A Funny Thing Happened...

Pink Panther Duet

My dear friend, please bare with me today.  I have a bad case of nostalgia.  It's been coming on for sometime.  I'm afraid it may be catching.

Favorite Memories:
 -  The first time I figured out I could look out of the corner of my eye, say "No playing with your feet or licking the piano keys," and keep right on filling in their assignment book.

 - The little Miss Priss who plays in pink cowgirl boots and hat.

 - When I performed Moonlight Sonata at a concert and the girl who vowed she'd always hate the piece announced to me it was her favorite.  Compliment or not?

 - The 3 year old who took his first few lessons from me from the safe distance of his mother's lap.

 - Audibly hearing friends pray behind me during my performance of a Bach Fugue.

 - The look on my 7th grader's face after he played Burgmuller's Ballade in c minor with the dynamics in place.  It was priceless amazement.

 - The 5th grader who announced only 2 months before the big day that he didn't want to perform 10 pieces at his Guild Audition.  He wanted to perform 15 instead.

 - The Christmas Recital where one student asked to played an extra piece to "make up" for how he did on his scheduled piece - and then wowed the audience with Linus and Lucy.

 - The look on my student's face the first time he won his grade level.

 - Watching two siblings perform their version of the Pink Panther, complete with pink face paint and tail.

 - Sitting on the bench playing duets with my high school senior when she suddenly stops playing.  Her explanation?  "This note surprised me, that passage was hard, my left hand got lost, and my nose itches."

Please don't let me reminisce alone.  What are some of your favorite teaching or performing memories?

Competition Preparation Checklist

Okay, so if you are like me, when you're getting your students ready for a competition half of your effort is spent trying to remember all the things you are supposed to tell them before they get there.  Now I'm not talking about anything that has to do with the way they play.  I mean the sheer effort of getting your students there and in order.

Thus I have taken it upon myself to alleviate your headaches by creating a no-fail Pre-Competition Checklist.  Please let me know if I left off anything important.

Pre-Competition Checklist:

(The following is in no specific order)

1. Finish filling out any forms and submitting your checks

2. Clean student's music
                -Erase all markings except for your changes (added rit., cresc., etc.)

3. Write measure numbers on their music

4. Optional: Put Sticky Notes on each piece for easier location in the rush of the day.

5. Tell the Parent/Student
                -What time to be there
                -Where to go
                -Where to park
                -How to dress
                -What books they should bring
                -What, if any, necessary forms, payment, or test sheets to bring with them
                -Recommend arriving early

6. (If the student will be playing in front of other students) Remind them how to take a bow.

7. (If there is a written exam section) Remind them to bring 2-3 well sharpened pencils

8. Make sure you have received compensation for competition fees

9. Send a reminder email with everything in #4 and your contact info in case of emergency

10. If your students do not already have the actual book for their music make sure to bring it with you or send it with them.

11. Optional, but recommended: Explain to students and their parents exactly what to expect on the big day and remind them that the judge is not a goblin.

Ta-da!  Happy dance! You made it!!

Did I miss anything?  What else do you do before their big day?

Photo Courtesy of CanonSnapper

It's All in the Family

It was the last lesson of the school year, I had just come down with pneumonia, and I felt like crude.  There is nothing more distasteful than when the only thing you can put your mind firmly on is the clock ticking away the minutes til you can sit on the couch again.  Ughh.

My student walked in bright eyed and eager with her mother following behind her.  One look at the mother and I knew something was wrong.  It didn't take long before she began to explain.  Her very dear uncle was in the hospital and was not expected to make it.  I gave my condolences and pats and we went on with the lesson as usual.

But if there is one thing I have learned from teaching piano, it is that when you take a student you are not just taking a student, you are taking a family.  If you want to have a successful relationship with your student, you need to have a relationship with the family and sometimes that means doing more than the usual piano teacher stuff.

In the case of my student and her mother, it meant that the next day I went out and bought some dinners to send to them.  For another family, it meant that I wrote an encouraging note to thank the parents for telling how well their student was practicing.  For all of the students, I write thank you notes for the gifts they give me at Christmas.  And when we play games in the lessons I will often have the parents play with us.

More Ideas:
1.  Give small birthday gifts
2. Give end of year letters
3. Take students and their families out to special events like a symphony performance or musical
4. Send out periodic newsletters to all the parents with updates on what everyone is doing

But above all the other things you can do to support your students and their parents the best is to simply listen and be their friend.  Ask them about their week and listen sincerely.  Ask your parents to tell you what they are seeing at home.  "Is there a piece Johnny is playing more than the others?" "Do you notice him struggling with something?"  "What is Johnny really interested in in school right now?"  (Sometimes I will use his interests to illustrate a point in a lesson, ie. fly into the notes like Superman, hop on the keys like a puppy.)

But I have to tell you the end of the story of my student and her mother.  So, as you know, I went out and bought them a nice dinner, complete with chocolate pie and side casserole.  At the same time, I picked up some breakfast casseroles for a party I was going to hold later that week.  Being that I had pneumonia, I was unable to deliver the meal myself and instead sent the whole thing off with my dad to deliver.  Imagine my surprise a few days later to find a chocolate pie, casserole, and dinner in my freezer.  Thankfully the students' family likes breakfast casserole.

How do you make your students' families feel a part of your studio?

Photo Courtesy of: rachel_pics' photostream