MER Blog
“I Can’t Wait to Practice!”: How Tonara Is Revolutionizing the Practice World
Guest post by Nicole Douglas, Creative Education Specialist with Tonara Just when we think we’ve heard all the excuses for not practicing, we hear a new one. Let’s talk about the underlying reasons why students don’t practice. Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist...
Music Teacher Tip #24: Christmas or Winter Camp
Over 20 years ago, I started what became one of my big win-wins in my studio. After years of frustration, I decided to replace regular lessons in December with a holiday camp. I call my camp, Christmas camp but it can really be called whatever you want. Winter,...
Thankful for Music Because…
This month I wanted to showcase in my piano studio why we are thankful for music. So I created a photo prop and stuck it in a page protector and had my students write with a dry eraser marker why they were thankful for music. Then I took a picture of them and will be...
10 Safety Protocols for the Independent Music Teacher
If you teach music in a school classroom setting, chances are that you went through certain protocols to make sure that both you and your students would be protected. In the U.S., when you apply for any job in a school setting, whether paid of volunteer, you are...
Music Teacher Tip #23: Strive for 5!
Strive for 5 is something I started last year with my students to boost practice slumps. You can read the original post here, but I wanted to share a little bit more in depth about Strive for 5 and share what I did last year in comparison to what I am doing this year....
Music Teacher Tip #22 Part 3: Transfer Students Introductory Lesson Evaluations
Here is the final tip in the 3 part lesson evaluation series. In Part 3, I share what I like to evaluate and assess with transfer students who have had lessons before. Did you miss Part 1 or 2? View them below... Music Teacher Tip #20: Early Childhood...
Music Teacher Tip #20 Part 1: Early Childhood Introductory Lesson Evaluations
Music Teacher Tips #20-22 will be a 3-part series. In part 1, I share what I evaluate with early childhood students (4-6 years) at the introductory lesson. Introductory lessons is a free interview and evaluation where I take the time to evaluate and assess where a...
Music Teacher Tip #21 Part 2: New Beginner Introductory Lesson Evaluations
This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on lesson evaluations. In today's music teacher tip, I share what I like to evaluate with new beginners who have never had lessons before. This is typically any student 7 years old and up. (I go through what I do with younger students...
Music Teacher Tip #19: Establishing Boundaries
As we begin another school year, I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about boundary setting. While boundaries may come across as a negative thing, it is actually a very positive and healthy thing to establish. Establishing clear boundaries means you are...
The Importance of Listening
One of the most important skills a student must have when practicing is to be able to listen. Have you ever had a student that can play through a piece and it sounds completely off? They might be playing in the wrong key, or wrong position or just missing all the...
