This week has had a lot of ups and downs. I’ve been pretty grumpy. Sometimes I really struggle to stay positive. I have had to be very intentional about choosing to be happy this week. I didn’t want my bad mood to affect my lessons. I really had to practice what I preached. And, you […]
How to Build Your Music Studio Community
Foster Relationships to Increase Student Retention I’m always talking about engagement. In my opinion, it is the number-one indicator of your students’ long-term success. One way to increase your students’ engagement is to build your music studio community. Students can support and motivate each other, and maybe more importantly, parents can support and motivate other […]
5 Things I am Loving This Week–August 28, 2015 Edition
Hey everybody, I’ve been experimenting with replacing my weekly round-up of violin teaching resources with another post, but you know, I missed it. So we’re back! I hope that’s cool. Let me know in the comments if you prefer two straight-up blog posts each week. I want to bring you guys the best of what’s […]
10 Free Music Theory Resources for Violin Teachers
It may seem like you don’t have time to teach music theory in your violin lessons because there are so many other things to do. However, neglecting music theory can hurt you in the long run. If we want our students to be good readers and successful orchestral musicians, they have to have (at least) the basics […]
How to Make Your Violin Teaching Schedule
Keep Your Sanity (and Your Students) I don’t know about you, but scheduling my students is sometimes an absolute nightmare. Everyone has a billion commitments, and I am so fussy about my hours. I make a new schedule every fall and summer because, well, hmm…I’m starting to wonder why I do that… Right now, my […]
One Super Easy Way to Become a Better Violin Teacher
How You Look is More Important than What You Say Have you ever played the violin for someone really tough? Someone really scary? As you fumbled through your piece, did you look up to see the scowl of this intimidating person? How did it make you feel? Did your performance improve as you watched this reaction? […]
5 Back-to-School Resources for Violin Teachers
You may have noticed my absence the past two weeks. I have been soaking up the sun on the beautiful Oregon coast with my family, and it was glorious. We had such an amazing time. It was so nice to de-stress and just have fun with everyone. Well, now I’m back and it is time to […]
5 Things I’m Loving This Week–July 31, 2015
This week has been a little rough, I’m not going to lie. I’ve been feeling sick and tired and grumpy. It has been more difficult to be the energetic and plucky violin teacher I want to be. I’ve canceled some lessons because I’ve just been feeling gross. It’s time to reset. I’ve been going to […]
21 Ways to Find Violin Students
How to Fill Your Studio and Pay Your Bills! When I first started my violin studio after my Bachelor’s Degree, I struggled to find new students. I think I had only three for about 6 months! My husband and I worked at Subway, and lived off of our one free sandwich a day. I had nightmares […]
5 Things I am Loving This Week– July 24, 2015
Today is Pioneer Day here in Utah. It is a big deal because we love our pioneer heritage! My Great-Great-Great-Grandmother lived in India, married a British soldier, and eventually made her way to the great American West. I am intensely proud of her bravery and fortitude as she pressed on across the plains, despite the […]