Category: Charlotte NC Piano Lessons

Make Up Lessons. Why or Why Not?

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Most of my families know that make up lessons is one of my least favorite topics.  The different policies from studio to studio are as varied as you could possibly get.  Some teachers offer an unlimited amount of make up lessons.  Some teachers offer one per year or one per semester.  Some teachers don’t offer make up lessons at all.  The real question is, does it really matter?  Are the make up lessons or lack of make up lessons effecting the student in a positive or negative light?  Here are my thoughts.

 

Currently, I do not offer make up lessons for student absences.  My reasoning for this has multiple parts.

1.  The actual make up lesson for the missed lesson usually falls on week with a regularly scheduled lesson.  This means that over the course of 8 days a student would have 3 lessons.  Many times this can leave students feeling stressed out and it takes an additional week for the lessons to find their correct balance again.  I would rather have a student out for a week and then come in with 2 weeks preparation of material for us to work on.  So many lessons crammed into such a short time leaves the student musically burned out.

 

2.  When should these lessons be scheduled so that it is fair to everyone.  If I only offer one make up date at the end of the semester or year and a family is unable to attend, I usually hear get asked if they can pick another date.  Well, if I reschedule for one then I really have to reschedule for all.  It is much easier just not to offer make up dates.

 

3.  There just isn’t time in the schedule.  My teaching schedule is quite full and there just isn’t time in the day to fit those extra lessons in during the week and I prefer to keep weekend time available for my family.  Last year there were over 20 weekends when I was gone with students participating in music activities.  That is a lot to ask of families. 

 

Even though I don’t offer make up lessons there might be  an available option.  I am looking at allowing students to trade lesson times if it is done with at least 2 weeks notice.  I had a teacher that did this and it worked quite well.  Everyone was given a roster and if you knew you were going to miss a lesson, the family was responsible for calling another family to see if they would be willing to trade.  Trades were limited to one per semester.  I haven’t completely made up my mind but it could be a viable option. 

 

Choosing your lesson time carefully can cut down on missed lessons.  Most of my high school students take later lesson times.  Don’t schedule a lesson so close to school getting out that you are trapped in the car pool lane even though the teacher’s studio is only 5 minutes from the school.  Kids and parents get sick and things come up.  As a teacher I understand that but keep in mind that there are often 40 students who could be calling any given week for a schedule change.  Things could be come chaotic very fast without a firm studio policy.

 

As a reminder, always read your studio policy sheet carefully and keep a copy handy at home.

Planning the Academic Year for Piano

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Here in the south the school supply lists are already putting in an appearance.  Last week I was at a Target store here in Charlotte, NC and they were already putting out school supplies.  (On a side note, I did purchase some new markers and folders.)  This is the time of year that students feel like they get to start over with their goals and you might get an influx of new and transfer students.  Many of these students will want to participate in festivals and competitions during the coming academic year.  How do you make sure they are prepared and stay on schedule? 

 

If I am getting to see my students during the summer, then I take part of a summer lesson and we evaluate our goals.  If the student is not taking summer lessons then I try to use the second lesson back to evaluate the situation.  What are we evaluating?  I give the student their options for festival and competitions and we talk about how much music they would need to learn and what could overlap for these events.  For example, if a student wants to participate in NFMC and NCMTA the choice piece for the NFMC festival could be drawn from the NCMTA list.  This bring the required pieces down from 5 to 4.  All 4 pieces could be used for Guild Auditions. 

 

Guild Auditions and the National Achievement Program both have technical requirements.  I use my checklist and have every student go through all of the technical exercises that they should have learned up to this point.  One sheet that I use is found on the Resources page.  This lets me know what we need to review and when compared to the festival levels what we need to accomplish in a set time frame. 

 

I try to give a theory evaluation if there is time.  Otherwise we do this in the next few weeks.  If a student is participating in the National Achievement Program I use a practice test to see how prepared they are for this level of examination.  These exams are quite difficult and it seems that half the battle is reading and following the instructions. 

 

With all of this information, we can plan when to choose the literature and what schedule we need to keep to be prepared with the technical skills.  Students sometime practice a little aimlessly when there isn’t a clear deadline.  This can give them a mini-deadline for every week.  For those high school students who are so busy, it is pretty easy to divide their pieces into sections and set a measures goal for each week.  For example, we need to learn and memorize 10 measures of the Prokofiev this week and 5 measures of the Bach.  It’s amazing how well they will practice when not overwhelmed.

What is the Cost for Piano Lessons

Posted on by Heather Brunner

One of the first questions I get asked is, “How much do the lessons cost?”  Prospective students tend to shop lessons by cost.  Realistically, this isn’t a good way to try and find the best teacher.  There are several factors that go into how much a teacher charges for lessons.

 

1.  What is the teacher’s level of education and experience?  If the teacher has at least a Bachelors of Music then the lessons are going to cost more than the teacher with just experience.  If you are lucky enough to find a teacher with Masters of Music or a Doctorate, be prepared to pay for these qualifications.  Usually it isn’t a huge difference, possibly $5 per month. 

 

2.  Does the teacher offer students opportunities outside of lessons?  Recitals, competitions and festivals are all popular events for students to participate in.  While you pay a fee to participate, your teacher usually has to volunteer or pay an annual membership fee.  As an example, NMTA, NMCTA and CMTA cost a total of $107 this year for me to be a member.  That is just for one festival for students to participate in.  As teachers we try to take our expenses into account so that we can offer the best opportunities to our students.

 

3.  Advertising.  Where did you hear about your teacher?  If it was on a website, in a newspaper or on a school flyer, then your teacher probably paid for that space.  While this is just a cost of business it does factor into the total cost of lessons. 

 

4.  Is it a deterrent?  Now this one is a little strange but I’ve found that it does hold true and it works.  Is the cost of lessons high enough to make the student think twice about having excessive absences?   Students should value their lesson time just as they would a visit to a doctor or a commitment to a team.  If a teacher is undervaluing their time, they don’t get taken as seriously by their students. 

 

So after a little research, I have found that the average rate for a piano teacher in the greater Charlotte, NC area is around $24 per lesson or $96 a month.  When breaking this down further the teachers in the outer areas of the city are charging significantly less.  Balancing this out are the teachers will a BM or MM in the city of Charlotte proper.  These teachers are charging on average $25-27 dollars a lesson or $100-$110 per month.  Schools of music tend to give a more mixed picture.  Most charge a flat fee for lessons whether the teacher is degreed or not.  This can be a great deal or a not so great deal depending on who you select or are assigned for an instructor. 

 

So do some research about your potential teachers and what they have to offer you before crossing someone off the list because of a $5 cost difference. 

Festivals and Evaluations for the 2011-2012 Academic Year

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Charlotte, NC is a great place to run a music studio.  There are so many different opportunities for students of all ages.  Here are a few of the festivals and programs that students of all ages will be able to participate in during the coming year.

 

National Federation of Music Clubs- www.nfmc-music.org

North Carolina Music Teacher’s Association- www.ncmta.org

American College of Musicians- www.pianoguild.com

Carnegie Hall Royal Conservatory- The Achievement Program- www.theachivementprogram.org

Charlotte Music Club Auditions

MTNA Music Achievement Award Program-

Meet Schubert the Studio Mascot

Posted on by Heather Brunner

IMG_0904  Schubert would like to say hello to everyone.  Schubert is Brunner Studios mascot.  He loves to play the piano and has his own concert bench.  This fall Schubert will be starting his own newsletter for the studio.  So be on the look out for our first edition. 

 

*Mama made me go to the groomer’s.  Don’t I look cute?

What is the Best Time of Year to Begin Piano Lessons?

Posted on by Heather Brunner

What is the best time of year to begin piano lessons?  Often we think about the age the student is but not about what else might be going on in their lives.  As a teacher who likes to pay her bills, I say that any time is a good time to begin piano lessons.  Smile  However, there are some times during the year that the transition can be a little smoother.

 

1.  The weeks leading up to school starting.  This is my personal favorite.  The students begin to build good practice habits and are not overwhelmed with so much new material from school and piano lessons.

2.  The weeks after school starts.  You are building your schedule for the year and can get the time that works best for you. 

3.  Right after the new year.  The student got a keyboard or piano for Christmas.  The school year is getting back into the swing of things and the newness of the gift is still there.

4.  Summer break.  Everyone’s schedules are more flexible and there is less homework.  You can even schedule multiple lessons per week to really get a great start.

5.  Late Spring.  This is my least favorite.  Everyone is so busy with end of the year tasks that sometimes it is hard to establish those good practice habits.

 

As we are approaching mid-summer and fall isn’t so far away, go ahead and give some piano teachers a call and see what their schedule openings are like.  Piano lesson are for all ages!

Piano Assignment Sheets Update

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Today I added a Beginner Piano Assignment Sheet to the Resources Page. 

 

Also on the Resources page you will find the Piano Assignment Sheet and the Technique Assignment Sheet.

 

Please feel free to use these in your own studio.

 

What Qualifications Should a Piano Teacher Have?

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Last week we talked about how to find a piano teacher.  Another part of finding the right teacher is making sure they have good qualifications.  So what qualifications should you look for in a piano teacher.

 

1.  Does the teacher have a degree in piano or music?  This could be a Bachelors, Masters or  DMA of Music in Performance, Pedagogy or Education.  While a degree in music doesn’t always make a good teacher, it does ensure that the teacher has gone through a rigorous course of study in their field.

 

2.  Does the teacher belong to professional organizations?  This could be NCMTA/NMTA , NFMC, or the National Piano Guild.  For more local examples, the teacher might belong to their area piano teachers forum or guild.  Most of these organizations have membership requirements and teachers must meet them to have different levels of membership. 

 

3.  Can the teacher supply you with examples of musical achievement for themselves or their students?  Have the students placed well at local festivals and competitions?  If it is a younger teacher, did the teacher place well in the same competitions? 

 

4.  Can the teacher supply references?

 

5.  Is the teacher active in the local music community?  Teachers need good contacts.  If they are participating in the musical community, then they are more likely to hear of opportunities for their students.  

 

So for an example, let’s look at my qualifications:

 

Heather N Brunner

Charlotte, NC- Piano Teacher

Educational Background:  BM and MM in Piano Pedagogy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale

Number of Years Teaching:  10

Professional Memberships: 

1.  NMTA, NCMTA and Charlotte, NC chapter of NCMTA.

2.  NFMC

Student Participation:

NCMTA Charlotte Area Festival-

NCMTA Western State Festival

NFMC Festival

NFMC Scholarship Festival

Current Community Participation:

NCMTA  Festival Charlotte Area Chair 2012

NFMC Scholarship Festival Charlotte  Chair 2012

Accompanist for local high school choirs

Should Piano Lessons Be Fun?

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Almost every parent that contacts me says that they want piano lessons to be fun.  Should piano lessons be fun?  The unequivocal answer to that is YES!  However, how we can accomplish that is dependent on the student and the teacher.

 

As  a teacher with a degree in piano and with over 10 years of experience, I know lots of ways to make piano lessons fun.  Obviously the first way is with literature that the student looks forward to playing.  This doesn’t mean though that occasionally the student doesn’t have to play something they aren’t thrilled with from the get go.  Usually even those pieces that the student is iffy about in the beginning end up being great fun after learning the first few pages. 

 

With little kids, I like to get up and use movement in lessons.  Marching, singing and dancing are great ways to break up a 30 min. lesson and let those wiggles out.  Did you know the Hokey-Pokey is an effective teaching tool?  Color is important for all levels as it brings information to our attention.

 

I can do everything and stand on my head if necessary to try to make piano lessons fun.  However, there is a contingency.

 

The student has to want to learn and to be prepared.  A large part of having fun in piano lessons is getting to learn new music.  This hinges on the student practicing and be prepared for lessons.  That doesn’t mean that it might not take repetition of pieces, but that they should be showing marked improvement week by week. 

 

I like to think that it is a 50/50 split on who is responsible for fun piano lessons.  If the student keeps practicing and the teacher strives to incorporate new and creative information then the lessons should be a success.

Supplies for Piano Lessons

Posted on by Heather Brunner

What supplies does a student need to help make taking piano lessons easier and to make practice at home run more smoothly?

 

1.  Assignment Book- Every teacher has their own method of tracking assignments.  Some teachers write the date on the page, other use a pre-printed book that goes with a method book series, a spiral notebook is always effective, or a 3 ring binder.  I have my students use a 3 ring-binder.  Every week I print out assignment sheets that are customized to the lesson with the listening and music history assignment printed in.

 

2.  Music Bag-  Most kids have a clumsy streak and go through phases of forgetfulness.  A music bag is a quick way to keep track of everything.  Pack it up the night before a lesson so that the student doesn’t forget any books. 

 

3.  Pencils-  keep a few sharpened pencils with good erasers at the piano for use during practice.  I like to have my students make notes of any questions they have during the week.  Also, theory should always be done in pencil.  Would you do your math homework in pen?

 

4.  Metronome- Counting is essential to playing music correctly.  A metronome can aid in this process.  My students usually begin learning to use one quite early on in the process.  The sooner they have the hang of using the metronome the better.

 

5.  Timer-  Kids are forever asking if they have practiced long enough.  Forestall this questions by equipping them with a timer that is easy to set.

 

These are just a few things that help students succeed in piano lessons.  A prepared student makes for a happy piano teacher.