Balance for your life … Creativity for your studio.
Sometimes families say goodbye. And, it isn’t necessarily because they don’t like your teaching. They just don’t know if or how their child is progressing because you aren’t sharing student success on a regular basis. So, they leave thinking that their child hasn’t learnt anything. But, WE know that isn’t true.
This was a week that reminded me how important is to work WITH parents, not against them. When things are just not going well with a student, one of the best things we can do is open up the lines of communication with a parent.
This is a time of year when many families have more than ever on their plates. Not only are all the regular extra-curricular events going on, but there are a multitude of additional activities families are expected to attend. One client put it perfectly. “We have everything scheduled and balanced just right. Then, December comes along & all the changes wreak havoc on the delicate balance we had going.” December is the month we seem to sprint to vacation.
With all of these additional student and family commitments that come up during December, is it any wonder that parents ask for makeup lessons? But, how do you handle these requests without overloading your own schedule?
One of the lessons I’ve learnt as a parent is that I need to be more stubborn than my kids. While I am being a bit facetious, one of the things that has helped us immensely as parents doing our best to ensure our boys have a clear role in our family along with consistent, well-defined tasks. Part of that is being more stubborn than our kids.
I was reminded of this when I heard what I am dubbing as the ‘best quote ever on piano parenting’.
