TeachMusic21C - Blog by Merlin B. ThompsonTeachMusic21C - Blog by Merlin B. Thompsonhttps://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/author/merlin-blake-thompsonMon, 31 Aug 2026 13:26:29 -0700http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Imagine, Nurture, Inspire]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/imagine-nurture-inspire

September Preparation for Music Teachers

September is a busy time of year for music teachers. New students arrive. Returning students bring spontaneous interests, remarkable experiences, unusual questions, along with surprising and delightful possibilities. After our summer break, music teachers return to teaching with renewed enthusiasm and awareness. There’s an invitation for us to look beyond lessons and imagine where making music might take our students over the lifetime that stretches ahead. 


Music making possibilities are endless. Students may discover something new, take an unexplored direction for expressing themselves, gain confidence, connect with others, or simply continue to experience the joy of making music they know so well. Their music making life can be a source of creativity, friendship, expression, community, confidence, discovery, challenge, comfort, and joy. It can also change as students change, taking new forms at different stages of life.


For music teachers, September is our invitation to imagine what’s possible. To think big. To throw open the gates of exploration. To consider the role of music making in a student’s life.


What kind of music making life might matter for each of our students? 

I like how this question serves as a reminder that music teachers do more than simply help students learn music. We help our students deepen their relationship with making music today and long into the years ahead. Our vision as music teachers shapes the experiences we create, the choices we make, and the possibilities we place within reach. 


Now with September so close at hand, it’s time to get back into action. It’s time to imagine, nurture, and inspire our students’ lifelong relationship with making music. 

What will you do?

Which of your students might need something special in order to explore their own musical journey?

How can you guide your students without over-determining where their musical journey should go?

What can you do to notice, encourage, and make possible for students to deepen what making music means in their own lives?

Do you have teaching colleagues who might appreciate reading this blog? Please feel free to share it with them.


If this exploration resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you. Click HERE to send me an email message. 


This is your invitation to keep the conversation going....

]]>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 21:19:31 +0000<![CDATA[Getting Ready for September]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/prepare-the-teacher

Prepare the Music Teacher First

As summer winds down, it’s natural for music teachers to start getting ready for September. Lesson plans. Repertoire selection. Scheduling. Goal setting. All the practical details that come with starting again. There’s a lot on the list.


But before getting over-focussed on what you’re going to teach, there may be something even more important to prepare—something that will fundamentally influence how you navigate the myriad of opportunities, challenges, celebrations, detours, and awakenings that will soon take shape. 

Music Teacher's Mindset - I’d like to suggest music teachers need to think about how we want to be as teachers. We need to consider the mindset we bring to our teaching. Our self-expectations. How we approach our students. Will we teach students with a willingness to see what might be possible? Or will be begin the new year by simply repeating the last one?


Of course, we want our students to learn, progress, perform well, and succeed. Maybe they'll participate in exams. They might take part in competitions. These are all worthwhile avenues of musical exploration. The problem is that students can earn top marks, win a competition, and become technically accomplished, yet following their final music lesson, far too many students will never sing or take up their instrument again. That seems like a highly undesirable outcome.


That’s why I think the most important thing music teachers prepare for September may not be the lessons. For me, it’s more about the teacher you choose to be when those lessons begin. The teacher who is curious about who each student is becoming, not simply about what or how much they accomplish. The teacher who is organized enough to provide structure, yet flexible enough to respond to the student in front of them. The teacher who listens before deciding what needs to be taught. The teacher who makes room for choice, ownership, creativity, and discovery. It’s music teaching that begins with preparing ourselves to look well beyond the immediate lesson, performance, or exam - to have a vision of what making music might become in a student’s life.


So, as you prepare for September, I want to encourage music teachers to take some time to prepare your mindset, attitude, and vision. Ask yourself: What mindset will you bring into your teaching? What will you expect from yourself? What do you want your students to discover, feel, and carry with them beyond the lesson? And then ask the harder question: What might you need to do differently to make that vision possible?


Music students most assuredly experience more than the lessons music teachers prepare. They experience you. Which means the most important preparation for September may not be what you put into your music lessons. It may be the teacher you choose to be when those lessons begin.


First thing on the list - Prepare the teacher.


The lessons will follow.

]]>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 21:19:31 +0000<![CDATA[Music Teachers & Summer Space]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/summer-space

The beauty of completely unscheduled days

As music teachers, we spend much of the year pouring ourselves into our students’ musical journeys. Often, it can feel like there’s no end to the list of tasks needing our attention—lessons to plan, emails to answer, performances to prepare for, repertoire to choose, and students to encourage. That’s why I appreciate the summer break. It’s a welcome opening to recharge our own wellbeing and simply breathe a little more deeply.

I appreciate the beauty of completely unscheduled days. How having nothing planned out can feel like a gift. No clock to watch. No particular place you need to be. Nothing that needs your immediate attention. Maybe you let your mind wander. Take a long walk. Spend time with people you love or do absolutely nothing for a while. Put away the cellphone for a couple of hours. These quiet spaces remind us that life doesn’t always have to be productive to be meaningful.


There is something restorative about having space in the day simply to be — to sleep in, to sit outside a little longer, read something for pleasure, notice the changing light, or follow a thought wherever it leads. We don’t always need to fill the empty spaces. Sometimes, the space itself is what we need to simply enjoy being alive. Summer invites us to move at a different pace. 


May this summer refresh your spirit, rekindle your love of life, and gently prepare you for another year of helping students explore the joy of making music. I’m hoping that when the busyness begins again, you’ll carry some of this summer’s spaciousness with you - a reminder that there is always room for a slower pace, a deeper breath, and a little more time simply to be.

]]>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 17:31:52 +0000<![CDATA[Teaching Successful Summer Music Lessons]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/summer-music-lessons

Three Tips for Making Them Count

Have you noticed how lessons at this time of year have a different rhythm? Students’ routines are interrupted. Practice often takes a back seat to camps, vacations, and hot summer days. Things aren’t the same as during the school year.


Here are three simple reminders that can make summer teaching more enjoyable—for both you and your students.

1. Keep lessons short.

Focus on one or two meaningful goals that students can easily take on. Now’s the time to delay trying to make improvements on everything. Shorter lessons can leave students feeling encouraged and motivated to return. 


2. Be enthusiastic.

Highlight where students are successful. Make sure students can see their good results small and big. Your enthusiasm reminds students that making music is something to enjoy, not just another item on a checklist. Set tone with your energy.


3. Be realistic.

Expecting school-year levels of preparation during the summer often leads to frustration. Meet students where they are. Celebrate small successes, keep expectations appropriate, and remember that maintaining a student's connection to music over the summer is often more valuable than making huge progress.


Summer music lessons aren't about covering the most material—they're about nurturing our students’ joy of music making. Sometimes the greatest success of summer lessons is simply helping students remember why they love making music.


Be sure to check out the following Teach Music 21C resources - 


Enjoy Your Summer!!
]]>Mon, 03 Aug 2026 16:11:10 +0000<![CDATA[Looking Back with Gratitude: Lessons from My Music Teaching Studio]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/gratitude-lessons

Music Students & Teachers

Last week, the mother of two of my students sat in on her sons’ lessons. Not an usual occurrence in my studio by any means. But on this occasion, something most remarkable did take place and I was glad she was there to see it for herself. 


Over the previous few weeks, her two boys (a first-year student and third-year student) had been gradually putting together the duet parts for Do-Re-Mi from the Sound of Music. Learning the selection by ear meant everything was being done without a single note on sheet music! Now it was time to demonstrate their combined accomplishments. The older brother played the introduction. The younger brother came in at the appropriate place. And off they went. I watched with amazement as they pulled it off without a glitch. 


I turned to their mother and exclaimed, “Did you see that? Did you see?” 


She nodded her head and expressed her appreciation with two simple words. “It’s magic!” she affirmed. An acknowledgment that her sons had accomplished something almost unexplainable. Something so marvellous that we were completely overjoyed with gratitude to have witnessed it for ourselves. A spontaneous moment where gratitude took centre stage - and a reminder for me that a year of teaching can contain much to be thankful for.

Gratitude for My Students - Looking back on the 2025-26 teaching year, I’m struck by how experiences involving gratitude and my students span an entire spectrum. At one end, spontaneous occurrences catch us by surprise with their serendipity - like two boys dedicated to a Do-Re-Mi duet. Students with insights, possibilities, and accomplishments I can never fully anticipate until it actually happens in front of me. 


At the other end of the spectrum, gratitude also comes from the deliberate process of pulling out what’s not available at first glance. Like recognizing my student Anna whose interest in chord formations always takes her composing journey in uncharted directions. Or my student Lucas who recently chose Fur Elise as his choice for soul food. Or my student Patrick who includes music making in his life as the pick-me-up he can depend on. To appreciate them, I slow down my pace to uncover the gems hidden within.


Gratitude for the Teach Music 21C Community - I’m also grateful for the TM21C community of teachers whose curiosity, creativity, challenges, and insights continue to inspire my days. I treasure how a quick teacher conversation on the challenge of “follow up” can trigger a revisiting of instructional must-haves. How the matter of studio policies may require an empathetic lens in order for music teachers to feel comfortable. How what we don’t know will always outpace what we do know and somehow we need to be okay with that.


I appreciate how teacher conversations rarely end where they begin. Simple questions often lead to deeper questions.  A challenge shared by one teacher frequently resonates with others. What starts as a discussion about communication, practicing, or individuality often becomes a reflection on what we value as music studio teachers.


Surrounded by the TM21C community of teachers, I cherish that music teaching isn’t a solitary pursuit. While we spend much of our time one-on-one with students, our growth as teachers is strengthened through the exchange of ideas with colleagues equally committed to thoughtful and inspiring music studio teaching. The questions we ask challenge us to think more carefully. Another teacher’s perspective broadens our own. Willingness to share successes and struggles alike enriches our teaching.


Students and Colleagues - As another teaching year draws to a close, gratitude feels like the appropriate response. Gratitude for the students who continue to explore. Gratitude for colleagues who challenge and encourage. And gratitude for the countless musical moments—large and small—that remind me why this work matters.

For all of it, I am deeply grateful.

Have you considered how Teach Music 21C Certification could help you to expand and enhance your music teaching skillset? Click HERE to get more information about our summer Certification schedule.


Do you have teaching colleagues who might appreciate reading this blog? Please feel free to share it with them.


If this exploration into gratitude resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you. Click HERE to send me an email message. 


This is your invitation to keep the conversation going....

]]>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:12:54 +0000<![CDATA[Helping Music Students Build Lifelong Relationships with Music]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/helping-lifelong

Answers to Questions from the Music Teacher Studio

What keeps music students motivated long-term? What helps students continue making music into adulthood rather than quitting after a few years of lessons? What do music students need from today’s music teachers?


Music teachers often answer these questions with strategies designed to help students survive the long process of learning an instrument. We suggest effective practice routines and champion excellence. We promote discipline and technical mastery. We encourage perseverance. We help students when they struggle, knowing that overcoming difficulty is part of growth. While these things certainly matter, I have the impression it’s too much like putting the cart before the horse.

That’s why I start with a vision of lifelong music makers because practice routines and the ability to endure difficulty will only take students so far. Whereas developing meaningful relationships with music has the potential to sustain student enthusiasm today and long into the future. And without meaningful relationships with music, students may not be convinced it’s really worth their time or effort. Students may lose motivation to continue music lessons if they don’t experience personal meaning in music making. 


I appreciate the idea that it’s our job to help students experience for themselves how making music enriches their quality of life. It’s like music teachers play the role of ambassadors to that most remarkable world of music making. We know first hand what it’s like to include music making in our lives and how making music has enriched our lives. Now it’s our opportunity to guide and support students in exploring, developing, and exercising their own personal relationships with music and strengthen long-term student motivation. Music teachers become ambassadors for lifelong music making by teaching music lessons that help students experience music as part of everyday living.


That means music teachers encourage our students to experience how making music can be a source of comfort, expression, challenge, connection, creativity, curiosity, reflection, and joy in students’ schedules and long after lessons are over. We include activities in lessons that reinforce the many directions students may take as active music makers. We initiate conversations about why making music is worth carrying into the rest of their lives so that students know what making music actually accomplishes in their everyday lives. 

Like my student Alex who keeps on going because he’s experienced for himself the uplifting that making music can bring. Is he learning harder repertoire? No. Is he getting ready for an exam? No. Is he thriving as a music maker? Yes. Do we talk about practice routines? Off and on. Does he have good weeks and bad weeks? All the time. What does he need from me? Mostly I want Alex to know he’s got my support in building the musical life he can turn to again and again throughout his entire life. I want him to leave music lessons believing that music making belongs to him personally.


So, What do music students need from today’s music teachers?


Here’s what I’d like to promote - Students need music teachers to highlight musical explorations that inspire students to see themselves continuing to make music as adults. They need music teachers to draw from the deep well of our own musical experiences. They need us to excel as musical ambassadors in this week’s music lessons and beyond.


Is that something we can do? Absolutely we can. So let’s do it!


How do you help your students build their own personal relationship with music?


How do you help your students experience music as part of everyday living?


What are you doing to strengthen the likelihood that making music remains present in your students’ lives years from now?

Do you have colleagues who might appreciate reading this blog? Please feel free to share it with them.


If this exploration into lifelong music making resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you. Click HERE to send me an email message. 


This is your invitation to keep the conversation going....

]]>Mon, 25 May 2026 14:42:19 +0000<![CDATA[Music Teachers & Solving Problems]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/solving-problems

Sometimes it seems like there’s no end to the problems music teacher are required to solve. We’ve got students who need guidance from us. Students with certain problems. Students in situations that pull our attention. So what do we do? Take a look at these two solutions that may not be what first comes to your mind…

#1. Collaboration - Something I need to remind myself often is that there’s another person in the studio who can help with solving problems. My student. Yes - my student. No matter what age or level. And while it might feel like because I’m the teacher that I should have all the answers ready to go at my fingertips, it’s just not realistic for me to take on all the problems that show up in my studio. 


Like with my student Spencer who would really benefit from listening to recordings more often. So I try suggestion number one. Then number two. But nothing really changes until I turn things to him by asking him to take the role of adviser for a moment. “Spencer,” I say, “What advice would you have for a student who rarely listens?” He’s got a few ideas. Some of them are things I never would have considered. It feels really good to have his input. Especially when I ask, “Spencer, why do you think a student would never make time for listening?”


When students come up with solutions to their problems, I feel greatly relieved. The burden of teacher responsibility has been lifted. And it’s a pleasure to help students get the actual practice they need in recognizing problems and coming up with solutions for themselves. Which in the long run, seems much more valuable than me always coming up with solutions. What’s my takeaway? That collaboration is a valuable tool.

#2. Patience - Not everything needs to be addressed right now. Sometimes being aware of things that need fixing can be my teacher downfall. I know - it seems the opposite of what good teaching is all about. Good teachers identify what needs to be fixed and then get busy with fixing things. Right#!? Then on occasion, the best thing I can do is to get comfortable with not fixing everything on the spot. 


Earlier this year, my student Jessica didn’t seem to making any progress. Week after week, it was just another view from the same plateau. And the situation was made even more obvious by her mother who had introduced a “reward program” with Jessica and her younger brother. It was a strategy that clearly matched Jessica’s younger sibling. But it didn’t match Jessica. In fact, it just seemed to magnify her lack of progress. 


So I decided to stop talking about progress. It wasn’t a priority for me at all with Jessica. And to calm down Jessica’s mother, I would send her a note after each lesson to let her know I was comfortable with what Jessica was doing. Now it’s several months later and Jessica’s lack of progress has disappeared. How did that happen? I have no idea. What’s my takeaway? That patience is a valuable tool.


Wrapping Things Up - I really appreciate how certain valuable teaching tools may not be what first comes to mind. Like inviting students into collaborative problem-solving processes and being patient with making progress. Stepping away from fixing what’s wrong as quickly as possible can be difficult for teachers. So take a moment. Step back. Breathe deeply.


Some of our students’ most meaningful musical experiences occur when teachers create opportunities for students to think, reflect, and discover for themselves. When teachers resist the urge to rush every situation toward immediate improvement. When teachers allow trust and space to do their quiet work. When teachers support our lifelong music maker students as they grow in ways we could never fully script or predict. 


It’s an amazing journey… 


How often do you invite students to participate in solving the challenges they face in lessons and practice?


Are there situations in your teaching where trying to “fix” something immediately may actually be creating more pressure?


What would it look like for you to trust collaboration and patience as effective teaching tools?

Do you have colleagues who might appreciate reading this blog? Please feel free to share it with them.


If this exploration into solving problems has got you thinking, I’d love to hear from you. Click HERE to send me an email message. 


This is your invitation to keep the conversation going....

]]>Mon, 18 May 2026 16:52:25 +0000<![CDATA[When Students Choose Repertoire Beyond Their Current Level of Mastery -]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/difficult-repertoire

What Should Music Teachers Do?

Have you ever had this situation? Your student arrives with a selection they’d like to learn that’s clearly beyond their current level. They absolutely can’t wait to get started. As music teachers, we know what could happen next. On the one hand, we worry that students’ decision may result in technical strain, inefficient habits, or even long-term damage. On the other, we recognize there’s something powerful at work: curiosity, ambition, and personal connection to music. 


So what do we do when students choose repertoire that’s clearly beyond their current level of mastery?

Step One: Celebrate! Students who come with their own musical wish lists is a good thing. Not a bad thing or something downplay and put aside, even when their choice is beyond their current level. When students make musical choices, it’s obvious they’re connected to music. They have musical interests that reflect what inspires them, what they listen to, and how they see themselves as music makers. Ignoring students’ natural impulses can easily dampen their musical enthusiasm. Discouraging their musical interests can send the message that teachers don’t understand or welcome students for who they are. That’s not what we want to accomplish - even when students' choices are well beyond their current mastery.


We want to let students know we’re 100% behind their journey. We’re here to help out - not get in their way.


Step Two: Be Open. I’m always open to seeing how far students can get with their own musical interests. Sometimes they get further than I anticipated. With support from me, students may achieve more than their current level might suggest - especially when I help students approach the music with more informed strategies than they might use on their own.


On certain occasions, it may be enough for students to just learn one line like my beginner student Connor. For him, learning the first line of Für Elise was deeply satisfying and motivating. It gave him a sense of connection to the music without getting bogged down by details beyond his ability. On some occasions, students’ choices turn out to be less engaging than they anticipated. Students indicate they’d like to move on to something else. I’m not worried about students necessarily finishing the piece. There’s real value in giving things a try. Moving on to other pieces isn’t a failure. It’s part of a healthy learning process. 

Step Three: Ownership. Last year my elementary student Alyssa told me she wanted to learn a selection from Imagine Dragons. That meant using her most accessible strategy - learning by ear. We started by going online and listening to the selection on YouTube. Then checked to see how much of the song Alyssa could sing with words and zeroed in on the section she was most comfortable with. Finally I found the first note on the piano and demonstrated it for her with an appropriate fingering. For elementary students like Alyssa, the easiest learning process starts with making sure she’s got ownership of the song inside her ears. 


With my student Angie the process is quite different as her reading skills are sufficiently developed. And over the years, she’s always taken ownership by learning how to find sheet music online and at the music store. Her most valuable skill is knowing how to look out for keywords like “easy version”, “intermediate”, and “advanced”. Through her own trial and error process, Angie has learned that not all pieces suit her, even when the level is appropriate. Make sure students have ownership of learning strategies that work for them.

Step Four: Protection - I also want to protect my students from risks they can’t see for themselves. Technical strain, inefficient movement patterns, or repertoire that pushes the body beyond safe limits require careful monitoring. Left unchecked, certain repertoire choices can do more harm than good. That’s where our professional judgment comes in. We provide guidance. We simplify passages, isolate manageable sections, or reframe the goal entirely. 


When my teenage student Renae indicated she wanted to learn Mozart’s Turkish March, I could see she was barely prepared to handle the octave sections. Through discussion and demonstration, Renae understood the importance of gentle and hand-friendly practicing routines. For my elementary student Alex, I responded to his interest in performing Liszt’s La Campanella by quickly arranging a one-page simplified adaptation. For both Renae and Alex, their musical interests aren’t organized by levels of repertoire. The music they want to explore is the music that’s bubbling in their ears not on a list of graded pieces. When students reach beyond their current level, they reveal something about their musical identity. As music teachers, we have the privilege and pleasure of meeting them where they are, helping them to explore safely and productively.


In Conclusion - Many years ago, a teacher colleague shared something that has stuck with me ever since. She said, “If a student truly wants to learn a piece, there’s really nothing teachers can do to stop them. And why would we? Isn’t the whole point of music lessons for teachers to help students so they may make musical explorations without their teacher’s assistance?” 


I’m still nodding my head in agreement.


How do you respond when students request learning something beyond their current mastery?


How do you protect students long term health while recognizing the music that excites and energizes them?


Do you have colleagues who might appreciate reading this blog? Please feel free to share it with them.


If this exploration into students reaching beyond their current mastery has got you thinking, I’d love to hear from you. Click HERE to send me an email message. 


This is your invitation to keep the conversation going....

]]>Mon, 11 May 2026 17:02:16 +0000<![CDATA[Excellence With Integrity: Moving Beyond Pushy Teaching]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/excellence-with-integrity

How do you teach excellence?

I give a lot of presentations to university-level music majors. And over the years I’ve noticed several questions are often on their minds. They want to know - Is it possible for students to achieve advanced performance levels without being pushed? Can students achieve excellence without pressure? Can high standards actually be taught through kindness and empathy? 


I recognize how many university-level students grapple with unresolved aspects of their own musical journey that may have included fear-based or authoritarian music lessons. Their own journey hasn’t necessarily known empathy or fostered personal wellbeing. And yet, here they are, university students passionately pursuing their musical dreams. So how can music teachers continue with excellence on our plates?

Excellence and Music Lessons - I want to start by saying that excellence is an important part of music lessons. And it may be true that pushy teaching can produce excellent results. The problem is that pushy teaching may also foster student anxiety, self-doubt, perfectionism, unrealistic expectations, and even ill-will towards making music itself. And those are not outcomes I want to be associated with music lessons.


I’m interested in teaching that empowers students to take on challenges for themselves. Teaching that helps students develop courage, independence, and curiosity. It’s not just about pushing students into high standards. It’s about welcoming students as reflective thinkers who can envision and work toward high standards because it’s meaningful for them. This kind of teaching supports students and invites them to strive for excellence in ways that align with who they are and what they hope making music will mean in their lives. 


Excellence with Integrity - Excellence that’s built on fear may produce substantial achievements and yet leave an even greater amount of damage. In contrast, excellence that’s built on ownership, challenge, trust, and good will can also accomplish substantial achievements while supporting students at the same time. That’s the kind of excellence in teaching I’m interested in. Not excellence at any cost. Excellence with integrity.

Excellence isn’t something teachers own. Students also have their own deeply intuitive understandings and experiences of excellence drawn from their own lives. They know what excellent foods taste like. They know when a game is played with excellence. They recognize excellence in storytelling, in design, in sport, in friendships and relationships built on trust and care. As my student Patrick revealed in a recent discussion, excellence is a mindset, a way of looking at or thinking about what you’re doing. And the mindset of excellence is something both teachers and students can generate. 


In this way, it’s not simply about teachers becoming nicer or kinder. It’s about rethinking where excellence comes from and who participates in shaping it. I have the impression excellence is often treated as something teachers possess and students may not fully understand. But what if teachers treat excellence as a collaborative pursuit? What if  we teach so that students are not merely recipients of standards but active participants in imagining, understanding, and striving toward them?


When teachers involve students in recognizing excellence, naming it, reflecting on it, and pursuing it for themselves, standards become something more than teacher expectations. They become personally meaningful aspirations. That’s a very different path to high achievement. Not excellence driven primarily by external pressure - but excellence pursued through collaborative interaction, thoughtful challenges, and respectful relationships built on our shared commitment. Once again, I’ll bring in my student Patrick who pointed out how excellence is great when you feel happy about it. When excellence results in shame or disrespect, we most likely need to rethink things.

University Students - Somehow, this feels like a very important shift in music teaching. Moving from controlling excellence to nurturing students as they grow in their experience and pursuit of excellence. And this brings me back to those university students and their concerns. As the upcoming generation of music teachers, there’s an opportunity here for university students to change the tone of music lessons, to move beyond the idea that excellence must be teacher-driven, and toward a view of excellence that is shared, understood, and pursued. That’s something I’d love to see them take on.


Excellence requires effort - to be sure. The beauty is that when music teachers invite students to think, reflect, and take ownership, students don’t just reach for excellence because they’ve been told to. They strive for excellence because they believe it belongs to them.


What beliefs about excellence do you carry into your teaching?


Did your own training rely more on pressure or on understanding? What do you want to pass on?


What does excellence with integrity look like in your studio?

Do you have colleagues who might appreciate reading this blog? Please feel free to share it with them.


If this exploration into excellence and pushy teaching has got you thinking, I’d love to hear from you. Click HERE to send me an email message. 


This is your invitation to keep the conversation going....

]]>Fri, 01 May 2026 15:14:28 +0000<![CDATA[Good Assignments, Ownership, and Repetition: Lessons from My Music Teaching Studio]]>https://www.teachmusic21c.com/blogs/post/assignments-ownership-repetition

This past week I’ve had an intertwining of questions on my mind - What makes a good assignment for our students? How can we help students take ownership of their musical journey? And how can we integrate meaningful repetition into our students’ home practice sessions? After all, good assignments can make a huge difference. Ownership means that it belongs to students. And repetition brings students closer to fluency and mastery. So how can music teachers get all that to happen?

What makes a good assignment? I’m struck by how many ways you can answer that question. So I think I’ll try to get things right down to the foundation. For me - a good assignment is one that students are willing to take on. And you’ll notice I use “willingness” as the key word. Because if it’s something students don’t buy into, it’s unlikely they’ll give it much effort at home. “Willingness” is my starting place.


Like with my student Eric, who always needs more practice to get comfortable. The problem is that Eric easily gets discouraged after just a couple of run-throughs. It’s as if by the third attempt he’s emotionally and physically worn out. I know that with more repetition, Eric would experience success more quickly, but right now that’s not possible. So I keep his assignments to something I know he can willingly take on. There’s a lot more to his journey coming up and I don’t want to squash his sense of security by trying to get there sooner than he’s ready.


In this way, a good assignment builds on students’ willingness - which is often the doorway to persistence, and persistence is where growth can happen.


How can we help students take ownership? Ownership begins when teachers create spaces for students to recognize what’s going on, help define goals, and assist with choosing strategies. We put the process of students taking ownership into action when we involve students as active music makers. 


Once more with Eric, it’s interesting to watch how simple questions can fuel his involvement as an active participant. Which line would you like to strengthen first? What strategy (stop & go, or playing eyes closed) helped you the most today? What should I write in your notebook? These questions shift ownership to him. And that matters a lot, because Eric will stay positively engaged longer at home when he feels like the process feels belongs to him. For me, it’s the aspect of having ownership that provides the most momentum.


Ownership is all about designing assignments with students.

How can we integrate meaningful repetition? Music teachers know a lot about repetition. Especially how repetition can help students move from Stage One of getting familiar with something to Stage Two of having something internalized. And sometimes, it might feel like we just need to be honest and tell our students to get the 100 times of repetition over and done with. But there’s something I’m not so comfortable with that approach.


Back to Eric. I could tell Eric that his progress on this piece will be amazing when he’s practiced it 100 times. I could do that. But, what if he achieves the goal with less repetition? What if he needs even more than 100 times? Meaningful repetition isn’t just doing things over and over. Meaningful repetition means both Eric and I are using our awareness to keep track of what’s going on. It’s not about me setting goals for Eric that only I can monitor, because if I’m the only one who can tell when he’s successful, we are in big trouble!! It’s about including Eric and helping him develop the awareness of things he can be in charge of.


Meaningful repetition has a twofold trajectory. It deepens students’ mastery while also increasing their music maker awareness. 


Bringing It Together - I started with an interweaving of questions for this article. Much to my delight, the more time I spend with these questions, the more I appreciate how they reveal a connected way of working with my students.  

Good assignments invite ownership. Ownership makes repetition meaningful. Meaningful repetition leads to mastery, awareness, confidence, and fluency. Assignments, ownership, and repetition each have something to offer. It’s remarkable how each aspect interweaves with the next. Their biggest impact lies in how each gives strength to the others.


I appreciate how there’s something genuinely remarkable about interweaving. How some of the deepest growth in teaching doesn’t come from isolated strategies, but from ideas working in relationship. When elements support one another rather than stand alone, learning often becomes more coherent, more human, and more lasting. It's a win-win strategy for teachers and students. 


Do your assignments reflect what students should do, or what they’re willing and ready to take on?


How could you be more intentional about inviting students to participate actively in shaping their own assignments?


Does repetition in your teaching involve counting numbers or developing awareness?

Do you have colleagues who might appreciate reading this blog? Please feel free to share it with them.


If this exploration has got you thinking, I’d love to hear from you. Click HERE to send me an email message. 


This is your invitation to keep the conversation going....

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