1. The Practice Shoppe. I have gotten lots of fun practice prizes and other practice helps from this online store. Right now there is a coupon code for all jewelry items for 40% off (until Saturday at midnight!) Just use the promo code Jewelry40 at checkout. 2. The Piano Maestro app. I have been using […]
inspiration
Violin Teacher Book Club: How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk… Edition
Key Points from the Book for Music Teachers… For those of you who are new to this blog, Brecklyn and I are trying to set up a world-wide violin teacher book club for music teachers to study teaching, child development, and business skills. It has been a little slow to get started as we have […]
Why You Shouldn’t Quit Teaching Violin to Get a “Real Job”
You May Just Save the World. One of the things that I love about the Suzuki Method and Philosophy is the culture of love, acceptance, and beauty. By sharing our love of music, we are in essence sharing our love of the world. In this time of turmoil, hatred, and violence, nothing can be more […]
5 Awesome Violin Teaching Resources: November 6, 2015 Edition
The Weekly Round-up of my favorite violin teaching resources, tips, and tricks. This week has been so fun. My seven month old has been scooting around the floor like a champ. (Imagine a tiny seal on the beach. Hilarious.) And my 2 1/2 year old has been using the potty like a pro—most of the […]
How to Say Goodbye to Music Students You Love
What to do in that final lesson… We all lose students. It’s a sad truth. They all move on eventually, some sooner than others. Our students are in our lives only briefly, and then they are off to other things. Sometimes, maybe this is bad, but sometimes when a student leaves, I breathe a sigh […]
5 Things I’m Loving This Week–October 16, 2015
So, I have only taught one lesson this week. Out of twenty. I know! I’ve had a terrible cold, and while I hate canceling lessons, I wanted to set an example for my students. (The message being: Don’t come to lessons with a terrible, hacking cough.) Even though I didn’t teach any lessons, we did […]
5 Things I’m Loving This Week–October 9, 2015
A round-up of helpful violin teaching tips, tricks, and resources…just for you! I am overwhelmed with gratitude this week. There are actually people reading this blog, which is both scary and exciting. I have loved receiving your emails and corresponding with you. I really think that violin teachers have the best job, and the best […]
Do You Need a College Degree to be a High-Quality Violin Teacher?
Does your success and the success of your students depend on how much money you spend to fill out your violin-teaching pedigree? I think the answer to the question, “Do you need a college music or pedagogy degree to be a high-quality violin teacher?” used to be a resounding yes. Now, times have changed. What hasn’t […]
5 Things I’m Loving This Week–September 4, 2015
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 […]