requirements
Turning Down Potential Students
Have you ever turned down a potential student even though they really wanted to start lessons? 😬 What were your reasons? What questions do you ask potential students either during FIS or during initial interactions in order to get a better sense of whether they…
Regaining Control of Parents and Students
I have finally gotten good at teaching SM and the studio is quickly growing. My biggest problem is still left over from being a traditional studio. Coaches are not doing their jobs 50% of the times. They won’t sit down at the piano, they won’t…
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…
Collecting Evaluation Forms
I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or insight on getting evaluations back in a complete and timely matter. For multiple reasons I have struggled with this, and while I know at the core is the fact that they are not doing what…
Resistance Writing Lyrics
One of my farthest-along students is pushing back on writing lyrics because she doesn’t want to sing. I assigned composition two weeks in a row–make up a song. Then I assigned to make up words for the song. Mom texted me today (their lesson is…
SHM After Discontinuing Lessons
I have a question about the SHM. I talked to my boss at the studio the other day and she was concerned about students possibly discontinuing lessons with me and then proceeding to use the videos and purchasing additional levels to learn the songs. She…
Development Levels Required
Is it intended that we WILL DO the Development levels or are they just a source choice of reading material when the Foundation levels are finished? If students begin to source a variety of their own reading material and we are helping them with that,…
Requirement Success
Sharing a requirement-based success story. I had a family recently whose two children never practiced consistently since they started. I told parents and children consistently the past week before spring break and week following that it wasn’t a problem, but that it wasn’t going to…
Students Wants to Limit Assignments
How would my expert teachers out there manage a student who was absolutely adamant that they should only have 1 NEW song to practice each week. Regardless of if they get it easy or not; how can I correct this limiting belief in their psychology…