How 21st Century Female Composers Challenge the Status Quo

Unlike previous generations, the stigma of being a female composer is gone.  So it could be easy to assume that contemporary female composers are not challenging the music industry’s status quo.  This is far from the case!  In fact, women today are challenging not only the music industry but societal expectations of women in general.

Tips To Being More Effective While Teaching Online Music Lessons

Teaching music online can have its challenges.  However, being more effective during online lessons doesn’t have to require a tech degree.  With a few simple tweaks, I’ve discovered how to get through just as much, if not more, moving online vs. in-person. While I’m giving examples through the lens of online lessons, these tips will …

It’s the most wonderful time of the year … except when it isn’t

Years ago, I was a junior high teacher at a special needs school. It came with lots of joy when a student would have a breakthrough behaviourally, developmentally, or academically. But, it also came with its challenges.

While most students eagerly await winter break & the change in routine, for many special needs students this can be a time of stress. At the school, we always knew that December & June were going to be tough months for both students & teachers. For students, the upcoming change in routine tended to lead to anxiety, more frustration with routine tasks, & a big focus on what the new routine over the holidays would be. For teachers, it required a lot more patience & an eagle eye as we did our best to keep things from escalating. How do we help our piano students transition to the upcoming winter break?

Teaching Sound Before Sight or The Chicken vs. The Egg Dilemma

Whether it’s Pestalozzi, Mason, Suzuki or Gordon the idea of teaching aurally before getting students to read goes back hundreds of years.  Yet many teachers tend to teach music from the notation first & aurally second.  When it comes to a practical approach of teaching sound before sight it can feel a bit like the …