Shared Lessons
Handling siblings during lessons
I have a parent who requested not attending the lesson with her 6th grade boy (who has been with me for 2 years) and I sent her a reply to explain why I needed parents to attend lessons. She also said the little sister of…
Student in a valley
One of my students hit a valley this week and I am struggling to know how to navigate it with him. It is a very personal connection as my student is also my husband! He has been taking for about five years from me, and…
Group sizes
What’s the largest group size you’ve been comfortable teaching and what age group? I found 6 adults to be an easy group size to work with. Here’s my response to Corinne’s question: The Ideal Size and Age of Groups https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0uZulD7Ekk&list=PL3o0aF_9qHn4F2sy8QRuPb_jf_r4D9823&index=22 I’ve had as many as 10. It…
Number of students in workshop
For workshops, is there a recommended limit to how many students per piano, compared with how many you can have in a typical (non workshop) shared lesson? Somewhere I heard a suggestion of only 2 people per piano in a workshop, but for shared lessons…
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…
Encouragement for new teacher
I just finished my initial teacher training program, and I’ve started on Accompaniment 1 and Arrangements 1. So much more to learn! It’s great, and I’m overwhelmed. I have a 6-year-old student who has spent a month learning sentence 1 of Dreams, and a 13-year-old…
Combining special needs student with younger students
I need help to navigate a new challenge. A 10-year-old boy with ADHD/LD has been taking private lessons. His 6-year-old brother is in a shared lesson. This past year, the 6-year-old’s progress has caught up with the older boy so I announced that it was…
Combining students in different levels
I have three teenagers taking private lessons because I have no age appropriate groups to put them in. One is in mid level 5, another is just starting level 6, and the other has just completed the first song of level 7. I’m wondering if…
Problem with starting a group
Dear Friends, During the past few months, I had people who attended the FIS and decided to take lessons. However, many times I don’t have matching students to from a group. Even if I have matching students, I can’t really start a group deal to…
Pace of private vs. shared lesson students
Greetings – I have 30 students, of which 5 are private, for various reasons. I have heard and read repeatedly about the advantages of shared lessons, particularly the pace of progress – that shared lessons actually progress more quickly. I am finding that my private…