September is busy!

It seems that September is the month to start piano lessons!  I think with the start of school, it just happens naturally.  I have been telling people around my area that I teach, and I am getting more students than I ever have before.  While it is exciting for me, it is good for me to establish standards too.  One is to only teach on certain days for the sake of my family (and myself).  So I chose Wed and Thurs.  I got a paper planner so I can chart the times when people ask what is available.
I also read this great post about things to do to shake up your studio.  Since I'm starting fresh AGAIN - we moved this past month...making 5 moves in 2 years - it's a great time to freshen up.  I'm going to have my teacher view my studio policy.  What are you doing that's new and fresh this year?  I'd love to hear

Playing vs Practicing

I have decided it is finally time to start taking piano lessons again.  It has been 15 years since my last lesson.  I had my first lesson 2 weeks ago, and it has opened my eyes to how much I have lost and what is missing in my level of confidence.  My teacher (who is fabulous!)  told me that I am rusty, and the thing I have to work on the most is going from PLAYING a piece to PRACTICING.  When you go through and play a piece straight through, it takes a long time for you to get better.  When you practice: with a metronome and really focus, it will suprise you at how much better you can get.  So the past 2 weeks, I have sat down and really focused on the pieces I was assigned.  I had one from each period: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary.  I also had to work on scales, and 3 Hymns.  I have been amazed that Baroque - Bach Invention No. 8 wasn't as bad as I have always thought.  It does take an amazing amount of concentration though!!  There were days that I would practice for 1 1/2 hours too, and it didn't seem long enough, but that hour time limit put a stopping point on me which is also good.  I have been awakened at how far I have come and how far I have yet to go.  But I am so grateful for the opportunity to take lessons again and continue to progress for the future students that will come to me.

New starts

We have moved yet again, but hopefully this is the last time.  As I begin to think about setting up my studio, one of the things that comes to mind is visiting the local music store.  I've put my name on their list of teachers and found out about the local chapters of music teacher groups.  I have wondered where to start and one of the things I need is to start taking lessons again myself.  I have set a goal to talk to a local teacher who has been here for a long time to find out some tips and pointers.  Those have helped out so much in the past.  And something I'm really excited about is that through my husband's work, I can audit classes at our local college!  I'm going to find some pedagogy classes to take!!  So there are a few more ideas to getting started!
My sister is going to teach my daughter lessons, and I liked her "1st lesson" idea of an assessment.  She has my daughter play what she knows, do some sightreading, and figures out where to go from there.  I think that is a great idea for a first lesson, to get a handle on where the student is before getting them books...That would have saved me in the past!!

Christmas is coming!

I love this time of year. I love the music. I do christmas mystery songs for my students to try and guess which song it is. I also start them working on a song for a December recital. I like doing them at nursing homes to bring cheer to the older folks, and it's a free piano spot. It seems to be pretty informal so the nerves don't creep up too much. I team up with another teacher so there is a variety of music. Then after the program we give the students candy canes to congratulate their great job.
My mom would have a "Christmas party" with no parents. She would do games, have treats and the kids would play their songs for the other students. My favorite game was the newspaper game. You roll up a newspaper and everyone has a different Christmas name. Then you call out the names before the "it" person hits you on the head with the newspaper. We loved the game, and the party. It was always a blast.
As far as gifts go, I've made piano bags, classical music CDs, let them pick an extra prize, and treats of course. What do you do for Christmas?

Composers

I find the life of composers fascinating! I have been listening to an audio lecture called, "How to listen to and understand great music" by Professor Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. It has been very enlightening to do dishes to:) I've learned that Tchaivosky was afraid that his head would fall off while conducting, so he would hold on to his head with one hand and lead with another. I learned that Debussy preferred the company of cats to people, and Mozart was not as crazy as the movie Amadeus made him out to be.
I loved this series for also explaining the different styles of German, Italian, and French music. They correlate with their language. German is sharp with lots of consonants and so is their music. Italians have a perfect blend of consonants and vowels, and their music focuses on relationships. French language is full of vowels. You often cannot tell where one word ends and the other begins and the same is true of their music...there isn't a defined beat. It's very flowy. This is generalizing and paraphrasing, but it helped me to recognize the differences and appreciate the beauty of each style of music.

Your own Children

I read a great article about your own children in piano here. It really made me think about our recent adventures that my daughter and I have had. She and I have been trying to have piano lessons every week. I even went to the extent of setting an alarm on my phone once a week. Despite my best intentions, we had a piano lesson about once a month, and usually there was an episode of tears involved. I get perplexed when no fun is involved, and my daughter is a perfectionist that expects to get things perfect from the beginning. The two of us don't see eye-to-eye very well. Then about 3 months ago, I worked out an arrangement with another piano teacher friend of mine. I teach her daughter and she teaches mine! She is much more disciplined and expects more from her students. I am more into my students having fun and enjoying the process. I think our differences really compliment each other, and both of our daughters are reaping the benefits.

My daughter is 8 and her teacher believed she could learn all of her scales and other requirements in 2 months for an upcoming "Piano Achievement Days" at our local music store. Not only did she succeed, but she earned a medallion for exceptional performance!! I was so proud of her accomplishment and the high expectations that her teacher had for her. Even though there were tears in our practicing sessions, the deadline motivated both of us to overcome the bumps. Now she does enjoy her medallion and her memorized pieces. I think it is great to have another perspective, sounding board, and mentor for your children.

Does anyone have good suggestions for how they help their children practice? I'd love some feedback on that subject. We are still narrowing down a routine:)

Expanding your knowledge base

Lately, I have been trying to expand my knowledge of music. The library is a great FREE resource. I found some great audio books on CD called "How to listen to and understand great Music." There are 8 volumes with 8 CDs in each. I have just finished the first volume. I listen to them while cleaning or doing dishes. It's been a great thing to start for me. I enjoy learning as much as I can as conveniently as possible. I have also made some kits after expanding my knowledge on different musical aspects.
So if you want to expand and create supplements, I'd love to hear what subject you choose and how you incorporate it into lessons!