Using the Internet for Teaching, Part 1: Email

I don't need to tell you the internet is a great resource. It can be used in some surprising ways to help you manage, expand, and enrich your teaching. 

Here are some ways that using email can help.

1. Studio notifications/newsletter/calendar. This is a great idea to improve communication between students, teachers, and parents. Not only that, it gives parents more of a sense that they've bought into a community, not just lessons.

2. Student updates. Unless your students' parents sit in on the lessons (which I recommend), they will probably be very much in the dark about what their child should be working on. Don't leave it up to the student to tell them - you might as well leave it up to them to guess! (Think of it this way: "No, I don't have any homework this week.") Keep them updated on what the student should work on for the week, and what should be prepared and to what degree for the next lesson. Give them feedback as to what areas need improvement, and also what the student is doing well at. They'll be glad to have specific, concrete information from the teacher.

3. Parent email tree. When parents feel more responsible for the running of recitals and other events, as well as the integration of new families into the studio, you will most likely have a higher retention rate, as well as happy families! Parents need a support network, if only to compare notes, and complain about how difficult it is to get their kids to practice!

4. Help through attachments. Depending upon how available you want to be, this is a great option for really dedicated students who want a little extra help. They can scan and email their music for fingerings, or even record themselves playing for some extra feedback. More complicated questions or requests might reasonably have a fee attached (e.g. review this whole CD for my college applications, please!), but it's best not to nickel and dime students for basic advice, and certainly not everyday questions. This is a tool that can be especially useful in helping students prepare for upcoming concerts or competitions. 

With a little creative thinking, email can be one of the most useful tools in your studio.

Find the Good - Group Class Edition

When teaching, but especially when teaching kids, it's important to always find the good. It keeps everyone from getting discouraged, and will lead to a more healthy student-teacher relationship.

I am working on this in my own teaching. I intend to do my best at this in all areas of my life, but I'm going to start with teaching, and specifically teaching orchestra and class guitar, which is where I believe I need it the most and I think it will do me the most good. 

For example, I have one little boy who loves to talk during class. Of course, it slows everybody down, but I could make it worse by asking him to stop every time. Ok, so I admit I've tried this, and I can tell you - it doesn't work.

What can I try instead? How about, instead of getting after him about it, I could say, "Thank you *insert quiet student's name here,* I really appreciate how well you're listening." (At this point, hopefully some of them will catch on.) "We can move on because many of you are being so attentive." Or, if you think not enough people are behaving, you can do the tried-and-true "Ok, I'll wait until it's quiet enough and we can go on." Often students in a group setting will chatter out of boredom, and so the promise of moving on in the method book or to the next activity is enough to get them quiet.

That was a behavioral example - what about technique in a group setting? Praise the kid who's paying attention to his posture, especially if that's one who rarely does. Catch them doing something right - this is an especially potent version of finding the good. It will show them that trying does matter. And always, praise effort, not ability.

Find the good.

Challenge: This week, instead of pointing out what's wrong, look for what your student is doing right. I don't mean ignore what's going wrong, but make sure they know they can do something right. It will encourage them to continue to try their best, and make everything you ask be as good as what they're already confident of. Look for the good. It's not just a tone of voice or pedagogical thing - it's an outlook and a way of life. Try it - your students (and your conscience) will thank you. 

How do you find the good?

Variations on Lightly Row

What a great way to start off a blog! Good feelings tonight – a newly-composed piece of mine was performed for the first time. It’s been about a year and a half since the last time something of mine has been played, so this has turned out to be a pretty big deal for me. My good friend Keith, a Suzuki Cello Pedagogy master’s student (whom I know from my undergrad) had his recital, and he’d decided to give it a folk music theme. Since, as a Suzuki student, he needed a Suzuki piece on his recital, and most of the folk songs are in Book 1 (read: easy), he wanted somebody to write some variations on it. That’s where I came in. I chose the classic “Lightly Row,” and wrote variations in the styles of Rock, Blues, Pizzicato a la Mark Summer (we thought so, anyway!), and two fiddle ones, a jig and a reel.

It was a really good performance – of course, it helped that I got the right person for the job. Keith and I have known each other for a few years now, and I can tell you – this dude is so cool onstage. Seriously. I knew the piece was in good hands. Anyway, no two ways about it – he totally rocked it. People loved the piece – three other cellists wanted to play it next, two even wanted to buy copies from me! Maybe I should publish it. I’m not sure how to do that yet, but I will certainly find out.

I’ve been a performance-oriented person since graduation from undergrad– but maybe I no longer feel the need to leave composition behind after all. It’s important, as a musician in today’s economy, not to close any doors on yourself in terms of employment – burnt out or not. You never know what exciting opportunities may come your way, and fling the door wide open again.