A Day to Serve - 2013

Just like last year, the governors of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland and the Mayor of Washington D.C. have called on everyone to join together for a Day to Serve - one day to organize or participate in a project to feed the hungry or clean up your neighborhood.  

In an ongoing effort to help my students work toward their practice goals, I’ve decided to donate one can of food for every 30 minutes of practice completed by my students for the week of September 16 - 20.   I'm going to encouraged parents to match my donation.  You can read about last year's results here.  I was thrilled with all the donations that my students made in 2012!

Food donations will benefit the LINK foundation which serves hungry families in Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn, VA. 

I'm also attending a 'Peanut Butter Run Against Hunger' event put on by some members of my church in support with a Day to Serve.   

Can we make that lesson up?

I love my job.  I love working with children and seeing them progress and their confidence grow, but If I could afford to hire someone to handle the business side of my studio - I would!  It's natural for me to develop personal relationships with my families, but it makes it that much harder to follow through with my studio policies.  Perhaps it's my personality, but I always want to make others happy and I end up losing money and/or precious time with my family.  

The hardest policy for me to reinforce is my missed lesson policy.  Just this week I had a student completely forget their lesson.  The mom called and was very apologetic and asked if I could make it up.  During the summer months my schedule is more flexible, but I still have to hire a babysitter which means that for just a one 30 - minute make-up lesson it turns into an hour.  If you are a parent,  you probably know how difficult it is.  Needless to say, convincing my 3-year to put his shoes on can take up to 10 minutes (at least!).  And then you have to account for the time you spend packing snacks,  change of clothes, etc.  Oh, and then their is the additional cost of hiring a sitter when you already had one lined up when the student forgot their lesson in the first place.

Every time I get a request for make-up lessons I end up stressing about how I'm going to respond.  I'm not sure why it's so difficult for me to simply so no.  I decided that I would draft a response to use this coming school year to help make it a non-issue.  Here's what I've come up with:

"I'm sorry, but I am unable to schedule a makeup lesson, per my studio policy. When you registered for lessons you were reserving your weekly lesson time for the teaching year. I do not offer make-up lessons and there are no refunds for lessons cancelled by students. The primary reason for this policy is that I build my teaching schedule around my family time and makeup lessons reduce the time I have with my family. If I ever have to cancel a lesson I will offer a makeup. 

However, I offer two options besides makeup lessons. You are welcome to watch the studio calendar and reschedule your missed lesson for any time block marked as 'open' on the calendar OR you can take advantage of the Swap List. If you choose this latter option, please review the Swap List rules."

I hope this helps me stay professional and protect my time.  If any of you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear.  

Time to organize my music library and I found an app!

I've been searching for an app to help categorize my music library for my iphone or ipad.  I stumbled across BookBuddy!  It's going to take me a long time to input my entire music library, but I think it will be worth it.  Some of the features that impressed me were:

• Lending Tracker:  Having an effective way to track the music I lend out to my students.
• Categories:  I can categorize my library into subjects (method books, theory, technic, concertos, duets, etc.) and then do a search within those topics. Usually by the end the month my music cabinet is a mess from taking things out and not putting them back in the correct spot.  
• Scanning: You can scan your materials (using the camera) or manually input the information into the app.  You can also take a picture of the cover.  Being able to scan the barcode helps the process of inputing your music books into the app because it automatically uploads all the information (picture, title, publisher, etc.). 

At first I was disappointed that BookBuddy is only for iphone and not ipad, but having it on my phone will be convenient especially when I'm shopping.  I often forget if I have a certain book at home.  With my phone always within reach, I can look up my music library to see what I need. I hope I'm not the only one who buys new music books and then realizes later that I have a copy at home (or two!).

Here are a couple screen shots of my library so far:

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This poor blog hasn't been getting much attention ... but after I fell in love with this app, I decided to share in case anyone out there is reading this.  :)

Do you have an app to help you organize your music library?

Student Visit

One of my former students paid me a visit this past week and performed Bach Prelude BVW 934 for me.  He's a student at University of Rochester, NY and is taking private piano lessons at Eastman from a graduate student there (he's not a piano major, but wanted to continue taking lessons).   I'm so proud of him for continuing on with his music! 

Day to Serve update (better late than never)

I failed to update the blog after the 'Day to Serve, ' but I'm happy to report that it was a success!  Students practiced diligently, and parents donated several bags of groceries to the Link Foundation.  I ended up spending $85 to match all the practice time that my students put into this service project/practice incentive.  This project is definitely something that I'll do this year as well!

A Day to Serve .... Feeding the Hungry

The governors of Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland and the Mayor of Washington D.C. have called on everyone to join together for a Day to Serve - one day to organize or participate in a project to feed the hungry or clean up your neighborhood.  

In an ongoing effort to help my students work toward their practice goals, I’ve decided to donate one can of food for every 30 minutes of practice completed by my students for the week of September 21 - 28.   I'm going to encouraged parents to match my donation.  

Food donations will benefit the LINK foundation which serves hungry families in Herndon, Sterling, and Ashburn, VA. 

Anyone is welcome to drop donations at Herndon Middle School on September 29th, between 9am - 2pm (901 Locust Street, Herndon, VA 20170).  

Become a Star!

I struggled with choosing my studio incentive program this year and was thrilled when Notable Music Studio blogged about her new 'A Star is Born' incentive program.  I really wanted this year's incentive to focus on practicing and this program does just that.  To learn more about this incentive program hop on over to Notable Music Studio.

My students are already working really hard toward their practice goals.  I love what a little motivation can do to help students progress.

I've adapted Sheryl's program just a bit.  Instead of awarding students with charms, once they complete each 'Star-Challenge,' I ordered these colored silicone bracelets that have 'A Start is Born' engraved in them (to go along with each big star).  Here's how I've  broken down each Star-Challenge:

1. Behind the Scenes (technique) - To earn a purple bracelet, each student must complete an entire practice chart.  If you are interested to know about the technique charts that I use - visit All Things Cranky.  
2.  A Star-Studded Staff (note ID) - Students who can pass off their flash cards within a minute will earn a yellow bracelet.  If students have already passed off their note cards, then I have them memorize their key signatures (including being able to draw the Circle of 5th under a minute).
3.  Famous Celebrity Composers (composers) - I love getting ideas/materials from all of you wonderful bloggers!  I found these composer packets from Joy over at Color in My Piano.  I'm going to let my students earn a yellow bracelet for each lapbook they complete.  I hope Joy posts more (hint hint)! 
4. 'Reel'y Great Rhythms (rhythm) - This category is still a work in progress.  Haven't figured out how I'm going to do this challenge quite yet.  Ideas? The award for completing it, however, will be a blue bracelet. 
5. Lights, Camera, Action! (theory) - Students who complete half of their theory book will receive a red bracelet.  The theory books that I use are a bit long and take at least a year to complete, so I felt like completing half was quite a feat.  

A lot of my students have asked me what they earn when they get to the big gold star labeled 'You.'  I've tried to tell them that they become a star for completing the board. Perhaps another award is in the works for each individual who finishes?

Cat and Mouse Game

In preparation for Spring Festival (National Federation of Music Clubs), I held a Performance Class at my home so each student could perform for each other before the actual event.  We had some extra time at the end, so we played one of my student's favorite games - Cat and Mouse.  Here's how to play:

Materials needed

• Little Mice - I grabbed these little 'fuzz balls' (that's what my students call them) from Micheal's and then I hot glued a piece of yarn in the center.  You can get more creative and actually make little mice with cute ears and eyes.  I went for the simple approach. 
• Big Flash Cards - These make it easy for each student to see.  I use Teacher Flashcards put out by TCW Resources, but I'm sure you could make your own.  
• Mouse Catcher - I use a food strainer, but I wish it was bigger.  I used to have a really big lid with a nice handle that would catch the mice easily.  Unfortunately, I left all my pan lids in the bottom oven drawer after my last move.  Sad face ...

How to play

Each student places their mice close together in the center.  Make sure that their strings/yarn (tails) aren't crossed with the person sitting next to them.  Choose someone to be the Cat to hold the Mouse catcher (lid or strainer).  Choose a specific note for students to identify as you flip through the flash cards.  Once they see the chosen note they pull their mouse as quickly as they can as to avoid being trapped by the Cat.  Whoever is left in the center wins.  Sometimes the Cat wins!  You can use this game for practically anything (notes, chords, intervals, etc). 

Best Friend For Life

My writing ability isn't something that I feel completely confident in, so awhile back, I asked my best friend Katie to edit my blog posts.  She's been my best friend since I was a baby.  She lived one house down from me growing up and our backyards were connected by a broken fence that we could crawl through.  Our parents are best friends as well and even last Christmas our parents and us (Katie and I) partied together and exchanged gifts.  Katie works professionally as an editor and I'm so lucky to have her!  Putting a little plug in ... if you are interested in having a blog editor, I'd be glad to connect you. She doesn't know that I'm writing this post, so please overlook all my grammar errors!

My best friend's dad past away this past week after a long battle with parkinson's and diabetes.  I'm sad tonight because flights were outrageously expensive (nothing under $800) for me to attend the funeral.

I know that we will all see him again.

I love you Katie!  Sending prayers of comfort to you and your family.

Theory/Ear-training books that I Love

I've used TCW products for years and would highly recommend them! I love their Theory books, and I recently found out that all of the ear-training examples (found at the back of each theory book) are on www.kjos.com. Click on "Kjos Multi-media library" found on the right side of the main page, then click on 'Theory', and then click on the TCW theory book that you are using. You can listen to the examples or simply download them. I'm so excited to start using this online tool because it's something that I can assign my students to do at home.  I can easily let them work on my computer in between lessons as well. What a time saver!


Are you familiar with TCW products? When I was a student at Utah State University (USU) their products were being piloted at the Utah State University Youth Conservatory. At USU, I taught group theory classes and soon became quite familiar with their theory books, technic charts, and fun games. I'll blog more later about some of my favorite TCW products and maybe offer something for free!  How fun would that be?

Time to Change

I've been busy updating my new studio website and making a few new changes to my policy letter. I've really enjoyed following Anne's blog. A while back she wrote an entry called "A Make-up Policy That Almost Works." Enforcing my make-up policy has been challenging for me this past year. I'm such a softy! I cave most of the time and schedule make-ups on Saturday or tack another student on at the end of a regular teaching day. This usually means that my husband is on baby-duty a little bit longer and his schedule is always being compromised. After reading this entry and then researching what other teachers do, I decided to make a couple changes.

• Semester/Tuition Billing:  I've always charged by the lesson/per month. For example, if the month has 5 Monday's, then I adjust the invoice accordingly. This doesn't always work well when you are constantly adjusting for holidays, school holidays, and winter and spring break. This is frustrating for everyone's budget! I really hope this new billing will work better for me and my families. So far, the feedback from my parents has been positive.  
• Missed Lessons:  After I read Anne's blog entry about her make-up lesson policy, I decided to give it a try. I created a Studio Calendar page on my website that lists all my students' lesson times. If they cancel, then I update the calendar to open their scheduled time up for another student to use. I also decided to open up a few days here and there as "make-up days" to fall back on. I've tried so many different ways of handling make-up lessons, so I really hope this is the cure or at least a positive remedy.  Last year, I implemented a "swap list," allowing students to trade with other students when conflicts arise. I only had a couple families utilize it, and I still ended up scheduling make-up lessons.  

I really hope these new changes work well for my studio!  I'll keep you updated.

Bulletin Board

I have a darling little student who was diagnosed with leukemia a few months ago. She's handling all the treatments like a champ, and she still comes to lessons when she can. She loves playing the piano and catches on really quickly. When she started her treatments I asked one of my good friends to crochet her a pink hat (pink is her favorite color). About a week after I gave the hat to her I received a darling card in the mail thanking me for the hat. I looked at her beautiful message on the card and realized I didn't have a place in my studio where I could display this card:

Because I'm not creative on my own, I spent some time on Google looking for a way to make a bulletin board where I could display my student's card. I stumbled upon this site:  www.jenniferrizzo.com 

There were directions on how to turn an old picture into a cork board. I took an old picture that was in my guest room, removed the glass, and hot glued some cork board to the picture. Then, I used some old piano books (I cut up a Bach Chorale book that I bought at a second hand shop) and glued the music to the cork. I also spray painted the frame black to match my studio. Last, I put some Mod Podge over the music for a finished look. I love how it turned out, and now I can hang up all kinds of things, including cards from my students!

I won!

One of my favorite blogs to visit is The Teaching Studio and recently they reviewed an online ear training resource called Eartraining Pro. Through The Teaching Studio's blog, Eartraining Pro offered to give away a free account to one lucky reader and that lucky reader just happened to be me. I'm really excited, especially because I'm new to the piano blogging network and really didn't expect to win. I'm looking forward to learn more about this resource and I'm sure it will be a helpful addition to my studio. Thanks so much Eartraining Pro and The Teaching Studio!

Music Money Incentive

After Spring Festival, I decided to implement an incentive program to help my students continue to be motivated and work toward the Spring Recital in May.  If this incentive program works well, I hope to do something similar in the Fall. 


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The main goal is to motivate students to develop more effective practice habits, improve skills, and recognize/reward consistent efforts for progress.

Each student will strive to earn a $50 ticket to attend the end-of-the-year Ice Cream Party. Once a student has earned his or her ticket, he or she may continue to save up to shop in my “store.” Shopping will take place during the party, on May 21^st at 11:30 a.m.

For their efforts, students will receive:

$1

*For each piece and/or assignment passed with all details mastered

*For each week that all Scales, Chords, and Arpeggios are passed

$5

*For each week that ALL assignments are passed

*For each week that all materials are brought to the lesson

$10

*For performing a piece (by memory) in public, at school or church, or other outside events

*For keeping a six day practice log

Students will be deducted:

-$1 For not paying attention to rhythm

-$1 For “fiddling” while teacher is talking

-$5 For coming to a lesson without all materials needed for the lesson

Spring Festival

This past weekend, several of my students participated in the Spring Festival held at Oakton High School. Each student performed two selections: one piece chosen from a bulletin put out by the National Federation of Music Clubs, and another piece of their choice. Students performed for two judges and were given a rating of Superior (5 points), Excellent (4 points), Very Good (3 points), Good (2 points), or Fair (1 point).

Once a student has earned 15 points they are awarded a "15 point gold cup." Cups are awarded in increments of 15 points (15, 30, 45, etc.) per event.

Each student worked incredibly hard for this event and all received Superior ratings. Congratulations to all of you who participated this year. I'm so proud of you!