Lessons for Music Teachers from Folk Dancing
The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast | Proven and practical tips, strategies and ideas for music teachers
02/07/22
•22m
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Teachers can find lessons everywhere if they look carefully enough. In this article, I want to share with you the lessons I learnt from my years of folk dancing that show up today in my music studio.
I was that student growing up. You know the one that you complain to other teachers about because they’re too overscheduled to practice?
Yeah, that one.
The thing was, I wasn’t actually overscheduled. My parents weren’t the driving force behind my busy timetable. It was me.
I wouldn’t quit anything.
One of the many things I wouldn’t quit was Irish dancing. (Before you ask...Yeah, sure, kinda like Riverdance.)
I could’ve been a better pianist if I focussed entirely on piano. However, I believe it’s experiences outside music that made me the teacher I am today.
As you read through my lessons from folk dancing, I hope you’ll take some of them with you. But, more than that, I hope you’ll investigate some of your own experiences and think about how they’ve affected the teacher you’ve become.
Previous Episode
Branding for Music Studios and Teachers
January 31, 2022
•19m
What does your music studio brand say about you? Do you even have a brand? Of course, you do!
Has
anyone ever said to you, “I hear you’re the person to talk to about
piano lessons!” Maybe you’re filling your schedule (and even a long
waiting list!) through referrals alone.
Or maybe you’re having a hard
time getting new students and you need to advertise. What exactly are
you going to advertise? Where and to whom?
What does it mean to take music lessons with you?
Whether
you know it or not, you have a brand. The way you teach, the people you
teach, the method books you choose to use: all these and more define
you as a teacher and the type of student who is the best fit for your
studio.
Your music studio brand prioritises your strengths and is
honest about your weaknesses. It differentiates you, as a teacher, from
the other dozen piano teachers in your area.
Building your brand should be a conscious choice, but it doesn’t have to be an agonising one.
Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
Next Episode
5 Ways to Motivate Fatigued Music Students
February 14, 2022
•18m
As music teachers, we all want teaching studios that are dynamic, full
of life, and bursting with creativity. We want our students to arrive
for their weekly lessons feeling motivated and excited.
Yet, if we’re honest, there are times when this simply isn’t the case.
In this episode, I'll give you some strategies to try when things feel stagnant in your music lessons.
Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
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