Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum With summer holidays ending, I need to upgrade myself. HELP!

Good Day Teachers,

With the summer holidays ending I find that I need to upgrade my teaching skills.
I teach a standard 45min lesson, 30mins to very young children, and 60mins to those requesting it (which also consist of young children aged from 6)
In this time, how do I make classes more fun and exciting which would make my students look forward and actually want more classes and time with me? A lot of you may say to try some musical games but musical games such as what? I would want to serve a good 45mins fun, exciting but productive lesson.

In other words, how will I make my students love me without their parents thinking that the activities I will be doing are a waste of time?

Thanks in advance

Hi Liezl,

I think you'll find that there are a lot of great resources online for musical games. Some of the websites that I return to again and again for ideas are:

http://www.susanparadis.com/

http://singanewsongmusic.blogspot.ca/

http://pianoanne.blogspot.ca/

I hope you find something here that inspires you!

I find that simply spending a minute at the beginning of the lesson, allowing the student to share what's on his heart, lets him know that I care and that I'm interested in him personally. This works with all ages. If I know something about what's going on with him or his family, I ask -- for example, "Did your mother get over her headache?" or "How was your weekend at the lake?" Or if I don't know anything specific, I might ask something like, "What have you and your family been up to this week?" or "Did you do anything special since I last saw you?" Then I listen and let the student talk.
After this brief ice breaker, I then ask, "And how did practicing go this week?" If he says it didn't go so well, I ask what caused the problems, and we talk a bit more. If he says it went well, I show my eagerness to hear what he has accomplished. This makes a natural flow into the lesson without seeming cold and impersonal.

This forum recently had a thread on performance classes. These add a social element to lessons, which I find gives a real boost to the students' enthusiasm.

I have my students' course outlined like a menu. Scales and technical studies are the appetizer; ear training and sight reading are the salad; new repertoire is the main dish; theory and composition is the side dish; duet/ensemble provides a beverage (not always on the menu); and the dessert is music of the student's choice. You have to get through the substantial part of the meal if you want dessert. So if a student wastes time, or doesn't progress adequately and we have to spend too much time on something, we don't get dessert that week.

I provide incentives to my students to attend cultural events -- concerts, drama productions, art exhibits, etc. They are to let me know if they do, and at our recital I give certificates to students who have gone to various programs.

Here are some recommendations for a refresher in pedagogy if you're interested. I've found that reading or re-reading these have been helpful.

http://valerylloydwatts.com/books/mastering-the-piano-manual/

And the book "Practicing the Piano" by Nancy Breth.

Hi Liezl~

Some things that have helped me make lessons fun:

1. My attitude- I show my excitement and love for the piano and show my excitement over every bit of progress the student makes. Positive feedback is so important for children!

2. Musical games- I added in some musical games since April 2012 and the students have greatly enjoyed them. I also suggest www.susanparadis.com. Her games are awesome and free!

3. Listening activities- I don't know which methods you use, or if you use any, but the My First Piano Adventure series by the Fabers is excellent for 5-6 year olds. These books come with cds and are really fun for the young kids. I also ordered other cds so that my student get to listen some at their lessons.

4. Drawing activities- I have various worksheets and also a white board, which kids LOVE. I use the white board to have them draw notes they learn, draw treble clef/bass clef, etc.

Just a few ideas.. you may already incorporate these things though.