Looking Back on 2019
It has been quite the year. I started out with relatively few, but very loyal families in a in person studio. Not much had changed in a...
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pianoteacherjulie
Dec 19, 20191 min read
"I Open My Mouth, and My Mother Comes Out"
It's true. Sometimes I open my mouth, and my mother comes out. Not literally, of course, but more and more I hear myself saying things my...
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pianoteacherjulie
Dec 16, 20192 min read
"I'm Going to Teach It to You Anyway"
Confidence is a great quality to have. Unfortunately, confidence doesn't always lead to successful results. For example, I have a chair...
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pianoteacherjulie
Dec 12, 20191 min read
They Keep Surprising Me
Some students are in lessons because their parents require them to learn piano. I appreciate that most of my students have been honest...
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pianoteacherjulie
Dec 9, 20192 min read
Being a Newbie
As adults, it can be easy to forget what it feels like to be new at something. We get settle into our routines. We know how to do our...
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pianoteacherjulie
Dec 5, 20191 min read
Why Learn Terms?
There are so many music terms out there...and a lot of them are in Italian, so why bother learning them? 1) When you know them, you don't...
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pianoteacherjulie
Dec 2, 20192 min read
Any Notes for Yourself?
One question I ask a lot before closing out a lesson is "Are there any notes you need to write for yourself to be able to practice this...
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pianoteacherjulie
Nov 28, 20192 min read
Playing Music Is a Skill
It seems obvious when I say "playing music is a skill," but I think that is something students somehow don't realize. They don't come to...
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pianoteacherjulie
Nov 25, 20192 min read
Choices
I think giving kids choices is important. It helps them learn to make decisions. It helps them learn to take responsibility for their...
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pianoteacherjulie
Nov 21, 20191 min read
Strategies for Focused Practice
It's easy to get into mindless practice habits. Play the song three times or play for 30 minutes, and spend the time not really focusing...
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pianoteacherjulie
Nov 18, 20192 min read
Self-Employed: How Being Homeschooled Helps
I was homeschooled from preschool through high school. There are pros and cons to this, but I have noticed several skills that being...
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pianoteacherjulie
Nov 14, 20192 min read
Bite Sized Pieces
One of the biggest changes that I've noticed in my teaching this year is how much more willing I am to give songs in bite sized pieces. I...
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pianoteacherjulie
Nov 11, 20192 min read
Simple Things
Some kids are determined that they will remember exactly what they are supposed to practice and do not want to have any written...
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pianoteacherjulie
Nov 7, 20193 min read
Things I Didn't Know Were Confusing
I started learning the play the piano when I was four years old. I can't really remember learning how to read music. I remember working...
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pianoteacherjulie
Nov 4, 20192 min read
Accountability
One of the major things I want my students to learn is to take personal responsibility for their music. Basically, I want them to realize...
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pianoteacherjulie
Oct 31, 20192 min read
Piano Pedagogy
The title of this post was my minor in college. Piano Pedagogy. Basically studying how to teach piano. There are a couple of things that...
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pianoteacherjulie
Oct 28, 20193 min read
How Teaching Has Changed Me
For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a pianist and piano teacher. I thought that teaching would be a good way to have a...
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pianoteacherjulie
Oct 24, 20192 min read
When a Student Is Late
Life happens. I get that. Sometimes when life happens it makes a student late for their lesson. What goes through a teacher's mind when...
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pianoteacherjulie
Oct 21, 20192 min read
When a Student Quits
One of the great things about being a private lesson instructor is that I get to teach the same students years in a row. I don't get a...
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pianoteacherjulie
Oct 17, 20193 min read
"I Can't Do It!"
I hear this statement relatively often and normally accompanied by tears. This is normally where I wish I had a psychology degree and...
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