By Saleh Sabat My name is Saleh. I’m an Electric guitar player, and I have G.A.S. I’ve had it since I was 13 years old, and it seems to be getting worse as I age. Ok ok, now that the giggling is over, let’s talk about what G.A.S. stands for. G.A.S. is an acronym for Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Almost every famous electric guitar player has had some...
Read MoreBy Meridith Johnson Recently a friend of mine who also teaches piano lessons shared a story with me about a new student she began teaching for the summer. After her first lesson with the small wide-eyed five-year old boy, the parent immediately began to question her, “How is his musical talent? Does he have good rhythm? Can he understand how to read music? I just don’t...
Read More
Last month I wrote about how I use my completely non-professional equipment (as in iPhone) to record my students playing and allow them to hear mistakes, or record myself playing a passage they struggle with so they have a sample for home practice. I recently decided to use recording technology to record a few lessons and evaluate my teaching abilities.
I recorded myself teaching when I was introducing a new piece to a student, and then recorded the middle stage of the piece, where it was coming along nicely but we were working out a lot of rhythm kinks and adding layers and such. Besides being an awkward viewing experience (does anyone really enjoy seeing themselves on camera?), it was actually beneficial. I was able to pick up on little things I did well in the lesson and watch how it “clicked” with the student, and I was able to see the moments where I was losing the student’s interest. I learned from watching myself during the first recording that I have a tendency to talk and explain how I want something to sound. Certainly explaining and talking is a part of lessons, but seeing myself in action caused me to realize that I need to keep the student playing or listening to keep him engaged. I now have added awareness of this tendency and work hard to let the majority of lessons be about the student’s playing and putting into action the things we talk about.
Our interview with The Catoctin School of Music of USA SH: Tell us about your studio. The Catoctin School of Music is passionate about music, education and how we share that in our community. Our rooms are spacious, climate controlled, comfortable, quiet, well-lit, with plenty of room for teacher, student, and parents. And if you wish to not sit in the lesson, we have several waiting...
Read MoreLast week, I held a recital for my students. We only do 2 a year, and for most of my kids, that is the only performance practice they ever get to experience. That means that every recital is a potentially terrifying event. When I introduce the students one by one, they look so scared and then after they take their bow, relieved. Like a survivor....
Read More