Free Introductory Session for Traditional Piano Teachers
Found in: Free Introductory Session
Darla H. KansasI just got a call this afternoon asking if I’d come speak at the February meeting of a piano teacher’s league in a town 60 miles from where I live. One of the piano teachers had been approached by a homeschool mom about Simply Music. Her son is struggling with piano, and she heard about SM through homeschool channels. So…..the teachers in Salina are interested in finding out more so they can make more of an informed decision about investing in training, and what they should tell students who inquire about it. They found me on the website (I’m the closest SM teacher to them) and called to ask if I could help them become more informed. I agreed to come and do an information session for them next month. Have any of you done a session specifically for teachers before? What advice do you have to give me? I would welcome any comments and suggestions you have. Janita P. NebraskaGo for it Darla. I find in speaking with traditional teachers, they ask a lot of questions and require a lot of time. There are those who can wrap their heads around the concepts and there are those who cannot and will not. I use the basic FIS format when speaking to traditional teachers. They may want to come and observe your classes; I would advise against this as it may prove to backfire, plus make your students uncomfortable. It will be a good learning experience! Dixie C. WashingtonI did this with our local Music Teachers Assoc. a few years ago. Two of my students contributed videos of themselves playing some of their favorite SM songs. I also had a five-year-old play a couple of songs for the group as well.
Victoria S. CaliforniaBased on my own experience with friends who are music educators both privately and at the University level, wherein they were not in the least interested in learning more about SM, and since you have been specifically invited to the group for a presentation, I would definitely speak to the strengths of SM a la FIS, however, I would NOT emphasis a difference between traditional and SM as they might perceive that as you trying to convince them that “your way is better than their way”. I would emphasize the fun, and immediate confidence that students of all ages gain by being able to express themselves musically from the start. And I would emphasize and I do mean EMPHASIZE that reading is delayed, NOT ELIMINATED. As a matter of fact, I would put it across as something I found of humorous curiosity that a ‘parent’ assumed her child would not learn to read music, and that I had to assure the parent that reading is extremely important and does come after a healthy repertoire has been established so they know SM encompasses all of this. I would also emphasize working with the brain as it actually likes to learn naturally. I would also, and I think this is important, emphasize how much more comfortable I, as a teacher, have become playing various styles of music myself even though I came from a classical traditional background and had no prior experience in the other styles. I would tell them that I was amazed at how easy and fun it was/is to learn these other styles of playing as presented by the SM way. That it wasn’t the daunting task of throwing myself into an arena I was not comfortable in and trying to tread water, so to speak, so I wouldn’t drown. I would also make sure the teacher who invited you and is interested, is the one you have do the Ode To Joy demonstration. She is already open-minded or you wouldn’t be there. She’ll probably be your support. Hope this helps. Please let us all know how it goes. |