Piano Lessons In My Home

Posted on by Heather Brunner

I’m a member of several different websites that advertise piano lessons.  Parents can send in requests and the teachers can choose to respond to requests in their area that fit their professional goals.  So many of the requests on these boards and inquires that I receive through my website are parents asking for lessons in their home.

I do not teach lessons anywhere other than my home studio.  There are several reasons for this.

1.  It costs me time and money.  Lessons at Brunner Studios are $26.25 for a 30 minute lesson.  If I have to drive to your house, teach a lesson, and drive home.  That is costing a lesson time on either side of the scheduled lesson.  Also, gas and wear and tear on my vehicle.  Gas is approximately 3.50 a gallon right now.  That can eat into my fees quickly.

2.  There are great resources that I’ve spent time building at my studio.  There are keyboards, computers, bookcases full of music that can be loaned, workbooks, reward charts.  These are all things that can’t travel for a weekly lesson.  If the student needs a new book or supplemental material, I am almost guaranteed to have it on my bookshelf.  You won’t find it dragging around in the trunk of my car.

3.  You forgot.  Way back when I first started teaching (in college) there was a family that I went to their house to give lessons.  It wasn’t close but there were multiple lessons and at the time gas was around $1 a gallon.  The family was always forgetting about lessons and leaving me hanging.  If you forget your lessons and are taking at my studio, I can still get work done if you forget or get sick at the last minute.  There is a lot of time involved in teaching lessons other than the 30 minutes you are here.

4.  Student don’t take the lessons as seriously as in a different environment.  My studio is a dedicated space for lessons.  It is a environment set aside for education.  Your living room with the siblings running through and the door slamming just doesn’t allow the same focus. 

So there are a few reasons that I don’t advocate lessons in the student’s home.  Now this isn’t to say that it would never work, but for me from a professional standpoint, I want a dedicated music space for educational purposes. 

Festival Paperwork from the Other Side

Posted on by Heather Brunner

This blog originally was more for piano teachers than for students and parents.  Today I think I’ll hit a topic more for teachers.

This year I’m chairing 2 different festivals and they both require copious amounts of paperwork.  Teachers send in their teacher information, check, registrations forms and certificates.  The state organizations send me forms, forms and more forms to fill out and certificates.  We are starting to talk a paper avalanche here.  Now the good thing is that I don’t mind paperwork.  I like organizing and creating schedules and making processes more efficient.

What I don’t like is illegible handwriting and disorganized lists.  What can you do to help your festival chair and make the job a little easier?  First up is to write legibly.  If that is an issue or if English isn’t your first language, find a computer and go to town with some typing.  I can always transfer the information to an official form if need be.  However, if I can’t read your writing, a number of problems could occur.  Your student’s name could be spelled incorrectly and that could affect any number of thing.  I could misunderstand what piece they are playing.  That would be a serious disaster.  I might not be able to read your phone number or email address to get in touch with you to correct the above listed issues.  So write neatly or type.  It saves a lot of time on my part.

Now, if you are reading this blog, you probably have email  Surprisingly enough, there are quite a few teachers who don’t.  If you know your teacher doesn’t email.  Offer to be an ambassador for them.  There are items that I email to most teachers and thereby save time and money.  You get your playing times sooner and paperwork without creases.   

Keep your paperwork organized.  If you are entering students in a festival with categories, when you starting filling out the paperwork, keep the students grouped together.  Groups A and B shouldn’t be intermingled.  That is just a problem waiting to happen.  As careful as organizers try to be, accidents happen sometimes.  Help keep things working smoothly by keeping your paperwork as organized as possible. 

These are just a few ideas to help your festival organizers out.  These events are a lot of work and it takes volunteers to keep them running.  Be nice to the volunteers!

Success with the Carnegie Hall Achievement Program

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Congratulations to Rohan who received a score of First Class with Honors on his Level 4 examination that he took in December.

Rohan looks forward to taking his Level 5 practical and theory examinations. 

 

Sign up begins tomorrow 1-24-12 for the spring examinations.  It isn’t too late to sign up for lessons and take your first examination this spring.

Starting Piano Lessons or Any Type of Lessons in January

Posted on by Heather Brunner

So you or your child or your spouse received a keyboard or piano during the holiday season.  Now what?  It’s time to find a piano teacher. 

Is it ok to start lessons in January?  The answer to that is yes.  New Year’s resolutions aside there is no reason not to start lessons now. 

Your schedule is established.  The kids have the hang of the school year and all of those sports schedules are pretty much known for the time being. 

Go ahead and call around.  Teachers should be willing to have a free trial lesson or meeting with a prospective student. 

Find the teacher that is right for you and get started.  There is no time like the present. 

 

Here at Brunner Studios in Charlotte, NC, I am looking for a few new piano, voice and oboe students.  Most teachers will have a few mid-year opening in there schedule.  There is still time to get started with lessons and participate in spring recitals and festivals. 

Festival Deadlines

Posted on by Heather Brunner

This is just a reminder to all the local teachers that there are several registration deadlines this month:

 

NCMTA District is due on Jan. 21, 2012.

NFMC Non-Scholarship and Scholarship are both due on Jan. 14, 2012.

 

The paper work for these festivals states there are NO EXCEPTIONS on the deadlines.  Please plan accordingly.

NCMTA Piano Contest-Festival Registration Form

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Hello to all my fellow teachers in North Carolina.  If case you have lost your registration forms for the spring contest, you will find them at the bottom of the Resources pages of www.brunnerstudios.com

 

https://www.brunnerstudios.com/resources

 

Good luck to everyone this spring.  The registration deadline is January 21, 2012.

Voice Lessons Are Not For the Wimpy

Posted on by Heather Brunner

As I add more voice lessons to my roster, almost every student presents one of two possible issues.  The first one being the giggles and the second one being over confidence.  Today we are going to talk about those students who giggle.

 

Do I have your attention now?

 

So many of my voice students come in and are overwhelming shy and unsure of what they want to sing.  The repertoire issue is usually pretty easy to solve.  What kind of music do you like to sing?  Do you want to sing at church or the school talent show?  Do you like broadway or jazz?  A few well placed questions will usually get you headed in the right direction.

 

It’s the shy and giggling group that gets my goat.  Voice lessons from the start are going to feel funny.  You are going to make odd noises and funny faces.  Sometimes sounds that really sound like a chicken are going to come out of your mouth.  Let me tell you something… IT’S OK!  We’ve all been there.  Sometimes, we are still there.  Learning new music and new skills always presents funny or slightly awkward issues.  The trick is you have to try.  If your teacher asks you to turn your head upside down and sing, do it.  If you are prompted to look in a mirror and yawn, get out your flash light for a better view.  Do you think that note is out of your range, go ahead and try to sing it.  If you make odd squawking noises, so what.  You have to try.  Teachers give you these exercises to help you improve.

 

If you spend all your time being embarrassed about the exercises you are wasting a lot of time and energy that could be used to work on perfecting those exercises.  When working on a song, sing confidently.  If I am accompanying you on the piano, it is hard to hear if you sing no louder than a whisper.  Sing out!  So what if you sing a wrong note or come it at the wrong time.  You are there to learn.  Let your teacher hear those mistakes loud and clear.  Then when your teacher offers you a way to fix your mistake, go ahead and give it your best shot.

 

Voice lessons aren’t for the wimpy.  Sing out, be confident that your teacher can help you.  Better a loud mistake in practice than in performance.  Give it your best shot.

The Carnegie Hall Achievement Program

Posted on by Heather Brunner

I just want to say congratulations to Rohan who participated in the Achievement Program in Atlanta, GA this past weekend.  We are now waiting on pins and needles to hear how you did.  You were well prepared and worked very consistently in your lessons while preparing for this event. 

 

A big thanks to Rohan’s mom who drove him to Atlanta and back in one day.

 

I would like to encourage teachers in western North Carolina to participate in this event so we can earn a testing center here in Charlotte!  Visit www.theachievementprogram.coorg for more information.

2012 Festival Dates and Locations for Charlotte, NC and Surrounding Areas

Posted on by Heather Brunner

Festival season is upon us and registrations deadlines are coming up fast.  Here are a few of the dates you need to remember:

 

National Federation of Music Clubs

Deadline for all applications is January, 14, 2012

Dates and Locations:

Hymn Playing:  Feb. 4, 2012- Carmel Baptist Church

Piano Scholarship:  Feb. 18, 2012- Queens University

Piano Make Up Date:  Feb. 18, 2012- Queens University

Instruments:  February 18, 2012- Queens University

Voice- February 18, 2012- Queens University

Piano Non- Scholarship- Feb. 25- Queens University, Central Piedmont Community College, First Baptist Church

NCMTA Piano Contest-Festival

Deadline for all District Applications:  January, 21, 2012

Deadline for all State Applications: March, 16, 2012

Dates and Locations:

Charlotte, NC (District 2)- March 3, 2012- Queens University

West State Contest- March 31, 2012– Queens University

 

My Favorite Things

Posted on by Heather Brunner

I’ve been totally slack on this blog thing.  Trying to get up 5 Christmas trees is taking a lot of time and then there was the Thanksgiving issue.  So here is a short list of my favorite Christmas music.  The first 3 are available in cd format and the fourth is a book of music. 

 

1.  Sandi Patty- O Holy Night

2.  Sandi Patty- Yuletide Joy

3.  Steven Curtis Chapman- The Music of Christmas

4.  Mark Hayes- Emmanuel