How do you feel when you hear that one of your students is going to stop having lessons? Disappointed and/or frustrated because you know that they could do really well if they only practised? Relieved because you were struggling to motivate them? Or do you feel guilty and feel like a failure as a piano […]
How long have you been teaching the piano? If it is three or more years you’ve probably got a good sense of how fluid or stable your pupil numbers are. I wonder if you have noted any changes or trends in the number of adults starting lessons for example? Last week I looked at […]
At what age did you start learning the piano? MY STORY My lessons began aged 8 when one of the teachers at my school remarked to my parents that: ‘Sally sings loudly in assembly – maybe she should learn an instrument?’ Once lessons began I made quite swift progress through the grades arriving at […]
What kind of questions do you mostly ask in your piano lessons? Did you know that not all questions are equal and some types have more learning power than others? I played a game with some of my pupils this week where they had to spot every time I asked a question. It was great […]
How many questions have you asked in the last hour? In the last day? In the last week? This month in The Community (The Curious Piano Teachers online membership site) we are looking at all things to do with giving feedback in piano lessons. One of the key elements of effective feedback is the art […]
What’s your musical ‘backstory’? Sharon and I were chatting recently about the various events in our childhood and beyond that brought us, ultimately, to start teaching the piano. It can be fascinating for us to recollect our first encounters with music. It’s also inspiring for others to read about the influences, the opportunities, the choices […]
Are you thinking about attending Curious Live but just have a few concerns? We get it. We understand that it’s a big commitment of your money and time. You need to know that you are going to get full value out of the day. It’s not just how much it’s going to cost. Maybe you’re […]
I was giving one of my adult students a lesson this week and explaining that it was the last one till September. She sighed, pulled a face and said: “You are so lucky to be able to stop like this.” And of course, as teachers, we are indeed very fortunate to be able to take breaks […]
The ABRSM’s newest app – the Sight-Reading Trainer – was launched last month. Designed to help pupils ‘develop the skills to quickly spot the key features, patterns and characteristics in music before you play it’ this new sight-reading app costs £4.99 and is available on the App Store and Google Play. For that you get a […]
In this week’s blog post, Gill Shaw – a member of The Community of The Curious Piano Teachers – provides a different perspective to the ‘in or out’ question: Are piano lessons better in or out of school? Click here to read last week’s blog post Piano lessons in or out of school (Part 1) where […]