By Julia Kossuth As 2014 very quickly approaches, the Studios of Sarah Strout are also quickly preparing to resume lessons in our brand new studio space. In the next week, we will be moving all of our studio's contents into the new building and getting settled for the spring semester. We are looking forward to this change as an opportunity to not only reorganize our studios ...
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December in the studio can be a stressful time for your students. They are likely busy at home, and some may have end of the semester commitments such as choir/drama performances or school finals. With so much going on, this can be a nice time to take it a bit easier on your students and boost their morale by having some holiday fun. Here are a few suggestions for planning holiday parties/activities at the studio:
This month, I did something at my studio that I’ve never done before — I used my studio to raise money for a local charity.
We have a very beloved charity in our area that works with children with disabilities. Each summer, they host a camp for children undergoing cancer treatment, and invite those children and their families to spend a week in the mountains enjoying outdoor activities, musical therapy and fellowship with one another.
To make this recital unique and also get my students excited about the opportunity, I kept my expectations simple and let them have control. I gave them the option to play between one and five songs of their choice, and called the recital a “Play-a-thon”. Pieces didn’t have to be memorized, and they could be any pieces that they have learned in their time with me. Students LOVED this freedom, and even though we had a few random Christmas pieces thrown in the mix, it was fun for me to learn the pieces that they consider all-time favorites.
By Wayne Estes I must admit I like technology and I love using it to support each student’s learning & growth. It can give teachers an edge in lessons and it can keep things current and savvy while keeping an eye on the perfection of each student’s craft. Here at our studios/CSM we leverage all sorts of technologies to bring new and exciting ideas to each...
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“Give a person a fish, and he/she will eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and he/she will be satisfied for a lifetime.”
In my last blog, Igniting the Spark, I wrote about my goals for the year – empowering students to take responsibility for their own learning. Since then, I have experienced an amazing paradigm shift and as a result, am truly enjoying my teaching. I have always enjoyed teaching, but am easily frustrated when students arrive at lessons unprepared or “check out” in the lesson! The shift this year has been a conscious effort to give students the tools for independent learning, talking less and demonstrating more, and holding them accountable for each week’s assignments. I am feeling much more relaxed and students are working a lot harder, with less stress on my part. I have focused on three main areas: