Many of my students love to draw and color. A new practice I’ll be starting in January 2010 is to have my youngsters draw, color, paint, collage, etc one picture for every day that they practice during the week.
All they have to do is create a picture that represents how that practice session was for them. They could draw to show how they felt, how the practice was, or what the music made them think of.
When they arrive the following week they’ll have a small “booklet” of images telling the story of their practice week. Then using Garageband, the iMac and my microphone, we’ll record a brief improvisation that matches the image. The student will create a score for their “mini-play”. I’ll send them the complete MP3 file and then they can have “theatre” performances at home with family members and friends.
My expectation is that some students will be inspired to create scenes/images outside the realm of piano practice and delve into the creative story-telling process with music. My hope is that the activity will be so fun that they will want to practice more days so that they have more images. Of course I’ll have to put a limit of one image per day of practice in order to inspire that motivation!
Anyone who has done this or has any input, comments, etc. please send them to me. I’m grateful for any support I receive.
Another book I’m reading that has helped reinforce some instincts I’ve had as a teacher….and has opened my eyes to ways I can still play as an adult. So far I can say that the heightened awareness of play has helped me pay attention to my students “playfulness” more. I notice that some students prefer to play songs their own way. While my goal is to have them learn and master the existing notation system and develop into sensitive intelligent musicians, I am sometimes conflicted about correcting them when they are intentionally “creating”. In the past I used to think I was failing as a teacher, but as I spent more time “letting go” and learning how to praise the young student’s every act of musical spontaneity, I’m finding they are plenty willing to do it “my way” when they’ve been given the freedom to do it their way, too. This has given me great joy and has resulted in much more laughter in the studio!
ISBN: 978-1-58333-333-4
A great place to get books at delightfully inexpensive prices is www.cheapesttextbooks.com
Tags: education, fun, Great Book, play
A must have for any pianist
Every pianist should have this book. Seymour Bernstein has generously share his lifetime’s work so that we may be actualized fully has human beings. He includes case studies of students, psychology, humor and exercises for strength, stretching and particularly how to free the thumb from the wrist. A joyful and valuable read. You will be touched and moved by how much this man loves you and cares about you as a person.
ISBN: 0-7935-5712-7
A great place to get books at delightfully inexpensive prices is www.cheapesttextbooks.com
Tags: education, Great Book, music
I did not create this practice method, but would like to give credit to Helen Marlais. It was in her publication that I first saw it in print.
This is a GEM for students of all ages. The rule is simple:
Once you’ve chosen a section of music (a measure or more), you practice slow enough to be able to play it with no mistakes (That means correct notes, correct counting and correct fingers).
Once you can do this, you will apply the 3 x 1 rule:
- Practice the section 3 times slowly. You have to get 3 in a row that are mistake free!
- Once you accomplish this, you play one time faster (not crazy, but at a somewhat riskier speed.) No matter what happens you MUST NOT TRY TO FIX IT OR PLAY IT FAST AGAIN.
- Instead you immediately return to the slow speed from before and play the section 3 times slowly. Once again you must play 3 times in a row mistake-free.
- After that, you play at a riskier faster speed and watch the miracle unfold before your eyes.
I do this with my students step by step and when they get to the end and their playing is so improved they are always amazed. No matter their age, they look as if a magic trick has just occurred.
Then we talk about how to use this approach and when it is most important. For the little ones, it is a game of concentration to see how quickly they can get the mistake-free playing. You can add extra fun by putting a timer on the task and also by creating a reward system such as, “You get to choose the next activity if you can finish the 3 x 1 game in less than 3 minutes.” etc. Or, “I’ll squawk like a chicken if you can finish the 3 x 1 game in less than 2 minutes.” The idea is to make it fun. This can be a fun way to teach your students how to be meticulous and at the same time have them produce results faster which will make them happy and increase their confidence, too.
I use my iMac and Garageband to record my students’ songs. Then I have them listen to the playback and tell me what they heard, what was great?, what could be improved? They LOVE it! And they improve their listening skills and take greater responsibility for applying the fundamentals of dynamics, counting and phrasing….without me having to always point it out first! Now the lessons are more collaborative.
My equipment: 20 inch iMac, $170.00 microphone, $30.00 mic stand, $35.00 usb external speakers for better playback
THE SURPRISE! I also record my students’ improvisations. This is one of the favorite activities. I then convert the files to MP3 and e-mail to the students/parents.
To my delight I found out that the parent who can’t come to lessons now feels included since they can listen to the progress on their own time AND many parents are e-mailing the files to out of town relatives who don’t often get a chance to hear the life performances! It’s bringing grandma and grandpa closer than ever.
It’s also a great way for the piano student’s sibling(s) to get excited about what goes on at piano lessons…..and perhaps come check it out!
FUN, FUN, FUN!
I’m grateful to a wonderful piano teacher in Wisconsin who enlightened me to the importance of a Studio Policy Statement. She helped me see that it is important to clearly state what is acceptable and unacceptable, what the policy for payment and refunds is, and some of the most important items: Cancellations, terminations and make up lessons.
Whether you have a website or not, a policy statement can be brief or extensive. It could also mean the difference between winning or losing a small claims court case when a student or parent doesn’t pay for services rendered.
What was most unexpected, though, was that as I began to write my policy statement, I realized who I was and what type of business I was intending to have. In the end, I developed a stronger sense of my future and how to drive forward once I had clearly formulated my policies. And….It was rather fun to do it.
Here is a link to my studio policy statement. Please use it, copy it for yourself and modify it to suit your needs.
I offer a trial lesson before a student can officially sign up for lessons with me. It gives me a chance to meet them, ask them personal questions and see how they interact with their parents. I get a chance to explain my philosophy and approach as well as make it very clear what is required and expected of my students and parents. I make a point of clarifying that while they are here to get to know me and gather the information they need to make a satisfied choice, I too, must agree that the student is ready to enter my studio. In the end, I have had parents thank me for being honest when I have declined their request to join my studio. I find most people respond gratefully to genuine, kind-hearted honesty. It is also useful to have other resources and recommendations ready in case I am unwilling to accept the student.
I’d like to share a few things I look out for that are clear circumstances for me not accepting a student into my studio. Here is what I look for:
- Energy & Enthusiasm
- The student’s behavior with me and his/her parents
- The parents behavior and attitude
No matter the age of the young beginner, if they spend the entire hour of the introductory piano lesson sluggish and unresponsive (assuming all of my talents for working with children fail) I usually will not accept them into my studio.
Additionally, if the child continually gets off the bench and runs around or simply will not try anything I offer (again, assuming all of my talents for working with youngsters completely fails), then I will not likely accept this student.
The last category applies to both the student and the parent. If the student is disrespectful to me during the introductory lesson and the parent does not intervene or correct the student’s behavior, I will certainly not accept this student into my studio. I will also not admit a student if the parent is belligerent or disrespectful to me during the introductory lesson.
I love being a piano teacher, and I love to play! When I first started my piano studio www.yunglingpianostudio.com, I knew that fun was going to have to be an integral part of the experience or young people today just wouldn’t have anything to do with it. And judging from the horror stories told by parents of their own “ruler to knuckle” piano lessons, I knew “fun” wasn’t just important to the youngster, but it was an important value held by the parents. Our world has changed, music education is no longer part of the standard curriculum. It’s flat out an extra-curricular activity, and we music teachers have the honor and responsibility to keep young people interested in music….for life! And using play is the way we’re going to do it.
Much like American Idol, a music teacher is trying to avoid elimination by being voted off in favor of something more desirable like soccer or videogames. And yet, our mission is hardly what I would call a popularity contest. The paradox is obvious, but at the end of the day, we must make music attractive in order to get the children into the music studio. From there we turn ourselves inside out to help spark a lifelong interest and love of music making. We work and play so that our students find their own personal connection to music. And once the student has found his or her connection to music, the journey changes from one of “trying this out to see if I like it” to a joyful collaboration between student and teacher where play and enthusiasm are generated from within.