There comes a point in every students’ learning when practice becomes arduous and stale. This can happen to any student at any age or skill level. Often hectic work or school schedules leave little time for practice making it feel like a chore, or students plateau at times and feel as if they are not making progress. The plateau often happens at the intersect of...
Read MoreWhen students start private lessons, it would be reasonable to expect that his/her lesson would be focused on the instrument they’re most excited about. Voice lessons are no exception – after all, singers want to sing! As far as instruments go, the barrier to entry for singing lessons is as low as it gets: you already own the instrument, and you already know how to...
Read MoreAs the holiday season arrives, I find students are seizing extra opportunities to perform live – sometimes for the first time. Often, the last lesson preceding their event is spent discussing the finer points of stage presence, and its ability to boost a performance. Inexperienced performers are often overwhelmed by nerves leading up to and during a gig. Shaking hands, knees, racing heart, difficulty breathing:...
Read MoreFostering the habits of a successful music major I often meet students who have high hopes of pursuing music on a collegiate level. Sometimes these students are elementary school students just beginning their musical studies, and sometimes they’re in high school and much closer to their college career. No matter what age, there are habits that I believe set a student up for a better chance...
Read MoreDo your students have trouble playing in time? Years ago, when I first began teaching some part-time lessons to friend’s kids I did not have a home or studio to teach in, so I taught in each students home, driving from house to house. This gave me a bunch of great experience in seeing the family dynamic and it created some great stories, so I guess...
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