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Tuesday Teaching Tactic #15
Welcome back for another Tuesday teaching tactic. Today we want to ask you to think about your last five or ten lessons taught. Think about the activities and pieces you covered... How often did you get off the bench? Did you play a game on the floor? Pull out...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #14
Today's teaching tactic is Breathe. As I considered what to share today, I decided on one word - Breathe. Then I thought of several ways to apply it in my daily teaching. Here are the applications for this word I came up with: 1. Is your student breathing? Check that...
Questions for a Piano Teacher Friend – Part 2
Last time we talked about answering the question so many parents ask, "When should I start my child in piano lessons?" You can read more about my answer here. Today I want to delve into another of these questions I hear from family/friends all the time. The question...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #13
The weeks are flying by and it's time for our thirteenth Tuesday Teaching Tactic! Our tip for this week is to take a step back. As teachers who want to help our students succeed, we often jump in right when they hit a challenge. But, sometimes our students need to...
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...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #11
This seems super simple, but I think it's important! Our Teaching Tactic for this week is to use sticky tabs to mark the assigned pieces. I used to think that if I wrote it in an assignment book students should be able to find it. But I've learned that it's best to...
First Composition
Update: My first post about this activity came about 5 years ago but I'm getting bags ready for our first composition activity again this week. It's such an easy one for any age beginner and fun to see what students bring back when I ask them to get creative at home!...
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...