had smaller classes, designed not only around age and ability but also around each family’s schedule. My scheduling process has been to ask each family what…

• Last updated 8 months ago
• forming groups, group, group by level, group lesson, group lessons, group lessons scheduling, groups, keeping groups together, Laurie Richards, lesson scheduling, managing groups, managing shared lessons, Robin Keehn, scheduling, scheduling families, scheduling groups, scheduling lessons, scheduling shared lessons, scheduling sibling lessons, setting up groups, shared, shared lesson, shared lesson management, shared lessons, shared lessons management, starting groups, teaching schedule

I have finally gotten good at teaching SM and the studio is quickly growing. My biggest problem is still left over from being a traditional studio. Coaches are not doing their jobs 50% of the times. They won’t sit down at the piano, they won’t…

• Last updated 8 months ago
• alignment with coaches, claiming territory, coach, coach not coaching, coach responsibility, coaches, coaching, distracted coach, holding coaches accountable, importance of life coach, involving parents in lessons, involving the parent, keeping coaches focused, Laurie Richards, lesson requirements, life coach, life coach roles, life coaches, managing coaches, parent, parent involvement, parent role, parent support, parental involvement, parental participation, parental responsibility, parents, reclaiming territory, regaining lost territory ideas, request vs requirement, requirement, requirement based studio, requirement versus request, requirement-based, requirements, requirements in lessons, responsibility, role of parent, selective coaching, territory, unsupportive parent

Here is another playlist dilemma. Most of my students use their playlist pretty diligently however I have a 15 year old who just doesn’t. She won’t use the materials (CD, notes, DVD) plays by ear, doesn’t practice a great deal but most of the time…

• Last updated 8 months ago
• accountability, checking in, holding students accountable, importance of playlist, Laurie Richards, LAWOL, learning a new way of learning, learning a way of learning, managing playlist, managing the playlist, marking, Playlist, playlist check, playlist review, repertoire, repertoire review, responsibility, review, review ideas, reviewing, using playlist

I was remembering something I used to do with my elem general music students in school. They would sing a song and when I held up my hand, they kept singing it internally. When my hand came down, they would continue singing where the song…

• Last updated 8 months ago
• enhancing practice, inner hearing, lesson ideas, practice, practice ideas, practicing, review ideas, singing, singing along, singing while playing, teaching ideas