It’s hard for me to believe that I am already into my third year at Hunter Street and second year at FBC Pelham! Can you believe that our fall semester is already coming to an end?
This is officially my longest stretch as a music teacher at any one location. I love it, because I have really gotten to see my students grow and develop. Sometimes I really stand amazed at the talent that sits in front of me and the bright futures that lie ahead for these students.
A few quick reminders about practice (these are general rules, and may differ per student):
1) Who is responsible for making sure that students practice?
- Age 12 and under: The Parent
- Age 13 and up: The Student
2) Students should be practicing 10 minutes every day per year that they have been playing the
instrument. (10 minutes/day = 1 year, 20 minutes/day = 2 years, etc..). I have students that were
great practicers their first year, but never increased practice time as their skill and material
advanced.
3) It is not unusual for students to not want to practice. In my experience, many students do not
really enjoy playing and practicing until their early teens. Until then, make practice part of
their normal daily routine and lay a solid foundation.
A great addition this semester has been the launch of my website: www.stickandstrum.weebly.com. It has been steadily building over the last few months and has many great features. You can find links to lesson books and supplies and my teaching calendar in one easy place. This makes it simple to keep up with which week your student is on and any weeks that may not have lessons. Other great features include online lessons, a blog, gear for sale, product reviews, gear buying guides, tips and tricks, links, and more. By the end of the year I’m hoping to have video lessons on the site to help students work on assignments and exercises between lessons.
If you are on the lookout for a new instrument, check with me first! I try to keep extra guitars and drums on hand to sell and rent to students. I setup each instrument and make sure that it is in top playing condition and my prices are well below what you would pay for comparable new instruments. I highly recommend buying used gear. There are lots of great deals to be found and correctly setup and maintained instruments will improve with age! On a related note, if your student has upgraded recently and you have old gear (guitars, drums, keyboards, etc) around that you would like to get rid of let me know! I am always on the lookout for solid equipment for students of all experience levels and I really enjoy fixing up and repairing instruments.
-shane
This is officially my longest stretch as a music teacher at any one location. I love it, because I have really gotten to see my students grow and develop. Sometimes I really stand amazed at the talent that sits in front of me and the bright futures that lie ahead for these students.
A few quick reminders about practice (these are general rules, and may differ per student):
1) Who is responsible for making sure that students practice?
- Age 12 and under: The Parent
- Age 13 and up: The Student
2) Students should be practicing 10 minutes every day per year that they have been playing the
instrument. (10 minutes/day = 1 year, 20 minutes/day = 2 years, etc..). I have students that were
great practicers their first year, but never increased practice time as their skill and material
advanced.
3) It is not unusual for students to not want to practice. In my experience, many students do not
really enjoy playing and practicing until their early teens. Until then, make practice part of
their normal daily routine and lay a solid foundation.
A great addition this semester has been the launch of my website: www.stickandstrum.weebly.com. It has been steadily building over the last few months and has many great features. You can find links to lesson books and supplies and my teaching calendar in one easy place. This makes it simple to keep up with which week your student is on and any weeks that may not have lessons. Other great features include online lessons, a blog, gear for sale, product reviews, gear buying guides, tips and tricks, links, and more. By the end of the year I’m hoping to have video lessons on the site to help students work on assignments and exercises between lessons.
If you are on the lookout for a new instrument, check with me first! I try to keep extra guitars and drums on hand to sell and rent to students. I setup each instrument and make sure that it is in top playing condition and my prices are well below what you would pay for comparable new instruments. I highly recommend buying used gear. There are lots of great deals to be found and correctly setup and maintained instruments will improve with age! On a related note, if your student has upgraded recently and you have old gear (guitars, drums, keyboards, etc) around that you would like to get rid of let me know! I am always on the lookout for solid equipment for students of all experience levels and I really enjoy fixing up and repairing instruments.
-shane
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