managing shared lessons
Multilevel Shared Lesson
This week I took the plunge and tried a different sort of class. I love teaching groups and nearly all my after school students are in group classes. During the day though, I have lots of adults that come one by one. Some are in…
Hybrid Lessons
I’m finding in some of my small groups that individuals need some one on one that is hard to achieve in a group setting. I’m curious if any of you do ‘hybrid’ lessons when one week they might be in a group and the next…
Faster Student in Shared Lesson
Sometimes in a shared lesson, one student is ready to move on from a project before others are quite ready. Let’s share some ideas for an extra “filler” project for that student. I’ll start: Utilize one of the Supplemental Programs – assign one project from…
Multiple Pianos vs One Piano
LONG STORY SHORT: I’m looking for advice about shared lessons and expectations about having multiple pianos for students to use during the lesson. About a month ago, I received a call from a retired Simply Music teacher. Her long-time friend had observed her joy at…
Shared Lesson Distractions
I had a horrible time last night with a shared lesson. I have two kids together in a shared lesson – ,my room is not big enough to have more than that. The two mums sat on the couch and chatted most of the way…
Scheduling
I’m starting my third year, and my studio just grew from 20 to 27. At the smaller size I had smaller classes, designed not only around age and ability but also around each family’s schedule. My scheduling process has been to ask each family what…
Teacher Starts Round Robin
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…
Charging Fees per Level
I will be teaching group lessons through the local Parks and Recreation Department. Since I have to have “sections” I have arranged them by levels running 10 weeks. The students also pay a lump sum for the 10 week session. To figure out the price…
Ideal Group Size & Age
A teacher asks about the ideal size and age for groups. Here is Neil Moore’s response. The Ideal Size and Age of Groups https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0uZulD7Ekk&list=PL3o0aF_9qHn4F2sy8QRuPb_jf_r4D9823&index=22 Original video posted March 27, 2017
Ice-Breakers for New Groups
Any great ice-breaker ideas for piano lessons?!?!? I’ve been recommitting to group lessons this year and so I have several returning students who are coming together in new groups. While they all know me, they’ll be new to each other and I’d love to find…