Today as I was looking through yet another piano method book, I came across a new way to count 4 quarter notes. Use the word- ELEVATOR.
EL E VA TOR
I wish someone had taught me these tricks before I got to college.
Tag: piano lessons charlotte nc
Thought for the Day
Czerny said:
“every pupil makes much greater progress when he plays all his lessons willingly and with satisfaction.”
As teachers, what can we do to help a student want to practice and to want to practice those pieces that they find less than fun? We all know that once the piece is learned the student will admit it wasn’t so bad and that they might have even liked it after all.
School starts this week here in Charlotte, NC and many piano teachers and other types of music teachers are starting back into their school year schedules. I think we should challenge ourselves to help a student understand why they are playing particular pieces or works. If the student can understand the reasoning they might be more willing to work through the problems to reach their next goal.
Piano Odyssey or Piano Perspectives
Sometimes as a teacher, I run into repertoire problems that I just can’t wrap my brain around. The latest snafu was when I was trying to compare the Student Workbook Level 6 of the Piano Odyssey series to the Level 6 Repertoire Perspectives book. Both of these publications are by Frederick Harris Music. However, the pieces were not matching up.
I sent an email today to Frederick Harris Music and received a prompt reply. The Piano Odyssey Series was the 3rd publication of the Celebration Series. The Piano Perspectives books are the 4th publication of the Celebration Series. Due to copy right issues the books are reissued every 7 years but the repertoire does not stay consistent for each re-release.
Mystery solved. I guess I’ll go order the correct books now.
Looking for Space
You would be amazed at how difficult it is to find a space to have a recital. The good news is that I might have found a location for the winter and spring recitals. So stay tuned for an upcoming announcement.
It is so important for students to have a chance to perform on a regular basis. If your church, community center or social club would be interested in hosting a recital or background music for an event please contact me.
Should I Have to Commit to a Specific Amount of Lessons?
As students are headed back to school, parents begin looking for music teachers for their children. There are so many choices. Do you take at a school of music or from an independent teacher? How much should you pay for lessons? What do different teachers offer that sets them apart? Most people do not think about what kind of time commitment that a teacher or school of music is looking for.
Most schools of music run on a semester or annual basis. These settings usually want a commitment of at least one term. Is this beneficial to the student? My answer would be yes and no. The idea of being committed to a certain amount of weeks resulting in dedication does have value. We always want students to be dedicated but if a student really hates their instrument or circumstances have changed and student can’t practice, it really doesn’t do any good for the situation. It can help a student who is going through a slump in interest to hang in there until things swing back to the norm. However, it usually just results in a frustrated teacher who can’t discontinue lessons due to the school’s policy and a student with a poor attitude who is being forced through fiscal means to continue. Does that sound like fun to anyone?
On the far side of the spectrum are teachers who have no studio policy and allow students to come and go at will with no notice. Music stores that provide lessons can also fall into this category. From a parental perspective this might look like a great choice. You can take the month of December off with no repercussions. Well, you might not have a time slot when you come back but if that is a risk you are willing to take, then this set up might work for you. I’ve found that this set up lends it self to students riding off into the sunset never to be heard from again. The teacher then has to wait until the student either lets them know they aren’t returning or wait a month to be sure. No so great for a musician trying to pay their bills.
Is there a happy medium? Most independent teachers run on a month to month basis for lessons. If you decide to discontinue lessons, you are asked to give 1 month’s notice or you must pay for the following month. This gives the teacher time to find a new student or rearrange the schedule or it gives the student time to reconsider if quitting is really what they want to do. There is commitment and flexibility in this arrangement. If I was a parents looking for lessons, this is the option that I would choose.
Planning the Academic Year for Piano
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
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.
Meet Schubert the Studio Mascot
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?
Should Piano Lessons Be Fun?
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
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.