Category: Professional Development

The Repertoire Pyramid

12/13/2019

Today I am sharing this article that I wrote for the blog at Tonara.com.

If you aren't familiar with Tonara, it is a unique app with a variety of features that enable teachers to manage their studio and motivate their students to practice. Visit Tonara's website HERE to learn more!

Assigning and pacing the repertoire we use with our students is one of the most challenging tasks we face as music teachers. The music we assign not only shapes the development of our students’ technical skills--it can also play a huge role in maintaining our students’ motivation to practice.

Some of the difficulties we might encounter in assigning student repertoire include:

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Turning Student Repertoire Requests into Learning Opportunities

10/8/2019

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Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

Parent: “I’d really like little Johnny [age 8, in his first year of lessons] to learn the Moonlight Sonata. Is that possible?”
Beginning student: “Can I please, please, please learn this song?” [proceeds to play the first two notes of Fur Elise over and over…]
Student in second year of lessons: “I’ve been playing piano for a LONG time now. When can I learn some Elton John (Scott Joplin/Chopin/Rachmaninoff, etc.)?”

As much as we want to encourage our students’ enthusiasm for music, it can be difficult not to cringe when we get one of these unexpected, and often unrealistic, repertoire requests. It can be tough to envision incorporating the “Moonlight Sonata” into lessons when a student is still struggling to count half notes and whole notes.

However, what if there were a way to use these requests to teach and reinforce the basic skills we are already working on in our lessons? With a little creativity, it can be possible! The next time you get an unexpected repertoire request, consider these options:

Does a simplified version of this piece exist?
I realize there is some controversy over the idea of using simplified music, in particular simplified classical music, in lessons. However, the sad truth is that for those of us who work with primarily “recreational” students, the majority of the students we teach will never reach the proficiency level required to play many of these beloved classical pieces in their original form. If learning a simplified arrangement of a classical piece can motivate your students and bring them the joy of playing a favorite classical piece at the piano, isn’t it an idea worth considering?

There are so many great options for simplified arrangements these days that often a Google search will give you several choices at a variety of levels. But here are a few of my favorite places to look for student-friendly arrangements of both classical and popular music:

Piano Pronto: Jennifer Eklund has done a wonderful job arranging hundreds of beloved classical themes so that they maintain their original flavor while still being accessible to student pianists. Her method books contain many arrangements, and many more are available as digital downloads on the Piano Pronto site. Her companion site, FM Sheet Music, contains over 1,000 arrangements of pop and movie music for student pianists as well.
Sheet Music Plus: Just type in the title and choose the level you are looking for. You can find both hard copy collections from a variety of educational music publishers as well as digital downloads of music from independent arrangers in a variety of genres (including my own arrangements of pop, video game, and anime music for students, found HERE).
Musicnotes: You can find everything from “beginner note” (pre-reading) arrangements to lead sheets to “easy piano” arrangements--and beyond--on this website. Note that the music here is available only in digital, print-on-demand format.

Can the piece be taught by ear or by rote?
Perhaps a simplified version of the requested piece doesn’t exist--or maybe even the simplified version is still too difficult for your student. Can a portion of the piece be taught by rote or by ear? Very often students are happy just to learn an 8 or 16 measure section of their requested piece, with the understanding that as they progress they can learn even more.

In earlier blog posts, I’ve discussed how I teach familiar favorites such as Pachelbel’s “Canon” and “Carol of the Bells” by rote, as well as how I teach pop music by ear.

Can the student learn the bass line and play along with you as a duet?
If your student can play A and E, they can play along with the bass notes to the first section of “Fur Elise.” The bass line for the opening of the “Moonlight Sonata” contains only five notes (and can be transposed to an easier key if necessary). The bass line to many pop songs can be played by knowing just four notes--the roots of the I, IV, V, and vi chords.

Have students play these short bass lines along with you as you play the remainder of the piece, as a duet. Duets are a great way to work on:

Cueing and ensemble--can you start and end together?
Counting--hold those bass notes!
Dynamics and tempo--see if your student can follow the dynamic changes and tempo changes you make as you play (for example, add in a crescendo, diminuendo, or ritardando to challenge your student’s listening skills).

Can you perform the piece for the student or listen to a recording of it together?
What if the requested piece can’t possibly be simplified in a way that makes it accessible for the student to play? There are still opportunities for learning! Consider these ideas:

If it is a piano piece, can you play it for your student? This is a great way to inspire and demonstrate what your student can achieve over time through hard work and practice.
Can you find a recording of the piece and use it to work on listening skills? You can:
- Identify concepts such as high/low, loud/soft, fast/slow.
- Identify any orchestral or percussion instruments in the recording.
- Clap the rhythm and march to the beat.
- Identify the form of the piece. Do any of the sections repeat?
- Discuss how the music makes you feel. Is it happy, sad, angry? How do you think the composer created that emotion in the music?
- Learn about the history of the piece. When was it written? Who was the composer? What other pieces did this composer write?

What do you think? Do you welcome student repertoire requests? Any tips you would like to share for turning these requests into learning experiences? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments!

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Choosing the Right Piece of Music for Every Student

9/20/2019

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One of the best things about being a twenty-first century piano teacher is the abundance of musical choices. Never in the history of music have we had more sheet music or a wider variety of styles and genres at our fingertips. We can browse online from a seemingly endless selection of music for our students and even print on-demand!

However, one of the most difficult things about being a modern piano teacher is--you guessed it--the abundance of choices! It can be tough to balance our desire to find new, exciting repertoire for our students to play with the desire to use high quality materials that will make our students feel successful and sound fabulous. With so much music to choose from, how can we tell if a particular piece is well-written and a good fit for our students?

Today, I’d like to share my own suggestions for how to assess a piece and decide if it is right for your student. Every student has different tastes and abilities--so hopefully these ideas will help you to find the right piece for every student in your studio!

First, know your levels. Choosing a piece at the right level for your student is the first step in making sure that your selection will set your student up for success. You will see a variety of terminology used by different publishing companies to describe the various levels of piano music. However, here is a general guideline that shows the most commonly-used name for each level, along with its corresponding method book levels and the designation publishers use for popular music at that level (in quotation marks):

Elementary (Beginner) - primer, level 1 - “five-finger”
Late Elementary (Late Beginner) - level 2-3 - “big note”
Early Intermediate - level 3-4 - “easy piano”
Intermediate - level 4-5 - "easy piano"
Late Intermediate - level 5-6 - "piano solo" or "piano-vocal-guitar"
Advanced - out of method books - “piano solo” or "piano-vocal-guitar"

Most publishing companies try to make a teacher's job easier by clearly listing the level of a piece of music on the front cover. However, if the level of a piece isn't clearly marked, here are a couple of resources that can help you determine it:

The Pianists Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature by Jane Magrath
This is an excellent resource that covers thousands of the most-taught piano pieces from the beginning to early advanced levels. Although you won't find the most recently composed pieces listed here, it is a must-have for leveling and choosing repertoire written around 1990 and earlier.

Sheet Music Plus Level Guidelines
Sheet Music Plus is a large, online music retailer. They have created a chart that lists characteristics of pieces at each level with examples from the standard piano literature. It will give you a good overview of what musical elements you can expect to find in pieces at each level. You can also click on a level to browse all the music they have available at that level--which is very helpful!

Next, I like to ask myself three important questions to judge whether a piece is well-written and appropriate for the student I have in mind.

1. Is the piece fun to play? A piece that feels good under the hands and matches your student's current technical abilities will be fun to play! You might ask:

Does this piece fit the hands well, with no awkward maneuvering or excessively tricky fingering?
Does this piece take into account the hand size, finger dexterity, and technical abilities of your student?
Does this piece use a tempo that is attainable for your student?
Does this piece use rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic patterns that your student will recognize?

2. Is it fun to listen to this piece? Students (and parents) enjoy music that sounds good, no matter what level your student is currently at. You might ask:

Is it catchy? Would your student be excited to play this piece?
Is it unique? Does it contain elements that would make it interesting to a non-musical listener (i.e., a parent) in a performance setting?
Does it tell a story, communicate an emotion, or paint a picture for the listener?

3. Does this piece teach the student something? Although we want our students to enjoy the music they are playing, we also want the pieces we choose to contribute to our students' overall musical growth. You might ask:

What will the student learn by playing this piece? Does this piece reinforce your student’s current piano skills?
Does this piece stretch your student in some small way, either artistically or technically? (My rule of thumb is that a piece can have one or two new ideas--beyond that and there is potential for a student to be overwhelmed.)
Does this piece serve as a stepping stone to other works you hope your student will study in the future?

What do you think? How do you assess a new piece and determine if it is a good fit for your students? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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Thoughts on Student Motivation

8/26/2019

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This time of year, I see lots of posts in piano teacher discussion groups about practice incentives and student motivation. How do we get our students excited about the new year of piano ahead? How can we keep them practicing consistently with a host of other activities competing for their time and intention?

The issue of motivation can be tricky. Although extrinsic (or external) motivation, in the form of incentives and rewards, can be helpful in the short-term, ultimately we want the motivation for practice to come from within our students. We want our students to practice because they love music and enjoy playing the piano.

Does this sound like an unrealistic goal? In researching the subject of intrinsic (or internal) motivation, I discovered an interesting article on self-determination theory, the psychological theory that explains the emotional needs that must be fulfilled in order for us to be self-motivated to continue an activity. Psychologists theorize that self-motivation to continue any activity, whether it is following an exercise plan or sticking to a new hobby, boils down to three main emotional needs that must be fulfilled. These three emotional needs are:

1. Autonomy: feeling in control, having choices
2. Competency: feeling successful, making progress
3. Relatedness: feeling a connection to the outside world, having a sense of community

By helping our students to fulfill these three basic psychological needs, we can help them to become self-motivated and increase their enjoyment in practicing piano.

So, how can we help our students to fulfill their needs for autonomy, competency, and relatedness in our piano lessons? Here are my thoughts:

Autonomy:

Give students choices within each lesson. From choosing what piece to play first in the lesson, to creating their own practice plan for the week--choices help students to feel in control of the learning process.
Encourage students to keep a "wish list" of pieces they would like to learn to play. Having a choice in the repertoire that they learn can be extremely motivating for students.
Help students to set their own long-term goals for piano study. Every student's musical journey is different, and every student has different interests. Let students know that their goals are important and that you value their input as you develop their curriculum together.

Competency:

Help students feel successful at every lesson by providing activities that are geared towards each student's strengths--not just those that challenge their weaknesses. This may mean including aural or rote activities for students that struggle with note reading, for example.

Make sure that assignments are clear and easy to follow at home, so that students can see progress at every practice session.
Give students "easy wins"--pieces that they can learn quickly and independently.

Relatedness:

Encourage students to play familiar pieces, such as the theme from a favorite movie or video game, or a parent's favorite classical piece. It can be exciting (and motivating) to play a piece that your friends and family instantly recognize.
Create social opportunities for your students within your studio, such as informal group classes or partnering students to play duets.
Encourage students to make music with their friends. This can include accompanying friends that play other instruments, joining a band at school or church, or just jamming along to a chord chart with a friend who plays guitar.
Finally, arm your students with the musicianship skills they need for a lifetime of music-making with others. Sight-reading, lead sheet and chord chart playing, knowing how to improvise on a familiar tune by ear--these are all practical musicianship skills that will help your students be ready to make music with others anytime, anywhere.

What do you think? How do you motivate your students? What are your thoughts on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!

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On Travel Teaching, Part Two

7/15/2019

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In my last post HERE I discussed the pros and cons of travel teaching and why I decided to become a part-time travelling piano teacher. Today, I will be sharing tips from my own experiences as a travel teacher that will help you to maximize your time, your income, and make both you and your piano families happy with the in-home lesson experience.

Tip #1: Set your price to take into account travel time.

Like I mentioned in my last post, you most likely won’t be able to see as many students in a day of travel teaching as you would at a studio. I plan on 10-15 minutes of travel time between houses so that I have a buffer in case of traffic. This also gives me time to pack up my materials and chat briefly with parents about what we covered in the lesson on my way out the door.

However, this doesn’t mean that you have to take a pay cut in order to travel teach! My advice is to decide how much income you would like to bring in for a typical day of teaching, and divide by the number of students you would reasonably be able to travel to in one day. For example, if you charge $25 for a 30-minute lesson at your home studio, and you can see 10 students in one afternoon of teaching at your home, your target income would be $250 per day. In an afternoon of travel teaching, you may only be able to fit in 7 or 8 students, taking into account travel time between lessons. That means you would need to charge $30-35 per lesson to make an equivalent amount for a day of travel teaching.

Don’t be afraid to charge what you are worth! Parents appreciate the convenience of having a teacher come to their home for lessons, and you are saving them time and gas money by travelling to them. Many years ago, when I was new to travel teaching, I apologized to a parent for having to increase my fee to cover travel expenses. She replied, “Don’t be silly! I would spend more than that in the drive-thru at McDonald’s if we had to drive somewhere else for piano lessons after school!” For this mom, the convenience of being able to come home and cook dinner while her kids had piano lessons in the next room outweighed the difference in cost.

Tip #2: Group your students according to location.

This is the best way to maximize your income and make travel teaching the most efficient. In my case, I travel to two specific areas--one on Wednesdays and one on Thursdays. I tell parents that I will only travel to a neighborhood if I have at least 3 interested students (4 or more is even better!). I have found parents are more than willing to spread the word by advertising on their neighborhood Facebook page or on the Nextdoor app so that I have enough students in one area to make it worth my while to travel there.

Tip #3: Keep track of your mileage when you travel teach.

In my case, business travel to my clients is tax deductible, and those miles really add up! I have found that by keeping records and deducting my mileage as a business expense it completely offsets what I am spending on gas for the days I travel teach. (Disclaimer: I am not an accountant--so check with a CPA where you live to see what rules would apply in your situation!)

Tip #4: Use a dedicated travel bag to organize your teaching materials.

I use a large tote bag with lots of pockets, and I keep it stocked with pencils, highlighters, extra assignment sheets, a binder with extra worksheets, stickers, tissues--anything that I think I might need on the days I travel teach. I keep a second set of these items in my home studio so that I don’t have to worry about forgetting anything essential on the days I travel to lessons. I also have an iPad with lots of apps and digital sheet music--which saves me from needing to carry extra books or games to my lessons. (I blogged about how I use my iPad in lessons HERE.)

Tip #5: Have a firm policy regarding make-up lessons and no-shows.

While you might have a generous make-up policy for your home studio, make-ups become a trickier issue when you travel to teach. It usually isn’t practical or efficient to drive out to do a make-up lesson for one student. Come up with a clear policy that details how you will handle cancellations and what you will do if you arrive at a home and the student isn’t there (which happens!). In my studio, I offer group make-up classes at my home that are regularly scheduled throughout the year, so both my travel students and my home studio students have a chance to attend whichever classes fit their schedule. If a student isn’t home when I arrive for a travel lesson, I text the parent to confirm the lesson time, and I wait a maximum of 15 minutes for the student to show. There are no refunds or rescheduled lessons if a student isn’t home at their lesson time.

Tip #6: Communicate your expectations regarding potential distractions and parental involvement during lessons.

One of the pros of teaching from your home studio is that you have control over the environment and can set up your studio in a way to minimize distractions. Unfortunately, when you travel to teach this isn’t always possible. The piano may be in the same room as the TV, or there may be pets or siblings in the home that want to be part of the lesson--even when they aren’t particularly welcome! Make parents aware that students need to be ready for their lesson at the appropriate time, with no distractions from electronics. Siblings should ideally wait in another room during the lesson.

At the conclusion of the lesson, I like to communicate with the parent to let them know what we covered in our lesson--and to make them aware that I am leaving their home so that young students aren’t left unattended. You might also want to address in your policy whether or not you are comfortable teaching a child in their home without a parent or other adult present.

What do you think? Do you currently travel to students’ homes for lessons? Any tips you would like to share on travel teaching? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

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The Repertoire Pyramid

Turning Student Repertoire Requests into Learning Opportunities

Choosing the Right Piece of Music for Every Student

Thoughts on Student Motivation

On Travel Teaching, Part Two

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