Adult RMM Lessons – Part 6
(To catch up on this series, see Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) What would adult students say is their favorite thing about lessons? Here's what these students told me: I love how Ginger ends that, "it makes me proud!" It’s amazing that now she can be proud of what she can...
Adult RMM Lessons – Part 5
(To catch up on this series see Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4) So far, we've talked a lot about what adults are looking for within the lesson time and for their personal fulfillment playing piano at home. But there's also a social aspect here for many adults. Adults often...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #12
"Was that right?" "Where do my hands go?" "Is this the right note?" Our students can ask a lot of questions. But who answers those questions when they're trying to practice at home? If they don't have a parent who can help they are often lost. That's why one of my...
Adult RMM Lessons – Part 4
(To catch up on this series see Parts 1, 2, and 3) Last week we heard from adult students about what they see as a successful lesson. Next, I wanted to look at the bigger picture. What are their overall goals in piano? If we are teaching to different goals than our...
Questions for a Piano Teacher Friend – Part 1
Do you get those questions too? From extended family, parents at church or from old friends who message you? The questions about when to start their child in piano lessons, what books you recommend, if you suggest teachers near them, and so on. As piano teachers, it’s...
Adult RMM Lessons – Part 3
(See Adult RMM Lessons - Part 1 and Adult RMM Lessons - Part 2 to catch up on this series) So what does a successful lesson look like for an adult student? That's the next question I asked when I interviewed these adults. Here's what they had to say: I noticed a...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #10
We've already reach number ten in our Teaching Tactics series! Each week we bring you a quick idea that you can incorporate into your teaching. This week's idea might sound strange at first, "make the piano fit the child." Of course pianos are all the same size, at...
Adult RMM Lessons – Part 2
(For Part 1 of this series, visit Adult RMM Lessons - Part 1) So what motivates adults to start piano lessons? I posed this question to the five students I interviewed and here's what they had to say: Ginger says, "It’s been wonderful!" Isn’t that great to hear? And...
What MTNA Means to Me – Spring
This week, we wanted to share with you how MTNA has impacted us personally. We often share about attending state and national conferences (see MTNA Conference Highlights, TMTA Conference). But MTNA also plays a significant role in our day-to-day teaching. Whitney...
Adult RMM Lessons – Part 1
This past March I had the privilege of presenting a session at the MTNA National Conference titled "Adult RMM Students: More than Just a 30-Minute Lesson." For this presentation I recorded interviews with 5 adult students at our studio. From these interviews...
Challenge Yourself – Why You Should Learn New Repertoire
I recently joined the Piano Teacher Practice Room group on Facebook and as a result have begun learning Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor. This group was started at the perfect time for me, right after I welcomed home my new-to-me Boston grand. The idea of the...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #7
Welcome back for our Tuesday Teaching Tactic - today we're sharing a tip called the FREEZE Game. It's so simple, no printing or cutting required. Next time your student is playing and tensing up, just say "Freeze!" (You may want to warn them that you are going to call...