Conferences, Professional Development

NCKP 2011 | (2) Developing from Student to Professional (Panel Discussion)

Joy Morin

After attending the mass Keynote Address, I headed to the sessions for the pre-conference track called, “Students and Young Professionals.”  It began with a panel discussion moderated by Martha Hilley.

Developing from Student to Professional: A Practical Overview, moderated by Martha Hilley.

The were 4 contributors, who each spoke on a topic.

1. Practical Networking: I know why, when, and where — now tell me how, by Courtney Crappell.

Dr. Crappell discussed practical networking.  The key to successful networking is to be genuinely interested in other people!  We sometimes tend to be self-centered, especially in places with new people like conferences.

Another key to successful networking is in the preparation.  This requires some thought in advance: how do you want to market yourself?  Create an elevator pitch that talkes about your goal as a piano teacher.  It should be something short but intriguing that could start a conversation.  An elevator speech contains a problem, solution, and a personal role.

Presentation is also important, but perhaps even more so is the follow-through.  Make sure you have business cards with you at all times so you can easily exchange information with others.  As you meet new people, you can even write things on their business cards afterwards to help you remember who’s who.  And send people an email after you meet them.  You never know what kind of opportunities may arise in the future just from having some connections with other people.  Networking is important!  Continue reading “NCKP 2011 | (2) Developing from Student to Professional (Panel Discussion)” →

Conferences, Professional Development

NCKP 2011 | (1) Keynote: The Future of Pedagogy, by Pete Jutras

Joy Morin

The 2011 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy opened with a keynote speech during the Pre-Conference Seminar.  It was such an inspiring speech!

The Future of Pedagogy: Training the Teachers of Tomorrow, by Pete Jutras (W @ 2:30pm)

Pete Jutras began his speech with an diagram showing a pyramid that represented music makers.  The most educated and successful teachers/musicians are those at the top of the pyramid.  The amateur music makings are all those that create the wide base of the pyramid.

Problems:

  • Concert attendance is down.
  • Recording sales are down.
  • Acoustic piano sales are down.

We need to worry about these issues, because even those of us at the top of the pyramid will be affected.  The very value of music is at stake here.  And so, Dr. Jutras gave us a call to action: we need to think about how we can increase the value of music!  Continue reading “NCKP 2011 | (1) Keynote: The Future of Pedagogy, by Pete Jutras” →

Conferences

NCKP 2011 Loot!

Joy Morin

Well, the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) was amazing as expected!  I had a wonderful time with my friend and my cousin with whom I shared a hotel room.  And I met some new teachers, including a couple of people I knew only from online (such as Wendy Stevens).  It was such an inspiring place to go and get new ideas for piano teaching.  I’ll be blogging about the sessions I attending all week long, so stay tuned!

I know many of you have attended conferences such as this before, but if any of you haven’t, I strongly encourage you to try one!  It’s definitely worth the expense.  Next March, the 2012 National Conference held by the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) in going to take place in New York City!  Just think, if you set aside about $75 or $100 each month from now until then, you’d have enough to attend!  And if you happen to have friends or family in NYC, you wouldn’t even have any hotel expenses.  If anyone wants to know more about attending a conference, please send me an email and I’d be happy to chat.  🙂

Anyway, I wanted to share with you a photo of all the FREE loot I took home from the NCKP:

When I added up the value of these books, it totaled to over $200!  That certainly covers the expense of my shared hotel room and gas money, which pleases me very much!  Plus, I get some great new resources to try in my studio!

Teacher Feature

Teacher Feature | Sara’s Music Studio

Joy Morin

As announced last Friday, today marks the beginning of the brand new “Teacher Feature” series, featuring interviews with ordinary teachers like you and I.  I’m so excited to be sharing with you today an interview with piano and voice teacher Sara Kimbell from Pennsylvania.  Read on!

*  *  *  *  *

J.M.: Please tell us about your piano and/or teaching background! S.K.: My first piano lesson was from my mother when I was 5 years old. I moved around quite a bit as a child, so I had the opportunity to study with many talented piano teachers. In high school I started taking voice lessons, and made the decision to follow music as a college career. Fast forward eleven years (wow!), and I have a BM in vocal performance, a MM in musicology, an new adjunct position at a local university, and my very own music studio just three minutes from my house. This is my sixth year as a full-time piano/voice teacher, and I absolutely love my job! I love that I get to influence young ones in their path, for them to read and learn more about what it takes for various subjects involved in making music and creating a studio to play in.

What is the most unique thing about your studio? In a way, I think it’s the variety that you’ll find in my studio. My students vary widely in age and level, and every one of them has a unique reason for being there. Whether they are a young elementary piano student, intensely focused on learning music from “Harry Potter,” or an adult voice student with the goal of singing in their church choir, my students are wonderfully interesting and they always keep me very engaged! Continue reading “Teacher Feature | Sara’s Music Studio” →

Teacher Feature

Announcing a New Series: Teacher Feature!

Joy Morin

I love reading interviews.  It’s great to hear the perspectives of different musicians on playing, teaching, and other topics.  After the great success of a few interview posts in the past (remember Andrea Dow, and the cousins Keri & Carolyn?), I began to realize that great interviews aren’t just for the big magazines and the great musicians.  Why not interview ordinary piano teachers like you and I?  We have so much to learn from each other, and we have valuable perspectives to share!

And thus, an idea for a new series was born: Teacher Features!  As needed, random Color In My Piano readers will be asked if they would be willing to be interviewed for this series.  The questions are non-intensive and (hopefully) fun to answer.  🙂  I hope to post around 2 Teacher Features each month.

If you are dying to be interviewed so you can share your thoughts to the world, please send me an email!  Otherwise, stay tuned to read our first Teacher Feature interview coming on MONDAY!  🙂

Happy weekend!

Questions, Technology

Forum Q&A | Piano Lessons via Skype

Joy Morin

Last week’s Forum Q&A post was about saying “no” to potential students, and we received some great responses!  Click here to check them out.  Here’s today’s discussion topic:

Advances in technology over the past few years have changed the way we live in many ways.  Online video conferencing services, for example, allow us to chat face-to-face with friends and family across the globe….and conduct piano lessons?!  With internet services becoming faster and audio compression quality also improving, offering lessons via video conferencing services such as Skype is becoming a more and more viable option.  It certainly is something for piano teachers to consider.

So, I’ve been doing some research to see what I could unearth about the set-up, feasibility, and success of Skype lessons.  Here’s what I found:

So, what are your thoughts?

Do you think Skype is a viable option as a way for independent music teachers to offer lessons?  What are the biggest adjustments or changes that the teacher and student would have to make in order for Skype lessons to be successful?  What pros and cons can you identify?  Would you ever offer lessons via Skype? 

Leave your comments below.

Update from Joy: I’ve decided to take the plunge and start offering live online piano lessons!  Check out the link to read more about me as a teacher and about how online piano lessons work.

Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!”

— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week. Have suggestions? Send an email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.

improving as a teacher, Professional Development

Studio Marketing: The Studio Newsletter

Joy Morin

You may not immediately see a connection between your studio’s monthly newsletter and marketing…but there is one, I assure you!  Marketing means promoting your studio, which includes keeping current customers of your service satisfied.  One of the keys to keeping customers satisfied is over-delivering: giving more than expected.  Newsletters are one great way to over-deliver.  And so, in continuation of our series on studio marketing, we are talking today about studio newsletters.  🙂   Continue reading “Studio Marketing: The Studio Newsletter” →

Conferences

NCKP 2011 Coming Up!

Joy Morin

In just a week and a half, I’ll be heading to Chicago for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy!  After attending to the MTNA National Conference for the first time in March, I am SO looking forward to heading to another conference.  Last time, I went solo — which wasn’t as bad as it sounds, because hey, when you’re at a conference full of people who love doing the same thing you do, you’re never alone!  Besides, I ran into Natalie Wickham and other teachers I know from online.  And I met many more teachers.  It was such a neat experience and I learned so much.  This time, however, I will be attending with my cousin and a good friend of mine.  I’m very excited!

Is anyone else going?  If so, please let me know!  And consider meeting up  — Wendy Stevens from the ComposeCreate blog is planning a meet-up at the Piano Teacher School booth on Thursday of the conference.  Read more here.

Rest assured that I’ll be posting plenty about the conference once I get back!  🙂

improving as a teacher, Studio Business

Forum Q&A | When to Say “No” to a Potential Student

Joy Morin

For our previous Forum Q&A, I asked about the legal side of being a business – becoming a Sole Proprietorship or an LLC, dealing with taxes, etc.  My previous private teaching has mostly been as an employee of the university’s Community Music School.  I find all the legal stuff for getting set up on your own to be so complicated!  I am thankful for all the infomation online, books in the library, and the advice I’ve been getting from other teachers.

I’m still sorting this all out, but I did decide to be a Sole Proprietor.  Becoming an LLC does have the benefit of protecting your personal assets in the event that someone should sue the business for some reason (they can go after your business assets but not your personal assets).  But setting up an LLC is more complicated and costly than a Sole Proprietorship.  Of course, as a piano teacher, the chances of getting sued are relatively low.  If you do want some protection, extra liability protection can often add something on to your current homeowner’s insurance policy for this purpose.  Oh, and another thing I learned — be sure to check with your city to see if they require a zoning permit for running a home business and having a sign outside for your studio.  Don’t I sound smart?!  I’m learning so much these days!  😉

Regarding taxes — I decided to hire a CPA to handle my taxes for my first year or two, or until I can learn how to manage it all on my own.  I feel good about my decision.  Keeping track of my income and expenses shouldn’t be too complicated, but estimating quarterly taxes is complicated for me since I don’t really have anything to refer to from previous years.  My CPA should be able to help me get up-and-running.  🙂

Anyway — I received a question yesterday from a reader that is perfect for this week’s Forum Q&A.  Here goes:

How do you know when to say “no” to a potential student?  What do you look for when you interview an interested student?  What kinds of questions do you ask to sift out whether you are going to accept the student?  And what do you do when you realize you’ve made a mistake with a student you said “yes” to?  

In all honesty, I kind of wish I had this problem!  Right now, I am saying “yes” to anybody who comes through my door.  Such is the life of a recently-relocated piano teacher.  🙂

Advice, anyone, for this reader?

Photo Credit: Valerie Everett | CC 2.0

Words of Wisdom

Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom

Joy Morin

“Music must never offend the ear, but must please the listener, or, in other words, must never cease to be music.”

— Mozart

Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week. Have suggestions? Send an email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.