By Wayne Estes I think one of the fun things about practicing and performing these days is recording yourself. After all of the work you put into a piece it is nice to capture it and have a recording for posterity and to send off to grandma and cousins via an email. And it’s nice to capture yourself during your practice session to listen to yourself...
Read MoreBy Julia Kossuth This year, the Studios of Sarah Strout are doing a new practice incentive: Practice for Punches! Our students will be able to see their progress as they achieve punches in the cards for practice time. Our students are required to achieve a certain number of practice minutes relative to their grade each week; if they practice their total minutes, they get a punch in...
Read MoreBy Julia Kossuth I am SO excited to try out a new (at least new for us) tool for students this upcoming year! I've recently discovered www.JoyTunes.com, a free resource to piano teachers with their registration. The creators have offered two fantastic iPad applications that I think will greatly enhance my students' musicality, sight reading, and enjoyment of piano lessons both at the studio and at...
Read MoreFor the past 5+ years, I have run a fairly large studio out of my home. In that time, I've contracted another instructor who traveled to her students, while still maintaining a long waiting list. This winter, the two of us began toying with the idea of partnering to expand the studio and eventually hire another instructor. The idea became a reality a few months later...
Read MoreReady. Set. Go! It’s that time of year. For me, there is only one more week until lessons resume. If you haven’t done so already, you, like me, are probably in the middle of scheduling all of your lesson times for the fall. I dread this time of year. Even though I take the month of August off, it is always a monumental task to find the perfect time for each and every student. The problem is that most of the time I spend way too much time worrying and stressing about it rather than just getting it done! I would rather be out enjoying the last rays of summer, but my fun is spoiled with all that is left undone.