(Online music lessons) My different types of music students
By Earl Marsden
This is a little bit, about how I became a small time music teacher. My own music teacher was a longhaired, short, stout guy named Timir. He taught music in our company sponsored classes on each Sunday. I was already playing around with my guitar for a few months before I gathered enough courage to go and have a peek into his class.
A lot of people surrounded him as it was one introduction class and he was saying The first thing you need to do is to buy a guitar … and he explained what make the guitar should be etc…
So I joined the class and got his default indifference in return. I learned later that he was indifferent to you by default until you showed up at least 5 times in a row. Later I learned the reason most people came with visions of rock starts jumping around or lover boys sitting with a girl playing a song on guitar.
However, when they find out that they can’t even play a chord or a succession of 5 notes decently after 3 weeks of practice, their dreams give in to reality and their guitars put for sale in our company website.
Music teaching can be quite interesting as I became more proficient; I found a few wide-eyed ‘fans’ surrounding me. It appears that I was the only student among a hundred or so who could play the guitar and also sing decently at the same time.
So I became a little, half-learned teacher in my own right. The girls particularly seem quite fascinated with anybody just trying to sing, let alone somebody who can carry a tune to some degree of dignity.
So soon, I was a music teacher, however small time. I went to music website (s), downloaded some chords, did some practice and would play it for girls, ignore boys and then go ahead and be joined by some other girls during lunch. It has been happening for some time now and I am really enjoying it. During this time, I have learned a little about teaching music in the meanwhile.
To keep students returning to you for some time, first thing is to impress a new student by playing your best song. You have to become their instant role model or you will soon lose them. Myself, I was not concerned with any payment, since I didnt get any.
Therefore, if it is a boy, I tell him how hard it is going to be and that its a long journey etc. However if its a girl, I just encourage her to come here and learn with me for a long time. Then, there are sincere students and there are quick result seekers. The sincere types are interested in basics while the others are happy to learn a tune half-heartedly and play it in more mediocre manner.
There are those who are systematic and then there are trigger-happy types. The trigger-happy ones come in two varieties, first is just impatient. This type will keep making same mistakes and not really learn at the end of it. Then there are talented cowboys, who are impatient because they learn things very fast.
I like this type, as they give me instant credit of teaching some trick so well. There are some who are stuck in a rut; they just keep playing the same thing for months without realizing that they havent really progressed. Then there are those who wouldnt finish a tune halfway before jumping to another.
I have developed my own tastes for students for whom I am really willing to spend some effort. Of course, all girls qualify, but for filtering others, I am learning my own (real) music teachers tricks on avoiding some and focusing on others. I think an 80/20 principle applies well to music teaching as in any job, which requires a lot of patience and hard work.
Our Music Teacher website caters a wide range of features and information to help you in managing your private music studio. Log on to us now.
Kids Practice: When They Make Their Own CD!
By Earl Marsden
A great way to inspire children to practice is to get them involved with a CD project. If you teach many students, each student could contribute a single track. With fewer students, each student could make his or her own CD. Sound hard? Its not.
One of the best music teacher resources is the free recording software, Audacity, at http://audacity.sourceforge.net. With this software, an inexpensive microphone, some headphones, a digital camera, and an inkjet printer, you are ready to make CDs your students will want to give their family members for Christmas.
Overview
Record the student playing one or more pieces (or one piece from each of a group of students) in Audacity. Convert each recording to an mp3 file in Audacity and create a CD that can be played in a CD player. Take a picture of each contributor. Create the insert for the CD with the pictures, a track list, and something about each performer. Duplicate these and share them with your students.
Recording
With track recording software, you do not have to have two people in the same room at the same time in order to create a duet. Have one student record his or her part and give the other student a copy of that recording for practicing with. It takes time to learn how to play well with a recording.
To do have the second student record, open up the original students recording and have the second student put on the headphones. The second student listens to the first students track while playing his or her part.
Try this by yourself, recording multiple tracks, so you can help students learn the skill of keeping up. When students get the immediate feedback of hearing what they just recorded, they often work really hard to make it better.
CD Insert
Measure the plastic CD case so you know how big to make your insert. In publishing software or a word processor, you can set up a page with these dimensions. Use the margins on the word processor to create the size of paper you need for the insert. You can have students write a sentence about themselves as musicians, which is good psychologically because they start to think of themselves as having a musical identity.
CD Label
You can even get printable CD labels that you can stick onto standard CDs, so you can put a track list on the actual CD.
Progress
It is nice over the years for families to have an actual record of their childs musical progress. Children also respond to hearing themselves play and to considering a year later what they have improved and even to think about what they would like to do next. The CD project is a lot like what professional musicians do, and that type of authenticity is highly motivating to children.
Learn more on how to avail efficient Music teaching resources, log on to our Music Teachers Helper website now.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Leave a Reply