Blog Stories

After many years of using the same theory series, I decided it was time to make a change to a differnt series.  I decided on Basics of Keyboard Theory by Julie McIntosh Johnson.  A self published series, it is available for purchase on Amazon.com.  There are 10 books...

This fall I made a commitment to develop my students into more "active listeners."  How's it going?  The truth is, I'm not sure.  It's too early to tell.  i can say I'm doing a lot more "exploratory teaching" these days.  After the student plays, I'm always tempted to...

Labor Day has come and gone and now it's time to get the new year rolling.  How can we open and look updated and fresh?  Consider rearranging furniture (NOT the piano necessarily!).  If you have a grand piano, it may not be possible, but you can alter the seating...

I am now 7 days into teaching online through Skiype and Face Time in my studio.  This week has already smoothed out quite a bit from this time last week.  For one thing, I've found everyone's address or they've found mine.  Last week everyone had a lesson but there...

I was going to post another topic today but given the issues worldwide with the coronavirus (depending on where you live) I thought I would post a timely article.  Here in North Carolina, we have had only one case of the virus--an adult that visited the nursing home...

The Millenium Parent poses new and challenging issues for today's music studio teacher.  Are they engaged with their children?  Definately.  Stretched too thin with too many activities?  Absolutely.  When it comes to organizational skills such as tracking recitals,...

In many places in the United States and Europe studios are at the apex of their teaching year.  Festival season followed by many of the exams will take place between March and May.  Here in North Carolina, the fun begins with State Festival coming in just two short...

Greetings to all of you far and wide, 2020 brings us the opportunity to build a new and better teaching model in the decade ahead.  Where would you like to be in 2030?  It's a fair question, and one we all need to consider as we navigate our studios and performances...

It happens every single year.  Scheduling Stress.  I try to avoid late summer craziness by beginning the fall scheduling process by early July.  As I am writing this, I am "done" for this fall with the exception of a few early openings or morning before school...

With the waning days of summer, comes the realization that soon all schools will reopen and the regular fall schedule of private lessons will commence.  Considering how important skills are to the overall development of your pianists, now is a great time to plan for...

It’s almost over...summer is quickly setting with the sun.  Soon we will all be back at the regular school year schedule. it seems once August begins, the slow but steady march to the start of the school year begins.  Perhaps it's the endless ads on television for...

It's over so quickly.  In just 2 more lessons, my summer schedule will be over.  One week of vacation this week, followed by one more teaching week, and my studio closes for two weeks prior to the opening of school.  I always take the last two weeks of summer break to...

It takes little time running a piano studio to realize that teachers must nurture not only the student relationship but also the parents.   Not only does that double your contact time, both relationships are very different.  For example, weekly lessons afford the...

On the many blogs available for music teachers, one theme that continues to surface is the issue around summer lessons and the loss of income.  Of course, if you are running a school with group classes, those are dictated by start and stop dates and summers may be...

With the beginning of April, it's time to consider how your studio will handle summer.  If you own your own business, chances are you have tried several approaches over the years.  Generally, teachers lament the loss of income and unsteadiness that summer can bring. ...

It happens to all of us.  Long teaching hours, family demands, church work, personal life errands.  What happened to the practicing you did regularly so long ago?  Realistically, for many of us, diligent daily practice began deteriorating once you were no longer in...

As a young teenager, my first concerto moment was the Bach Concerto in F Minor, movements 1 and 2.  It was a stretch even then and a whole new world of learning pieces with more length.  Add to that my first experience playing with a second piano, and you have a full...

In my last blog entry, I began to outline some of the ways you can be creative and add a "theme," genre, sets or group projects to your recital offerings.  Today I would like to suggest just some ideas for ensembles that can be done in your studio.  When we realize...