Diary of a Music Teacher: Nearly Half-term!
Can you believe that after next week it is half-term week already? Although January can feel long it doesn’t feel long ago that it was Christmas break! Half-terms are great […]
Can you believe that after next week it is half-term week already? Although January can feel long it doesn’t feel long ago that it was Christmas break! Half-terms are great […]
Pauline Hall has created some fabulous and fun piano books for all levels. She is a pianist and a music education who has turned her passion into composing songs for […]
So… Today is the biggest strike day in a decade, apparently. Teachers are on strike; I don’t remember the last time teacher would have been on strike. It has been […]
Country music is a unique genre in the sense that country music songs always consist of deep lyrics and stories. There is always a message in a song in a […]
Term time weeks go past so fast! The weekend comes and is gone… I find it imperative to keep Sundays as free as possible and to factor in some lazy […]
The beautiful music of Tchaikovsky can often be heard in films, TV shows and theatre performances even, most often in ballets. The beautiful rather haunting melodies captured the hearts and […]
Beethoven without doubt is one of the most wonderful classical music composers that ever lived. Mozart, Chopin and a few other classical composers make the same category with Beethoven, yet […]
Sight-reading can be the most tedious part of learning music: some students do anything to avoid it…! Some others, however, find it one of the most straightforward aspects of learning […]
Many instrumental teachers teach just one instrument; however, I find it more fun for myself to mix it up whenever possible and teach at least a few different ones. Currently, […]
Bashing about on the drum kit can be really fun and surprisingly therapeutic! You don’t need to know how to properly drum to enjoy coming you with some cool funky […]
Disney films are known for their fantastic music! It’s hard to find children who wouldn’t have watched a Disney film and enjoyed the music in it. I have certainly enjoyed […]
The other day I was at a supermarket and saw Easter eggs on the shelves! And then yesterday we started playing Easter songs with some students…. Is anyone else feeling […]
Here is a very interesting read on what a future with AI and music might look like: https://www.musicinafrica.net/magazine/what-would-music-ai-future-sound
What to do with students who seem to have no ambition to improve, learn and practice? For many of these students, lessons are always at the same level with little […]
It’s a bit of a strange feeling when a student cancels their lesson (or rather their parent cancels it) for a specific reason and then you find out later on, […]
It is quite a nice feeling when you can learn something new from your students. For example, recently one of my students started learning the clarinet and eagerly showed me […]
Many of my students are learning to play a musical instrument, because they themselves want to or because their parents want them to learn. However, for some, the motivation to […]
Now with the new term starting, it is a good time to remind ourselves of what kind of expectations to set for each student. Each student is different and in […]
If you are an instrumental or singing teacher working on your own, it can be nice to connect with other teachers. There are many online forums nowadays where you can […]
To motivate you on a Monday in January, look at some old photos of yourself in a place where you felt relaxed and happy! Bringing back fond memories can really […]
So…This week we have still been going strong with Christmas carols with some students! I know what some of you are thinking: but it’ not Christmas any more…! Well, what […]
The Simply Piano App that can be downloaded on all technological devices has become very popular amongst in particular younger learners. During lockdowns, all kinds of music learning apps became […]
It is the start of a new term after a break that is known for everyone enjoying time with their families and completely taking a break from everything. At times […]
Start of new term always comes with mixed feelings: there is excitement about the term and the need for a daily routine; yet there is nerves, worry and apprehension on […]
It seems that we are on full on winter survival mode in the UK at least! It has been much colder with lots of snow and ice than what it […]