claiming territory

Showing 21 - 30 of 114 results in claiming territory

Struggles with Alma Mater Blues

I need suggestions about an 11-year-old girl in a shared lesson with another 11-year-old. They both benefit from the shared setting (both were private until 2 months ago). She practices more since being in the shared situation, and the other student (a boy) is learning…

Motivating students to practice entire playlist

I am looking for any and all tips, input, ideas, and strategies to help motivate students to play piano regularly, and incorporate their entire playlist, not just their favorite songs. I have exhausted all I can think of and have continual difficulty with several students…

Unmotivated students

I have a group of young girls. Their practice is sporadic, and two of them haven’t watched videos in four weeks or more. The third one moans and groans with her mother about practicing. One mom told me yesterday at the lesson, “She only practiced…

Student refuses to watch SHM videos

I have a student that I’ve been teaching for just over 3 months. She practices regularly, but refuses to watch the videos. Her mom will not enforce this. It’s definitely slowing her down by not watching them, but she is still making good progress. How…

Student canceling lesson with short notice

I wanted to share a difficult conversation success I had recently: a teenage student attempted to cancel a lesson 30 minutes prior, by saying they were sick. To me, this felt like a classic case of claiming territory, making it necessary for me to let…

Webinar Series: 09/12/2017 – Piano – Creating a Strong Alliance with Coaches

In this webinar we discuss the importance of a strong ‘3-legged-stool’ – an alignment among the teacher, student, and coach. Neil shares an analogy, The Five S’s, to help you visualize this concept and discover your influence as a teacher. Topics include: Introduction & Context…

Non-compliant student

I have a student who comes with his grandmother as coach. She pays for his lessons, but he lives with mom and stepdad. Mom was coming as coach at first, but now it’s grandma. At first this worked fine, and he was making progress. Lately…

Teacher burnout

I’m in a valley, that’s for sure. I’m tired of starting work at 5pm while everyone else is starting to prepare their dinner. And I’m tired of talking to the students constantly about their playlists, tired of hearing them say they practice all their songs…