Question: When I was teaching online this spring, I noticed that my students benefited from short video tutorials, performance video feedback, and non-playing activities. I'd like to continue providing these resources for my students, even when we return to in- person teaching but this takes extra time and I don't know if my parents appre...

On a Wednesday afternoon last month, one of my colleagues and I stood in the hallway of my studio between our lessons, and he asked me "What are we going to do about lessons if the schools close because of the virus?" I shrugged it off, thinking surely it would not get to that point. Well that changed quickly, as we realized universities and s...

Why would teachers want to encourage parents to attend lessons? Although some teachers—Suzuki, Yamaha, or preschool, for example—routinely invite parents, not all music teachers find that children or their guardians benefit from a shared experience. The following is an overview of some of the rewards and challenges of parental attendance at lessons...

A studio full of hard-working and well-mannered students is every piano teacher's dream. But few teachers actually have the opportunity to live this dream for their entire careers. The truth is that most teachers have at least one student that they do not enjoy teaching. It might be due to a communication problem, a mismatched energy issue, a behav...

In Part 1 of "Are your marketing strategies deep enough?" (Jan/Feb 2017), we talked about the first four frequently overlooked principles of marketing: 1. We must know what our clients really want. 2. We must make sure we have a product or service that they want. 3. Regardless of how they hear about you, we must remember that parents of school-age ...

As musicians and music teachers, we are immersed in a field that necessarily comprises creativity, not just in the finished product of our art, but also in the way in which we accomplish that art. As such, there is an endless array of teaching environments and studio set-ups that can be tailored to facilitate the needs and dreams of any music teach...

Frances Clark was right when she said, "All students are transfer students. Even if our students are our own, the teacher we were last year is different from the teacher we are this year. In fact, the teacher we were last week is different from the teacher we are this week!" We are always changing and our students are always changing." We do change...

During this political season, you will hear a lot about small businesses and their role as the engine that drives our economy. Did you ever stop to think that the politicians are talking about piano teachers? As an independent teacher, YOU are a small business. You are the owner and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of your business—a business dedicate...

Elizabeth Van Ness teaches music appreciation and enrichment in Los Angeles area public schools. A mother of two daughters, she believes that students benefit when parents work in cooperation with teachers. In addition to teaching, Elizabeth is a writer for computer programs, television, and magazines, including Keyboard Companion's A Parent's Poin...