Blog by Merlin B. Thompson

Lately I’ve had the topic of real life students on my mind - and how all my students show up for their lessons with any number of individual characteristics. That means I have some students who learn quickly. I also have students who learn slowly. Some have lots of time to practice. Some have many o...

Have you ever noticed how certain questions just never go away? Uncomfortable questions like -  Why do so many students drop out of music lessons? Why do so few students participate in recreational music making as adults? What’s going on? Who’s at fault? What are we doing wrong?

These uncomfor...

I think it’s safe to say that for many of us, we become music teachers because of the profound way that making music has shaped our own lives. We’ve experienced the wonder and magic that lifelong music making has to offer year after year - most likely from our childhood. Looking back to my childhood...

In February 2025, I had the wonderful treat of visiting my granddaughter’s Montessori school in St. Helena, California. Spending time in her Primary classroom was such a joy. I just sat back and soaked up all the light and love in the room. It was a calm and quiet atmosphere, with low chairs, natura...

Every once in a while I’m struck by how teaching private music lessons can be a lonely journey for music teachers. That might feel like a surprising statement, especially when we spend so much time working with our students, but music teachers need something more. We’re engaged in energy-consuming a...

I think it’s safe to say that music teachers value the process of asking questions as a great way to build student engagement, independence, and understanding. Asking questions can shift lessons from teacher ownership to student discovery and yet - it’s not as simple as all that. Sometimes musi...

How can music teachers decide the number of pieces our students should practice during the week? What’s an appropriate amount? Of course, it depends on age, level, and personality — but what else should we keep in mind? To answer these questions, I appreciate how language learning offers a para...

Most music teachers know this situation well. An email from a parent arrives in your inbox. Their child has missed a lesson and the parent is writing to inquire about re-scheduling the lesson. The music teacher feels caught off-guard. How can this be happening? Didn’t the parent read the studio poli...

I think something music teachers can all support is the importance of developing solid, respectful relationships with our students. Because without a foundation of trust and honesty, we may not get very far in helping our students explore their own musical journey. So - how can music teachers tell i...

For music teachers, I think it’s safe to say that repetition plays a huge role in how we guide our students’ practicing. Week after week and year after year, we encourage students to use repetitious practice as the secure route for achieving automaticity and fluency in their  musical developmen...

Most of us teach the way we were taught—at least at first. Why? Because those lessons live in our hands, our ears, our habits, and our comfort zones. The teaching we experienced shaped how we think, how we listen, and how we show up in our studios. We can honour the role those lessons played in form...

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...

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...

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 ...

Here's a scenario - You know your student is in their final year of lessons. They hardly have any time to practice. What do you do? Is this a time to push ahead or pull back? How do you help students like this navigate through their last months/weeks of instru...

Recently I seem to be meeting music teachers with one student who really challenges their teaching approach. Not every single student. It could be just one student here and there who doesn’t practice all that often. Or the student who never wants to commit to their own choice selection. Or the stude...

When I recently asked my teen student Peter to share his thoughts on “getting out of the comfort zone”, he explained it’s a phrase his hockey coach and band director frequently use that means it’s time to try something new. Something that’s not just a copy of what we’ve always done. Something that p...