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Table of Contents
Foreword: Brandon Pearce, CEO of Music Teacher’s Helper
About this ebook and MusicTeachersHelper.com
1. Raise Your Students’ Tolerance For Recitals by Sandy Lundberg
2. Practice…How Many Minutes? 5 New Aphorisms by Ed Perlman
3. Some Thoughts on Memorizing Music by Chris Foley
4. Five Tips for Teaching Rhythm by Nicole Murphy
5. Make it EASY, then Practice HARD by Leila Viss
6. Adults vs Children – What’s the Difference? by Leah Coutts
7. Teaching Effective Group Music Lessons by Nicole Murphy
8. Music lessons and students with developmental delays by Amanda Furbeck
9. Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Letting a Student Go by Bella Payne
10. All of Your Private Students Are Gonna Quit Don't Let Them by Brian Jenkins
Afterword: Andrew Nicoletta, Marketing Director of Music Teacher’s Helper
Acknowledgements:
Copyright
Disclaimer
Foreword: Brandon Pearce, CEO of Music Teacher’s
Helper
When I created Music Teacher’s Helper (MTH) in 2004, it was to solve a need that I had
in my own life – to better organize my student lesson schedules and payments. I wanted
to minimize the administration so I could spend more time doing what I loved – teaching
students. At the time, I didn’t realize thousands of other music teachers shared the very
same goals.
After careful consideration, I decided to turn this embryonic software concept into a
‘business’, enabling music teachers around the world to focus less on busywork, and
more on their students. I believe that improving our effectiveness as music teachers paves
the way to better connections with more students, more satisfied students, more joy in
teaching, and an increased income. And, I want that for all of us.
Over a decade since this humble beginning, MusicTeachersHelper.com and its sibling
website StudioHelper.com now help thousands of professional music teachers and studio
owners, in dozens of countries. As a teacher and entrepreneur myself, I see great value in
continuing to learn and develop skills. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to share 10
chapters of handson advice with you; written for music teachers, and, written by music
teachers! I hope you enjoy it and are able to utilize some of the beneficial gems in your
own teaching studio.
About this ebook and MusicTeachersHelper.com
Our unique software solution provides tools for scheduling, invoicing, and marketing, to
enable teachers to spend less time on administration and more time teaching their
students. In 10+ years of business, MusicTeachersHelper.com has published over 1,200
articles about teaching music from every conceivable angle. The important thing to
realize is, this is practical, handson advice written by actual music teachers.
In the last decade, this has grown to become one of the largest, independent sources of
collective wisdom on music teaching. The inspiration for this book is to share the top 10
most popular articles and, in doing so, share valuable insider hints and tips about being a
better teacher. As such, we’ve pulled together the most popular articles as chosen by
visitors to MusicTeachersHelper.com: our goal is simple, to help teachers have a more
rewarding teaching experience.
In total, the top 10 articles represent 100+ years collective teaching experience; the total
number of years’ experience of the authors, combined. This content has been read by
100,000+ teachers; the total number of page views for the individual articles, combined.
The 10 chapters are written by 9 different authors, each one of them an experienced,
professional music teacher. In effect, it’s the ultimate fasttrack learning experience;
written for music teachers, and, written by music teachers!
1. Raise Your Students’ Tolerance For Recitals by
Sandy Lundberg
Recitals are very beneficial for music students. A primary benefit is providing motivation
to work toward a goal and highly polish a piece of music. Many students are not willing
to put this degree of “polish” on a piece without the added incentive of a performance.
Recitals can also teach students valuable skills, such as proper protocols for solo
musicians, dealing with mistakes during live music, learning selfcalming and relaxation
techniques, and developing positive ways to talk to themselves in stressful situations.
Live performance can take place in a number of different settings, from very casual to
extremely formal. I like to take my students up a continuum throughout the year from
casual to formal. In this way I can watch each student and evaluate their ability to handle
stress and performance challenges, and I can then adapt to give them the best chance of
having a positive experience. If approached with the right attitude, even less than perfect
performances can be an opportunity for learning, not a catastrophe.
If students become used to performing from a young age, most seem to adjust to it well. If
you have an older beginner, it may not be as easy for them. They may view themselves as
“behind” compared to other kids their age. No teenager likes to look less than perfect.
This calls for a lot of creativity on the teacher’s part, such as finding pieces that sound
harder than they are, or pulling together a fun ensemble or teacher/student duet.
The next level is to take students out to a small local venue, such as a retirement home. At
the beginning of the year I try to keep the repertoire easy and fun for this kind of an event.
I talk about how glad the residents are to see them and how they are going to love
anything they do. I make the program informal and maintain a friendly exchange with the
audience. At these first outings I also stay close by the piano to help with footstools and
cushions, and to offer encouraging words.
Community events can be made more exciting with a theme, such as Halloween or
Christmas music, or by including more duets. Student/parent numbers are fun. This would
also be a good time to let students try out their accompanying skills by playing for a
sibling, to do a violin solo, etc. I don’t usually encourage a lot of extra guests besides
parents to these small venues. Students and their parents are asked to spend some time
talking with the residents before and after the performance.
I spend a lot of time preparing students for their formal recital. They are encouraged to
dress up, and invite their extended family and friends. Stage lighting and the presence of
many cameras are discussed ahead of time. Complete “formal performance” protocol is
expected. I give out annual awards to each student after the recital and then host a
reception where parents provide the food and I provide the punch. I describe it as an end
of year celebration; no judges—just a great time to share their music and have fun.
Notwithstanding the importance that I place on recitals, I have had students who cannot
play in front of others, no matter how many ways I have tried to build their confidence.
At this point good judgment and compassion need to rule the day. I do not believe that
public performance is mandatory in order to learn to play the piano recreationally. We all
know stories of adults who quit piano entirely because they could not deal with recitals. I
don’t want any of my students to be pushed beyond their breaking point.
About the Author:
Sandy teaches piano in her private studio west of Berthoud, Colorado. Her goal is for
students to become literate, lifelong musicians and patrons of the arts. Sandy is known
for the wide variety of activities she designs to interest and motivate students to continue
learning. She is a past president of the Loveland Area Music Teachers Association.
2. Practice…How Many Minutes? 5 NewAphorisms by
Ed Perlman
How many minutes do you ask your students to practice? I’ve come to this question from
many angles–as a teacher, colleague, parent, and as a student (long ago!). It has led me
over many years to create a few new aphorisms in my teaching.
a. The more you play, the better you get
That’s a saying I’ve developed for my students. I have seen some very fine players
with terriblelooking technique, or at least technique I wouldn’t recommend. So how
did they get to be so good? Because they love it, and they play a lot. They’ve figured
out how to adapt to the way they play, and make it work for them.
The student who is so afraid of making mistakes or getting stuck with bad habits that
they just don’t play very much is simply not going to get much better. I think some
teachers may need to rethink the fear of bad habits. It’s our job to reshape and
improve how students play. If progress in one area creates a bad habit in another, we
fix it! If students enjoy themselves by playing a lot and becoming more conversant
with their instrument, but make some mistakes or build a bad habit — we fix it! That
is our job. I do not think it’s our job as teachers to make a student so afraid of
screwing up that they can’t experiment, or look ahead in their book, or try something
new and different — as long as they honor our requests to practice what we ask of
them.
b. The more efficiently you play, the faster you get better
This is the carrot for getting a student to understand and follow instructions. It’s true
that the more you play, the better you get, but if you pay attention to the teacher’s
expertise and do things right, do them more efficiently, you’re going to get better a lot
faster.
c. It’s not the minutes that count, but the consistency
If a student finds a time in their daily schedule to practice — even if only a few
minutes — this consistency makes their instrument a routine part of their day. They
keep their hand in. They get comfortable with it. They get curious about whether they
know something better than the previous day. They feel their oats, and try for a little
more than they did a few days ago. And when they do have more time to spend, they
are happy to make use of it, and are conversant with the instrument.
If a student is required to practice a certain number of minutes a day, and cannot
measure up to the request, they may just hold off practicing until they have the
required time available. Waiting a week to practice an hour is not going to be very
rewarding, whereas even 5 minutes a day can lead to a very productive hour of
practice when the time becomes available.
My daughter reached a point in her piano practice where the teacher said she needed
to practice 60 minutes a day. She never felt she could measure up. Before that, she
would stop at the piano when passing by and play/practice for a while. After the 60
minutes were required, she felt that what felt like a few minutes in passing (but could
have added up to a half hour) was a drop in the bucket, and she just stopped playing
nearly as much. When she did manage a practice session, it was with reluctance.
However wellintentioned the teacher’s request was, it had a negative impact.
With beginners I suggest 5 minutes a day, knowing that if they do get the instrument
out it’s likely they’ll get into it for more time because it’s fun. My required daily
exercises take 3 minutes. Sometimes I tell students to pretend they have to go to the
bathroom an extra time each day — surely they’d make time for that! Practice while
on the toilet, even — no, just kidding!
d. It’s not how many minutes, but how much you care
A few weeks ago, my wife, a dancer and teacher, and I, arrived at the same conclusion
as we spoke of both teaching and performing: what really distinguishes a good student
and a good performer is how much they care about what they do.
We all respond to someone who honestly cares about what they’re doing. Caring leads
to depth of expression, to clarity of technique, because someone who cares tries to get
things they way they want them. It’s a very different quality from someone who is
good at what they do because they follow instructions, want a good grade, or are
afraid of doing something wrong.
Sometimes I will tell students that it’s not how many minutes they practice, but how
much they care that counts. Often they visibly relax when they hear this. They know
how much they care. But they’re never sure how much they should practice; in fact,
I’ve never heard anyone say they practiced enough. It can feel like a bottomless pit of
expectations. But if they really care and enjoy the music, they’ll get themselves to
where they want to be.
e. If you like it, play it again; if you don’t like it, don’t play it the first time
Some students balk at playing a tune a second time, and I tell them this little saying of
mine. Then they realize it’s not really about me telling them what to do, but about
their enjoying the music and allowing themselves to get into it, rather than to just get
through it.
The second part of this saying suggests that a student might not want to learn a piece
of music because they don’t like it. Maybe that’s just the way it should be. It’s true
that students like a piece better once they know they’re able to play it, but often they
do have a gut feeling about whether they like some music or not. Why not let the
student be engaged in selecting music they like? They will be more involved and
determined to learn the piece, and it’s excellent training for life after lessons: how to
judge music you like, and how to dig into a challenging piece and come out on top.
Sometimes it’s good for a teacher to be flexible with a curriculum and allow the
student to engage in music selection. It may be that after struggling with their selected
music, they might enjoy coming back to a piece they originally balked at. I recall one
time reading through a book of tunes and coming across several pages of mediocre
tunes. A year later I tried to find that group of mediocre tunes but could not — I had
learned more about that music and found that those tunes were not so bad after all!
What a delight to allow a student to discover this, rather than force them into the next
piece of music just because it’s on the next page!
f. When you run out of aphorisms, stop writing, especially if this is the sixth one and
you promised only five
This saying is one I’ve never used before but I must say, it makes sense. I better stop
writing!
About the Author:
Ed has focused on performing, teaching, and judging fiddle music for over 30 years,
offering performances and workshops throughout the USA and in Canada and Scotland.
His original training was with members of the Chicago and Boston Symphonies, and he
played with orchestras and chamber groups at Yale and in Boston. He currently teaches
privately in Maine and at workshops around the country. He tours, often with his son
Neil, a pianist in Scottish/Jazz/Latin/Funk styles. Ed directed the Boston Scottish Fiddle
Club for 18 years, including major concerts and festivals. He has 3 CDs of his own and
appears on others. His primary expertise is in Scottish and Cape Breton fiddle styles, but
Ed plays other Celtic, American, and Canadian fiddle music, Classical, some Jazz, Klez
and Hungarian. For ten years he ran a CD distribution company to bring music to the
USA from Scotland, Atlantic Canada, Ireland, Brittany and Wales. Ed has written the
music column for Scottish Life magazine since 1996.
3. Some Thoughts on Memorizing Music by Chris Foley
Whether the act of committing a piece of music to memory comes easily or with
difficulty, most teachers agree that memorization is one of the best routes for students to
make the jump from studying to performing, from learning to mastery. One of my annual
journeys as a teacher is to find new vocabulary and methods to teach students to
memorize music more effectively and reliably. Some students get it without much fuss at
all, but many require detailed instruction on just how to find that magic combination.
I’ve been working with some of the brilliant singers of Toronto’s Tapestry New Opera
Works in Opera To Go, a program of five new operas (one of which was performed
unannounced in the lobby prior to the show). I had the privilege of seeing these operas
grow from their earliest stages in a January workshop to their finished form in the
production rehearsals that started in early March.
During this time, I also watched the singers in the opera as they wrestled with learning
challenging new works (often under constant revision) and memorizing them for staging
and performance. One morning, I had a revelation about teaching memorization to
pianists: what if they applied some of the techniques that singers habitually adopt?
Here are some thoughts on the memory toolkits of singers and what they have to offer
instrumentalists:
a. Gestures and Movement
Once operatic singers are onstage working with a director, they not only need to sing
from memory, but move and act at the same time. One of the first things taught in
acting classes is that the body forgets nothing. Singers take advantage of this concept
to remember physical motions alongside singing the vocal line. We can do the same
as instrumentalists–not just listening to our sound and remembering what the music
looks like, but being in our bodies, understanding, and memorizing the physical
sensations of playing, whether large movements (ie. hand crossings and quick
changes in hand position) or small movements (that tricky ornament or elusive
fingering). And more often than not, the body’s memory can often be solid and
grounded enough to stand up to our conscious mind’s inevitable nervous twitterings
when in performance.
b. Multiple Start Points
When you rehearse anything in a theatre, you repeat scenes and sections of scenes.
And repeat. And repeat. But to be able to do this, singers (who are already offbook at
the start of rehearsal) need to be able to jump right in and start from a large number of
points in the work while the director is staging and perfecting the action onstage.
Instrumentalists can learn to do this as well. Don’t just learn to play a memorized
piece from the beginning. Find multiple start points throughout the piece where, in the
event of a memory meltdown, you can easily skip to, perhaps seamlessly enough that
the audience won’t even know you just had a minor slip. These start points can all be
built in when practicing.
c. Subtext and an Individual’s Journey Through a Work
The common director’s question: “So whaddya really mean?” Often a sung line and
its text will have a deeper intent and meaning just under the surface. This is called
subtext. Singers can use subtext to create much more varied associations and
expression with a specific knowledge of just what they are saying at any given time.
They also need to create their own personal narrative through arias, recitatives,
ensembles, and entire roles. Where do you start? Where do you end up? How does a
character change throughout the course of an opera? When working on a piece,
instrumentalists can also create subtext and personal journeys through their piece. For
example:
● Where are your favorite moments of the piece?
● Where are the high points of the piece?
● Where are the low points of the piece?
● Where are the arrival points of the piece?
● Are there mood shifts between sections? Within sections?
● Are there mood shifts during rests or pauses?
● When themes return, how are they different? How is the context different?
● How do your emotions change throughout the piece?
About the Author:
Chris is a pianist, teacher, examiner, adjudicator, and blogger based in Oakville, Ontario.
He currently teaches at the Royal Conservatory of Music where he also serves as head of
the voice department at the Conservatory School. As a member of Toronto's Tapestry
New Works Studio Company, he has coached and performed in numerous workshops and
performances of contemporary opera. In 2005, he started the Collaborative Piano Blog,
which has grown to become one of the most wellknown blogs about classical music. He
has also made numerous media appearances, including playing piano for the first two
seasons of Bathroom Divas (a reality show about opera singers), an interview about
teaching piano to adult beginners on CBC Television's Living in Toronto, an interview in
the Toronto Star about video games and music education, and an upcoming commercial
for RCM Examinations.
4. Five Tips for Teaching Rhythm by Nicole Murphy
Recently, I wrote about developing a steady sense of pulse in performance. Interestingly,
the comments left by others at the end of the article addressed the notion of teaching
rhythm, rather than pulse.
I found this fascinating, because the student who I was thinking about when I wrote this
doesn’t struggle with rhythm directly. Of course, if you can’t keep a steady pulse the
rhythm consequently becomes problematic, but the student is perfectly capable of
clapping or playing a rhythm correctly if I am keeping the pulse for her. So her problem
lies with pulse, and problems with rhythm and fluency occur merely as a symptom of
that.
Rhythm is at the forefront of many teachers’ minds. So, listed below are my top five tips
for helping students counteract rhythmic problems:
a. Use speech patterns
b. Focus on sound
Be more concerned with how the rhythms sound, rather than their names and values.
Once students know what they sound like, show them the notation. This approach will
allow them to recognise them and perform them straight away, rather than stopping to
‘count it out’.
c. Use recordings
Many students can play the rhythm correctly in the lesson, with their teacher their
singing or clapping along, but may struggle to remember the rhythm when they are at
home. I often record short passages on my students’ phones for them to listen to at
home. Remember to record the passage at a speed that is appropriate for the student to
play.
d. Fluency is key
Encourage fluency from the first read through. Obviously there will always be
passages of fingerwork that need more attention before they are able to be played
fluently, so reduce the tempo of the whole piece to a speed that allows fluency and
rhythmic accuracy. Rhythm is all about proportions (whole notes, half notes, quarter
notes), so any time that fluency is lacking, the proportions don’t align, leading to
rhythmic confusion.
e. Persistence!
About the Author:
Nicole Murphy is a pianist and composer residing in Queensland, Australia. She has been
teaching both piano and composition privately and in schools for over 8 years, with
students currently ranging in age from four to eightyfive years old. She holds a Bachelor
of Music (Honours Class I) from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and is
currently working towards a Masters of Music. As a freelance composer, Nicole has been
commissioned by numerous ensembles including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra,
Chronology Arts, Orchestra Victoria and the Australian Ballet.
5. Make it EASY, then Practice HARD by Leila Viss
Use PRACTICE to Make it EASY. What should practice accomplish between lessons?
Progress. What is progress? Improvement, betterment, advancement. To simplify,
progress is when what was perceived as HARD becomes EASY.
a. Use SUPPLIES to Make it EASY
The Staples “EASY Button” has sat next to my piano for years. Every Fall I make a
point of revisiting practice strategies–they can always be refreshed. This summer,
Staples featured an “EASY Stamp” and I was smitten. So, my goal was to somehow
incorporate the EASY button with the EASY stamp for a newfangled practice
strategy. Little did I know how successful this combo could be with Postits – yet
another favorite office supply.
b. Use a THEME to Make it EASY
This year’s Fall studio theme is Make it EASY, then practice HARD. A bulletin board
next to the piano, a picture frame with a picture of an EASY button, an EASY button
screen saver and of course the EASY stamp AND button have fully immersed
students in this latest theme.
c. Use ISOLATION to Make it EASY
Playing HT (hands together) is difficult or “HARD” for pianists at any level. After
EASY stamping a postit, the pianist (let’s call her Melody) and I discuss a practice
prescription for “Carefree Stroll”.
Section A:
1. Play RH (right hand) 3x, counting aloud
2. Play LH (left hand) 3x, counting aloud
3. Play HT (hands together) using EASY Postit practice
Melody and I then briefly review the prescribed practice routine to ensure correct
reading and counting, and then we give the EASY Postit practice a try.
The Postit is placed so that beat one of a measure is isolated and Melody is asked to
play it–perfectly (fingering, rhythm, pitches, etc). To her amazement it looks EASY
and yes, she succeeds at beat one HT. It is important that Melody (not just me)
recognizes success, so she is asked to make her own evaluation of how she did. If she
declares victory, we move on to the next beat.
The Postit is moved to reveal beat two. Melody plays beats 1 and 2 HT. Melody
evaluates the attempt and usually wants to try it one more time to ensure confidence.
Within a few minutes a measure can be mastered HT and Melody happily pushes that
EASY button. In addition, she is eager to continue this strategy at home because
success was discovered at the lesson. (Hint: this also works well with backwards
practice!)
As you know, if it’s hard, it will most likely be avoided on the home practice bench
which means no progress. Make it EASY and it will
get practiced, HARD!
“That was EASY”
About the Author:
Hi, I'm Leila Viss and enjoy teaching piano to around 45 students ranging in age from 6
to 89. I am drawn to discovering innovative teaching methods and successful practice
strategies to encourage the average player to stick to the bench for life. Customizing
lessons for each student is a priority and therefore I provide "blended" instruction of
Classical, Jazz and Pop. The everchanging tools of technology assist me in my daily
teaching. Every student not only has a private lesson but a lab session as well. Lab
assignments include activities using the latest music software, MIDI, iPad apps, a
Clavinova and more. After receiving a BA degree in Piano and Organ from Dordt
College in Sioux Center, Iowa, I married my husband (of 26 years), moved to Denver and
received a masters in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Denver.
My fascination with the iPad and apps resulted in the book The iPad Piano Studio: Keys
to Unlocking the Power of Apps. What began as an idea, a nudge and then a reality is
now serving as required reading for SMU graduate pedagogy students. Invited by Pete
Jutras, the editor of Clavier Companion, I now pen a column for the piano magazine
called "Apps for Teaching." I've served on planning committees for the MNTA (Music
Teachers National Association) 2013 Jazz/Pop Track, the MNTA 2014 Improvisation
Track and was appointed cochair of programs by Sam Holland SMUIPT (Southern
Methodist University Institute for Piano Teachers) 2014 and NCKP (National Conference
on Keyboard Pedagogy) 2015.
6. Adults vs Children – What’s the Difference? by Leah
Coutts
Teaching adults requires a different approach to teaching children, and in this chapter I
would like to outline why. The focus here is on the general differences in characteristics
between children and adults. Of course, there are always going to be students who are
different to the norm, but by understanding the generalisations, we can use this
knowledge to approach teaching from the student’s perspective. On top of these, you also
have to consider each student’s background and experiences.
If we look to psychological development of certain ages, children between the ages of
510 are more defined by their chronological factors than any individual peculiarities that
shine through. Of course, each child is an individual, but their growth patterns can be
determined by their ages. Adults are no longer governed by this, as they have reached
maturity, and thus, their individuality becomes prevalent.
Children are using their imagination constantly, and have greater access to the
‘subconscious’. They also learn through experiencing, meaning new concepts must first
be seen, heard, and tried, before fully understanding. Adults are rational, logical, and
objective, and thrive on precise explanations. This makes them more apt to study theory
away from the instrument. They also have longer attention spans than children, and more
endurance for one activity. Children need changes of focus often to keep their interest on
the task at hand.
Adults come to learn a musical instrument because they want to. They feel rewarded by
progress itself, and are motivated by their own development. Children, on the other hand,
need extrinsic motivators such as stickers, the enticement of playing a game afterwards,
and the like. They may wish to be taking lessons, but they also may be there because their
parents want them to be. They can only focus on the immediate or shortterm goals,
whereas adults are capable of working towards short, medium, and longterm goals, and
understand their importance.
Children have a greater capacity for musical memory in the truest form of the concept –
they can listen, try, and memorise, without any logical explanations to guide them. Adults
use intellectual cues, such as patterns in the music, chord progressions, etc, to give them
stepping stones to memorisation. While both children and adults hear and feel and can
learn to appreciate the emotional side of music, adults also enjoy and comprehend the
intellectual side to music.
The table below summarises the different character traits of children and adults:
About the Author:
Leah is a private piano teacher in Brisbane, Australia. She completed her Bachelor of
Music Studies with First Class Honours in June 2010. She is a member of the Golden Key
International Honour Society. Having completed all grades in Electric Organ and moving
onto pipe organ at university, under the internationally acclaimed Christopher Wrench’s
direction, Leah is now completing the Associate Performance Diploma (AMusA) on
piano. As well as private music tuition, her musical experience includes mentoring Music
Theory at the Griffith Conservatorium of Music, as well as work for the Music Council of
Australia, FinePrint Music Printing and Typesetting, and the Queensland
Conservatorium Research Centre. In 2012, Leah will be returning to the Conservatorium
of Music to pursue a PhD in the field of Pedagogy. Her main focus will be research on
teaching adults, as this is her area of interest, and an area that needs further study here in
Australia.
7. Teaching Effective Group Music Lessons by Nicole
Murphy
I recently read Kerri Green’s excellent blog Lessons I Learnt While I Wasn’t Teaching
,
where she mentions that she divides students into two streams – the ‘Performance Track’
(who have individual lessons) and the ‘Recreation Track’ (who have group lessons). I
currently only teach individual lessons and I don’t envisage myself teaching group
lessons at any time in the future (due to studio space and personal preference), however I
previously spent a number of years teaching in groups and training teachers on how best
to teach group lessons, so Kerri’s article prompted me to share my thoughts on group
teaching for those of you who are currently teaching in that environment.
a. Even if students begin at the same level, they will not always progress at the same
pace. Don’t be reluctant to change your students into different groups once you begin
to see how they are progressing.
b. Some students thrive on competition and others don’t. Know when to encourage
friendly competition between students in a group, and when to discourage
comparisons.
c. Don’t expect students who learn in groups to progress at the same pace as students
who have individual lessons. This seems obvious, however when I first started
teaching groups I realised I need to adjust my expectations slightly.
d. Have each student bring a notebook and at the end of the lesson take a minute to ask
them to write in their own notebook 3 things that they need to work on for the next
lesson.
e. Get students to give feedback on others in the group (respectfully, of course!). This
teaches students the elements of performance that they should be listening out for in
their own playing.
g. Have plenty of individual extension tasks ready – theory sheets, sight reading
exercises, composition tasks.
h. When working with individual students within the group, give them one thing to
improve and then move on to the next student. That way you will get around to each
of the students quickly, and no one is left unattended for longer than a few minutes.
i. Take advantage of activities that can only be done in groups (duets, ensemble pieces,
etc.).
About the Author
:
Nicole Murphy is a pianist and composer residing in Queensland, Australia. She has been
teaching both piano and composition privately and in schools for over 8 years, with
students currently ranging in age from four to eightyfive years old. She holds a Bachelor
of Music (Honours Class I) from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and is
currently working towards a Masters of Music. As a freelance composer, Nicole has been
commissioned by numerous ensembles including the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra,
Chronology Arts, Orchestra Victoria and the Australian Ballet.
8. Music lessons and students with developmental delays
by Amanda Furbeck
To be completely honest, I am ‘just’ a piano teacher. I am not an expert in childhood
development nor would I ever claim to be. But as the mom of a child with some extra
needs, I have learned firsthand about the importance of childhood development, how
music can help, and how it can be hard for a child with extra needs to accomplish certain
tasks in their music lessons. After working with my son’s therapists, I couldn’t help but
pick up a few things that I found to be helpful for him and for my music lessons. If you
have a chance to take some occupational therapy training, or even speak with an
occupational therapist, I highly recommend it. Having an awareness of special needs,
learning disabilities, and other childhood struggles can assist your teaching, your student,
and their music.
Here are a few things to think about:
a. Posture and muscle tone.
Do you have that one student that just can’t ever seem to sit up straight? No matter
how much you remind them, they struggle with good playing posture? This may be a
child with low muscle tone. They may be perfectly healthy, but just have muscles that
aren’t quite strong enough to help them sit or stand with good posture. You’ll
typically see them slouch, lean on one hand, or “W” sit on the floor.
b. Body awareness.
Some children struggle with knowing where their body is in space. They may be
constantly in motion because they don’t feel settled, comfortable with themselves, or
they may lean on you constantly, run into you, or crash on things to help them ‘feel’
where they are.
c. Crossing midline.
A child that has trouble crossing midline will have trouble crossing their hands on the
piano, may struggle with turning pages of music, or may hold their instrument funny.
Imagine a straight line running down your body, from your nose straight down to the
floor. Now pretend that each body part must stay on its ‘own’ side – your left hand
can’t cross the line to reach something that’s on the right side, and vice versa. Now try
playing your instrument, reaching something on a high shelf, even scratching an itch
on the opposite side. Frustrating?
d. Using both hands.
My son used to only be able to play with one hand at a time. Learning any instrument
takes two hands, so while it may be difficult for a young child to learn to use both
hands to play, it is also helpful for their development. This child may be able to play
piano hands separately, but struggle when playing both parts at once. It could be due
to low muscle tone – they can only use one hand because the other needs to prop them
up – or it could be caused by any number of factors. Gentle and patient reminders can
be helpful.
e. Two hands doing different things.
This is something we adults tend to take for granted, but is critical to playing music. A
child may be able to play contrary piano scales, where the hands are using the same
fingers at the same time, but may not be able to play parallel scales, where the same
note is played in each hand but using different fingers. Or picture playing the guitar –
you need to form chords with one hand and strum or pick with the other.
f. Motor planning.
Motor planning is the body’s ability to know how to accomplish a task and then carry
it out. For example, a child with motor planning difficulties may have trouble simply
walking up the steps. They have to stop and think about each part of the process (I lift
my right leg, move it towards the step, put it down, pull myself up, lift my left
leg….etc), while the rest of us simply do it because our bodies know how. Can you
see how this could translate into difficulty making music? This child may have to stop
and think about all the things their bodies have to do to make every single note. While
it takes extra time and patience, it is absolutely worth it. These children can learn, and
they benefit from the muscle memory that comes along with playing music. Practice
and repetition helps, the challenge is making it fun so the student sticks with it long
enough to get it.
g. Speech.
A child with a speech delay may have trouble singing, they may have trouble with air
production needed to blow into a horn, and they may have trouble with embouchure.
But language and music are closely connected, and the benefits from learning an
instrument or singing may help a child with a speech delay improve their speech and
language, as well. I recently read of a valedictorian who rapped his graduation speech.
In speaking, he stuttered terribly, but in music, the stutter disappeared.
h. How does music help?
We have all heard of the Mozart effect, where music helps create extra and stronger
pathways in the brain. Music stimulates different areas of the brain, including
language, emotion, math, etc. It can reinforce skills that children learn in school, in
therapy, and at home. It allows children to express themselves, which becomes
especially important to children who are frustrated at how their body works or who
cannot speak like their peers. Most of all, making music builds selfconfidence and
joy, something every child and adult needs.
As the mom of a child with special considerations, I would encourage you to embrace
teaching children and adults with extra or special needs. Their progress may be slower,
they may require lots of extra patience and as a teacher, you may need to think outside the
box to help them acquire skills that come easily for developmentally typical children. But
just as children with special needs help their parents become better parents, teachers of
children with special needs can become better teachers from their extra special students.
We learn patience, grace, and to appreciate our children for who they are, not what they
can or can’t do. We learn how to teach more clearly, demonstrate more concretely, and
think more creatively. Incorporating a little sense of humor and a lot of fun goes a long
way, too.
The work may be challenging, but the rewards are amazing.
About the Author:
9. Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Letting a Student Go by
Bella Payne
When I started teaching 8 years ago, I wondered if I would ever have to let a student go.
What happens in that situation? How do you do it? Do you just deal with them until they
quit on their own? And what is the list of reasons why you should let a student go? I
didn’t like the idea, but a therapist friend of mine, who has had to do this with clients,
confirmed with me that sometimes you don’t have a choice, and it becomes unethical to
keep them.
I taught this wonderful little girl for 4 years. I adored her. But she got a little older and
started acting like she didn’t want to listen to me anymore. And when I insisted she listen,
she pouted through the entire lesson. When I told her I did not like that she wasn’t
listening to me, and that I
expected her to listen, she started crying. This happened a few
times and it made me feel like the worst teacher in the world. I tried my best to be
sensitive. I tried to bring her songs she would enjoy singing, but she frequently found
things to complain about. The third time she cried, I realized it was time to say goodbye. I
didn’t take the tears personally. She is a very sensitive child and at the age when a girl
becomes even more sensitive than average. For some reason we were not clicking
anymore.
For some reason, I was having a negative effect on this girl, and I felt it would be wrong
for me to continue teaching her. I couldn’t figure out why I had this effect. I was not
teaching her any differently than other students. In fact, I was more sensitive with her
because I knew she was a bit fragile. She was upset when I quit, and that made me feel
bad, but I know that if I stayed she would continue to become upset, because I wasn’t
going to change my expectations, and I wasn’t going to let a student disrespect me.
This event taught me to take control and not live at the will of others. In a regular job, if
we are being disrespected by our bosses, we would quit and find something else. In
lessons, it should be the same. If a student is treating you with disrespect or refusing to
follow your rules, you have the right to quit. Businesses usually have signs that state “We
reserve the right to refuse service.” The same goes for us. It’s harder, because our work is
more personal.
My therapist friend I mentioned earlier suggests that you explain to the parent and child
that you feel like you are no longer effective and that it is probably best for them to
continue with another teacher. You can heal the blow by offering a recommendation.
Most likely they will be upset no matter how kind you try to sound, but taking money for
a job you know someone else could do better is worse that hurting someone’s feelings.
About the Author:
While working on a degree in Sociology with plans to become a Social Worker, Bella
Payne fell into teaching piano lessons as a way to pay her bills. She had no idea she was
stumbling into a totally fulfilling, creative and exciting career! Every day, she teaches
several students in their homes, in her home, and online how to play piano from scratch.
Over the last 10 years, she has seen kids and adults go from timid beginner to skilled
performers.
10. All of Your Private Students Are Gonna Quit
Don't Let Them by Brian Jenkins
It's a harsh reality that the private music students you're teaching right now will not be the
same students you're teaching a year or two from now. Every business goes through it. In
the recurring revenue business world we call it "churn", that is what percentage of your
students quit from period to period. If you don't refill the coffers with new students,
eventually you won't have a studio left. But what if you could just reduce your churn?
What if you could keep your students much longer?
I've connected thousands of students to music teachers over the years, and have heard
every reason in the book for why the student has to quit. Don't just accept it! You can
have a lot of control over whether or not your students continue.
The First Lessons are the Most Important
You've probably noticed that you have a lot of fall off after one or two lessons with new
students. Let's talk numbers. About 32% of all students who take one lesson will not take
a second lesson. That's 1 in 3! Ouch! But beyond that how does it look? It actually gets
worse. There is a 62% chance that you will never give a fifth lesson to any one student.
That means if you get 10 new students only 4 of them will get a 5th lesson. And here's the
kicker. 85% of your students will never get a 10th lesson. What?! Yes, about 1.5 out of 10
will continue with you long term.
These are numbers from an aggregate of hundreds of teachers and thousands of students.
Not all teachers, and not all students, are created equally of course. I'll talk more about
that in detail later in the chapter. What we need to understand from these numbers though
is that you need to do something to keep these students past the first 9 lessons. Because
guess what? The numbers after this get much much better. Students that take their 10th
lesson have about a 70% chance to take a 50th lesson.
How to Get Students to the 10th Lesson
Over the years we have implemented strategies to help get more music students to the
coveted 10th lesson. They have decreased our churn dramatically, and they'll do the same
for you.
A. Bill 10 Lessons Up Front
Seems crazy right? Before you give the first lesson, take payment for 10 or more. Will
anyone do it? Yes! Here's the deal. You can offer many different ways to pay. One
lesson at the normal price, 5 lessons they get 5% off, and 10 lessons they get 10% off.
You don't have to follow these discounts exactly, the goal is to just offer them deals
when they pay for more lessons.
The thing that was always holding me back from doing this is what if they DO end up
quitting? Are you really going to take all their money? Well you could. But odds are
the only students that will take you up on this offer are your students that have been
around for years. That's because they know they're going to stick around. Someone
who starts new doesn't know that.
You'll need to offer a money back guarantee. Yup if they don't want to continue with
you, you'll refund every penny of unused credit they have. Unused is the key here.
You're probably asking, "But wait, if I do that, everyone will do it and I'm just giving
a free discount!" You got it! The goal is to get everyone to do it. If you get your
student to the tenth lesson, you'll make much more than you would lose by giving the
discount.
Psychologically when a person pays for something, most people consider that money
gone. They don't really think of the possibility of it returning. Even if you offer the
money back guarantee, a very small percentage of students will ask for a refund at all.
I've seen students who wanted to quit, called me up and said "How much credit do I
have left? We just want to finish that off first, Suzy just doesn't like piano." I tell them
"You have 5 more lessons in credit." You know what they say 90% of the time? "Ok
we'll take those 5 lessons, and be done." All they would have to say at that point is,
"give me a refund" and the money would be in their account. But they already paid
for the lessons, so they take them.
The magical thing that happens almost every time, is that student ends up forgetting
they called me at all, and they end up staying much longer. What's the moral of this
story? Have your students pay for as many lessons as possible up front!
B. Don't Disappoint
Disappointment is the difference between expectations and reality. It's our job as
teachers to make sure no one is disappointed with their lessons. That can be a tall
order, because a lot of parents are imagining that little Matthew is going to be the next
Mozart without any practice. So what can we do? First find out exactly what the
student is expecting, and become that teacher.
The Lesson Survey
Every teacher should send a new student a survey before the first lesson. You can
create a simple free survey, and send it by email with Survey Monkey. Questions that
you should consider asking are things like:
● How strict do you want your teacher to be?
○ Very Strict Make sure my kid practices!
○ Not too strict, but not too laid back
○ Completely laid back, this is just for fun!
● What kind of music do you want your child to learn?
○ Only classical
○ Classical and popular music
○ No classical please!
● How long has your child been playing for?
● Do you already have teaching material you would like me to use? If so, please
list the book titles.
● How much do you think your child can practice every day?
You can come up with some more ideas, but that should get you started. You may
ask, "Why make a survey? Why not just ask them over the phone?" One reason is
professionalism. It's pretty impressive to have a survey for all of your students ahead
of time. Another very important reason is that students don't really know how to
answer some questions, and it may be uncomfortable to answer some questions like
"How strict do you want me to be" over the phone. Make sure every answer is
multiple choice, so they don't have to think and actually write a response.
Now here's the key: actually be the teacher the survey tells you to be! Are you
typically strict? Well some students don't respond well to that. Are you typically laid
back? Some students respond to a strict teacher better. With the survey you're not
going in blind, and you can actually work with the students expectations, and not
disappoint.
I can't tell you how many times I got a call from a student saying their teacher was not
a good match after the first lesson. When asked why, it's almost always something the
teacher could easily change on the second lesson. Unfortunately it's too late. They
don't get the chance to, because the customers mind is already made. Find out what
they want BEFORE you screw up.
C. Get the Parents Involved
All too often parents have no idea what is being taught in their kids lessons. I'm a
strong believer that
parents should be a part of every music lesson . If you have kids of
your own, you know that almost all children do not have the patience and diligence to
practice the way you told them to. They really need you there every day to help them.
Well you can't do that. But their parents can. If they know what you expect for
practice, and you let the parents know they should help out, the students will progress
much more quickly.
This will also make the parents feel they are a part of the lessons, so quitting the
lessons would also feel like they are quitting themselves, and no one likes quitting.
D. Make Lessons Social
The word is private lessons, right? Yeah, most of us give private lessons, but the
problem is that takes out social accountability. Do kids quit halfway through their
soccer season? Almost never. Why? There's an accountability to the team and other
parents. We need to build this into our lessons.
If you give lessons in your home or studio, have students play for each other at the
beginning and end of their lessons. Make introductions between the kids and parents.
This is also a great opportunity to have your students practice performing. They may
even get inspired by other, perhaps more advanced students.
Hold regular recitals. This is a great opportunity for parents to talk, and students to get
to know each other better. Hold as many as you can!
Find Good Students
The numbers I quoted earlier, are in aggregate. If you were to take the numbers of
different types of students, you'll see they are not all the same. If your studio is built
mainly on referrals, then you'll likely look at those numbers and say "Not MY
studio!" That's because referrals are the best kind of students. They have a degree of
social obligation built in to taking lessons with you. If they quit, they have to tell their
friend. That's always awkward. Not only that, but obviously someone they know likes
you, so odds are good they will too. What's the best way to find referrals? Get more
students! Once you have quite a few students, referrals from your current students will
likely fill in the gaps of the students who quit.
Don't think you're done when you give the first lesson. Make sure you're working
diligently to be the best teacher you can be from the beginning. This will result in
more referrals, and eventually the freedom you want for your music studio.
About the author:
Afterword: Andrew Nicoletta, Marketing Director of
Music Teacher’s Helper
In addition to this, we are proud to offer one of the largest repositories of handson music
teaching information. Over the years, we’ve published over 1,200 quality articles on various
aspects of being a music teacher. This ebook represents the best of the best, so to speak; the
most popular articles from the last few years.
Acknowledgements:
As Founder and CEO of MusicTeachersHelper.com and StudioHelper.com , I’d like to thank
the contributing authors: Sandy Lundberg, Ed Perlman, Chris Foley, Nicole Murphy, Leila
Viss, Leah Coutts, Bella Payne, Amanda Furbeck, and, Brian Jenkins. These individuals are
experienced, professional music teachers and their knowledge is an invaluable source of
wisdom. Secondly, thanks to Andrew Nicoletta (Marketing Director) and Stephen J. Jones,
for editing and publishing this book. Last but not least, I’d like to thank the thousands of
music teachers and studio owners we provide services to, for their business and, most of all,
for teaching the next generation of musicians!
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