How do you think of your students? When it comes to describing each one of your students, what words would you choose? Do you describe your students in terms of aspects like their method book level or the piece they’re working on? Or do you use descriptors that describe their progress? Things like b...
Do you ever feel like the real value of music lessons gets pushed to the side? Many times we highlight aspects like improved math and reading skills, or increased coordination and perseverance, discipline and memory. All valid points, to be sure. But these traditional talking points don’t really tel...
Many, many years ago, when I was a youngster and piano student, my piano teacher decided it would be beneficial for me to play for our church services once a month. Not just one tune here and there, but the whole church service from beginning to end. It was an immense opportunity!! So let me tell yo...
If you’ve ever caught yourself thinking, “My students this year just don’t seem to be as committed as a couple of years ago,” you’re not alone. These days it feels like I routinely hear from music teachers who wonder why today’s students seem less focused, less prepared, or less resilient. At first ...
What do you say to a teen student with lots on their plate and no sign of that changing any time soon? Their practicing time has shrunk considerably. They have a ton of homework. Every day seems to be scheduled to the maximum with extracurricular activities. Do they ever have a moment to themselves?...
Please enjoy this guest post from Paul McGlinchey, executive team member in charge of Community Development at Teach Music 21C. Thanks Paul for sharing your thoughts.
Music teachers are already designers, whether we realize it or not. We're especially good at designing a given student's curriculum, a...
It's an immense pleasure to welcome Paul McGlinchey (TM21C Executive in charge of Community Outreach) as author for this post. Thank you Paul for your insight into music teaching and commitment to Teach Music 21C.
Repetition is a foundation of music practice. But do students actually know how t...
I don’t often talk about my age. When you get old, there’s not much you can do about it! But these days it seems quite remarkable that I’ve been playing piano for 66 years and teaching for 47. That means I’ve been around long enough to observe some remarkable changes. I’ve seen trends come and go. P...
Group Classes are a mainstay of my teaching. I appreciate how bringing students together once a month fosters a vibrant, collaborative environment that complements our weekly individual lessons. These sessions provide opportunity to dive into a wide range of activities, but there’s one activity that...
When my student Patrick recently told me that he didn’t much time to practice that week, it occurred to me there are basically two ways music teachers can respond. The first way, which we’ve inherited from previous generations of music teachers, is to tell s...
It's January 2025: a timely moment to consider how music teachers guide our students’ musical development. This year, I’m inspired by a remarkable trio of life skills: persistence, excellence, and reflection. It’s amazing to consider how these three qualities play fundamental roles in our students’ ...
In two previous blogs, I began a three-part exploration of Universal Technique - the idea that there are fundamental components across vocal and instrumental musical development. Firstly I took a look at "the core". Secondly it was "breath". Now it's time for the final element - ...
In my previous blog, I began a three-part exploration of Universal Technique - the idea that there are fundamental components across vocal and instrumental musical development. Last time it was "the core". Now it's time to take a look at the second element. Can you figure out what it is?
As a vocal or instrumental music teacher, I suspect you’ve already got a fairly concrete list of technical aspects that you want to pass on to your students. You pay close attention to various factors that assist students with producing beautiful tone, developing technical ease, and promoting musica...
How often do you think your students spend time with their favourite Chill Out piece? Once in a while? Every now and then? All the time? Whenever it’s convenient? Never - they don’t have any Chill Out pieces.
Have you ever thought about the cycle of Growth and Rest in learning/teaching how to sing or play a musical instrument? Mother Nature reminds us that Growth and Rest always work together. After a day of Growth, we’ve got nighttime as a very much needed period of Rest. Or consider the seasons - ...
Do your students ever get frustrated during their lessons? Have you ever had the following situation? The student repeatedly returns to the beginning of the piece, starting over again and again in order to create sufficient momentum to make it through the unwieldy challenges in bar 3. Finally, after...
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An informative session with Dr. Merlin B. Thompson. Q&A and discussions on a wide variety of music teacher topics: practicing, parents, communication, performance, and more.
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