I had one of those classic piano lesson moments today during a lesson with my seven-year-old student. He started a piece called “The Unhappy Dragon” which had sharps and flats scattered throughout. The illustration for this piece included a couple of smoking volcanos and a weeping dragon…typical kid piano book stuff.
Me: “So M, what kind [...]
Archive for the ‘teaching’ Category
was that note an accident?
Posted in music, teaching on July 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
still kicking
Posted in life, teaching on June 24, 2008 | 1 Comment »
“Miss A, your name would be a good name for a lizard!” —7 year old piano student
I’m still alive, but lacking energy to post anything extensive and/or thoughtful. Mostly I just come home and stare at the wall or the tv or the computer. Next week—Truth or Consequences with Elise, hanging out by the lake, [...]
all I want for Christmas…
Posted in teaching on January 10, 2008 | 1 Comment »
One of the perks of being a piano teacher–watching your six-year-old student try to say the word “staccato” without his two front teeth. Priceless.
the state of matrimony
Posted in life, teaching on June 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Today:
Student (looking at my nametag): “Mrs. A?”
Me: “No, it says Ms. A.”
Student: “Oh. That’s right–you’re not a Mrs….you’re not married.”
Me: “That’s right, so that makes me a Ms.”
Student: “But why aren’t you married?”
Me: “That’s a silly question. Why aren’t you married?”
Student: “Because I’m too little!”
Me: “Well, I’m not married because I haven’t found anyone to [...]
composer likeness
Posted in life, teaching on June 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
My favorite moment today at piano camp:
Kid: How can you remember the music without looking at it?
Me: Well, I wrote it last night for you, so I don’t need the notes in front of me.
Kid: Wow. You’re like, Beethoven or something.
I’ve been compared to Beethoven. I’m totally flattered.
cpr fun
Posted in life, teaching on June 2, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Oh, the joys of CPR/First Aid training! All the Herberger College For Kids camp teachers and assistants have to be trained in case of an emergency, so off I went to the ASU student rec center today to be certified. Our ‘teacher’ was this annoying undergraduate student with a mumbling problem who really didn’t [...]
mechanics vs. musicality
Posted in music, teaching on April 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I had an interesting teaching epiphany this evening. You might even say it was a music epiphany. My student (college-age) was having difficulties learning the right hand part of a Baroque Rondeau–reading notes is a challenge for him, especially when simultaneously moving his fingers appropriately. He tends to get hung up on the mechanics of [...]
yes virginia, there’s school after college
Posted in teaching on February 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
I had quite an amusing exchange in the hallway with one of my students after teaching my older beginner piano class today.
Cute piano student: “Miss A, are you in college?”
Me: “No, I’m in graduate school. It’s what you go to after college.”
Student (with horrified expression): “There’s school after college??”
One of the woodwind professors passing by [...]
bad habit
Posted in music, teaching on October 17, 2006 | Leave a Comment »
Something I’ve noticed with every single one of my students, most of whom have a tendency to play their pieces TOO FAST. Don’t we all. Whenever I tell them to play at a slower tempo, they say “Ok” and then proceed to play it again at exactly the same tempo that they did before. Exactly [...]
