long-term relationship conversation
Young Student Wanting to Quit Lessons
I have just lost a young student (7) who was, until mid level 2, loving the piano, practicing diligently without any encouragement needed. Then just before the school holidays we had two weeks where she barely played and then her father informed me she just…
Trying Out Lessons
I have run three FIS’s over the past week, and have encountered a number of potential parents who use the phrase “we want to give it a go”. Now, I know this is a phrase we don’t like to hear necessarily – as “giving it…
Quitting Families
Siblings in a shared lesson with 2 others, just finishing Foundation One (12 lessons) Big brother learning faster than average, and faster than his sister. Mom says they are having trouble at home because they are playing the same material, he wants to go faster…
Practice Expectations
A LOT has been said about this topic both in the SM teacher body and the greater global teacher community. I’d be interested in a more pointed discussion about possible alternatives to how teachers current converse about practice expectations. While Simply Music has gone to…
Weariness in Online Lessons
We’re now nearly three months into online lessons, and I’m sensing a growing weariness in some (not all) of my students. Anyone else experiencing the same thing? It’s normal for some of them to have a summer slump, but this feels different. What are some…
Making Online Lessons Simple
I promised I’d send online ideas that make it SIMPLE for beginning onliners. I’ve been doing this for a while now. It is particularly helpful I find for kids in groups online. It helps the lesson get off to a flying start at that typically…
Internal Motivation
Has anyone heard of school teachers saying children should use their own ‘internal motivation’ rather than pushing them to do something? We were discussing reward for completing tasks. Poor Mum is confused, I am telling her she needs to guide her children, manage their activities and…
Enrollment with over-committed families
Do any of you have an enrollment protocol to keep people who are over-committers from enrolling, or do you just let the turnover happen? At the FIS, I make it very clear that I require a parent to attend class — to see the value…
Students in valleys
I have two students who have become incredibly frustrated lately and are ready to quit. They’re both in Level 2. One, a 16-year-old beginner who was very motivated to learn and was doing absolutely great, stopped practicing about a month ago, and it was obvious.…
“Trying it out”
What is your take on parents who say “We’re just going to try this for a year and see if it works”? Do you take on the student and think of it as an opportunity to impact the parents’ viewpoint since this is the way…