Video Practicing, Recording your practicing on your laptop

I may be the last person on earth to try this.


Record your practicing on your laptop.
Listen and watch


With myself, I discovered a few things:

1. I have tension in my jaw.
2. I have minimal tension in the arms.
3. The second time I recorded, the performance was much improved.
4. I will be trying it with students this week. (I will carefully delete the file at the end of the lesson.)

Cheers,

David

Student Interview Questions

When interviewing prospective students we owe to them and ourselves to assess our compatibility. The following was suggested to me.

1. If they are 8 years old and up, ask them to write on a piece of paper why they want music lessons, and what they hope to accomplish, while this is going on exchange pleasantries with the parent. Then interview the parent in light of what the student wrote.

2. If they are a transfer student listen to them play their favourite piece and then play a duet with them.

Cheers,

David

Income Tax tip for Busy Teachers

I had a conversation with some colleagues this week concerning income tax instalments, paid quarterly.They were remarking how "painful" writing that check can be.

A few years ago, the fine folks at Revenue Canada and I came up with the weekly pay plan. It works like this. Divide your upcoming tax liability by 52. Tell Revenue Canada to withdraw this amount weekly from your bank account. They will be happy to oblige over the phone.

Cheers,

David

Keeping fit

We typically sit all day at our jobs. Some of us travel in this line of work as well, eating on the road. Many juggle child rearing responsibilities with the job. Meals are often rushed or skipped. This stress leads to weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks and other lurking disasters.

One day we look in the mirror an unattractive stranger looks sadly back.

Speaking with some of our more fit colleagues I created the following list.

Diet

• Eat fresh
• Eat regularly to keep blood sugar stable
• If it comes in a box or is served by a teenager in a cardboard hat: don’t eat it.

Exercise

• Get a competent trainer, follow the plan
• Some do Yoga
• Speak with the doctor if it has been a few years since you did vigorous physical activity, before putting on the runners. I don’t what the next blog to be an obituary. :-)
• If it took twenty fives years to get in the shape you are now, it will take some time to remake yourself.

Work load stress

• This is a tough one for piano teachers

A wiser man than I said. “Don’t tell me you know what to do, tell me why you don’t do it.”

See you all at the gym and juice bar.

David Story
In the Saskatoon airport lounge