Please enjoy this guest post from Michelle Kennedy Hawkins, a piano teacher member of the Teach Music 21C community. Thanks so much Michelle for sharing your thoughts in this informative blog.
The longer I teach, the more comfortable I feel reaching out to the families of my students to touch b...
The first conversation between music teachers and parents can be the spark that ignites a lifelong passion for music making - or the moment that parents decide music lessons may not be for their child. Responding to parents’ initial inquiry into music lessons can be challenging especially when paren...
I grew up on a Saskatchewan farm during the 1950s and 60s. Yes it’s true. My parents operated a small farm that included grain production, cattle, milk cows, chickens, and pigs situated on a vast prairie landscape. All of which means my daily life consisted of diverse layers. Of course, I went to sc...
With September just around the corner, it’s time we start thinking about how to set the tone for a fantastic year of music making! Writing an introductory letter to our students’ parents is a great way to share our enthusiasm for teaching, outline our plans, and create a collaborative s...
Welcome back to "Working With Parents". In Parts 1 and 2, we took a look at past parent/teacher interactions and recent research into parental involvement. For Part 3, let's weave all this information together and consider - How can music teachers and parents work together given the many l...
Welcome back to "Working With Parents". In Part 1, we took a look at past interactions between music teachers and parents. For Part 2, it's time to take a look at what recent research has to say about parental involvement in their children's musical journey.
Every where I go - it seems music teachers have questions about parental involvement. Should music teachers require parents to attend their child’s music lessons? Is it advantageous for music teachers to require parents to monitor their child’s practicing at home? How much should parents be involved...
Can you believe it - June is here and there are only a few weeks until summer break. How can music teachers make the most as the school year comes to a close? In the previous exploration, we examined the practicality of Student Report Cards. This time around, let’s take a look at Parent Check Ins as...
What do you do when parents request lessons for a month to see if their child likes it before they make a commitment? Do you tell them it's better to make a one-year commitment, as progress can be fairly slow at the beginning? Is there anything music teachers can do to get parents to change their mi...
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