Last month’s discussion forum brought out some great comments from you all! Most of you agreed that the teacher should play something on student recitals when possible, as long as the piece is not overly showy.
The dicussion topic for the January Forum:
Do you have any teaching goals for 2011? What changes or improvements would you like to make in your studio this year? What other goals do you have for yourself or your students?
The beginning of a new year is a great time to reassess and set attainable goals. Here are a few quick ideas just to get you brainstorming…
- Improve the studio business end-0f-things.
- Focus more on technique.
- Focus more on functional skills.
- Gain 5 more students.
- Incorporate more interactive games/activities in the lesson.
- Better communication with parents/students.
- Tailor lessons to individual students more.
- Get organized.
Good luck!
Photo Credit: somethingmarissa | CC 2.0
Those goals are exactly what I have made for myself & my students! Even the “gain 5 more students”! I am working on a spread sheet for myself to track students’ progress and to remind myself as well as the student where we are going. I’m also going to hold a “Students Recital” in March. I just want a low key performance environment for the students to perform in front of their peers & talk about the “do’s & don’ts” of Performance Behavior while enjoying themselves. Do you have any suggestions for me to make it more successful? Thanks for your time you put into your blog. I appreciate it!
My goal for 2011 as a piano teacher is a big one: TEACH PIANO! 🙂 I’m a beginner piano teacher and am very lucky to have 9 students lined up to begin next week! I am so excited to begin this journey. My piano teacher growing up was like a big sister to me; I hope to form the same bond with my students now that I’m in the “teacher’s chair”. Joy, your blog is super helpful to me. THanks for all you do!
I do student evaluations at the end of each term, at this term several issues appeared over and over! First and foremost, I want to motivate my students. I have some students that practice simply for the joy of it, but unfortunately, most only do so because they’re made to. I’ve spent a lot of time planning and selecting music that my students will enjoy practicing, and also working to make my lesson plans more enjoyable for my students. Technical issues I’ll be working on include; helping my students develop a better sense of pulse (and this means making practice with the metronome more than just a suggestion!), and helping my younger students become better readers. I’m also stressing consistency- across the board- for me as a teacher, for my students in their practice, and for the parents in their commitment to get their kids to lessons and encourage them over the week.
My goals for 2011 keep evolving as I evaluate my students’ strengths and weaknesses. I want to be more organized with practicing assignments on my end, as I have several students in the same books and at the same level, but yet they are all so individual in their talents. Also I want to revise my teaching/payment policy to make it more workable for the group of students I have. But my biggest goal is this: to keep learning! I am renewing my commitment to my students to never stop learning so that I can take them as high as they want to go. I am beginning lessons myself with the goal of achieving my Grade 10 in the Royal Conservatory of Music (our standard program here in Canada), and then going on to get my Teacher’s ARCT (this is equivalent to a master’s degree in piano pedagogy in the States). I am SUPER excited that God has opened up this opportunity. I feel that I owe it to my students to always be pursuing a better grasp on music/ theory.
One of my goals for my piano studio is to regularly record my students. I have several great recording apps for my ipad I am excited to use.
Rachael! What apps have you been trying out? I received an iPod Touch from my hubby for Christmas, and have been having so much fun with it! I’ve been recording myself using an app called “iTalk.”
I recently opened my own studio this last October, so most of my goals this year will be focused on getting my studio up and running so that I can make this a lucrative full-time job. It’s so exciting! (So most of the goals are things like: finding more free advertising, making sure I’m constantly present on facebook, starting the blog section of my website, etc. Lots to do!)
My biggest goal this year though is to make my lessons more multimedia. Since I’m working on moving full-time into my new studio, I want to start gathering more recordings, scores, games, and other activities for my students to do.
By the way – I love, love, love your blog. You’ve created such a great space for both new and experienced teachers here. Thank you!!
I am working on finding a place to restart my studio space. We are moving and looking for a place to call home this year. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. In the meantime I have been working on my music skills and keeping my mind fresh and focused as much as I can while taking care of my two little people under five.
I’ve decided to really concentrate on including more hands-on, active learning opportunities for my students. I know that piano itself is hands-on, but it’s so easy to let theory become dry and purely academic. That means lots more games, movement, and opportunities for creativity!
My goal for my students for 2011 is to work more on hand positions and scales. It has been so easy to get busy with recital or competition music and have theory and scale work move to the end of the lesson and then run out of time. I plan to reorganize all the great resources I have acquired off of websites like yours so I can find them quickly when a student needs a drill game or a little fun at their lesson.