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Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I’m so thankful to have a business that has kept
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Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I’m so thankful to have a business that has kept
I’m so thankful to have a thriving business through the pandemic season. Last year I
Give the Gift of Voice Lessons this Holiday Season to a loved one, friend, or
In the beginning, students are eager to practice but eventually the mundane routine kicks in after awhile. How do you keep you or child motivated to practice? Over the 13 + years of teaching I’ve found these tips to be helpful: Finding the right teacher- You want to find a
I’ve recently discovered the Whiteboard feature on Zoom which helps engage my students. It’s been helpful to introduce new concepts
Every Winter time, I host a semi-formal recital where the student has prepared two songs to perform to their parents,
I noticed the more I correct what my student is wrong, the more discouraged they
I have found that giving a estimated time to practice may not be sufficient to
In order to teach several hours in a hour, an ergonomic studio set up is
Many business recently have reopened but due to the recent spike of COVID-19 cases, I will only be zoom lessons. The benefits of zoom lessons are endless. Parents are able to take care of errands and other things around the house if needed without having to worry about drop off and pick up times. Most students 8 year and above are self-sufficient where they don’t need extra parental supervision. So this puts pressure off the parents to be there. Students
When teaching children especially. patience is key. Sometimes the student has difficulty registering a concept or correction and no matter how many repetitions, he/she is still “not getting it.” So what do you do? Past history has taught me that you can’t expect the same results if you’re teaching the same way The solution is to change it up or take a break and come back to it. There’s no benefit in having two people frustrated especially me as a
Music is A LOT about listening so it’s just as important to listen to your own students. In my 11 years of teaching, I’ve learned that my students communicate to me how effective I am at teaching with verbal feedback as well as what is not said. Students progress much faster and better when 1. You affirm them 2. You attune to how their day is/was 3. You are sensitive to their needs. Teaching piano/voice is not just about improving,
As a music instructor who’s been teaching almost 12 years, it’s my natural tendency to correct my students right away when they are doing something wrong(playing the wrong note, rhythm, or not finishing their phrasing correctly, etc) to avoid developing bad habits. However, I’ve noticed that when I try instruct immediately, it doesn’t always produce better results. In fact I’ve found that it can disempower the student to take ownership of their craft. Although it is necessary to instruct a
At the beginning of a lesson, I always try to tune into my students before “teaching.” I have found it to be essential in setting the tone for the rest of the lesson. A simple question as in, “How are you doing?” Or following up on an interest they have, a special event or just even giving a compliment can go a long way. Based on how the student responds, I can read the mood of the student ie. if
Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I’m so thankful to have a business that has kept running well during the pandemic. By taking lessons, each one of you have allowed my business to stay alive and thrive. I’m thankful to every one of my students and their families. Take a moment to reflect on what you’re grateful for and see you next week!
I notice the power of compliments. As teachers, my default is to point out what the student can improve on. That’s just my job right?! However, what I’ve found is that if I’m doing so much constructive feedback without complimenting, the student may just think they are doing a poor job at singing or playing the piano which decreases their motivation to keep practicing. So I’ve now make it to point out what they are doing right or have made
Every Winter time, I host a semi-formal recital where the student has prepared two songs to perform to their parents, relatives, or friends during the last part of their lesson. I ask them 2 questions usually. 1. What are they learning in their lessons? 2. What do they enjoy most from taking piano and/or voice lessons? Then they perform their two songs and conclude with a bow. This year, instead of in person lessons, I conducted them over zoom. Although
Often as a teacher, I am tempted to always instruct, correct, and give them solutions to their mistakes. I become the judge of how well they are doing. I grew up with this method. It’s traditional. Although it produces skillful students, it creates a sense of monotony, robotic playing and most of all, leaves creativity out. Unfortunately, it enables the student to rely on the teacher to direct their learning and evaluate if they are doing well or not. I
One of the biggest challenges of playing any instrument is finding time to practice consistently. The best tip I have is to set aside a scheduled time to practice daily and consistently rather than in random bulks of time sparingly through the week. Studies of shown it’s better to practice 10 min every day than one hour one day out of the whole week. So how do you get in the rhythm of a regular practice routine? ALEXA or Hey
