Music lessons should be fun! No child or adult will be willing to practice if they don't think that what they're doing is worthwhile and enjoyable. I try to incorporate games and music that students themselves find fun into every lesson. They learn songs from their favorite movies and video games. I find that students are much more willing to practice their technique and method book pieces if they're also working on a song they picked out.
I try to incorporate 4 components into every lesson:
- Technique
- Pieces assigned from the method book
- Recital Pieces
- Theory & Ear Training
Lessons typically start out at 30 minutes. As a student progresses and matures we generally start to bump up the length in lesson time to 45 minutes and then 60 minutes.
Lessons are adjusted to meet the needs of each student. If a student is more boisterous, lessons will include more games and activities away from the piano. Students who are able to sit and focus at the piano for longer periods of time will complete more activities at the piano.
One of the many purposes of learning music is to share it. It's always my goal to have students working on a piece they are planning on performing. This keeps students motivated and consistently learning new music. Every year I host at least two recitals. One in the Spring and one for Christmas. I try to add 1-2 more recitals per year. Students can also participate in recitals and competitions through the guild, federation or other groups if that's a desire they have.
All recitals are recorded and then posted on Google Drive in a private folder that only myself and the parent has access to. I love getting to do this because when a student has been playing 1+ years we can go back and see where they started. It's exciting to see the amount of progress students make over the course of a year and over the course of many years. This is also a way for parents to share the performances with friends and family who weren't able to attend.
For more information, please reach out to me via phone or email!