The Importance of Performances
Two common struggles of teachers/studio owners are motivating students and keeping students long-term. These are, of course, related to each other. A student who isn’t motivated to practice his instrument probably isn’t enjoying the experience and isn’t progr
essing, and it’s likely that it won’t be long before his family feels the investment is a waste of money and decides to pull their child out of lessons.
That said, I’ve never been one to implement reward programs to try to motivate a student. I’ve known teachers who provide prizes or even monetary rewards for students who practice a certain number of times per week, but in my experience these can be ineffective and expensive. Instead, I have found that providing students with performance opportunities motivates students to practice and in doing so, helps encourage a long-term relationship with the student and his family.
A month ago I added an iPad to the collection of devices in my house. It’s a fun toy and I have enjoyed adding apps, books, and games. But the real reason I am excited about my iPad is the almost endless ways I have begun to use it in my teaching studio.
Communicating with parents can be scary and intimidating. After all, they are our bread and butter and we certainly want to keep them happy. However, they deserve to know exactly how their children are proceeding at all times in their musical studies. There are many ways to handle sharing your evaluation of a student with their parents. Phone calls, emails, letters, conferences, and weekly progress reports can be done. This year I have vowed to do an even better job of connecting with parents.
When I mentioned to my husband that this month’s blog would be about balance, he laughed and suggested that I first start to make some changes, and then write and article in six months to share how I achieved a more balanced lifestyle. I have to admit that he is right. I have not done well with balance over the last two months. Most of us start the year with high expectations, good intentions, high energy and a long list of goals. That was how I began September – full of energy, many students, a waiting list, and lots of projects. By the second week of lessons, I had already suffered from illness due to stress. I was out of balance – I had fallen off the beam.