by April O'Keefe | Oct 2, 2018 | rhythm, Teaching Tips
Rhythm. It is one of my favorite parts of music because unlike technique, phrasing, style, and programming, there is a right and wrong answer, a black and white. Rhythm is not a matter of opinion: it is either correct or incorrect. I like having a definite something...
by Ivy Pirl | Sep 25, 2018 | Motivation, Teaching Tips
Can you believe we’ve nearly made it to October? For many of us, we’ve just about reached the midpoint of our semester. And maybe, just maybe, some of those students who were so on fire at the start of the term have started to lose a bit of motivation? That glorious...
by Ivy Pirl | Sep 18, 2018 | intermediate students, Strategies
Intermediate piano students… what a special group! They have stuck with piano lessons through the basics and their love of music continues to grow! Many teachers feel less prepared to teach this level because they have so much more experience with beginners. But those...
by Ivy Pirl | Sep 3, 2018 | Strategies, Teaching Tips
This is part two in a two-part post on the on the topic 6 Common Beginner Student Problems and How to Solve Them, by Ivy Belk Pirl. In part one she highlighted the first 3 common problems and how to solve them. (Click here to read part one.) She continues with...
by Ivy Pirl | Aug 27, 2018 | Strategies, Teaching Tips, Uncategorized
This post, 6 Common Beginner Student Problems and How to Solve Them, is a two-part post by Ivy Belk Pirl. In part one, Ivy discusses three of the six common beginner student problems. Teaching beginners is so wonderful, isn’t it? Their excitement can brighten up our...
by Ivy Pirl | Aug 13, 2018 | Engagement, Piano Lessons
It’s back to school time! And though it’s been a very long time since I’ve been back to school, I can still vividly recall the anticipation, the excitement, that first bit of chill in the morning air, and the smell of new school supplies! I love this time of year!...
by Chris Owenby | Aug 10, 2018 | Encouragement, Inspiration
So, I sat down to teach a brand new student this past Monday, Chesney. She was SO nervous – clinging to her mother whispering, “I really don’t want to do this…” I told Chesney we were going to have fun together. That she would be smiling...
by Carter McMullen | Aug 7, 2018 | Technique
In Part One of this series, I showed how to teach students the proper scale technique for playing smooth one-octave C major scales, hands separately. After mastering one-octave scales, hands together, (as discussed in Part Two), it’s time to teach the two-octave...
