relationship

I have a question about accommodations. I have a 10 year old student with severe anxiety and perfectionism. She is unable to understand that she needs to practice songs even if she doesn’t like them. She is working on this skill, among others, with a…

• Last updated 2 years ago
• accommodations, adapting, adapting the curriculum, adapting to student's needs, ADHD, anxiety, anxious, anxious student, bullying, changing teaching order, dislikes Reading Rhythm, emotion, emotional, emotional limitations, emotional student, emotional students, emotions, encouraging practice, feeling rhythm, helping students feel rhythm, improving rhythm skills, lack of practice, managing emotion, masters of the rhythm, mental health, MORs, moving slowly, neurodivergence, neurodivergent, neurological issues, neurology, not practicing, not wanting to learn song, not wanting to learn songs, omitting pieces from the program, parents of special needs, patience with slow learners, perfection, perfectionism, poor practice, processing rhythm, processing rhythms, reading rhythm, relationship, relationships, rhythm difficulty, rhythmically challenged, RR, slow learner, slow pace, slow progress, special needs, student anxiety, student dislikes songs, teaching rhythm, teaching special needs, therapist, therapy, validate, validating, validation

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…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• benefits, benefits of piano lessons, communicating benefits, dealing with losing a student, keeping them interested, Long Term Relationship, long term relationships, long-term, long-term relationship conversation, losing a student, losing student, losing students, lost interest, LTR, LTR graph, navigating a valley, quitting, quitting lessons, relationship, relationship conversation, retaining students, sticking with piano long term, student valley, students losing interest, students quitting, valley, valleys, want to quit

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…

• Last updated 3 years ago
• 4-song workshop, commit, commitment, commitment to lessons, give it a go, giving it a go, Long Term Relationship, long term relationships, long-term, long-term relationship conversation, LTR, LTR graph, relationship, relationship conversation, relationship graph, sample lessons, sampling lessons, sticking with piano long term, teaching workshops, trail before committing, trial lesson, trial period, try it out, trying it out, trying lessons, workshop, workshop SHMs, Workshops

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…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• 4-song workshop, accompaniment games, accompaniment workshop, benefits of group lessons, benefits of online lessons, certificates, certificates for each level, certificates of achievement, chord games, cocktail parties, comfort in teaching groups, distance lessons, FaceTime, fatigue, fun, fun in lessons, fun with accompaniment, games, Google Hangouts, gratitude, groups, keeping groups together, learning online, learning via webcam, Long Term Relationship, long term relationships, long-term relationship conversation, long-term relationship with teaching, LTR, managing groups, musical games, online, online groups, online learning, online lessons, Piano at Home, piano parties, piano party, playlist games, relationship, relationship conversation, rhythm games, Skype, slump, summer camps, taking videos, teaching groups, teaching online, teaching workshops, tired, using a webcam to teach, using games, value of groups, video, videoconference software, videos, weariness, weary, workshop, Workshops, Zoom

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…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• adding students to a group, benefits of group lessons, benefits of shared lessons, break the ice, breaking down barriers, comfort in teaching groups, communicate, communication, forming groups, friends, group, group dynamics, group lesson, group lessons, group lessons scheduling, group obstacles, groups, ice-breaker, icebreaker, leading groups, managing groups, managing shared lessons, relationship, relationships, scheduling groups, scheduling shared lessons, setting up groups, shared, shared lesson, shared lesson ideas, shared lesson management, shared lessons, shared lessons management, starting groups, teaching friends, teaching groups, value of groups

You know how you have a little small talk before the class begins…finding out how they are and how piano was that week? Well, this week I tried a little different angle. I asked “Did you make any musical discoveries this week”. The answers surprised…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• checking in, communicate, communicating where you are at, communication, conversations, discovery, question, relationship, relationships, small talk, talking about SM

I have found quite a few of my students are very emotional at lessons. When that happens, lessons are a bit of stressful for me sometimes. Do you have similar experience? My own children (now grown) never exhibited this sort of behaviors when they were…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• behavior, behavior in class, behavior issues, challenge, challenges, challenging behavior, challenging student, communicate, communicating where you are at, communication, cry, crying, disappointment, emotion, emotional, emotional limitations, emotional student, emotional students, emotions, expectations for behavior, expression, feelings, frustrated, frustrated student, frustration, managing emotion, misbehavior, mistakes, negative behavior, playing through mistakes, relationship, relationship with coach, relationships, self expression, stress, student behavior, student makes me feel uncomfortable, upset

I’m sensing my own impatience lately with some of my adult students! I also feel like I’ve been getting lots of “I’m nervous” and “it was perfect at home” from them. Maybe it’s just me… I’m not quite sure what’s going on. I’m just feeling…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• adult students, at home practice, enhancing practice, file folder analogy, frustrated, frustrated student, frustration, group lesson, group lessons, how to practice, impatience, Laurie Richards, Long Term Relationship, long term relationships, long-term relationship with teaching, LTR, managing practice, mistakes, nerves, nervous, nervousness, perfection, piano teacher effect, pract, practice, practice guidelines, practice habits, practice ideas, practice location, practicing, practicing guidelines, relationship, relationships, Robin Keehn, teacher effect

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…

• Last updated 5 years ago
• claiming territory, coach, coach responsibility, commitment, commitment to lessons, discipline, encouragement, encouraging parents, encouraging practice, encouraging students, enjoying the process, external rewards, extrinsic rewards, holding coaches accountable, holding students accountable, intrinsic rewards, Long Term Relationship, long term relationships, long-term relationship conversation, LTR, managing practice, motivation, parent support, parental responsibility, practice, practice habits, practicing, practicing guidelines, quitting, relationship, relationship conversation, relationship with coach, relationships, requirement, requirements, responsibility, rewards, student interests, student rewards, unmotivated, unmotivated students, unsupportive parent, want to quit

I have an ethical dilemma. I have had students try out for school talent shows and have had each one get chosen. One even went to state competition with a song he wrote. I know there is an elimination process for all of life’s events.…

• Last updated 7 years ago
• disappointment, encouragement, Laurie Richards, relationship, talent shows