A couple weeks ago, I shared a post on Teaching SMART Goals. Shortly after I published that post, I realized that I really wanted to do an official music teacher tip on this subject. In this tip on teaching SMART goals, I go through what the acronym S.M.A.R.T. means...
Fall semester kicked off this past month. We started online for 2 weeks to prepare for transitioning back to in person lessons for those who chose to. About 75% of my families chose to transition, the rest are staying online. Because I have limited room in my teaching...
It's hard to believe that it was a year ago when I started recording Music Teacher Tips and Tricks. With 24 tips for 2019 I thought I would link to all of them below in case you missed any or wanted to re-watch any of them. The first couple are perfect to review for...
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,...
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...
It's back to school time, which means you will want some fun getting to know you activities in your arsenal. Getting to know our students help create a sense of belonging. It can help us when we are trying to figure out what music will motivate them. It also lets them...
One of the most common questions I see or hear from independent music teachers is, "what do you do when a student needs to miss a lesson?" OR "Do you do make-up lessons?" I don't do make-up lessons. Matter of fact, I am strongly against them. I don't know where the...
My most favorite performances that I have attended over the years have been where the performer has been interacting with the audience or there something is happening where the audience is being engaged. I'm going to be totally blunt for a minute, I can't stand...
A simple trick that I use to teach legato vs non-legato. Students get it immediately! How do you teach legato vs non-legato? Share in the comments!
In 2016 I began another of what I like to call a win-win. It has become a favorite option to give to my students as an "extra" option over the summer or as an option if they can't participate in a camp. It also works very well in lessons when students need to miss...
