motivation
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…
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…
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…
Students want to move faster
I’m having some issues with some students that want to move ‘faster’. There’s a lot we’re trying to fit in during a lesson, but for some students it doesn’t feel like enough, at least according to them. Usually with these students, the playlist suffers. Just…
Teaching and coaching your own children
I am desperately seeking help for teaching my own daughter. She is 14, and we have been doing SM in a group for 5 years now, and are in the midst of Level 6. Even though she does not like it, she mostly has been…
How do we get students to answer truthfully about their relationship to piano?
I was wondering about a couple of things and if anyone has any advice or thoughts, or can direct me to anything in the library section of the SM intranet for guidance. Here are my questions: How to go about determining and addressing the gap…
Keeping students practicing during break
Due to personal reasons, I will be taking a month off of teaching. Any tips I can pass along to parents, so students don’t lose ground during the break? Perhaps a 30-day challenge. Play every day for 30 days. A composition a week…and each class…
Playing for Peeps -Fun Easter Contest
This is a fun way to encourage students to play their songs for people in a causal way… to get low-stress performance experience, to feel more encouraged & motivated by their playing when new people hear them play, and as an extra by-product maybe even…
Offering Students Rewards
Regarding ‘intrinsic’ or ‘extrinsic’ motivation as a teaching practice, I am one of those teachers who doesn’t like to use what I consider to be bribes (i.e. lollipops, smiley faces, whatever) to get a child to practice. I can see the distinction between a ‘bribe’…
32 day Challenge Prizes
I am wondering if anyone has any ideas for prizes for the completion of the 32-day challenge? It seems like it would be easy to ”overdo” just as it might be easy enough to underplay and not give ‘enough’ of a prize. I am open…