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Well, I use WhatsApp and FaceTime because I find the time delay annoying on other platforms. I also find using headphones better than speakers. I start with asking the student how they are always, before I give instructions. Lockdown has really worn out a lot of people though it had to be done.
Once I give instructions, I ask what they want to do first…. Sometimes I have to use hand gestures. My camera is ALWAYS on. For children, the parents log on for them and we have a quick chat before the lesson. The most difficult for me is trying to count so the music can flow. That one is tricky because of time delay. One thing I will say is that students are always eager to chat with someone else on the other line, so that’s therapeutic.
I hope this is helpful….
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I find that 45 minute lessons are beneficial for students towards the end of grade 3 and onwards. I find more is accomplished as the pieces get more technically demanding. I also start my students on Hanon or Gunther exercises so this is sufficient time. Additionally my singing students prefer a longer lesson as sometimes warm-ups take 10 minutes. If we’re preparing for a singing exam, Grade 1 students enjoy the longer singing sessions.
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I tested the market on new students first and it was because they couldn’t afford the fee for 45mins a week that they switched to fortnightly, not the length. I had to offer them the lower price of 30mins before they would come weekly. I also increased my prices only to new students and none of them flinched so I can put fees up for the old students too now. I have several old students at higher levels on 45 mins because they want that regardless of cost and one on an hour a week, which is great because it enables me to cover scales, studies, pieces and anything else, which 30mins doesn’t do. But to answer the original question, yes 45 mins works for me and at least I get paid for the extra 15m.
On the whole, the attendance rate is shocking. This is their hobby, so any crisis and I’m at the end of their list. The Chinese students have the highest attendance rate and standards. They take it seriously and really put in the work.
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I tried 45 and 60 mins. To my horror, all the 45s started coming fortnightly instead of weekly as agreed. So I was earning less than before when I offered 30mins. I had to replace 30 min weekly lessons for them and that works but means I need more students which is too stressful for me.
Some actually need 45 and tend to run over 30m for no extra fee. I also tried adults only as I had a lot. Then found I didn’t have enough students and they were constantly last minute cancelling mainly for work. Some paid a cancel fee. Others wouldn’t.
One week 3 of them broke up with their long term partners and gave up as they were depressed.
So back to children too with all its problems. I particularly hate the finger up the nose while playing thing! -
Update on the enquiry above; I have had several more enquiries from this individual and have been able to capture the IP address. This has enabled me to trace the enquiry – it is from an individual based in Lagos, Nigeria. I will look into how we can report this to the authorities.
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I am getting a lot of spam coming in this weekend from the following “individual” – please watch out; it is a set email and certainly spam.
The email says:
———- Forwarded message ———
From: Williams B
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2019 at 20:51
Subject: Private Guitar lessons
To:Hi Andrew,
This is Williams B and i would like to know if you do Guitar lessons?
I intend booking a Private session for my teenagers and also if you do accept all major credit card?Looking forward to your respond..
Williams—
Also had it from another email address using the same template email. If you have received this too please comment here – I want music teachers to stay safe out there!
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Beckie,
I have a similar student at the moment, and have worked at a learning disability school in the past.
To help me manage my current “difficult” student, I actually met with her mum out of work to discuss her condition and tactics to handle it. It was very useful to come up with a plan of action, and now we’re pretty good at managing her outbursts.
Generally, I’ve found it’s all about personal connection.
Try and find a way to understand and bond with them even if it’s over something simple like a basic melody or song they enjoy. Then when things start getting out of hand try and steer it back to the melody/song and back to having fun. Try and distract with fun exercises, and don’t be afraid to go off the beaten track, since you’ll only find out what works with this person through trial and error.The most important thing in my opinion though is trying to understand how they feel and finding common ground.
Hope this helps, and good luck. It’s very hard not to let a learning difficulty become a teaching difficulty!
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I have only taught 2 Children with Autism (Mild) the second one
liked coming to see my Yamaha U3 and he also liked my house!
He was very placid at that time as long as he was on his own with me(of course he also liked me!) We got on very well and he
eventually did the first MTB Exam and got 83% (A Silver Award)
After this he gave up and never came back! He said he wanted to do the exams where you didn’t have to go to a Exam Centre,
ie in a different building, and that’s why we did the MTB exam.
His mother just said he wanted to play outdoors on his new bike!
Very Confusing -
use a structure and methods such as those others have outlined, but we all like familiarity- give the lessons a shape that becomes familiar, and free improvising may not be bad- channel the messing around if you can. Link in with methods being used in other learning and use mum to get some consistent approaches, as the child will benefit from this. he may have some form of IT support (often in the form of specific devices) that can be used as well for preparation and notes.
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The piano lesson cannot be the only form of learning where the pupil experiences the kind of organisation and tips you see above.
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Ah thanks, it’s an area that I’ve got a good proportion of experience in so I’m glad to offer some advice:) Improvisation is an odd one and we can only find out how effective it will be on an individual basis, as with everything! It takes a lot of pressure off in some ways because they don’t have to play a written out tune or something specified; you can also give a set number of notes to improvise on (eg pentatonic scale played 3 fingers on one hand and 2 on the other, or similar) and actually get better results than an unrestricted approach, and it doesn’t matter if they touch an extra note here and there either. Lots of opportunity for praise. On the other hand, another autistic child might much prefer the security of having a simple written out melody to follow, knowing exactly what they have to play and gaining the pleasure from success – in this case it is important to keep everything as achievable as possible; piano is strictly extra-curricular and there shouldn’t be any pressure on progress for a child who plays for therapy and the chance for the routine and certainty that comes with having a regularly visiting adult. It’s really individual to the child, and every child is unique!
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I see! Every case is different of course and it’s a real learning curve the first time you encounter such a case. If you’re really struggling to get to grips with exactly what’s going on in his head then try referring to the autistic triad of impairments, the very base level of what autism can look like, and work out exactly how those things manifest in him. What exact elements of acceptable behaviour or communication is he misunderstanding? Consider that he’s also extremely likely to have a sensory need too, and this can be related to sound or detailed physical work – He may find some elements of music very conflicting. Once you’ve thought it through from that basis, consider how you’d react to your lessons if you had those ideas or misunderstandings, and adjust accordingly.
Golden rule really is thus – behaviour is communication. Sometimes it’s just communicating that they want their own way or they don’t like what they’re doing, but this sounds very linked to his experience of music. It may even be that he’s having a negative experience of flute and projecting that in your lessons too. Or that music taught in two different ways is overload. Either way, it sounds like finding further links between instances of misbehaviour in music might explain something.
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Something else that occurred to me – does he visit you for lessons or do you visit him? I think from your mention of taking him home, he’s visiting you? It might be that if he’s doing lots of practise in the week that he is engaging with piano nicely, and it’s the uncertainty of visiting your space and using a piano different to what he’s been practising on that creates a barrier to learning for him; as I mentioned above, most bad behaviour in children is rooted in a barrier to learning. If you could try some lessons visiting him, he might be a lot more settled. That way, his mum doesn’t have to be in the lesson either – having Mum watching puts on a lot of pressure, especially if he’s conscious of the fact that she’s there because of the potential for bad behaviour. A more comfortable, familiar space and piano, and taking precautions like mum’s presence out of his sight will potentially give him a bit more of a confidence boost and break down more barriers to learning; if he starts to feel he can succeed and he’s not expected to misbehave, he’ll settle slowly.
There’s no catch all, miracle cure for badly behaved children but safe, secure routine, set alongside clear, realistic, achievable expectations are crucial to children with autism even more than other children. -
George Smith that is amazing feedback, really clear and to the point. As a parent of a similar child (and a music teacher) the one thing I would add is that perhaps he is finding it hard playing pieces. My son loves playing the piano but actually prefers more improvisational style or learning by ear instead. Why not try and do a creative project with him (inspired by his favourite picture or poem or anything he is interested in … eg trains if it was my son!). This has worked really well for us as it is more about their world so he can access the music better. Perhaps learning pieces more formally can come at a later time? … just a thought – best of luck
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Okay so I’ve never had to teach piano to a child like this before but I have just spent the last year working 1:1 with a child (who has Autistic Spectrum Disorder and ADHD), for 25 hours a week (when I’m not teaching piano/voice). Mine was aged 9. I’ve done a lot of further study and reading into autism and behaviour, as I’m now on the road to becoming a qualified school teacher.
The first thing to remember is that emotionally he will be younger than kids his age, regardless of what age he is. Every case is different but you usually need to use tone and language appropriate to a much younger child than their actual age. Although, as a general rule – simple and clear language is important and address every instruction with their name at the front. Do NOT repeat instructions over and over again – say them once, and give them time to process it. If you do need to repeat something, do it with the exact same wording; different wording can be interpreted as a whole new question or instruction and add to their processing time. Adding more new sentences and words to their head while they’re already processing your first instruction will just put them into overload. Overload = escape tactics, and if he is restrained or blocked in, you will never calm him down – this only adds fuel to the fire. If he’s in this mood in a lesson, you probably won’t get him back except in his own time.
As for you as a teacher, from a pedagogical point of view, your basic framework should consist of breaking everything down into clear, numbered steps (i.e. step 1, write the fingers and notes in; step 2, try the right hand, step 3 try the left, etc. although this might not even be broken down enough). Following that, break down your lesson into small chunks with clear targets for each timed chunk. Allow him to have a brain break in the middle of the lesson where he can pause for 3-5 minutes and switch off from piano. Try to recognise that he will be a visual learner, not an auditory or written learner; if you’re using notes on a staff, try using resources with bigger notes that have the letter names printed on them, and make sure he always has a separate diagram of his hands with finger numbers on. Get multicoloured sticky notes and stick a different colour to each key on the piano, making sure to only label the notes he will have to use, to avoid the multitude of unnecessary notes that might overload him. Finally, set up a reward system (stickers, sweets, whatever works really) and set a clear and, importantly, quantified target and tell him exactly what he will earn for achieving it. If this needs to be one sweet every five minutes for just attempting what you ask, then great.
All of this stuff might seem silly or strange or even obvious, and sorry if it seems like I’m trying to tell you how to be a piano teacher, but the thing with behaviour is that 90% of bad behaviour happens when a child feels overwhelmed or unengaged, and this happens when the child isn’t able to access the learning being presented to them. Get them engaged in learning that is achievable to them and lots of behaviour will go away. Autism itself is a brain condition, NOT a mental health condition; he’s literally wired differently to you or I. And learning about how Autists learn is totally separate to learning how other children learn. The above things are only a start – autistic children show more differences than similarities from case to case, and it has to be personal and rewarding to him. Make it especially clear in simple terms directed at him by name, that you won’t accept that behaviour. Remember that if his mum restrains him and chases him, he probably feels much safer to let off steam when you’re there than when you’re not.
In terms of specific advice about how to involve and support his parent, and gain her support too, try to get some time to chat to her separately too, when he’s not even in the house if possible. Explain to her that the best way to diffuse running-away situations is to give him all the freedom he needs to do so, within the bounds of safety. And do not restrain. He well feel attacked and resort to swearing or hitting or trying to escape again. It might get him back in the house in the short term but it will never stop him from running out of the house. If she wants a recognised approach to teaching him a new acceptable social behaviour (i.e. not running out of the house for safety) suggest that she looks up ‘Social Stories’, they are an excellent strategy for giving a child more information about certain situations that they don’t understand or react wrongly to. Finally, insist that she includes the boys’ school in these discussions if she hasn’t already done so; if they know that he is running out of the house at home, they will also try to find out more about that from him in ways that they are trained to (such as using an ELSA – Emotional Learning Support Assistant).
Finally, remember that as sad as it can be, if your lessons are overwhelming for him, or he sees them as an opportunity to have atteniton for acting up, it may be that learning an instrument is not the right thing for him at this stage in his personal development. It would lose you the income, I know, but you shouldn’t be afraid to refuse a booking if you don’t feel safe or happy to teach it, and it may in the short term be what’s best for the child too.
Hope that gives some insight. If you need more advice, I’ll try to recommend some books on behaviour or autism later on.
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Hi Veronica. If you still have the music I would be interested in taking it from you – I could use them with students.
Yours
Andy
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Hi there this used to be really bad for me when I started teaching in schools and had to sing as well as speak quite loudly over all the kids. The basics you should be doing is warming up yourself at the start of the day, a proper warm up not just what you do with students. A hot drink of lemon and honey through the day if you can manage is good and of course lots of water. Also resting your voice in between as much as possible, no talking or when you are, speaking softly. If you can implement some techniques to try singing less in lessons, maybe make some recordings, singing softly, humming the tune while the student sings it. Take care of your voice, I lost mine once which took quite a few weeks to recover from… sorry it’s happening, so hard to manage sometimes…
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Thank you. I’ve tried some of that, but what I have done you’re explaining it in a different way which might also help. I will report back…
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Hello singing teachers. I’m looking for some advice. I have a male student who wants to strengthen their head voice. Unfortunately, they seem, to me, to be stuck in a breathy falsetto and not connecting with the stronger head voice. I’ve tried all my tricks and ideas without much success; what I’m suggesting should work, but it isn’t really doing anything to help. Does anyone have any crafty ways to engage head voice that might help please?
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Yes I have created an entire series on how to access the head voice particularly for the male voice! Message me!
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Just remember. Your a coach. Not a pharmacist and I wud just tell them not to bother. Health more important than some things.:)
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Just let them off and write him off completely from your diary! I also had a couple of them previously and they do Not worth any time of yours, honestly! I also had some time wasters who turned up for the first lesson having sent them all the admin infos and completely disregarded them no pay, no next week visit and then suddenly just turned up again and expected the lessons… absolutely no way to let ourselves messing up with these kind of people!
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Just 4get about it. The more opinions on here will put your head away. I’ve had loads. I’m still owed money from a few out there from last year. One being a very wealthy family. Drive a 70 grand Jeep and can’t even pay cash! I just let them go. Life’s simple. If they do it twice they are OUT FULL STOP. You should know that like if it happens twice in a row and they don’t have decency to even offer you something, you have waisters. If I cancel a student I give them one FREE lesson. That’s rare that I have to cancel but with being freelance musician I get last minute work. Let the client know and fit them in asap like the next day for free. Thus meanin they come back same time week after as agreed from the start. Have a good day.
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I’m planning to do an Online Video Academy in the future, so there will be some tutorials on Youtube asap!
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Nice Question!
The two inspirations i have in my “music soul”
The Tradition i carriage from Greece and Eastern Music
and my Studies in Blues and Jazz were “fighting” each other…so i started 5-6 years ago to searching for a fusion of these two! And that’s the Result!
“Anatolian (Jazz) Modes”!!!haha -
What exam board?
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Nearly all of my students, kids and adults, have a week-to-view practise diary, which they can fill in homework/lesson contents on lesson days and fill in their practise on other days with what they played and how often. Gives them a space to write in what they found tricky and what they achieved too without having to remember and vocalise it to me in lessons.
I always set a short achievable time span for practices instead focusing on frequency as the goal – all my students are encouraged to practise 5 times per week for any length of time. On piano, beginners I suggest 5 minutes, intermediates I suggest 10-30 minutes depending on age and more advanced students I tend to vary suggestions depending on the student. Voice is slightly different but I mostly have adult singers. Younger students can earn stickers in their diary for practising 5 times in a week (regardless of how long – a 10 minute practise is still 1 practise, this is important) and some have found further encouragement when I’ve suggested they take their sticker filled book to show and tell at school – school teachers love that sort of thing in 4-7 year olds as it models rewards for consistent effort rather than just concentrated achievement. Older or more mature students who are good self-motivators when it comes to practise find the diary useful for structure and as a memory aid and also to evaluate when/how their practise is most useful (with or without stickers!).
Finally, among kids, involving parents in their learning journey is very helpful. If the parent knows what their child is doing (and most importantly, sees the child making progress), they will be more likely to encourage a child to practise. Involving parents in rewards such as stickers and sweets help. Also -consistently reminding parents that punishment for not practising or attempting to take away “distractions ” that a child might feel they need, is not helpful. For example I have a reluctant practiser aged 12 who is very into his computer coding, and if he’s sat at the piano he’s very likely to also have his computer nearby and flit between the two for a few minutes each at a time. In that situation asking the child to separate the two activities and focus on one just took him away from the piano entirely as he’d rather just do computer. I asked the parent to observe progress made in this sort of practise and she found that actually the child was focused on the piano and made good progress while having access to short breaks at his computer and spread out 15 mins of focused practise over c. 40 minutes. The alternative was him choosing computer over piano entirely. So, yeah, good relationships with parents is very helpful to actually understanding how your kids practise.
All that said, the first step to getting a kid to practise, is making sure they like what they’re doing. I had a 14 year old having grade 4 ABRSM forced down his neck by his Mum who wanted nothing more than to learn to play easy arrangements from his favourite musicals. Chatted to parent and switched it up and child went from no practise for months straight to 4-5 / week. No resource can fix a bored child! Engage them and plan well.
Anyway sorry for the essay I’m just on a train with nothing to do. Hope this was helpful!
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I have recording gear in my studio so if I decide to pull out something new or something that specifically drills part of the song they’re learning I can easily record either vocally or from my keyboard. I find specific drills that link to their learning are more likely to get done than exercises for the sake of exercises. I also find short and frequent is more likely to get done than a 10 point practice plan. It’s very similar to how I set homework at school (or at least that’s what I try and do!)
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Listen. Simple as it is. Just get paid up front. There you are:)
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Are you with ISM or someone similar? They can help deal with these situations. I would call them and ask for their advice. They may be able to take action on your behalf x
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I usual only give students two weeks if no payment received I suspend lessons X
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Thank you! This is a first for me, so wasn’t really sure where to start! Thanks x
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This is a great platform for that-MGR. You could also try Music Teachers UK for a year and pay a subscription. However, the best advertisers are your students themselves. Having a concert/recital and inviting parents and friends(initially keep the crowds small to boost student confidence) really helps. In those recitals/concerts, definitely play at least 2 solo pieces and some duets with your students. It works quite well!
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Hi Matthew/Joe,
Apologies for the late response, I have been unwell.
I have done the usual in terms of promoting myself, leaflets, passing details onto friends, colleagues etc. Some local music shops are reluctant as they offer their own singing tuition. I will keep going and mixing with other musicians, hopefully that will help in some way.
Thank you:-)
Kind Regards,
Sam -
I just always keep business cards on me whenever i’m out anywhere. Often when i’m chatting to someone they ask what I do, then when I tell them they say ‘oh my friend X always wanted to learn to sing’ then I just give them a business card to pass on.
It’s not like every one of these either reaches the person or I ever hear from them, but every little helps!
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Interesting to read the “you will be excluded from the electronic bookkeeping…if it is contrary to your religion”. I am guessing the Amish community, for example, will be able to avoid this!
Really surprised to read this, I agree – I think chaos and outrage will ensue due to the overburdening amount of admin needed to do all of this, for no real financial difference for HMRC…surely the tax totals will be the same, just more admin to produce the returns for shorter time periods on a more frequent basis.
How do you think the government will deal with the rise of popularity of cryptocurrencies? Do you think these might become taxable at some point as well?
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This does sound daunting! Do you know when it is likely to come into force?
I am not sure how enforceable it will be because I can imagine such a high % of people just forgetting about it, as it isn’t really culturally ingrained to do quarterly returns. How likely are these proposals to come through?
Thanks for alerting me to this!
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Can you give us an example of what you are looking for Lydia?:) Is it just the lyrics & the vocal melody on the stave? I have found this website useful in the past: Backing Tracks.
tabs4acoustic.com
On a un problème Houston, la page que vous demandez n'existe pas ou plus (Erreur 404).
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I would recommend thinking about the times that you are going to teach, so that they are not too late or early, as well as trying to reduce the noise levels were possible. Could you put some things on the walls to help reduce noise?
In addition, making sure that your students cars are not parking directly in front of your house will help not making you neighbours annoyed about lots of people turning up for lessons.
Do you use a piano / PA setup for your lessons?
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Haha, I am not sure a petal board would really get the metal crowd going! Great suggestion for a hippy band though, “hold on folks while I just plug my guitar into these petals”:) You are right, I should open this question up to people who can suggest petals or pedals to create a good metal overdrive distortion tone:)
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I have done skype lessons in past. Would love to do again.
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Hey Tom – can the site help out with function bands or is it just for original artists?
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I do peripatetic lessons at a school on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I also teach a bunch of shift workers/retirees so the bulk of my work is actually done during the day. I’ve got in a nice rhythm of carving out a slot each day to work out and go out on the bike. I’m always done by 7pm apart from Wednesdays when I run a choir in the evening. It means I get time with my wife who works a regular 9-5. I guess the key is to find balance in your life. If you’re too idle, commit to some personal development, if the rest of your life is hectic, carve out space to rest and revitalise.
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Hi guys, more information about other teachers’ cancellation policies can be found here – https://musicteacher.kinsta.cloud/community/groups/music-teachers/forum/topic/cancellation-policies/
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I am moving to full time in September. I’m becoming increasingly worried about times when everyone is on holiday etc.
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Certainly will do! Perhaps everyone else could chip in, I’m looking at easier techniques to help
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I teach it, very difficult to teach though
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Hi. By all means you should increase your fees though I think it’s always a good idea to let the parents know before hand. I normally give them 3 months’ notice and tell them what it will be(the cost). If you communicate with parents by letter, it would be nice to put this in a letter. I personally don’t travel to people’s homes as I find it difficult, so well done to you. After Christmas is a good time to start new fees as it’s a new year and term. Giving notice now gives the parents/carers time to plan and gives you an indication of who is sticking with you next year. I have found that when your students make progress and you are dedicated, raising the fee does not tend to be an issue.
Good luck!
Roda Odari
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great advice, thanks!
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I’m not a singer but using in ear monitors helps a lot of singers I know. Get a strong mix in your ears and it’ll be a game changer!
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After years of playing about 5years ago I got some moulded in ear monitors and now use them all the time. It’s such a worthy investment. I recommend your band going down the in ear route to save the onstage volume as you won’t need onstage monitors or at least not so many most modern mixers can accommodate. You will also not feel the need so much to overshoot your voice as you can have your mix dialled into your ears.
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Even those of us who teach them everyday don’t always implement the practice ourselves.. I know I don’t lol – I sing in a hip hop soul band and if you told me to sing some rock tunes like I used to in the day I’m almost certain it would be fantastically crap haha!
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I would definitely be more inclined then to say that actually you may have lost a lot of the techniques that you naturally had at a young age to reach those high notes – we have a tendency as we get old to find ‘cheat’ lazy way to get the notes we want and then when we got back to wanting to belt higher notes with some real gusto we struggle and end up getting the whole set up wrong. I would definitely say you need to get yourself either some ear plugs and deal with the struggle hearing wise or get yourself some in ear monitors or headphones plugged into the desk because honestly your hearing is so important!!! Also go back to complete basics in terms of belt set up and do lots of practicing at home. Try not to dive straight into the deep end hoping for the best because it’s deifnitely understandable that you may have lost some of those higher notes in belt if you’ve been doing more comfortable pop for a few years x
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Beckie Oldham do you have ear plugs in, in these rehearsals? I find wearing earplugs prevents me from shouting during rehearsal time plus the obvious reason to wear them. Not only that are you sure you are warming up the right bits of your voice and not overdoing it in the warm up itself? Also to carry that on is the style of these specific songs different and would you say your style has changed singing to backing tracks? With a change of style you’ll find a change in tone preference which may also mean a change in placement and shape which ultimately could be making this specific style more difficult to go back to? always free for a chat if you have any thoughts on the above x
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I was just thinking, “I bet it’s a response to being in a loud rehearsal room” then I read Matt’s comment lol. I struggle working with a big band mix too. What is your foldback like? If you don’t have any, get some, even basic foldback through a decent set of sound isolating headphones can make the world of difference to volume control.
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Thanks Alan, so kind of you.
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Thank you! Yes I think I’m realising this.
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Hi Matt, Alan Tang would know about this rather than me!
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Great idea! Best get me some file dividers!
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I use google docs with an admin folder for stuff I send out to students (like contract) and room booking stuff and another folder for students. Each student has a different folder in that folder with lesson plans, lesson notes, recordings and info about that student. I’m also a bit of a scatter brain so I make sure I put lessons in my calendar for each week and make a note of dates and times of lessons in each lesson plan.
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Thanks Eliza
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Not something I’ve ever had to deal with but my two cents would be that if someone is bringing a child into a lesson, that child has huge potential to distract from the lesson however well-behaved the child is.
I guess it’s worth having a conversation and saying, “I didn’t mind having your child in last lesson but I don’t think it would be the best thing for your development to continue like that. If you absolutely can’t leave him/her with anyone else, maybe give me a nice early call so we can decide whether to go ahead or rearrange/cancel the lesson.”
No idea if that would work, but it might help.
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What resources can you provide to help guide practice while you’re away? I’m currently making audio files of the technical exercises for my Rock School kids, I’m telling my ABRSM candidates about the Aural Trainer app, and slowly making crappy MIDI files in sibelius so at least they have something to sing along to as the practice. If their technique is at the appropriate standard for the exam, maybe some good resources to help them practice is almost as good as extra sessions with you.
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I know it’s really late, this one——
You all have great advice for teachers. We really do have BOWLS of patience for our role as teachers. One of the first things I always tell parents (and keep reminding them throughout the coming months) is that learning an instrument is learning a new language. It needs time, patience, hard work and interest. I also give advice from the onset regarding exams—the pros and cons. Make sure you are always comfortable with the points you make and parents will listen. If there are issues, I normally don’t wait too long to suggest an alternative teacher or direction. This helps resolve tensions quickly. Tensions are unnecessary. Since I really enjoy teaching, when it begins to feel uncomfortable on my part, I’m normally the first to make a suggestion to either put away exam pieces for the time being and try other stuff or give the student an option to stop taking lessons. It might be helpful to have pushy parents sit in on some lessons as well. I do this very frequently, which makes them a bit more realistic with their demands. I also look for opportunities for students to perform in front of small audiences ( recitals) which at times gives them a boost and change in perspective and they start to thrive. This does not work for all but it is a good way to give students an opportunity to “work to perfection” without pressure of exams. I also let students choose music to play alongside exam pieces, especially when there is a lot of time, which is often the case. However, it is often tricky and we all as teachers have to find a balance. Presenting your view with an air of confidence goes a long way…..
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Sorry late to join in on this one….I recently had a similar experience with a pushy parent. Their back ground was teaching in another musical instrument where the belief was that it was all to do with grades. So tricky! I stated what I believed was best and had to really stick to my guns.
I was happy to offer to help the student take their pre grade test in singing (prep test ABRSM) that gives children the opportunity to see how an exam feels without any pressure of pass/fail. This was a good first base, and a few exam boards offer pre grades which are useful. It went well and the experience was enjoyable. The parent wanted me to carry on heading towards grades but with very little lesson time. This just was not feasible or realistic for either myself or the child. As they were unable to meet my terms we had to part ways.
I think if parents cannot see that the teacher is the expert and knows what is best for each individual student then this is a tricky situation to be in and really difficult as you need them to listen to you. At the end of the day the child’s happiness, confidence and development musically is the teacher and parents responsibility. If a parent is not wiling to listen and follow advice then I agree with Eliza, an alternative teacher needs to be sought.
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Anyone can enter anyone else for the main grading systems (I do Trinity, ABRSM and am just prepping someone for Rock School for the first time) so long as you pay the fees the exam board don’t care who you are. I am hugely impressed with Rock Schools resources. They have a great tablet app (KR Player) where you can buy their song books and have the app play the backing track for the songs and do page turns, loop bars, etc which I’m using for my students.
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Thank you Emma! I’m going to take the rest of the week off now. You’re right, I think pushing myself has just made things worse.
BOOOOOOO!!!
Stay healthy everyone xxx
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Apologies for the late posting, but I just thought I’d chime in!
Six is my current minimum age. Any younger and I’ve found their attention tends to waiver after a short amount of time and you don’t gain any major ground in a lesson.
Saying that though, if you’ve a way to keep a child engaged with the lesson then there’s no reason that three, or even two, would be too young – I’d just make sure things are fun and colourful!
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I’ve recently got a request for a 2 year old and the youngest I currently have is 6 and she can barely sit still for a 20 minute lesson! Anything less than that seems a bit ridiculous for one-to-one, no? Haha
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Hi everyone, if you need more information about this topic you can find it here – https://musicteacher.kinsta.cloud/community/groups/music-teachers/forum/topic/advertising-tips-all-teachers/
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I’ve never done it myself, but I know some other music teachers who put on shows at the end of each term, with each of their students performing something that they’ve learned in it – invite all their friends and relatives and some of them may become insterested in having lessons too! A fair few of my students have come to me because of recommendations from their friends, so word of mouth is really one of the best ways. Great ideas above, too – I love the idea of the friends-recommended discount!
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Wow where to start!? Cheers for the advice guys some fantastic ideas in there making me a marketing to do list right now. Thank you Matt as ever you are fantastic and “on it”! Will definitely get some of the cards/flyers round the local colleges and Uni. Giving them out to parents is also a great idea as is the whole refer a friend thing you brought up Dave. Nice to meet you btw =) Also nice to meet you Lewis! I love the idea of handing flyers out after school! Definitely going to get on that as there’s actually a local school that has a huge waiting list for guitar according to a couple of my clients. Did you offer any promotional deals when you approached parents? Bit fuzzy on how to start that conversation you know? Back to Dave, cheers for all the ideas! Actually already have a deal with two of the local music stores but tbh getting clients from them is rare. I love the referral idea though and I noticed on your face book page you offered a cheap lesson for a share which is another great idea. Hello Eliza lovely to meet you!
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Most of my students have come from flyers I have handed out. The best place to hand them out is directly outside the school gates after the bell goes. Be friendly and get talking to the parents, it is so much more personable than any other way; they really appreciate it when they can see a human being behind the advert and they love being able to ask questions straight away, rather than a faceless email or text. It also gives you a chance to get first lessons booked on the spot, as you can talk about their son’s/daughter’s desires and abilities and give them the encouragement and motivation to get started immediately!
Also, bulletin boards of community centres, music shops (don’t always allow due to conflict with resident tutors), leisure centres, theatres, doctor’s surgeries, supermarkets and grocery shops etc. Hand them out on the street, take them with you when you busk, at gigs, open mics, wherever you play. Always have some business cards in your pocket.
I have used http://www.instantprint.co.uk for my flyers and business cards – they have very good prices for batches of 1000 A5 flyers, dependent upon how you laminate them. If you have photoshop or a similar program it doesn’t take long to knock up a nice looking flyer, and it probably looks better than using the standard templates online.
Get your assets together: a nice photo (or two if double-sided) of yourself or your guitar/studio. Use your website blurb and condense it down into a short concise block of text to explain your services, your contact details etc. Then it’s just a matter of arranging everything so that it looks aesthetically pleasing and catches everyone’s eyes.
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Hi guys, you can read more on this topic here – https://musicteacher.kinsta.cloud/community/groups/music-teachers/forum/topic/advice-putting-prices/
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Hi all,
Increase the price of our lesson is something we all have to face at some point.The price of your lesson is perceived many times by the new student as the quality of the lesson they are gonna get if the student is new and after if the quality of the lesson is high and the students are happy with their progress they won’t mind to pay an extra amount of many if we as a teachers explain why the increase
is happening.Most of the student understand and are quite empathic with the teacher if the conversation and the explanation is honest.There great advices here in the matter.Thanks for your advices here guys.:)
Gael
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Thanks for the responses guys. I’m a firm believer in your hips being higher than your knees when playing, so I’m not keen on having students sitting on sofas and am trying to encourage the use of stools. One in particular that I’ve been looking at is a ‘standing support’ (stool) from Ikea that can be raised pretty high (http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/chairs-stools-benches/office-chairs/nilserik-standing-support-white-flackarp-green-art-00279568/). I’ll let you know how it goes!
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Thats great Matthew, thank you! x
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What do you put on your vouchers? Trying to design my first ones!
Also, would anyone mind just listing what they put in T’s + C’s, I wouldn’t want to miss anything!
Steph x
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WOW! I limit myself to 25 hours teaching time a week (granted I’m also rehearsing shows and doing other things) and if I do more than 5 hours in a day I start feeling that tiredness creeping in so I’m not surprised you’re feeling it!
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I don’t necessarily loose range, but the busier I’ve got the more I notice tiredness in my voice. So I’ve tried to switch up my teaching style so that I say and sing less and let the pupil do more (basically just filtering by asking myself “do I NEED to say this comment/do this demonstration?”). Also I’m often guilty of not warming up before starting teaching, which I need to work on.
Also I’d suggest don’t feel embarrassed when pupils can sing higher than you, even if you’re a super amazing soprano. You’re not there to sing better than the pupil, you’re there to get the most out of that pupil. Especially as a male teacher with mostly female students, I’ve had to learn to demonstrate things where I feel comfortable, share the principle and then let the student find it in their range. Hope that helps.
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I agree. Perhaps not relevant to every student, but fairly spot on for some.
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Hi,
I have used ABRSM for three years for my students taking singing, music theory and cello exams. It was the exam board I was examined in growing up. ABRSM are pretty organised as an exam board and their syllabus’ are easy to use for teaching and system is easy to submit students for exams.
I have also used for two terms-LCM for Pop Vocals and Musical Theatre grades. I really like both syllabuses and it has opened up a lot more repertoire for students that really prefer to ‘perform on stage’ and who really want to do musical theatre songs and pop.
I have only had one negative experience with LCM, and this was with the first student taking the exams. Since all students have thoroughly enjoyed them. On reflection I believe they did not work hard enough. Their systems are not so slick as ABRSM but still okay. The chief examiner always responds promptly to any questions I have.
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I have a student who wants to go through grade 6 ABRSM, which is not a problem…but I’m a little unsure of how to go about teaching the extra parts of the exam. The songs themselves are fine (and I did grade 8 myself, so I know how it goes – but I did my grade 5 theory and then went straight to grade 8 practical, so I’m not all that familiar with the system in general) but has anyone got any advice about teaching the extra tests (sight-singing and aural).
Thanks:)
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I went through the ABRSM system myself and I cannot recommend enough. It produces well-rounded musicians because of the demands of theory, sight-singing, a cappella work, aural tests, etc. I can definitely see the difference between myself and other singers who have fantastic voices but have no idea how to communicate with a band/musical director. Not to say that everyone should go through it, but I definitely wouldn’t be in the position I am today without it. My students get into it as well, even those that aren’t really interested in classical, which I imagine is because I’m so passionate about it!
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Hello, I put my students in for the London College of Music Popular Vocals Exams, validated by Thames Valley University. They’ve gone up to Grade 8 and 99.9% have had really good experiences. Although there are guidelines on their website as to which songs go with which grade, in practice you can choose anything, so long as it’s hard enough! The aural and theory tests are quite tricky, so there’s a real sense of progression. Good luck! Alison
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I find YouTube is best taken with a pinch of salt. How can you package good solid technical coaching into a 5 minute video? I tend to find that whilst good for getting a general idea of something, students still need a teacher to guide them through the nuances. I encourage students to do their own learning and encourage debate if they find something that seemingly contradicts what I’m saying. Usually I find that they’re trying to convey the same concept with language I don’t consider accurate, but sometimes this will be a more helpful way of understanding it for that pupil. However sometimes, I find absolute garbage out there. For example, most videos on abdominal support are woeful and essentially tell people to squeeze their six pack and somehow the sound will be amazing. Even then, I can still turn that into a teaching opportunity to get a far better understanding on the subject.
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Hey,
very late in joining conversation! I have a vast age range in students from 4 years to someone in their 80’s so this means that things are v varied as hey are all at so many different stages….for the most part I stick to technique/exercises in 1st half and application of these exercises in 2nd part of lesson in songs depending on what it is we are focusing on e.g. vocal connection, transitioning through voices, consistent air pressure, etc.Having said this I find 85% of my lessons are totally different from one to the next….sometimes because of exams/auditions/working towards a performance but often because the children I teach need variety within the lesson. I have a fair few with learning difficulties so I do many of the following:-
Music games/quizzes
Pitching through games
Aural tests/games
Sight reading procedure & exercises
Theory-either working through books/worksheets or I apply it to the songs they are learning
Song research-looking at different genres/styles & artists
Song learning
Character research & portrayal
I often end up rewarding them with a song at the end that’s completely just for fun and can be anything they want, especially if they are 8 and under. -
Hey dudes!
So I have a student who wishes to sing at her daughters wedding. I have been teaching her once a month for 8 months and now we have up-ed her lessons to fortnightly.
She has made fantastic improvement but still has a very squeaky singing voice. As the sound is incredibly similar to her speaking voice and she is feeling no pain/strain, I’m not too worried that her larynx is sitting too high or out of it’s comfort zone naturally. However, I was wondering whether anyone has any useful tricks and tips to help encourage a more rounded, slightly deeper resonant sound.
I’d say her speaking voice is very similar to this little character from the movie Bugsy Malone…maybe not as child-like as she is a 50 year old woman but very similar.
All the best and thanks in advance:)
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Here are a couple I’ve done over the past year or so. I haven’t made them perfect so be forgiving The third one with my sister is probably the best
https://soundcloud.com/roxybond-1/the-nights-feat-wesley-huntley
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Ah yes that does look like an appealing timetable. Though I don’t currently work Saturdays as it’s basically the only day I see my partner, which is saying something as we just bought a house together! But I do work later so that might make the difference.
And I appreciate that level of organisation, I’m similar myself!
Yeah I do tend to find that a few minutes here or there for crossover doesn’t matter and people are fine if things run over a little. But then I’ve also justified it by feeling like I’m undercharging so if they’re only getting 55 minutes then that’s fair enough! I think I might have to get back to my own spreadsheet and finalise the decision on my future timetable and prices.
Thanks for your help!
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Hi both,
Yes that helps a lot, thanks! I’m creating a spreadsheet to look at what the maximum I can teach is and the best way to charge and plan time vs where I think that fits with the value I offer and what I would need to do/the time it would take to maximise that value.
I have to say I’m not sure I’d be comfortable putting prices up AND shortening lesson time to all in one go. What I might do is shorten lesson time and keep the currect price available only be block booking.
Eliza – are you teaching 45 minutes lessons back to back? That would be worth doing for me, though sometimes I find the crossover can be awkward and it doesn’t leave much time for casual conversation as it is. I imagine that would be even harder with 45 minutes lessons and I don’t want people to feel like they’re on some music lesson conveyor belt. On the other hand, evenings is when the work usually is so I need to be able to get to people!
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Actually, to answer half of my own question about terms and conditions, remembered that old Musicians Union thing I pay for every month and went and found this, in case anyone else is interested:
http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/Files/Contracts/Teaching/T1-Contract-Private-Teaching
Still interested in anything else people have got, though!
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Hi Kat,
Yeah I’d thought of that – I was planning on taking the risk, same as they would do with overpaying me, only seems fair. Plus it’s likely that most would already have paid for that lesson anyway. Cancellation policy would still apply as usual.
However, I think in the short term I’m going to drop the subscription model as my payment platform doesn’t give me the flexibility I’d really like to enact it! I would like to come back to it though.
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Hey there, sounds good and is something I’m looking at focusing on in the very near future.
I’m also looking at the possibility of making it into a subscription, so basically they are automatically billed for 4 lessons every month but still have the flexibility to schedule weekly if they need it, offset any lessons they haven’t had against next month’s subscription (or save them up for a free month) and get access to a membership website where I give them a bit extra in terms of practise aids, video lessons and sheet music etc.
Do you think that could work? I’ve mentioned it to one or two who have seemed enthusiastic about the idea but the reality may be different. Any thoughts would be very welcome!
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Hi!
I’m tempted to try this – even if just because this week I’ve had a few cancellations for the first time, which makes me a little nervous. I’m still fairly new to MGR and have only been teaching in Exeter since February (I was in the Midlands before) – I do worry that although I’ve done well at picking up new students, if they start to cancel is this because they’ve become comfortable enough to do it on a regular basis.
Is it easy enough to put block bookings through the system on the website?
The majority of my students are young adults and I worry about asking for that amount of money upfront – do you only really find that it’s parents with children who can afford block bookings?
Thanks:)
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Some nice suggestions!
I particularly like to use:
Singing in the Rain – A and E7 (or G and D7 and riff on open strings)
Johnny B Goode – A, D and E7 + whatever basic blues riffs you want to throw in. Leads nicely into learning the pentatonic and blues scale, too. -
Hi Dave,
Your choices definitely are great options as good easy songs. A few more ideas:
Superstition main riff-Is a really good one to learn how to mute strings with the left hand to get that extra percussive element.
Highway to Hell- Very well known,open chords and great for reinforce pulse.
Sabbra Cadabra – Every beginner metal head is very keen to learn this one and is a good riff for introducing hammer-ons and pull-offs.Gael
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I’ve got a couple in particular that I really like to use, depending on the student:
Nelson’s Blood (traditional) is great because it’s a simple melody, minor but can be quite lively as it’s a sea shanty. There are also some easy harmonies that lead straight off the main melody so it’s a good one for easing people out of their comfort zone.
Son of a Gun – remembered this beauty a few months ago, an old favourite that Nirvana made famous. Two very simple melodies but a key change between verse and chorus plus room for some nice, slightly harder harmonies focusing on the 3rd above.
Thanks for the other suggestions, made a note!
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Hi Eliza
A lot of the time I let my students pick their songs. Obviously if it’s too difficult for the level that they are at I give them a couple other choices, but a couple of songs that are relatively simple or easy to simplify are:
Make you feel my love – Adele
Let her go – Passenger
Roar – Katy Perry (recently found out that this is in the Grade 1 Rockschool book)
Hero – Enrique Iglesias
Holiday – Green Day
Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Clean version obviously) – Green DayI know that they aren’t all up beat but they have worked quite well for me.
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My favourite song of all time to get beginner singers thinking about pitch accuracy and scale practice is Frank Ocean’s ‘Thinkin’ Bout You’. It’s worked wonders with about 5 of my regulars and they absolutely loved that they could pick out the major scale from the melody.
It’s my secret weapon for any students who run away from the idea of scales.
My other secret weapon is the sax line from George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’ that features the Phrygian scale ascending. Another sneaky way to get students singing scales when usually they get frightened of them.
Hope this helps,
L x
