Reviews

Book Review – Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, by Barry M. Prizant, PhD

I recently finished reading the book Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, written by Dr. Barry M. Prizant. It took me only a few days to “read” (I listened to the audiobook version) the whole thing, because I was enjoying it so much.

My motivation for searching out this book arose from a desire to better understand my current piano students who have autism. This was the book I settled on after searching on Amazon.com for a book on the topic that had excellent reviews.

This book did not disappoint.

The author, Dr. Barry Prizant, has decades of experience working with individuals with autism and is a leading expert in the field. He is a scholar, researcher, consultant, and an adjunct faculty at Brown University.

As Dr. Prizant explains in the book, autism therapy typically tends to focus on behavioral therapy — which means, getting rid of behaviors such as difficulties interacting socially, sensory challenges, and repetitive behavior patterns. Dr. Prizant points the way to a different approach instead. His book promotes the seeking of understanding individuals and what might be underlying their behaviors.

Rather than seeking to eliminate so-called “autistic behaviors”, Dr. Prizant advocates asking “why”. WHY is the person behaving this way? How can I better understand what might be causing the individual’s behavior, and how can I change MY behavior to help him or her?

Continue reading “Book Review – Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism, by Barry M. Prizant, PhD”
Announcements

Best of 2010 @ colorinmypiano.com

Here’s to looking backwards and looking forward!  Here are some highlights from 2010:

  1. 30 Theme Ideas for Music Studio Events | a list of theme ideas teachers can use for studio events or incentive programs.
  2. Practicing Efficiently | A discussion about how to make practice time more efficient.
  3. Free Board Game for Music Students |
  4. Early Childhood Music Online Resources | a compilation of resources online about early childhood music.
  5. Preparing for Student Recitals: Recording! | Discusses reasons for and ways to record your students as a teaching tool to prepare for upcoming performances.
  6. 12 Tips for Memorizing Music | some ideas for effective ways to memorize your music.
  7. So You Want to Start a Blog? | I share my experiences about blogging so far in this post.
  8. Dealing with Performance Anxiety | a list of ideas for ways to cope with performance anxiety.
  9. Teaching Music Theory: Our Responsibility | discusses why music theory is our responsibility as piano teachers and ways to incorporate theory into piano lessons.
  10. Tutorial: Using Audacity Software in the Piano Studio | tips for touching up your studio recordings using the free software Audacity.
  11. Dealing With Frustration | A discussion why mistakes are okay and about the importance of keeping lessons fun.
  12. Developing a Good Sense of Rhythm | A post about the components to developing a good sense of rhythm in students.
  13. 9 Ideas for Motivating Piano Students | a list of ideas for getting students excited about piano again!
  14. Introducing Students to New Pieces | some ideas for setting up the student for success when you introduce a new piece.
  15. Rallentando & Ritardando: What’s the Difference? | an attempt to make a distinction between two Italian terms for “slowing down.”
  16. Go For the Sound | With music, listening is crucial!
  17. Teaching Phrase: Pretend It’s Easy | Sometimes, the brain or the fingers get in the way.
  18. Teaching Tip: Engaging the Emotions | a discussion about how engaging the emotions can enhance your teaching.
  19. Musical Spins on Favorite Games | a list of links to other blogs where you can find musical versions of favorite board/card games.
  20. Best of 2009 @ colorinmypiano.com | check out some posts back from 2009.
Printables, Studio Business

Make Business Cards for Your Music Studio

Having business cards on hand is a convenient and professional way to give your contact information to potential students and their parents.  Here’s a simple, clean template for making your own business cards for your music studio!

Printables > Studio Business > Business Cards Template for Music Teachers

This template is a Microsoft Word (.doc) file, containing a page of 10 business cards, which you can edit to fill in with your name and contact information.  Then all you have to do is print them onto card-stock or other professional-looking paper and cut them apart.  Have fun!