Showing posts with label music teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music teaching. Show all posts

Monday, 21 May 2018

Caring for Instruments





One of the first things you need to teach you students isn’t about the dots on the page or where their fingers go.  It’s how to look after their instrument.

I tell students that musical instruments are taonga, treasures.  And I start this from the very youngest students – when we are playing on buckets!  If you treat an instrument well, it will treat you well.

Monday, 30 April 2018

Communicating With Parents





How many times have you tried to explain yourself online only to dig yourself deeper and deeper into a mess and end up having to resort to emoticons?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯      

Generally, we don’t have as much face to face communication with people, even our friends, as much as we used you.  Depending on your age, most communication you have with others is done via text; on your phone or computer.  Because of this, you’ll know that things can be easily misconstrued.  It’s really easy to misunderstand someone because of a missed comma, a misdirected attempt at sarcasm or people who continue to use caps lock.  ALL OF THE TIME!

What does this mean for your music teaching?  I’m assuming you teach children.  Children who need rides to lessons, workshops, competitions.  Children who can’t pay your fees. Children who forget to tell the adults in their lives about the lessons, workshops, competitions, fees. 

You need some form of communication with their parents/caregivers.  If you keep parents onside, they will be more likely to support their children, are happier to be flexible when you need it, and are more likely to recommend you to others as the music teacher of choice.  And one of the best ways to keep them onside is through effective communication.

This post gives you 7 tips for better communication with the parents of your students.


Tuesday, 12 April 2016

Introduction




Well done!  You made it to F Sharks and Cannonballs.  I’m Justine and I’m the Captain of SS Music Teacher.  My aim is to lead you through the murky waters of music teaching.  To circumnavigate the seas of - actually, I might ditch that analogy…