claiming territory
Parent and Child Lesson?
I have a working parent, interested to start taking lessons alongside her child (neither has begun yet). I appreciate that logistically this makes far more sense, than for her to join a parent class, and then also attend her child’s class, when she already has…
Students who want Private Lessons
I keep getting students who are not “happy” with their group (for various unimportant reasons) and want to either move group or have private one-on-one lessons instead. I prefer to teach mainly in groups but find myself “bending over backwards” for students only to have…
Teens and Claiming Territory
I wanted to share a territory victory, even though it caused me to lose a student. This student was 12 (not quite a teenager, but BOY did she act like one). I told her coming in, as I do with all prospective students of this…
Bored Student
This is probably a moot point because this student has all but decided to quit, but I’ll ask anyhow. Here’s the background: 17 year old student, who was my most advanced of traditional students when I transferred my studio over to Simply Music. He has…
Student Playing Too Fast
I have two individual cases where my students (both around 9 years old) want to merely “execute” the song – and as fast as possible! I have played to them with a lot of love, with the appropriate speed that the song requires, but once…
Playing Speed
There are songs we can play without thinking, at a fast tempo. Should we also still be able to play them slowly? Some of my students are in the situation where they can play the former (fast) but not the latter (slowly). I suggested that they…
Managing Students Who Don’t Follow Instructions
I have an adult student who has been SO keen and enthusiastic and constantly comes back saying that he has gone further into the video, and taught himself, pieces we have not covered yet. I have explained a few times that this is not acceptable.…
Students Not Wanting to Learn Blues
I have a student named Karen that is 63 and is in a group with 2 other women. All of them have prior experience, and things are going well. We are in the middle of level 2 and have had 12 lessons. Karen however, from…
Not Following Instructions and Note Taking
My adult students are addicted to taking notes. Twice now I’ve given students the SHM and said “Don’t watch the video, and put the music aside for later” and they don’t hear it. Previously, I had written on the students notes for her first lesson…
Managing a Student Who Moved Ahead
I had a 79-year-old lady who is a traditional teacher, sign up for lessons with me so that she could learn herself and then go home and teach her grandkids using this method. Her 89-year-old friend also signed up, and I put them together in…