April Fools!

It is about this time of year when students get a little antsy. The skies are gray, temperatures fluctuate between glorious and heinous, and that long-awaited for spring break is so close they can taste it… almost as well as they can preemptively taste that basket full of Easter goodies. Here are a few tips to keep your students on track when things get gloomy and lessons start to feel like a tractor-pull through quicksand… 

• Watch Netflix instead of actually having music lessons. The exposure to movie music and trite sit-com openers will make your students better composers.
• Turn on a video of an inspirational YouTube artist. YouTube artists suffer through the agony and rigors of uploading and occasionally maintaining their channels for viewers. They surely have proven their merits… We should all really, really respect everything they say.
• Find 5 “different” ways of playing your instrument. Shoes and socks are optional.
• For singers and string players, practice dancing while singing/playing your instrument. It encourages good sound production.
• Talk about politics and assert your opinion. A student will respect you more when they realize how different your opinions are than their own.
• Encourage multi-tasking by having your students blow their nose and sing at the same time while keeping a steady beat with their feet. The more your students can do at one time, the better they will be at making music. Plus, it will train them to play through those pesky allergies.
• Any music involving red solo cups and approximate rhythms is highly encouraged.

The goal in all music-making should be: have fun regardless of learning. Now, assuming you have reached the end of this blog post without flipping a table, I’m happy to say….

APRIL FOOLS!!!!!!