Tag: piano teachers charlotte nc

Welcome to New Students

Posted on by Heather Brunner

I just want to give a big welcome to all my new students.  Brunner Studios is growing at a very steady pace.  I am excited that we added piano and oboe students to the roster this week.  Wednesday lesson times are now down to 1 available slot. 

 

Keep up the good work parents and students.  Don’t forget that you get a 10% referral discount for any new students that give your name.

 

And here is a funny picture.  This is so true.  Well, except for that time in college when I was so sleep deprived that I tried to play with my music upside down.  It still looked like the top example in that case. 

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. 

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. 

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 Gift of Music

Posted on by Heather Brunner

This fall and winter Brunner Studios will be offering gift certificates for piano, voice and oboe lessons.  The gift of music is a wonderful holiday gift for the aspiring musician of any age.  Availability for new and existing students.

Gift certificates will be available in monthly increments and must be presented at the first lesson. 

Contact Brunner Studios for more information and to purchase certificates for the holiday season. 

Should Teachers Use Books Assigned By Other Teachers?

Posted on by Heather Brunner

It’s the time of year where students are transferring between teachers or resuming lessons after moving.  Students usually bring half finished books with them.  What’s a teacher to do?

 

One of the things that I pride myself on is that I work with the best method for the individual student.  There is no one size fits all method books series.  Many of my students use the Alfred Premier series.  Others use the Faber older beginner books.  Occasionally, I’ll go old school and pull out the trusty Bastien books.  So as long as the student is successful in their current series, I see no need for parents to go spend money on new books because I might prefer another series.  If the student is not successful in their current books, then I might loan a few books to the student to find out what a better fit might be.  The only series that I won’t use is the Suzuki series.  It isn’t a curriculum problem but more of a methodology issue. 

 

Parents, if you are talking to a potential teacher, be sure to ask what the teacher’s policy is about books.  It can tell you a good bit about what kind of teacher they are.  Be open to suggestions from the teacher but also be willing to say what works for you child. 

Piano Odyssey or Piano Perspectives

Posted on by Heather Brunner

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

Posted on by Heather Brunner

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?

Posted on by Heather Brunner

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.