Choosing Piano Recital Repertoire Students Get Excited About

Chances are your studio is already well into recital prep. Students are learning or mastering new repertoire, you are working out the last details on the program, & parents are checking their calendars to ensure they will get their budding performers to the venue on time.

How can you get your students excited about their recital repertoire? This is my top 6 tips to making recital prep a time of celebration!

Settling Into a Routine … Again

This is a time of year that many of us have made New Year’s Resolutions and are struggling to keep up with them.   I know this because I have been that person in the past more times than I care to admit.
This week, I’ll be letting you know how my students and I are settling into a routine again, but with a mind on how we can reach our goals in the next few months!

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?