3 Top Time Savers for Piano Teachers
Time wasters for teachers….
This week, I broke my own rule!
Explore Music - an activity book for kids
Spring Fever - Is There a Cure?
Spring Fever is a real thing. (At the time of this writing, it's spring in Oklahoma. In the US, that means end-of-school is near!)
There is no pill or vaccine that will help. Only one thing I have found that relieves the symptoms -
No-Pressure Fun!
End-of-school-year BURNOUT
End-of-school-year burnout.
Kids are DONE. Truth be told, I kinda feel the same.
What to do during lessons, when we all have what used to be called "spring fever"? (More on that, later.)
Here's a roundup of resources that I have used in the past. The purpose of these activities is to have fun, and still learn something!
When a girl froze in a recital…..
What to do when a jr. high girl FREEZES in a recital, and can't even remember where to put her hands?
Yup, this happened to me.
In 2003, this horrifying thing happened to one of my students. If she were 5 or 6, maybe I could have gone to the stage to help her. As it was - she was 13 going on 16, and she just left the stage, humiliated.
That's when I promised myself I would do my best to NEVER let that happen again. I developed a system of preparing students for memorized performances that has not failed (as long as they apply themselves to the process.)
Music History Made Easy!
Read on for an excellent course that makes music history fun for kids!
Why do we require piano students to memorize?
Learn how we got started on memorizing piano pieces, and what we as teachers can do to help.
Spring Fever - what is it and do you have it?
After Easter - THEN WHAT?
It's a holiday let-down, that's what! I refuse to stop the fun. But let's get real: in the US - we are heading towards the end of the school term. BURNOUT is all around us. What to do? Going back to my childhood, grown-ups always talked about kids getting "Spring Fever". It's not a real illness. It's a term that describes that feeling of burnout, being antsy, and really wanting a break. I captured this feeling for my students with the MODERN song, "Spring Fever" - which features an ultra-cool backing track. Can you believe my students ask for this song, year after year? Because it's written in two levels, I can accomodate that request a few times. Here's the low-down on Spring Fever:
Easter Fun - Kids are Jumpy, Antsy, and Hyper!
I don't usually write about spring flowers, Easter bunnies, or mild topics when it comes to kids.
I like to write about what kids are thinking about - like CANDY and having FUN!
St. Patrick’s Day - a Pinch of Fun!
What are kids thinking about on St. Patrick's Day?
I remember what I was thinking about as a kid. Not getting pinched! Here's how it worked when I was a kid: People wear green. If the color green is VISIBLE, other people can't pinch you. Even if it's tiny, but can be seen, you should be safe.
Of course, if you either forget or refuse to wear green, you are fair game. However, if someone isn't paying close enough attention, and they pinch you even if you DO have on green - well, you can retaliate. Most of the pinching is mild, but sometimes - it can be brutal!
Summer Camps for Music Studios!
Summer camps are amazing fun for both in-person and online studios! The best thing - once you have the lesson plans, you can use them over and over in many ways! Here are some ways I have used summer camps:
1). traditional - groups of kids at my house for 3, 4, or 5 days in a row. Usually my limit is 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Hats off to those of you who do longer camps!
2) online - same thing - but on Zoom. Small groups of kids log on for successive camp sessions. In one case - I did an hour and a half session in the morning, had a break for lunch, and came back for 30-45 minutes in the afternoon. That actually worked well. In all of my online camps, students had an "at-home kit" that contained lots of goodies they could manipulate and work with during the camp!
3)one-offs. This was a great way to promote my studio in the community. I held small mini-camps for one morning at my house or a local park. Great publicity and community building!
Boom Cards Extravaganza!
I am really late to the Boom Card party. It’s not that they didn’t look cool to me. And it’s not that I didn’t see the instructional value.
TBH - Boom Cards felt like “technology overload”. And I am usually cool with technology. But, I have my limit.
However - I’ve been following Kelly Bordeaux, and I really respect her creative take on Boom Cards. She also gives a great deal of help to teachers. Here’s a video
Can you ignore Valentine’s Day in your studio?
of course you can. Here's some thoughts on Valentine's music for piano kids......
Why teach Valentine’s songs when we already have so MUCH to do?
I’m not practicing much, either :(
These days, it’s hard for me to find time to practice. Between work, family, and a little self-care, time at the piano has dried up.
Maybe I need a motivator. Like what I recently did with my students!
Last week, I presented during the Practice Space webinar. Have you seen it? Here is the link to the replay if you missed it (my part is around 30:40)
Is it Easy or Hard to Make Adult Friends?
Make new friends - an easy piano song for young students!
Encourage the value of friendships with this fun piano solo, or duet!
Teaching Piano Finger Numbers
How to teach children the piano finger numbers. Easy games and acticvities.
Solo Piano or Group Piano?
Do you teach privately, groups, or both? It's thrilling to see kids working together towards a goal. Find the easiest piano ensembles at www.pianomusicforkids.com. Simplify your piano teaching!
Saving a Sea Turtle Through Piano Practice!
How one piano teacher and her piano students used piano practice to adopt an animal at the zoo.