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09 Jan

Studio Field Trip

by cconrad
in Marketing, Performance, Program Development, teacher resourses, Teaching
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Conductors003Have you ever done a field trip with your studio? I’m attempting one — sort of.

Each year, our local symphony holds a children’s symphony — a free, interactive performance that plays lots of kid-friendly songs…and lasts under an hour.

While I’m not exactly organizing and transporting the 30 students in my studio to the event (I can barely keep track of my own two kids), I am encouraging everyone to attend and providing supplementary material at music classes and for parents. Here’s what I’m doing for students enrolled in piano lessons at my studio:

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10 Jul

Evaluating Yourself as a Teacher

by cconrad
in Performance, Policies and Procedures, Program Development
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bloggityLast month I wrote about how I use my completely non-professional equipment (as in iPhone) to record my students playing and allow them to hear mistakes, or record myself playing a passage they struggle with so they have a sample for home practice. I recently decided to use recording technology to record a few lessons and evaluate my teaching abilities.

I recorded myself teaching when I was introducing a new piece to a student, and then recorded the middle stage of the piece, where it was coming along nicely but we were working out a lot of rhythm kinks and adding layers and such. Besides being an awkward viewing experience (does anyone really enjoy seeing themselves on camera?), it was actually beneficial. I was able to pick up on little things I did well in the lesson and watch how it “clicked” with the student, and I was able to see the moments where I was losing the student’s interest. I learned from watching myself during the first recording that I have a tendency to talk and explain how I want something to sound. Certainly explaining and talking is a part of lessons, but seeing myself in action caused me to realize that I need to keep the student playing or listening to keep him engaged. I now have added awareness of this tendency and work hard to let the majority of lessons be about the student’s playing and putting into action the things we talk about.

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03 Jun

How are we doing?

by admin
in Marketing, Policies and Procedures, Program Development
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survey

How do you determine if you are meeting the needs of your customers? Periodically, I have created surveys for my students to evaluate my teaching and my studio programs. In the past, I have used the MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) assessment tools and have also developed custom surveys. I have usually handed out hard copies of assessments and it has been a very valuable tool. This is the first year I have used an online survey, though they have been around awhile!

Survey Monkey is an excellent option for creating an online survey. Sign up is easy and available through a Google or Facebook account if you prefer. Most importantly it is free! However, one drawback is that a free account only allows a total of ten questions. I did have to scale back on questions, but a shorter survey may be more likely to get filled out. If you want more questions and more services, you can upgrade your account for a monthly fee.

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21 Feb

The 100-Day Practice Challenge

by admin
in Performance, Policies and Procedures, Program Development
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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

In the November issue of Clavier’s Piano Explorer (a wonderful little magazine for piano students), there was an article on creating good practice habits. The challenge was for students to practice 100 days in a row. Students that completed the challenge get to have their names printed in a future issue of the magazine. To motivate my students to develop the habit of practicing every day, I adopted the 100-day challenge in my studio, offering prizes to those who complete the challenge. In addition, I decided to take the challenge as well!

Recently I completed the challenge along with a handful of students. Practicing every day became a habit that I made time for. Part of committing to the challenge meant that practice did indeed have to happen every day, no matter what – like brushing your teeth. For students that went on vacation and had no access to a piano, listening to a recording of their piece was an optional substitute for practice, but only if absolutely necessary.

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21 Aug

Self-help Pedagogy: Part 3

by admin
in Performance, Program Development
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In the last of this three-part series, I will review ideas from Marienne Uszler’s book, That’s a Good Question…How to Teach by Asking Questions. To begin, start by examining your own teaching either by audio or video recording yourself, or by simply taking notes and being aware of how you interact with students by asking questions. Do you do all of the talking? Do you allow time for the student to answer? Do you listen to the student’s answer? What types of questions do you employ, closed or open?

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