Lessons Learned from Lessons Taught

Throughout my years of private teaching I have learned many lessons! I began teaching private piano lessons in high school as a way to earn spending money and as I progressed through my undergraduate and graduate degrees I was able to grow my studio and create a livable income. This path was not without some hiccups along the way. Between 2004 and 2012 I was able to grow my studio from 10 students to over 70. While this provided a wonderful income and allowed me to utilize the skills I was gaining in school, I found myself thinking more like a business major than a musician.

Organization is Key!

In the beginning my organization consisted of notes scribbled on tiny pieces of paper and only some events entered into my calendar. As my studio began to grow it became apparent this system was not going to work. Then I discovered Music Teachers Helper. For me, this was a LIFESAVER!! I don't want to sound like a walking advertisement, however, I will say it made me look WAY more organized that I really was! And when it came time for taxes all of my information was in one place. Here is a link to my teaching website. 

Organization for the students

It's important to keep the students up to date on their progress and your expectations for them. Therefore, I would suggest updating them on:

• Recap of their lesson and goals the next lesson
• Upcoming lesson dates/times
• Future goals (i.e. how many days until competitions or events)
• Practicing expectations

Not only does this involvement help the students stay on top of their lessons, but it allows them to treat their private instrument lesson just as they would a classroom class. 

Organization for the parents

Parents love to know how their children are doing and see the results of the money they are spending. Most of my private teaching was done within the schools and I never had a chance to see the parents face to face. Therefore, I felt it important to keep the parents up to date on what was happening in their children's music lessons. Once I started doing this I found parents were less likely to drop lessons after the big competitions were over. Here's a list of things I would update parents with:

• Student progress of lesson
• Upcoming goals for student
• Upcoming lesson dates/times
• Payment amount/check # of payment made 
• Future payments that might need to be made
• Expectations of practicing for the week

Organization for you, the teacher

It sounds so simple, just organize who you're teaching and when. But there is so much more that goes into being successful with a private studio. Especially as your studio starts to grow. 

Basics

• Parent/Student Names and Contact information (Be mindful of how they like to be contacted. Do they text, e-mail, or prefer phone calls)
• Lesson day/time/place for each student - make sure all of this is listed in whatever calendar program you are using
• Amount for each lesson
• Keep a ledger for lesson payments and stay on top of it! 15 minutes a day of this can save you hours at the end of the fiscal year!

Extras

You want to be prepared for each student and most student's have different music to work on. It is hard to carry around music for every student, therefore, I tried to to as much digitally as I could. On my iPad I loaded scale, technique, and warm-ups that would work for most students. Not only could I use this in lessons, but I could e-mail it directly to the student. I also tried to keep up with the solos and repertoire they were all working on and have them on my iPad as well. In addition, I found it helpful to always have something to sightread and have some different music that they students were not doing in school. If it was Christmas time we might work on Christmas music, if it was the end of the year we might work on some Top 40's tunes. Anything to keep the student engaged and excited about learning.

Protecting yourself

After dealing with returned checks, nonpayment, and students canceling at the last minute I realized it was extremely necessary to have a studio policy. This policy is a contract between you and the students and it outlines what you expect from the students and what the students can expect from you. Below are some sections outlined in my studio policy.

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Goals:

Private lessons are a vital component to a complete musical education. In addition to participation in 

school ensembles and chamber groups, private instruction will aid the student in achieving a more 

comprehensive understanding of the instrument and the proper fundamentals concerning issues of 

tone, technique, repertoire, and history that are specific to the instrument. 

Lessons: 

To maximize the lesson time the student needs to be prepared. All equipment (i.e. reeds, 

mouthpiece, ligature, neck-strap, etc.) must be with the student at the time of the lesson and be in good 

working condition. In addition to the instrument and its proper parts, the student must also bring 

his/her lesson book, band binder, and a pencil. Assignments will be given to the student each 

week and the student will be expected to practice a minimum of thirty minutes a day to keep up with the assignments. Private lessons are a chance for the student to learn outside of the classroom, and must 

therefore be treated as such during the student’s preparation and practice. Students are encouraged to 

log on to my website and record their practicing. 

Payment:

Lessons payments will be made for a month at a time (typically four week blocks – please note some 

months will have five weeks). All account information is available through my studio website provided 

you have created a username and password. 

Payment can be made in three ways. First, payments can be made online with a credit card. Please 

note, there will be a small service fee of $2.00 for all online transactions. This will be charged at the 

end of each semester depending on the number of online transactions. 

Second, payment can be made by check. Checks can be made payable to Teacher's Name.

There will be a $20 service fee on ALL returned checks. 

Finally, some have found it helpful to create a reoccurring deduction from their bank account each 

month an automatic bill pay. The address this payment can be sent to is teacher's address.

Payments for lessons need to be made by the 15th of each month. There will be a $20 late fee on all 

student accounts if payment has not been received by the 15th of the month. In addition, the student’s lesson may be forfeited if the payment is not received by the 20th of each month. 

Missed Lessons:

Cancellation of a lesson needs to be done at least 24 hours in advance of the lesson time to facilitate 

a possible make-up lesson. If the instructor is not notified within 24 hours of the lesson, the lesson will 

be forfeited and the student will be responsible for the payment of that lesson. There are, of course, 

certain extenuating circumstances that will be handled on a case by case basis. 

As a graduate student and freelance musician, there will be times lessons will be cancelled. 24 hours 

advance notice will be given and make-up lessons will be scheduled, or adjustments to the monthly fees will be made. 

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Other sections added to the policy might be required materials, or where students can purchase equipment. 

It is important the policy be presented to the student/parent at their first lessons and it is signed and dated by the parent and the teacher and each retains a copy. Therefore, it can serve as a binding contract between both parties. 

Hopefully this blog entry will help anyone looking to start their private studio. Thanks for reading and feel free to leave a question or comment!

Life and Times of a Music Major 2.0

Freshman year of college is a huge transition. It is the student's first real experience of life on their own. The student makes his/her own schedule, chooses whether or not to attend class, decides when to clean their dorm room, when to do laundry, if he/she should stay up with friends and watch another movie or go to sleep to be well-rested for that 8:00 a.m. lecture. College is a huge life adjustment! I believe, at least in my case, that it is every parent's wish that they have prepared their child and equipped him/her with the skills to make the appropriate choices that will lead the student to a successful college career and ultimately a successful professional career.

In my opinion, music majors don't receive enough credit for that actual time it takes to be successful. What I mean by that, is most schools list ensembles (i.e. wind bands, orchestras, marching bands, jazz bands, choirs) with 1 credit hour, however, the amount of time that the student actually spends in rehearsal, not to mention out of rehearsal preparation, is definitely not proportionate. Furthermore, for music majors, their private instruction with their major professor is their most important class. Although it meets once a week for an hour, the preparation needed to be successful is not always factored in. 

For the small percentage of students that are extremely type A and love organizing their time and making lists (ahem-my sister), there is really no issue. However, for the majority of students I've met and taught, it seems to be a harsh reality to discover their 30 minute cramming for their private lesson was not as effective as it was for their history exam.

 How do we combat our inherent ability to procrastinate and ensure productivity?

It's all about scheduling, my friends!


At the beginning of the semester I have all of my students bring their class schedules and work schedules to their lessons and together we map out a typical week including all rehearsals, classes, and jobs. The next thing I add is 1 hour of practice each day. In my opinion, that is the absolute BARE MINIMUM acceptable for anyone seeking to be a professional musician. That being said, I'd rather have 20 minutes of focused practice, than 4 hours of nonproductive playing - but alas, that is another blog topic!

The next step is to add the essentials: meal times, mental health time, physical health time, study time. To be honest, it wasn't until graduate school that I realized the importance of mental and physical health and how they aided or deterred from my productivity. 

While it is up to each individual to be the keeper of their schedule, I find that having this conversation from the very beginning of the semester helps set the student up for success. In addition, the student is then made aware of the importance and the expectation of individual practice within the collegiate world.

Hope this tidbit helps and stay tuned for more!

Life and Times of a Music Major - 1.0

Today's topic: Writing skills 101

After spending a couple of years working in higher education it is abundantly clear that the average undergraduate student has severe deficiencies when it comes to formulating ideas and presenting them in a scholarly fashion. From short answer responses to term papers, it is evident that the text language and slang generated from our need for speed has directly influenced what students determine as acceptable. 

There are, however, several wonderful resources that are easily accessible through the world wide web! Below are some tips that will hopefully help all students in their scholarly writing.

1. Always proofread! 
    If the sentence does not sound correct as you read it aloud, then it probably is not correct       grammar.

2. Visit this website for proper sentence structure.

3. Make sure to cite everything! 
     I have known several students and colleagues who have failed courses and had their
     academic future threatened simply by not citing their sources, or by copying information
     and claiming it as their own. When in doubt, cite!

     See these sites for help on MLA citation and APA citation.

4.  Always make sure your paper has the important sections that help to form the structure
     and organization needed for readers.
          a. Introduction with the topic sentence - start broad and focus with the topic sentence
              as the last sentence.
          b. Body of the paper - can be broken down into several paragraphs depending on the 
               length of the paper. Each paragraph should be a different idea supporting the topic.
           c. Conclusion - start with the topic sentence and branch out

     This is a very basic template, however, there are many resources online that can help you 
     structure your paper to complete any assignment. Visit this site for more information.


Remember, any paper you turn in is a written representation of you and your knowledge. To achieve success, it is extremely important to write in complete sentences with coherent thoughts. If you still have questions on what scholarly writing should look and read like, I suggest reading articles from scholarly journals. Many of these journals can be found on JSTOR and most university libraries have a subscription.

Finally, utilize peers and school resources to improve your writing. Most students leave their assignments to the night before, and therefore, have no time to take advantage of these resources. However, I have had many professors and I myself tell students to feel free to submit their assignment early if they have questions and they will receive feedback before the due date. In addition, most campuses have a writing lab where students can receive guidance with their assignments.

The skill of articulating your thoughts and ideas on paper may not seem relevant while you're writing the two page response paper for your least favorite class. However, someday you might be applying for a job where the first impression the employer has of you is based off of your written application and cover letter; or you might be applying for grant money to help fund research or a project to help further your career to which the initial application includes a written description of why you are deserving. Whatever the reason, take the time to learn these skills now, as they will serve you in the future!