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NewYears_It’s September, and chances are, you’re kicking off a new year at your studio! Perhaps you have a group of enthusiastic new students, an amazing group of skilled returning students — or a blend of both. Whatever the makeup of your student load for the year, it’s important to set them up for a successful year of progress and enjoyment. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

piano ribbonIt’s a New Year, and maybe you have students at your studio who are ready to start fresh and get into a consistent practice routine. Or maybe, YOU are hoping to light a fire underneath your students in anticipation of spring recitals, competitions, festivals or masterclasses.

Performances alone may be enough to motivate some students; for other kids, the reality of blundering through a piece in front of a group of people doesn’t phase them, and they’ll continue forward with lackluster practice habits.

By Marc Powell Examinations for music students are becoming more popular each year. These tests can be great to build confidence and give structure for students in their studies. ABRSM, Trinity Guildhall, Piano Guild, NFMC are all examples of organizations who provide assessments for all levels of study. These examinations are also helpful for college bound students, especially those thinking of pursuing a degree in music. The...

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By Julia Kossuth As a young teacher, and thus lacking years of consistent teaching in one place, I've been able to consider what works and what doesn't work to motivate my students. This has also been largely influenced by my own piano teacher through high school, who I maintain contact with to this day. I think the key to student success is lots of performance opportunities. At...

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By Julia Kossuth As our end of the year recital approaches, a mere two and a half weeks away, it is my goal to maximize the time I have with each student so they are truly prepared for their performances. I've found that with only two recitals a year (Christmas and May) it can be difficult for students to maintain hard work and preparation, as there...

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