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Teaching

09 Feb

Getting Through the Winter Lull

by cconrad
in Marketing, Performance, Program Development, teacher resourses, Teaching
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lazyIs it just me, or do students seriously start lacking some motivation during the winter months? The “newness” of the year has worn off, holiday recitals are behind them, and the end-of-the-year spring recital is too far in the distance to really care much.

It’s frustrating for teachers.

So how do we as studio owners motivate our students and keep them moving forward instead of getting stuck in a rut? Here’s a few ideas:

  • Plan a winter event. It can be something informal and more laid-back, but still give your students something to work towards. Ask a local coffee shop if you can bring in a digital piano and have some students play their favorite pieces one evening, or talk to the library about having your dance students perform a number in the children’s section.
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31 Jan

Group Class Ideas

by admin
in Teaching, Uncategorized
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By Julia Kossuth One of the opportunities I have at the Studios of Sarah Strout is to teach a group piano class to three 4- and 5-year-olds. Being relatively new to teaching group classes, it's been a great learning opportunity for me regarding teaching strategies and being creative in class time. A useful tool I've been using lately has been, surprisingly, play-dough. I will have my students...

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22 Jan

Achieve a Good Attitude This Year!

by admin
in Program Development, Teaching
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images

Several years ago, the following article appeared in our local newspaper. My dad clipped the article and I recently came across it again. It is still timely and valuable advice written by Lloyd Shearer. Shearer was a celebrity columnist for Parade magazine (an insert in the Sunday paper) and wrote the popular column Personality Parade.

10 Ways to Achieve a Good Attitude

    1. Set goals for yourself. Make them believable and clearly defined. Write them down every morning, vividly imagining them during the day. Once achieved, create another.
    DO NOT PUT THIS OFF. DO IT NOW!
    2. Avoid negative people. They put junk into your subconscious. You cannot help them unless they are ready to be helped. They are rarely ready.
    3. Actively seek positive people. Make it a point to spend more time with them. Positive people are gems. Cherish every one you meet.

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09 Jan

Studio Field Trip

by cconrad
in Marketing, Performance, Program Development, teacher resourses, Teaching
Comments

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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23 Dec

Is it Talent or Hard Work?

by michellep
in Teaching
Comments

When a new student starts with me, and they display a bit of natural ability, I get excited. I think, this is going to be fun. It will be really easy to teach them. And sometimes that is true. But sometimes I get a student who is naturally talented and lazy. And they never seem to really progress. Or their progress takes way...

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