I happen to love holiday and Christmas music, and it is not just that the melodies are so classic and they conjure up wonderful old memories of enjoyable times growing up with my family and church in a rural Virginia farming community. What I’ve discovered as a piano teacher is the power of one of those old melodies to actually change a young life. It...
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by Jamey Mann When a child is taking music lessons the role the parent needs to play cannot be overstated. The younger the student the more important this role becomes. In the Suzuki method the parent is referred to as the home teacher. In this role the parent is taking lessons with the student; taking notes on concepts, posture, and what to practice. At home the...
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by Wayne Estes Just recently, I spent an entire weekend video recording and editing the videos for a few of my advanced students to submit for college auditions. We discovered a few things that I feel are worth sharing… It is never too early to start to record yourself performing and practicing with audio and video at home prior to your professional video recording date. Both audio...
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Now that the new school year has started, it's time to start setting goals for yourself and your studio. So when you get a moment, sit down (or walk with your phone's recording app open!) and reflect on last year. What were your proudest moments as a teacher? What were some situations that could have been better? What techniques did you adopt in your teaching...
Read MoreEvery once in awhile, a student will ask me a question that seems like it should be easy to answer but isn’t. Recently, I had a young vocalist ask me who my favorite singer is. The follow-up question: “Why are they the best?” got me thinking a little bit more. The student in question is young, and while it is flattering to think that she considers...
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