Hello musicians and music lovers everywhere! Welcome to my blog. I’m very excited to share teaching tips, music resources, personal experiences and my own love of music with you. When a person has time to search the web for music teaching ideas, they should find information that is valuable to them. The internet has many links to fantastic websites that contain almost anything you can imagine and you can access it instantly.
One thing I can share with you that you may not find on other sites is answers to questions that might arise with your piano students. Students come in all shapes and sizes and attitudes. I’ve taught students with ADHD, students with extraordinary talent, students from single parent families, 5 year old students, grandmothers, football players and ballerinas, vocalists who want to learn only to accompany themselves, students who do not want to learn piano, but their mom says otherwise, students with the flu, students who play one or two other instruments, serious students, goofy students; you get the picture. Over the years I’ve learned many lessons from my students and my goal is to share remedies with you. Maybe some hurdle I’ve managed to get over will help you over yours.
When students know you love them #1, and that you love music and know music, and show enthusiasm for their musical progress, you can get through to them. As you may be aware, students tend to drop out of their music lessons when they reach their mid-teens. If we, as teachers, can keep them just a little longer, that extra time can make all the difference in their musical abilities as adults. If a student eventually leaves you knowing how to confidently sight read sacred hymns, or how to competently accompany a soloist or perform their own powerful piano solo – you have done your job. At least that is my humble opinion. And, if they continue from that point, our world will only be a better place. Until next time, adieu.
Teaching Corner:
This week’s theory idea: I teach a lot of beginning piano students. I introduce the music alphabet by having them sing the ABC’s song. The trick is for them to sing to “G” and start over again with “A”. So it would go: “ABCDEFG, ABCDEFG, etc. then finally at the end they can sing, “next time won’t you sing with me?” to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Then when they’re learning the notes and they say “H” – you just smile and remind them there isn’t an H, I, J, K… Everyone laughs and lessons continue.
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