Laurie Richards

I mentioned in another post that my students have the opportunity once a month to play at a retirement center. We go to the same one each month. I just wanted to share last week’s experience playing there. I only had about 12 students sign…

• Last updated 2 weeks ago
• concert, concerts, ideas for recitals, Laurie Richards, performance, recital, recital acknowledgments, recital ideas, recital introductions, recital program, recital programs, recital space, recital venues, recitals, retirement center

I’d like for students to have some longer pieces for the recital. Any thoughts on doing this? I could have students do some variations/arrangements together into one piece or perhaps have them make up their own variations for arrangements to add. Any thoughts on how…

• Last updated 2 weeks ago
• arrangements, concert, concerts, creating medleys, ideas for recitals, Laurie Richards, length of songs, long pieces, longer pieces, medley, open stage, performance, recital, recital ideas, recitals, short pieces, variations

Would anyone like to start a discussion re piano parties? I’m most interested in tools that might help the families of the kids be involved and that sneak in some SM concepts. But if you have any other suggestions for things that were really wonderful–…

• Last updated 1 month ago
• concert, games, ideas for recitals, Laurie Richards, musical games, open stage, performance, piano parties, piano party, playing duet at recital, recital, recital ideas, recital introductions, recital program, recital programs

I tried a little something this morning in my group lesson that worked well. We’re in F4 and to review the play list, we did a round robin STARTING WITH ME and only playing the first phrase. It seemed to give them some security to…

• Last updated 1 month ago
• demo, demonstrating, demonstration, group, group lesson, groups, Laurie Richards, managing groups, managing shared lessons, online groups, round robin, shared lesson, shared lesson ideas, shared lesson management, shared lessons, shared lessons management, teaching groups, tips

I am very interested for myself and my students to create medleys. Inspired by Laurie Richards amazing SM Levels 1 through 4 medley. I’m wondering if there are special things to know besides what I already know. What I already know is that one can…

• Last updated 4 months ago
• changing keys, creating medleys, key, Laurie Richards, medley

I meant to mention this when I first wrote last week about the advantages of shared lessons, in case anyone was wondering: there were a few items from that video brainstorming session that I purposely left out. Here’s why: Wider possibility of teaching venues More…

• Last updated 5 months ago
• benefits of group lessons, benefits of shared lessons, ensemble, ensemble playing, group, groups, Laurie Richards, shared lesson, shared lessons, teaching groups, value of groups

Due to Covid restrictions I’m sad that this year I won’t get to do my usual Christmas Carol sing along at a rest home. My study’s would learn to accompany carols and we would perform/play and sing along with the residents. I can’t even do…

• Last updated 5 months ago
• accompaniment games, accompaniment workshop, benefits of online lessons, Christmas, Christmas accompaniment, Christmas Carols, Christmas songs, covering recital cost, distance lessons, games, holiday, holiday songs, holidays, ideas for recitals, jam sessions, jamming, Laurie Richards, learning online, learning via webcam, musical games, online, online learning, online lessons, online recital, piano party, playlist games, private recital, public recital, public recitals, recital, recital cost, recital format, recital ideas, recital program, recital programs, recital size, recital space, recital venues, recitals, singalongs, singing along, teaching online, ukulele, using a webcam to teach, videoconference software, Workshops, Zoom

Hi teachers, just curious how everyone is handling the Reading Rhythm process with online students. Are you having them play the tracks to the audio, a metronome, one handed while tapping the beat or having the coach clap? Any preference towards any of these? They’re…

• Last updated 6 months ago
• benefits of online lessons, call and response, clapping, clapping the beat, distance lessons, internal metronome, Laurie Richards, learning online, learning via webcam, metronome, online, online learning, online lessons, reading r, reading rhythm, rhythm tracks, RR, tapping, tapping sdq, teaching online, using a webcam to teach, using audio tracks, videoconference software, voicing, voicing rhythms with words

For anyone out there teaching groups, where do you teach? I’ve checked with music stores and a few other places, with no luck as of yet. I got a quote from a church for $20/hour to use their room. I thought it sounded a little…

• Last updated 7 months ago
• church rental, commercial space, commercial studio, group lesson, group lessons, group obstacles, groups, Home, home studio, in-home studio, large groups, Laurie Richards, location, locations, paying rent, relocating studio, rent, rental rate, room charge, room rental, shared lesson, shared lessons, small studio space, studio, studio location, studio relocation, teaching location, teaching space

I have been teaching since October 2009 and I enjoyed teaching at first, but lately I’ve been getting very frustrated with Simply Music. Around here(Central IL) I can hardly get students, let alone get them to pay enough to make me a profit. I’m being…

• Last updated 8 months ago
• adjusting tuition, collecting tuition, discussing rates, earnings, explaining tuition, income, increasing tuition, inquiries about rates, Laurie Richards, lesson prices, lesson rates, low earnings, low income, monthly lessons, monthly vs per-lesson tuition rate, not making money, price, prices, pricing, quitting, raising prices, raising tuition, rates, recruiting, setting prices, setting rates, Simply Music lesson prices, traditional lesson prices, tuition, tuition policies, tuition policy, tuition rate, tuition rates