By Julia Kossuth Although I give mainly elementary school kids piano lessons, I'm always excited when an adult student would like to start piano lessons. Whether they are brand new to playing or rusty after years away from the piano, working with an adult is so much fun and adds nice variety to any studio. Because our adults are busy and often can't commit to a lesson...
Read MoreBy Julia Kossuth In our studio, we consistently get students who either need an instrument, or would like to upgrade their instrument, so I thought I'd talk a little about what guidelines we give our students for their search. When a beginning piano student is looking for an instrument, we will often tell them that any keyboard they already have is fine to start out with, however,...
Read More
Every year, many of my piano and voice students participate in our local Junior Festival, hosted by the Illinois Federation of Music Clubs. Preparation for Festival begins in November when they choose their pieces, and then they work hard for the next four months learning, memorizing, and perfecting.
Needless to say, it’s a stressful time of year not only for my students, but for me as their teacher! The Festival is held over two weekends in late February, and it is only afterwards that we can all breathe a little easier.
I like to celebrate my students’ successes following Festival season, even if just in a few simple (and sometimes silly) ways. More than anything, I want them to know how proud I am of their hard work and performances.
Is 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:
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...
Read More