Many years ago when I was studying for a teaching diploma I read a really useful book by Susan Hallam and one part of it must have struck a chord with me (no pun intended!). I got the same book out for one of my own diploma students a few years after and realised I…
Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music George Eliot Hands up if you enjoy reading! As a student (which seems a long time ago now), I have happy memories of curling up on the sofa with a Victorian novel and a cup of tea, followed by penning an essay…
If you always do what is easy and choose the path of least resistance, you never step outside your comfort zone. Great things don’t come from comfort zones Roy Bennett Some time ago I went rock climbing for the first time. I’m not great with heights so it was quite a big deal for me….
Hands up if you look up performances on places like YouTube when learning a new music piece? Back in the olden days when I was having music lessons, there was no such thing as YouTube. Internet was through the phone line (showing my age now!) and deathly slow. Lecturers at university actually suggested taking a…
Teach the student first, the music second and the piano third Frances Clark At first glance you might look at this quote and think, ‘hang on, my job is to teach the piano, so why is it not top of the list?!’. But actually it highlights the importance of thinking about the individual when teaching….
“A student is almost always feeling motivated to practice, if he leaves his lesson feeling capable” Frances Clark Have you ever noticed a connection between how much practice a student does at home and how well their previous lesson went? One of my least favourite subjects at school was maths. I definitely leaned towards the…
I found this quote a while ago and it really struck a chord (no pun intended!). When learning the piano growing up, I always loved how I could pick up a book of music and be transported to a different world. Each piece told its own unique story. In a similar way I think that’s…
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood” Fred Rogers I drove past my piano teachers house recently and memories of having lessons as a child came flooding back. All those years ago there was no…
