Selecting their next teacher

I can think of a few situations this may be necessary.


■They’re moving
■You’re moving
■You’ve taught them all you can
■It’s not a good fit
■They’re off to music school
■You are downsizing
■They want to learn something you don’t teach

Whatever the reason, the next teacher will assess their ability, progress, and potential and our teaching effectiveness. Possibly an embarrassing prospect. The next teacher will be impressed with our work if the student has learned the basics, has mastered the technique at their level, has learned how to practice and they still possess the joy to play that attracted them to music in the first place.

When I interview a prospective transfer student or I’m evaluating a student in a professional situation some of the things I’m looking for are:

■Enthusiastic attitude
■Good hands (technique)
■The student can clap accurately the rhythm in the music I give them (shows me they’ve worked on the basics)
■They are clear on their objectives (clarity of purpose)
■They can play a few favourite pieces (indicates their musical preferences)
■They have a few favourite pieces (an excellent indicator of enthusiasm)
■They listen to the music they want to study. (If they want to study classical music they enjoy actively listening to it. Ditto for jazz, pop, whatever.)

In the book “Practicing, A musician’s returned to music” by Glenn Kurtz, Kurtz muses with regret the technical deficiencies he brought to music school.

Wynton Marsalis in all his writings stresses the work ethic, a good heart, and mastering the basics. His books “To a young musician” and his latest, which I finished recently, “Moving to higher ground” harps constantly on these themes.

So, I suggest they interview teachers and select the one who stresses the basics, is student focused, and has a history of success in the area the student wants to work. Find a teacher who will stretch them, challenge them, and encourage them. Seek one who is creative, enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

Cheers
David Story

Teaching the YouTube musician

A recent phenomenon that we should be cognizant of is YouTube.com. This free video service is quickly revolutionizing music teaching. It is already created an enormously motivated pool of potential new students. A new class of students, which has been flying under the radar for years and a group poorly served by the professional teaching profession I say.

Here’s a typical profile from my studio:

• 10 to 12 years old, oldest is 23
• Male
• An enthusiastic user of the computer, computer games, and the internet
• Loves music, and pop culture
• Has an impatient character
• Possesses high energy
• Self-motivated
• Have definite musical tastes
• The predominant learning style is visual and auditory. In other words, they don’t like to read music.
• They are unresponsive to traditional teaching methods, aims, and processes.
• They fit the classic definition of amateur: for the love of music.

The big question, of course is” how do we serve this group”, or maybe the question is,” Do we want to serve this group?”

 There are few strategies I’ve successfully used:

• I review the instructional video on YouTube with the student. I help correct their technical approach to the piece, typically we redo the fingering.
• I take their musical interests seriously.
• I help them explore other music related to their interests.
• To help their reading, I often write out a phrase of the piece for them to learn.
• I teach them how to assemble the music on the computer using sequencing software.
• I encourage them to think about joining a band or jamming with their friends.

Here are a few outcomes

•  Because they play primarily by ear, love to practice and are highly motivated they typically play with the best groove and feel of all my students.
• Because I take their musical interests seriously, none of them have quit.
• I learned some exciting new music from enthusiastic self-motivated students.

Cheers,

David Story

Marketing Music Lessons Seth Godin

Seth Godin, marketing guru, predicts that over the next two years there will be a seismic shift in the marketplace. And, it’s likely to come out of left field.

For instance, hundreds of thousands of young people are learning to play musical instruments on http://www.youtube.com/. They may or may not be taking formal music lessons. I guess they’re not. Why is this method of learning become so popular?

• They learn at their own pace
• They can pick their own material
• They can learn only the good parts
• They can connect with others who have a similar interest
• They can fantasize that they’re part of something bigger, i.e. pop superstardom
• Nobody is standing over them correcting them
• Nobody is insisting they get it right
• Generally the parents like the same music, so give positive feedback

They just get to play, have fun and then do it all over it.

I currently have five http://www.youtube.com/ kids. Last year I had none.

Seth Godin has a new e-book for free. I encourage everyone to download this.
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/files/what-matters-now-1.pdf

David Story

Music Lesson Marketing

Recently I’ve had questions about the marketing of music lessons, “how do you have so many students?”

Here are some ideas that work for me

-I give more value than the student pays for
-I’m responsive to the needs of my students
-I communicate weekly with parents
-I run it like a business
-I’m always learning new things, which I share with my students
-I’m upbeat and enthusiastic, no matter what

Here are some resources:
1. Promoting your teaching studio, by Philip Johnston
http://howtopractise.com/?q=node/1627
2. 77 ways to build your private music practice by Milana Leshinksy
http://www.musicstaff.com/lounge/article64.asp
Other resources:
Success magazine
http://www.successmagazine.com/ I read it every month. It is full of good ideas for business and teaching.
Cheers,
David