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Ten Qualities of a Good Piano Teacher, and Questions to Ask Whether you come to us, or go somewhere else, there are 10 minimum qualities that every good piano teacher must have:
10 Qualities of an Excellent Teacher
The Best Learning Environment for Each Student The teVelde School of Music is located in a beautiful, relaxing location with two forks of the Arroyo Grande creek on each corner of the back of our building. We open the windows and hear the water rushing down to the ocean, during the winter, and birds nesting in the tall eucalyptus trees in the summer. We do our best to remind each other to reduce all forms of stress during the lessons. We believe that if the student is happy, relaxed, and successful when learning, he/she will be more likely to want to repeat the experience of playing when they arrive at home. We also want them to have music as a form of relaxation to go to when school work or other things get tough. The Best Technology and Equipment Available We maintain a beautiful, organized lesson environment in each teaching room. All teaching rooms have two tuned pianos, of the best quality, a full drum kit, and amplifiers. The large teaching room has a full recording studio with the latest technology including a high-tech MIDI studio, hundreds of effects processors, and multiple computerized composing, recording, and music processing programs. Essential Curriculum for All Teachers to Use We maintain a large music library, both on-line, in PDF libraries, and in sheet music/book forms. All students must have immediate access to any music necessary for their education, without having to make multiple trips to the music store. We utilize our high-speed internet access to purchase and print sheet music on-line if we do not have it in our library. Curriculum for All Students We want our students to begin by gaining the skills, as quickly as possible, to read music quickly and accurately, as this is the main skill that must be learned well before age 13. We utilize the Dou Dou Sight Reading Method from day one, insuring that our students will be able to really connect the notes they see with the sounds they create. All instrumental students are also put in a well-developed method for their instrument, based on the learning style of each student, and the expertise of the instrumental teacher. Curriculum for Piano Students For Piano students, we utilize the full Faber "Piano Adventures" Method. This method is written by experts in Piano pedagogy, is updated regularly based on current research, and insures that each student learns all phases of music, including: Theory, Technique, Artistry, and Performance. The songs in these methods are very well written, and skills are carefully graded to fit together. We have found that our students enjoy working through these method books because they identify melodies they recognize and love along the way. When a student is playing songs they love, they will be much more inclined to include music in their daily activities. When the student plays more, they attain their short and long-term goals more quickly, and stay motivated to keep coming to lessons. The Importance of Reading Music Well Research has shown that the number one thing that keeps students in music lessons over the long term is how well they sight read music. If they read well, they will stick with it. If they don't, they won't. Music is a language, and just as in learning English, it is critical that children not only learn to speak it, but read and write it as well. Reading music should ideally happen at the same time that children learn to read English, or their first language. That is why we have incorporated the Dou Dou Sight Reading Method into our regular lesson regimen. It has made a significant difference in how well our students sight read rhythms, melody lines, and sheet music. They are also taught to imitate rhythms, melody lines, and music patterns by ear. This combination has been extremely successful and fun for the students. We do all of the rhythm patterns on a full drum kit, and use two pianos for all the rest. If you are starting lessons, and need to purchase your starting books, here are the links to the books for the Faber-Young Beginner:
The FJH Young Beginner Guitar Method, Lesson Book 1 The FJH Young Beginner Guitar Method, Theory Activity Book 1 - Music Book Basic Skills Taught to All Students We believe all music students, including those studying voice, guitar, and drums, need to develop basic music skills, i.e.: notation, rhythm, sight reading, playing by ear, instrumental and/or vocal technique, and performance presentation. In addition, we offer special classes, on a seasonal basis, that teach recording, including mixing down a demo CD and using MIDI with various computer software programs and processors, and burning your own CD. The following is a partial list of classes that are available at the teVelde School of Music: Composing: Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Students learn to write lyrics, create melody lines, chord structures, and rhythms that work together. Recording: Basic Engineering, Effects, Mix downs Students can record instrumental and vocal components of their compositions, and add musical effects to create their own demo CD. They learn how to: Record multiple tracks in layers, in a professional recording studio environment using "Sonar, Producer Edition Listen for instruments in a given recording, and reproduce the sounds precisely in their own Record their own instrumental tracks, creating and combining drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, vocals w/harmonies, and effects Mix down a given project experimenting with effects and processors to get the sound they are looking for Create final wave, MIDI, and MP3 files of their finished work, burning the final copies on CD to play in their own CD player Use their experience with recreating other artist's recordings to begin writing their own music Create their own song, from beginning to end, including performing all of the instruments, and singing all vocals with harmonies Enrolling in Lessons or Group Classes Please indicate your interest when you fill in the form on the Email Form. Enrollment is on a student by student basis. In addition to these classes, we offer private instruction for ages 4* to Adult. The styles of music we teach include Classical, Opera, Pop, Rock, Country, Jazz, and Alternative. * Children under 7 years old may need to take lessons with a parent for the first year. Children of all ages are welcome to take combined lessons with a parent, at no additional cost, and all parents are encouraged to participate as much as they wish. Participation in School Concerts Participation in all events, recitals, and performances is completely optional, and these events are structured primarily to give those students who want a forum to practice performing in, the opportunity to do so. All parents must be particularly careful to refrain from sharing negative stories about their childhood experiences with performing or music lessons, as many children want to be like their parents. Fortunately, teaching methods have changed dramatically in the last 30 years, and we strive to use the most current, effective, and fun methods available. Working with Student's Schedules and Other Activities We understand that students of all ages have other things in their lives, and that sometimes practice isn't a priority for the week. Rather than focusing on what isn't done, we focus on the overall progress the student has made, and help the student find a sense of balancing practice with other life activities. Custom Tailored Time Management Solutions I teach my instructors how to help students recognize when there are real time management problems, or when they are just generally overloaded. Depending on their personal learning style, as determined by the initial testing session, we work with each student to determine the best time management strategies to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. The bottom line: I believe that music lessons can be a fun, creative, and motivational experience where the strengths of each student are recognized and emphasized. I work with my teachers to help them recognize that not everyone aspires to be a professional musician, and we work together to create a lesson plan for each student based on their personal priorities, not ours. (Some of the most rewarding times I have with music, personally, are when I have had a hard day, and I just sit down and play a relaxing piece of music for pure, personal pleasure.) Versatility & Flexibility In Teacher's Personalities I take special care to find and retain instructors that are as encouraging, patient, willing and able to be flexible to fit the needs of each student as I am. They modify their teaching methods based on each student's individual needs as determined by the student's goals, and learning styles identified in the initial assessment. All teachers are tested to determine their teaching style, and attend semi-monthly training sessions to continually update their knowledge of teaching each learning style. Teachers - The Bottom Line Our number one objective is to give our students a positive, rewarding, and enjoyable experience with music from the very first lesson on. We only have approximately 6 months with a new student to either make or break their musical success. We can not afford to make mistakes during this critical period. I consider the first 6 months of lessons to be the most important of all the lessons the student will ever have, as they set the student's confidence level, and set the tone for all lessons to follow. NO LESSONS ARE BETTER THAN A BAD EXPERIENCE IN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS. I would rather teach a new 8 year old student that has never had a lesson, than a 6 year old that has had even 6 months of a negative experience. The Teacher as a Positive Role Model I also realize that a music teacher spends a lot of one on one time with their students, and I consider it my personal responsibility to find teachers that can be positive mentors and role models for our students. I consider my job of matching students up with teachers to be absolutely critical, and I do not ever place a student with a teacher that does not thoroughly understand that student's individual learning style. Teacher Background Checks All teachers have passed a thorough background check, and are required to adhere to a very strict moral & ethical code of conduct, including:
An additional requirement for hire is that the teacher have a demonstrated, verifiable ability to teach and connect with children in a positive way. |
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The teVelde School of Music: 404 East Branch Street, Suite B In Old Town Arroyo Grande, California For Directions, Click here: Map (805) 474-1224 |
