by Rachel | Uncategorized
A funny thing happens when my students go back to school: they become more focused and dedicated musicians. Am I the only one who has noticed this?
Of course, that’s not to say my students are not focused and dedicated during the summer. But even I can admit that it’s easy to slack off a little bit in those three months, when life is just a little slower-paced and there are vacations and fun outdoor activities calling my name. There’s a definite transformation that takes place at the end of August, and I’m lovin’ it.
The link between school and improved performance at lessons is easy to understand. First of all, my students are back into a regular, structured routine. Practice time must now be built into their schedule, since they also have homework and extracurricular activities to squeeze in. I’m a lucky teacher in that most of my students’ parents are great about making sure practice is included in those tight schedules.
Secondly, the discipline my students learn at school is carried over to their lessons. They know that there are rewards (both intrinsic and extrinsic) for completing their schoolwork and performing to the best of their abilities in the classroom; they start to seek that same level of achievement musically, as well.
Third, I think there is also a little bit of peer competition at play (and I’m not complaining). Many of my students are classmates at school and know that they share the same piano or voice teacher. Now that they see each other on a regular basis, I know that they compare notes on which pieces they are practicing, how far along they are in their methods books, which Greyson Chance song they are singing, etc. I always stress to my students that everyone progresses at their own pace, but an extra boost of motivation is not a bad thing.
I know that most kids are under a lot of pressure when it comes to school and other activities, which is why I do all that I can to make music lessons an enjoyable experience. The fact that being back in school gives them that extra focus and dedication they need to continue increasing their skill level? Well that just makes my job even better, if that is even possible.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
My search for a new keyboard has finally ended! As of Monday, I am the proud owner of the Casio Privia PX-130 — my “brand new keys” as my friend called them in reference to the old country song, which I perform frequently at gigs.
But to tell you the truth, the latest addition to my instrument collection isn’t actually brand new. When I first asked for help finding the perfect keyboard, I received a few tweets (including one from my music therapist friend Allison) recommending the Casio Privia.
I checked it out and was impressed by what I saw — it had 88 weighted keys just as I wanted with lots of positive reviews — but I kept looking. However, I knew it had to be fate when one of my Facebook friends and fans of my business page (hi, Lori!) told me that her boyfriend was selling his barely-used Casio Privia.
He sent me an email explaining that he just didn’t have time to play the keyboard and was willing to give me a good deal. Music to my ears! I thought about it for a couple weeks while I continued my search, but I just kept coming back to this one.
When I picked it up on from him on Labor Day, he told me that he was happy it would get lots of good use. And that it will! I even skipped an afternoon at the pool to play it on Monday, which my friend Michelle Erfurt rightfully commented was a big deal. (I take my pool time seriously, people.)
I didn’t waste any time buying the proper accessories, since the main reason I bought the keyboard was for use at gigs. Thanks to Amazon’s free two-day shipping, I had a gig bag, pedal, and new stand even before I had the instrument in hand.
I’ll give my Casio Privia a proper review once I’ve gotten some real use out of it, but for now I can tell you that I am thrilled with my purchase. Thank you to everyone who provided suggestions and recommendations, and a huge thank you to Lori for leading me to my new keyboard! Who ever said that Facebook isn’t useful?!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Before I go on, let me qualify that title: whether or not I will continue teaching lessons is NOT the question. But it’s a curious topic amongst music therapists.
Yesterday, I had a brief conversation with one of my music therapist friends about teaching lessons. It seems that there are two different camps in our profession: those who stick to music therapy and don’t offer music lessons at all, and those who do. I most definitely fall into the latter camp.
Even before I made the decision to become a music therapist, I taught lessons. It was a great way to make spending money back in college, and what I realized early on is that teaching was the perfect way to keep up my skills as a musician. In fact, I owe several young children (who are all grown up now) for getting me back to the piano — an instrument with which I had a love/hate relationship at one point — in order to teach their lessons.
Now all these years later, I am a much better pianist because of those lessons, and feel like I continue to get better the more I teach. Same with guitar and voice. And all of those skills carry over into my music therapy work, which is why I consider teaching to be a crucial part of not only my business, but also my professional development.
As a music therapist (if you are one), what are your thoughts on teaching lessons? Do you fall into my camp, or are you a music therapy purist?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
I freely admit that I am a total junkie when it comes to technology — particularly technology that I can use to make my work easier. I have highlighted a few of these in the recent past (Music Teacher’s Helper, Dropbox, Gigbook) and now I’m adding another to that ever-growing list: Spotify.
When I first heard about this new application, I thought it sounded cool but didn’t take the time to really look into it. I knew you had to have an invitation to get the free version, so I figured I’d just wait until it was more freely available.
But then I kept seeing posts and links to Spotify on Facebook, so finally last night I decided to see what all the excitement was about. Ten minutes later, I found myself springing for the $10/month Premium version.
The free version of Spotify lets you search for, play, and share with your friends millions of tracks — pretty much any song you can think of — via the Spotify app on your desktop. Pretty cool. The unlimited version ($5/month) lets you do this without advertisements and for as long as you like. The premium version lets you do this not only from your desktop, but also on a mobile device WITHOUT even being connected to the internet.
For example, last night I created a playlist of both songs I own (Spotify imports your iTunes library and even retains your playlists) and songs I searched for in Spotify. Then I connected my iPhone and iPad to WiFi and without even connecting them to my computer, the playlist synced to both devices. Today I listened to that playlist in my car using my iPhone.
But the coolest application of Spotify for me is how I can utilize it in my studio. I can create unique playlists for my students and play them either on my computer or on my iPad. Instead of listening to just a sample of a song or having to purchase it, we can stream the entire thing so that my student can decide whether or not to add it to his/her repertoire.
I have only just begun to explore the possibilities, but I’m already hooked. Warning: searching for songs and browsing your Facebook friends’ playlists can be quite addictive! Have you jumped on the Spotify bandwagon? If so, I’d love to hear how you are using it.
As I mentioned earlier, the free version of Spotify requires an invitation. I have 8 left to give out, so the first 8 people to comment on this post will receive an invitation in their email inbox!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
One of the things I secretly look forward to at each lesson I teach is hearing the clever (and sometimes not-so-clever) excuses my students come up with to explain why they haven’t practiced.
I think I get such a kick out of them because I was once in their shoes: a busy kid who really wanted to excel at an instrument — piano, in my case — but just didn’t always have the motivation to do the work. I always had a handy excuse up my sleeve for my wonderfully patient piano teacher (she was a nun, after all!) and now I’m on the other side of the coin.
Since the fall session has just begun, I’ve heard some doozies after asking the dreaded question, “So have you had a chance to practice over the break?” Here are a couple of my favorites over the past two (just two!) days:
I really wanted to practice, but I had to go school supply shopping.
School supply shopping can be so overwhelming! :)
I know I was supposed to work on my chords, but I was busy writing my own songs instead. 10 of them!
Okay, this one was good.
My dad was watching TV and I didn’t want to bother him.
Mind you, this student’s dad attends every lesson, is extremely involved, and tracks his son’s practice.
The week is still young, so I have lots more excuses to look forward to in the coming days. I think I have mastered the art of balancing validation with encouragement; discipline is not my forte. How do you handle the excuses presented by your students? And please feel free to add any doozies you’ve heard to my list!
