School is out, so stress levels go down, and schedules lighten….right? Not really. At least, not for teachers that continue to teach in those lazy, hazy days of summer. It can be a unique challenge to maintain student progress when schedules are in flux. Teachers are tasked with planning the curriculum around a long string of vacations and stay-away summer camps, or forsake progress until...
Read MoreAs a teacher that is constantly explaining to parents and students the importance of daily practice many are surprised when I say to a break. This is not advice I would give to a new student or a student that does not practice enough but only for advanced students that work and are playing hours a day. For this type of student taking short breaks...
Read MoreAs the school year winds down, students are focusing on end-of-year grades and summer plans. Unfortunately, that often means an end to music lessons for the summer. That doesn’t have to happen! Students need something to do during their two months off – what a great opportunity to focus on making some serious progress on their instrument or picking up some new music skills. Consider talking...
Read MoreI discovered a neat trick in my private school guitar classroom last week…notation on the big screen. Every student was engaged and reading or trying to read and I could walk around the classroom and look at their technique and make suggestions while the others played along to the music. I have been searching for a more intelligent way of teaching a group of students in...
Read MoreIt’s that “most wonderful time” once again – and if your studio is anything like mine, you’ve been eyeing that stack of Christmas song books for the last few weeks wondering when the right time to start Christmas music. Here are a few ideas for incorporating Christmas songs into your lesson time to initiate thoughtful discussion with your students. Christmas songs are a great time to...
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