Summer Update II

Back in June, I looked at the wide open calendar and thought about everything I'd get done in the coming months.  Now here it is the middle of August and, while I've gotten a lot done, I am feeling the "last two weeks of summer panic" set in.  Luckily, I did enough home DIY projects that I'm not feeling pressured to work around the house.  I've seen most of my piano students a few times this summer, some more than others, but for some of them, we haven't been together for a lesson since school let out.

It's that time of summer, when we start setting the schedule for the fall.  I'm going to start at 4:30 PM on Mondays to accommodate some young students.  It'll be a stretch for me to get home by then.  I'll just have to leave work at the first moment I can so that I'm home in time for them.  Starting at 4:30 will allow me to finish a little earlier, which is always a good thing.

Mondays
4:30-5:30: C&S
5:30-6:30: D&K

Tuesdays
5:00-5:30 R
5:30-6:00 C (?--she is one of those I haven't seen since early June)
6:00-7:00 K&K (every other week)
7:00-8:00 Z&J (hmm...this seems awfully late)

Wednesdays
5:00-6:30 J, J, &DS

Thursdays
4:30-5:00 M
5:45-6:15 R

Looking at this, I am feeling a little worried about Tuesdays.  Maybe I can get the every other week peopel to come on Mondays from 6:30-7:30.  That way they'll be the last people of the day and I'll be done earlier every other week. And I can move the Z&J brothers to 6-7 PM.  Hmmm....And my neighbor wants her three kids to take lessons again--I truly don't think I have room for 3 more students!! YIKES! This is a good problem to have, I suppose.

Ah, summer.

It is during the summer time that I notice how UN-exhausted I am when teaching piano.  After a full day of teaching school, the thought of four or five lessons in the evening sometimes overwhelmes me. But during the summer, it is positively joyful.  I have so much more energy and stamina for paying attention to everything the kids are doing.  What a difference!
So those two students who started me on this blog are still taking lessons, but sadly, not making much progress at all.  It takes the boy weeks and weeks to just learn one line--he is such a timid player and if he practices at home, he's not actually practicing, just playing through his pieces.  He is capable of reading the notes and playing the pieces, but the amount of progress he makes each week is just miniscule.
His sister, on the other hand, quit for a week.  But then she came back.  And I think she is the one with a bit more talent, although I realized that she cannot read notes.  So we put the books away and concentrated on strategies for learning the notes on the staff.  She is doing much better, but I don't have her in her book just yet.  We picked up one of her brother's old books and she is working through that one.  It's a level below where she was, but it's giving her the practice and the confidence she needs to start moving forward.
In other news, one of my students, Raymond, is very interesting.  His parents called me back in the fall and asked about piano lessons for him.  He was in sixth grade at the time, and a total beginner, so I picked up a book that was not too little-kiddish.  So.  It turns out that Raymond is autistic.  Oh my.  Why wouldn't his parents tell me anything?  It only took a few minutes to figure out that something was off, but sheesh...I have used every strategy in my book for working with autistic children.  It's really amazing how his brain works.  He came in very upset the other day, locking the door so his mother, who was walking a few steps behind him, couldn't follow him in.  And he was crying.  It was very hard to get the story out of him, but I think I figured out that his mom was bothering him to practice, and he didn't like that.  Whew.  We hardly played the piano that day, instead I let him cry and get out his frustrations before we could even think about playing songs.  I'm glad that I have him as a student, as it is helping me as much as I'm helping him (I hope).

Too quick to judge

After several lessons with the students who have caused me to begin writing this blog in the first place, I can tell that I have been too quick to judge their previous piano teacher.  It was TOTALLY not her fault (whoever she is).  Well, not totally her fault is probably how I should word it.  Unless she created these children...
Oh, my.  I have my work cut out for me.  Ineffective practice strategies? Not enough practice time? Unmotivated? I'm not sure what is causing the lack of progress--maybe it's just habit for them--but it is making me CRAZY!
Still thinking on this one...

Step-students

Is that terrible?  I kind of think of students that I get from other teachers as step-students for a while.  Maybe that's what parents think about chidlren of their spouse's, but I definitely have that feeling for a time.  It doesn't last long, well, maybe through a complete book or so, depending on how long that takes.

The students I wrote the original blog post about are my step-students, still.  We've only have about four lessons, but I feel slightly resentful having to clean up other teacher's errors.  How can a student who has been playing for over two years not know how to read notes?  How can she not know intervals?
How can a student who has been playing for over three years not progress to the point of playing hands together?  Oh, my.  I do have a lot of work to do. 

I love these children--they are both just delightful and kind and sweet, but they have some habits that I'd like to break.  They have some learned behaviors that I'd like them to un-learn. 

What's worse: a very beginning student or a step-student?  I'm not sure...

Piano Tuned!

The piano was tuned today.  I don't know exactly when it was last tune, but suffice it to say it has not been tuned since we moved here (four years ago).  It sounds SO much better! I actually practiced today just because I was enjoying the sound of it. 

The piano was sharp--I could hear that the second the guy played A440.  Woah.  The upper ranges were pretty bad, but the lower parts weren't too off. 

The dog did not love the tuner.  He tried howling a few times, but I managed to shush him.  Then he went outside for a while, and I think he liked the quiet out there so much that he stayed out there a long time. 

I pointed out one key that had a real twang to it, and I heard the tuner working that one quite a bit.  He pointed out at the end that it's more a product of the design of the piano than anything else.  It's right where the strings change and the pads change, too, so that's why it has that ring to it.  He calmed it down a bit, but it's been bothering me since 1976, so I suppose I should be used to it by now. 

Now I won't be embarrassed when my students play on it for lessons.  It was well worth the $95, and I don't know why I didn't do it sooner!

Why I Do What I Do

Recently, the parent of a potential new student asked me several questions about my piano teaching philosophy.  It was fun to articulate it:

     I am happy to answer your questions and write about piano lessons. I've been teaching piano lessons on and off (mostly on) since I've been in college back in the late 80's.  My piano teacher owned her own music store, sold pianos, and had about 30 teachers working for her.  One night a week, I taught about six or eight lessons, and I was fortunate to have the resources of her music store (and her!) at my fingertips.  Since I moved to Fredericksburg fifteen years ago, I have

been teaching young students to play, and hopefully love, the piano.  

     Most of my current students have been with me for more than three years.  You might know the name Jessica *** from FA.  I gave her piano lessons for many years, before the demands of her high school schedule became too much for her to keep up with weekly lessons. Jess is an amazing young musician and has diverse interests and abilities, but if you were to ask her or her parents, they'd say that the strong foundation she had at the piano with me enabled her to pursue voice, drama, and other creative interests.

     Every young person is different--they all respond to different approaches, different kinds of music, and they all learn and progress differently.  I am experienced enough to know what confuses them, and I am usually successful in explaining things in ways they can understand.  For some students, they can learn the rhythm of eighth notes by hearing "pea-nut-but-ter-pea-nut-but-ter" in their heads.  Others do better by counting "one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and," and others simply have that internal rhythm that perfectly subdivides the beat. We celebrate every little success, and luckily, there are many of them when learning to play the piano.

     This time of year, students are generally excited about practicing because of the addition of Christmas carols to their repertoire.  They enjoy playing songs that are familiar to them, and to that end, I try balance what the students need to play (to advance) and what they like to play (to get better).  Sometimes, the same song can accomplish both objectives.  Other times, I guide the students through what they need to know while giving them free choice to play what they enjoy.  One of my middle school students is working through the soundtrack of Twilight--this is not music I love, but she does, and she has been able to play these harder songs because she knows what they sound like and she enjoys them.

     Generally, I have two recitals a year, which are held in conjunction with another music teacher with a small studio like mine.  In the recent past, our recitals were held at a local Baptist church in their sanctuary, but we've also held them elsewhere.  We usually have a holiday recital in the beginning of December and a spring recital in early May.  It is not mandatory for students to memorize their pieces, but I encourage my students to do so.  For some students in their first recital, or those who are extra anxious, using their music helps them feel successful--which is the goal of any performance.

     For some piano students, I've had to set up sticker charts or practice logs to help them stay on top of their weekly assignments.  Most students, however, do not need these extrinsic measures to encourage them to practice.  One of my students, when she completed a song she'd been working on for several weeks, wanted nothing more than to play it for her classroom teacher. That teacher and I set up a Skype session where she could watch the student via our laptops, offering immediate feedback and positive comments.  I encourage my students to play for each other at the beginning or end of their lessons, as one student arrives and one is finishing up.  Often, I play duets with the students, or set up duets with students of similar abilities. Students keep a notebook along with their piano books where I write their lesson for the week: usually (based on age and how long a student has been studying) a scale, chords and cadences, arpeggios, finger exercises, theory, and a list of the pieces to practice with notes to help the students remember what they need to work on.

     I'm am not just a 'methods book' kind of piano teacher.  While a methods book gives us a systematic, leveled experience, it, by itself, is not enough.  Students need ear training, technique, theory, and supplemental pieces to round out their musical experience.  Many of these components to the study of piano are accomplished through play and games.  Sometimes, we watch a video of a famous piece being performed on my computer, other times, we close the piano lid and tap rhythms.  Sometimes, we take turns looking away from the keyboard and then trying to locate a particular note just by hearing it.  Just as I am not a 'methods book' only teacher, I am not a 'practice-to-the-minute' kind of teacher, either.  Instead of a specific amount of time spent practicing each day, what is more important are the number of exposures students get to the music.  For example, practicing once a week for two hours will not yield the same results as practicing six days a week for fifteen minutes each.

     I am a teacher by trade, teaching elementary school library in the public schools.  Teaching piano is a natural extension of my teaching day, and teaching young people to make music is a relaxing and fulfilling end to my work day.  When I was growing up, there were times that I wanted to quit studying the piano, but my parents always managed to talk me into sticking with it.  I am so glad! All those years of practice, recitals, competitions, and yes, money were very well spent.  I am paying forward the love and dedication of my parents and teachers with a new generation of young musicians.

     You are to be commended for allowing your child to study piano--it is both a sacrifice of time and money.  Hopefully, the rewards for your child and you will be both quickly realized and long-standing.  Thank you for asking good questions, too, about finding a piano teacher.  It was fun for me to articulate what I do and why I do it!