Stop! (And make them happy!)

My precocious 5-year old student was learning about whole notes and whole rests today.  When we played the whole notes, I told him you have to give them a full four counts, or else they won't be happy.  We then encountered whole rests, which he thought looked like a stop light.  That's great, I said, because that's what you do when you get to one - stop playing and rest for four counts.  Just like a whole note, they won't be happy if you don't give them four counts.  He counted out his line, giving every whole note and whole rest it's full four counts.  Are they happy? he asked.  Yes, they are very happy!

A Break Doeth Good

Yesterday was my first full afternoon of teaching since the holidays, and I was pleasantly surprised (if not all-out amazed) at how well my students did!  One young man, who had very spotty lessons through December, came prepared to play his last assigned song quite well.  We had just introduced playing with hands together, and he has come so far on that.  Another older beginner started thinking about how many words could be spelled out of just A-G.  Though I was trying to introduce a song to him, I pulled out the flash cards instead (an idea from another blog) and showed him words from 3 to 7 letters.  He's just learning where all the notes are too, so it was great to see him whiz through them.  We got back to the song and discovered the first three notes spelled ACE!  Many students received new books with new songs to learn, and all seemed eager to try.  While consistent lessons are important, having some time off is needed to refresh and restore everyone!

Onward to the New Year

Reflecting on the past two years, my studio has grown from only two students (friends from a family at church), to starting 2013 off with 15 students acquired from many sources including referrals from other teachers and students, word of mouth, and meeting families through other activities.  Growing the numbers of students I have has been a gradual process, but I am glad it's come slowly.  There's been much to learn: policies to implement, priorities to place, diplomacy to develop.... And much of that learning has come by mistakes that have been made.  I've taken the last couple of weeks off, and look forward to starting back fresh again.  My greatest source of encouragement is still the blog posts I read from other teachers, much more experienced and skilled than I am, yet still facing the same difficulties.  I am looking forward to try reaching out to some "fringe" families this year, trying some new technology in my studio, and trying to be more silly ~ all ideas inspired by blog posts.  Wishing everyone out there a very Happy New Year and may many blessing lie ahead!

One Measure at a Time

I spent most of a student's lesson today on one measure - just eight little notes.  There was a dotted quarter note in the melody, and the student was very frustrated trying to practice it at home.  He couldn't practice it at home - he didn't know how to play the timing.  We had encountered the dotted q. a few times before, but against the left hand, it just wasn't making sense.  So we counted and played slowly and counted some more and repeated it and tried it all again.  By the end of the lesson, the student wanted to practice some more.  What seemed impossible became easy in just a few minutes.  It doesn't always happen in just a few minutes, but this can apply to so many struggles we encounter in life if we just spend some time and patience working it out!

Don't Toss the Books

With many students moving into new books this fall, I have noticed some of the students are so excited to be done with the old level they just want to throw the book away.  I've decided to encourage them to keep their old book by using it as sight reading material. They can go back early in the book to songs they haven't played for a while and hopefully be encouraged by how easy it is to sight read them now.  I am also trying to incorporate sight reading more often into weekly lessons to help them develop the ability to play the pieces straight through, keeping tempo even if they stumble a bit.  We recently had a syllabus adjudicator give a presentation and she told us rather than have a child stop at every mistake while sight reading and fix it, she would rather hear a few fumbles but see that they can play it straight through, as that's what sight readers are called on to do. They may take up to a minute or so to scan the piece first.  So sight reading is also a great application of theory - teaching them to recognize chord patterns and intervals, and notice dynamics and articulation from the start.  Now with a plan for sight reading, I'll be taking in every idea I can find to help them play songs by ear.  I've done this with one of my students.  She chose a hymn she is familiar with, and I helped her chord it.  We wrote down just the lyrics with the chord letters above.  She's doing well, and I hope to try something like that with more of my students.

Moving Soon...

This summer we made an offer on another house nearby and have spent the past 45 or so days "patiently" waiting for the deal to close.  Sometime in the next couple of days we will have keys and start our move.  One thing I am looking forward to is being able to set up my studio in a small room all by itself, so there will be no distractions of ringing phones, people walking through, etc.  I have been very anxious to get everything set up.  It's been especially hard the past couple of weeks as I packed almost all of my books away, so getting them organized in the new book shelves we bought will be such a joy.  I do feel as though I haven't been able to focus on my students nearly as much, but at the same time, it's been nice allowing the lessons to just be what they've needed to be without too much pre-planning and worrying about what does or doesn't get covered.  Hopefully I can strike a balance somewhere in between.  I should have things out an organized just in time to look over Christmas music.  They enjoyed that last year, and it will be fun to see what level of book they're ready for now!  (Wow, it's sure scary talking of Christmas already!)  So next time I post, it should be from a new home, and I my focus can get on to other things....

Defeat the Boss Incentive

I have the blessing of spending time with one of my young piano students this summer while my daughter babysits for him.  I have discovered he loves to play video games.  All day.  As motivation for him to learn his scales, I created the following project for him.  He can color in a circle each time he learns a new major scale, and defeat the boss however he wishes when he learns them all.  Now if he would just play piano with as much determination as he plays Kirby..... :)