"Removing Fears and Tears"

Philippians 1:1 - Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus 
which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: ²Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father,and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

³I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, ⁴Always in every prayer of mine 

for  you all making request with joy, ⁵For your fellowship in the gospel from the 

first day until now; ⁶Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a 

good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Paul and Timothy thanked God for the saints, they prayed for the saints, and they had confidence that God would use the saints in His work.  Couldn't we learn something as teachers? Even as piano or music teachers?

Were you ever afraid to go to a music lesson?  I remember being totally mortified with certain teachers.  I was afraid of disapproval, failure, correction, possible chiding, and being compared to other students.  I was always happy to leave the piano lesson if I received at least one sticker on my music books.  For a shy child, I can't believe I kept going to lessons.  

Our students are not mature nor do they possess the confidence that we have.  They are only beginning the journey.  Sometimes they may be afraid to try a different type of song or may feel that it is out of their reach. One of our jobs as teachers should be to remove fears.  

1. Make it clear to the student that your job is to help them reach their goals.

2. Ask them what their goals are and what they would like to learn in the next few months.

3. When they don't reach their practice goals, help them come up with a plan for the next week.

4. Break down big goals into small goals they can reach.

5. Be generous with praise and stickers, they are cheap!

6. Express your confidence and belief in the student on a regular basis.

7. Play duets with the student if they are afraid to play solos.  Our goal is not to teach just soloists, but musicians.  Duets are great tools and fun to play!

8. Allow students to use their music while performing.  I use mine every week.  Memorization is great at some point, but if it would mean the difference of a student hating music lessons or loving them, let it go.

9. Purchase music for your students and write encouraging notes on the covers.  I have every piece of music that my teachers gave to me.  It meant a lot that they thought of me and thought enough of me to give me music.

10. If they are struggling with a song, save it for later or toss it.  No song is more important than them moving along.  There are other songs that will teach the same technique or note reading skills.  I sound like a radical here but I've seen my students relieved faces when I decide to "change" their songs because I don't like them!

Remove their fears.  Music should be a wonderful and enjoyable experience.  No more tears!

"A Missing Ingredient"

What is the difference between the students you enjoy teaching and students that you teach because you are their teacher and it is your duty to teach them?  It is their DESIRE.

When a student has a DESIRE to learn about music...
1. they are never habitually late to lessons
2. they bring their books
3. they practice what you assign and then some
4. they listen to what you say during lessons
5. their lesson time seems to fly by
6. they see the importance of every thing you try to teach them
7. there is improvement, it may not be miraculous, but there is steady improvement
8. they may never be great musicians but they will learn and will enjoy music

There are students that I absolutely love teaching.  The Lord has blessed me tremendously with a wonderful group of students.  The teaching time does not stop after the lesson.  I receive emails, questions throughout the week, and we "talk music" when I see them in passing.  I love this.

What can we do to add this ingredient into a student's heart and mind?  I think we must teach desire by example.  We should have enthusiasm, excitement, and passion about every thing we do or play or say about the music ministry.

Proverbs 18

¹Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

If a student wants to be a good musician, he will need desire and he will need to separate himself in order to get the wisdom he needs.  His desire will help him overcome the loneliness of practice time or the sacrifice of missing another activity due to lessons or practice time.  

Some things that I do to help my students get excited about their lessons and practice time:
1. Assign at least one song that they absolutely LOVE.  Ask them what they love to listen to or if they like fast songs, slow songs, fun songs, or banging songs.
2. Play something for them to hear while you're waiting for them to get to the lesson.  My teachers did this and I remember standing outside the door listening.  My desire to go home and practice increased and I couldn't wait to try to learn the pieces they played. They didn't tell me or make me, they showed me.
3. Give them music cds with your favorite songs on them, from one musician to another.
4. When you teach a new concept, explain why they must learn the concept.  Example:  Show them how a scale is useful in hymn playing or classical pieces.  Don't just make them learn a scale, they don't see the point.
5. Occasionally have treats, candy, pens, notebooks, and prizes to give them when they do well, or just because you thought of them.

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.
Ralph Waldo Emerson 

"Allowing Your Students to Be Musicians"

Sometimes we can become a slave to our piano curriculum, as I mentioned in the previous post.  I remember one particular student who practiced every assignment I asked from her.  She practiced at least four hours a week, which was tremendous for a beginner student of her age.  I was pleased with her progress and she never complained.  One particular lesson had several folk-type songs assigned.  I didn't think anything of it until her parents saw me at church.  They me how happy they were to hear their daughter play a song they actually recognized and enjoyed listening to.  I thought they would start giggling from happiness.
I learned a lesson.  Piano students do have learn the basics but they also need to make music.  From the very first lessons they should play something recognizable, something that brings out the musician in their soul.  The entire household can either cheer the student to practice or beg the student to stop practicing.  I'm not saying throw out the scales, exercises, and boring studies.  They should be part of the practice time, but students should also be musical.
One of my students learned to play the melody to "Fur Elise" by ear.  He was so proud and couldn't wait to play it for me.  Jennifer Petticoffer from ten years ago might have told him to wait until he could read the notes, but the Jennifer Petticoffer of today couldn't wait to hear what he had done.  He loves that piece and he will learn it, but until he does he can enjoy hearing the little melody in between the pages of "Swans on the Lake" and "The Hare and the Rabbit".

"Simplifying Your Piano Teaching"

There are so many different piano methods, curriculums, and schools of thought in the music teaching industry.  It is easy to be double-minded, which makes teaching much more difficult.
After thirty-plus years of teaching, I have learned several lessons things that I am not.
1. I am not a teacher of concert solo pianists.
2. I am not a civic-minded teacher.
3. I am not a contest-minded teacher.
4. I am not a competitive teacher.
5. I am not a normal teacher.

I have learned what I am.
1. I am a teacher of church pianists.
2. I am a church-minded teacher.
3. I am a goal-oriented teacher.
4. I am a weekly improvement teacher.
5. I am a dedicated teacher with tunnel vision - more church musicians.

Every student is different, so each student must have individual goals.  Amazing.  Read that again.

Examples of goals.
1. To be able to play the vocal parts of songs.  This student has the desire to be a vocalist.
2. To be able to play hymns and gospel songs in the church services.  This student desires to be a missionary's or pastor's wife.  (This person usually only has a short amount of time for study, so you must cut out all superfluous work and get to the point)
3. To be able to play arrangements of hymns, choir arrangements, vocal arrangements, hymns, and to accompany vocalists and instrumentalists.  This student wants to be the church pianist.
4. To be able to know all of the notes, rests, and theory up to intermediate level.  This student is an instrumentalist and wants to learn an orchestral but needs foundational training.
4. To be able to play arrangements of hymns, choir arrangements, vocal arrangements, hymns,  to accompany vocalists and instrumentalists and to pass this knowledge to others.  This person wants to be a music teacher.

Once you have defined the goal of each particular student you can simplify life for yourself and the student.  Don't waste time on skills they do not need to master (gasp).  I believe scales are important, but not all students need to know four-octave scales hands together.  How often do you play one of those in church?  They should master the one-octave scales, hands separate.  Do all students have to learn the Bach Two-part inventions, no.  Probably only those in category 4 above.  However, all of the above students will need to know rhythmic skills, note reading skills, and chord structure.

Beginners goals will be basically the same: note reading, rhythm skills, posture, theory, etc.  As they mature, their goals will become more clear.

While teaching simplify the lesson by asking yourself, "Will this piece or assignment help this student reach his/her goal?"  or are you just assigning it because it is the next page?

P.S. I skip pages that I believe are unnecessary, too repetitive, or detrimental.  Gasp!  I never thought I'd say that ,but you don't necessarily need every page in the John Thompson book.

After the Piano Recital...

"Is there life after the end of the school year piano recital?"  That is the question.

We just had our yearly recital and I have to just praise the Lord for His mercies endure forever! Hallelujah!  There were no major catastrophes, break downs, or screaming fits (by yours truly).  I believe that most of the students went home with a sense of accomplishment and well-being.

We also broke a new record for the recital.  For twenty-nine years the recital has always been over an hour long, sometimes two hours long, sometimes... We were finished at 7:59 - fifty-nine minutes!   I went home with a sense of accomplishment and well- being.

(It may sound a little harsh to wish for a shorter recital but we wanted the audience to want more not dread the next selection.)

We worked on keeping the program moving - no long speeches or preaching.  Each student received their award directly after they played their piece - no long awards ceremony at the end with students having to walk back and forth.  The students played duets.  I have to say that I enjoyed seeing the teamwork and the accomplishment of each student working with another student or their teacher.  Each student has their own set of strengths so matching the students with the appropriate duet partner, finding the right song and level of difficulty, etc... was a challenge.  The results were well worth the work.  The students had to practice together and be patient with one another.  I was grateful for their spirit and kindness to one another.

Is their life after the recital.  I have to say that there is.  What will next year's theme be?

Summer Prep Time

It's July and time for me to send out my fall piano lesson information and letter.  I've been reading about piano teaching and thinking of some areas I'd like to strengthen this year.
Many times students do not follow through on their theory workbooks.  Maybe your students love this, I've had some that do. Many times the corresponding theory books don't have enough pages to keep up with the lesson books or vice versa.  If you're short on time sometimes you leave the theory to last or maybe next week.
I was emailed the address to a website with free music theory worksheets.  They are basic and in sequential order.  With younger students you could assign half a worksheet, with older, one or two.  Whatever way you use them, you know that you're getting to the facts and not skipping information or having a lot of "fluff".  I think I'm going to use these in addition to theory books and make a contest out of them, or develop some type of reward system.
It's worth checking into!
http://www.gmajormusictheory.org/Fundamentals/workbooks.html

Terrific Tuesdays and Sundays

Tuesday is my "big" piano teaching day.  It's the day for all of my elementary age students.  Because of safety reasons I go to the classrooms and walk the students to and from their piano lessons.  Not only do I get some great exercise, we have some great time for fellowship.
We just finished our Homecoming Revival and I'm planning on taking the momentum from the revival and working it into the next few lessons.  Our pastor led the singing throughout the meeting, so that meant....transposing each hymn into a lower key!!! Praise the Lord, we had time to make copies of the selected hymns and Mrs. Amy Robinson graciously wrote in the chord symbols for each song.  For an "old dog" who is used to playing "Victory in Jesus" in Ab, I actually had to think a little about staying in the key of G.
So, for advanced students the emphasis will be transposing and embellishing hymns they have already mastered.  The beginner/intermediate students will put the "pedal to the metal" on their left hand hymn technique.  We fundamental, independent Baptists may not play at Carnegie Hall but we should be the hands down experts at hymn playing! I do believe I'll enter the next "American Ideal Baptist Pianist" competition. :)
How's your hymn playing?
If you are bored with your hymn "style", your listeners are probably in a daze, too.  Here are some things that have helped me throughout the years.
1. Pick up the tempo on your preludes and postludes.  Nothing kills a hymn more than "dragging" it to death.
2. Practice your scales regularly and try to incorporate at least one in a song each Sunday.
3. Pay attention to your technique - sloppy? weak? lazy? too fast? too loud? painful?  Any of these problems can combine and kill the message of the song, plus injure your hands and wrists.  Change up your dynamics, attack, "touch", and check your posture.
4. Do something different on each verse of each hymn, don't repeat the same old, same old, same old - it becomes a "drone" - almost hypnotic.
5. Sing along with the hymns and pay attention to the message of the song, "breathe" with the singers, watch the song leader, be involved emotionally and spiritually.
6. Listen to Rudy Atwood play.  He is not a banger, he is strong, but controlled.  Every note is clear, precise, and there on purpose.
7. Practice the intros for the hymns.  These set the mood, tempo, and put the congregation on the right key!  Be clear and precise!
8.  Enjoy playing and smile!
Let's be the best for the Lord's work - it's the greatest venue in the world for musicians!

How's it Going?

Hello Fellow Teachers and Musicians!
How's it going?  If your schedule is anything like mine you're beginning to get in the "rhythm" of teaching lessons and classes.  At this point it is helpful to "shake up" your teaching routine a little so that it doesn't get into a "rut".  "Ruts" are great, they keep you on track and keep you focused - it's just helpful to add spice to your teaching so that you don't get bored, too!
I've started bringing a digital recorder to lessons.  When a student does a great job on a piece I'll record it.  My goal is to give the parents a CD of their students progress throughout the year.  It benefits me, too.  I want them to have at least six good pieces on the CD and that takes work and motivation.
I have already given each of my grade school students their Christmas pieces.  I am planning to have a Christmas Party Recital at my house.  We'll have refreshments, pictures, and take turns playing our pieces.  I plan on having duets, classic Christmas pieces, Classical pieces, and a LOT of fun.  This will be out of the ordinary and I'm planning on having a music-themed tree in the living room for the event.  We'll make memories and have a sweet time.
These past few years we have decided to make the hymnal our ultimate goal and objective.  No lesson will go past without working on a hymn.  The focus this month is "invitation" songs. How many times have you been called to play an invitation without notice?  I want my students to be ready at any time, so we're getting invitations, offertories, and preludes ready.
I just got a new book that will be helpful for fun pieces, wedding preludes, and motivation for your students - Lyric Moments Volume Three by Catherine Rollins (Alfred Publishing).  You'll enjoy playing from this, too!

Getting Ready for Fall

Are you ready for a new school year and a new start for your piano students?   I have to admit I just got my fall letter out last week.  Who reminded me? Some of my students!  You know you're behind when your students ask, "Do you have our piano information yet?"
This is the letter I've sent to my parents and students.




August 2010

Dear Parents and Piano Students –

I am looking forward to school starting, candy selling ending, and cooler weather!  I am also excited about getting back to piano lessons and seeing my students every week.  I hope you’re ready to learn some new songs and hymnplaying techniques.

Piano lessons will begin the first full week of September.  The tuition will be $360.00 for the entire year (September through April 2011), or $45.00 per month.   If paid in full at the beginning of the year the cost is $320.00.  Lessons will be scheduled according to the Temple Baptist Schools’ calendar.  Lessons may be scheduled during study hall times, recess times, or you may schedule an after-school lesson at my home, if needed.

Thank you for putting a value on music education.  We are seeing the results of this effort in every ministry of our church.  The Lord has blessed and I’m praying for another wonderful year with great achievements. 

Students will have a Classical Christmas recital at my home during December, along with refreshments and caroling.  Our Church-wide Spring recital will focus on hymnplaying of every type - preludes, offertories, invitations, special services, and accompaniment. 

We have some exciting ideas and plans for the students this year.  I hope to hear from you soon!

In His Service,

Mrs. Jennifer Petticoffer

Ps. 40:1-3

Piano Student Registration Form – Fall 2010/Spring 2011

Name            _______________________________           

Date            ______________

Address            _____________________________

Phone            ______________________         

Cell            ________________________

Date of Birth            _______________           

Grade in school            _______________

Preferred lesson day(s)            Tuesday            Thursday           

Preferred lesson time(s)            Study Hall            Recess       After School

Preferred payment plan            Monthly            Entire Year

Current Lesson Book (main curriculum)            ____________________ 

What type of piano/keyboard student owns or uses to practice:

Is this tuned/in good condition?

Student/parent practice goal for this year:            Circle all that apply

Number of Days:            

Six days a week            Five days a week            

Four days a week           Three days a week

Time per day:      1 hour per day                        45-minutes per day            

30-minutes per day   15 – minutes per day        Other - ______________

Personal goals for the student: Check all that apply

q Improved note reading                         

q Improved sight-reading

q Hymn playing                                      

q Classical music and technique

q Accompanying soloists/groups            

q Performance/memorization

q Scales, technique                                 

q Theory and composition

q Practice, application, character             

q Improved rhythm and even tempo

Summer Contacts

During the summer months it is important to make contact with your students.  Just a quick "Hello" and "How are you doing?" can be good, but they may need a bit more.  I usually like to have some sheet music or books for each student to help "perk" their interest in piano study.

It doesn't have to be related to their current piano curriculum, it can be very different.  I have found that some of my most masculine piano students like the most sentimental tunes.  Some of my most feminine students love songs that are loud, fast, and booming.  Think about what motivated you at their age and level and try the same music.

Here are some pieces that motivated me to learn...

1. age 9 - "Toccata" by Jack Butler

2. age 11 - "Tell Me the Old, Old Story" arr. by Rudy Atwood

3. age 12 - "My Tribute" arr. by Dino Kartsonokis

4. age 13 - "How Rich I Am!" arr. by Harold DeCou

5. age 15 - "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin

6. age 15 - "Clair de Lune", "First Arabesque" - Claude Debussey

7. age 16 - Congregational hymns, choir specials - for church

8. age 17 - "Revolutionary Etude" - by F. Chopin

9. age 18 - "My Heavenly Father Watches Over Me" - just to play for a soloist

I learned many other pieces but these were above and beyond what my teacher required of me.  I wanted to learn these pieces desperately just to play them for myself.  

Think about each of your students, pray for them, go through some of your old music and see what name comes to mind with each piece.  Watch their eyes light up when you hand them a new piece to practice!

Stay Sharp!

This is the beginning of summer.  Maybe you are teaching enough to stay "on top" of your skills or maybe you're like me, reducing your schedule drastically to take care of home or church duties.  My teacher used to say, "Go one week without practice and you'll know it.  Go two weeks without practice and others will know it."  

As a teacher you are the one that inspires and motivates your students.  You have to inspire and motivate yourself by remembering that your playing influences others.  Some of my best memories of piano lessons were listening to my different teachers play.  If I was early I would sometimes catch them practicing.  I would just wait quietly outside of the door and listen and wish I could play the same way.  I'll share some of my teacher memories with you.

• Pat Wold (Chinese) - my first teacher - would play all kinds of classical music and let me watch and listen before I started my lesson.  She would come to my house to teach me, after she got her piano Mom would drive me to her home at Devernia Apartments - one block from Nelson Street in South Longview.
• Carrie Erickstad - our church pianist - For church she would play Harold DeCou offertories, which I still love today.  She played at our recitals too!  What made the biggest impact was when we had our recital at the church and she played Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue".
• Charolotte Huffhines - lived on the next block.  I was allowed to leave high school study hall to go to lessons.  She didn't play for me, just demonstrated parts of songs.  I don't believe she knew how to motivate me, or I was just not used to her teaching style.  She is a great teacher and is one of the best in Longview.
• Pamela Veach Valentine -  She and her husband were training at LeTourneau College to be missionaries.  She would play for me and let me listen to her college recital reel-to-reel tapes!  Wow!  She demonstrated Debussey, choral music, twos-against-threes, and memory work.  I memorized more for her than for any teacher.
• Jo Hovind - LBT music coordinator and church organist.  I didn't take formal lessons from her but she taught me so much.  Playing duets was the best tool to help me with my rhythm and accuracy. I couldn't just skip parts of songs, improvise, slow down, speed up, etc...  It took months and months for me to learn duets because I had some bad habits that I needed to break.  We also practiced for hours and hours for each piano/organ duet.  Nothing came easy when we first started. I'll do an entire article on Jo Hovind and I'll still not be able to translate how much she taught me.
• Joyce Kiefer - LBT pianist and group leader.  I didn't take formal lessons from Mrs. Kiefer but I learned so much about congregational piano playing just by listening during the services.  She would play wonderful Rudy Atwood offertories on a regular basis.  She always looked so confident when she played and she was always ready to play.
• Esther House (French) - After Jessica and Alyssa were born I was busier than ever and couldn't find the time or drive to practice the piano.  I got the courage to call the Longview Piano Teachers' Association and ask for a teacher who specialized in teaching teachers.  They recommended Mrs. Esther House.  She had a heavy French accent and had many stories to tell.  She inspired me so much.  I'll have a blog article just about her one day, too.  I would sometimes be late just to hear her play Chopin.  I would be so excited about my lessons that I forgot my music more than once!

Think about the times you were inspired, encouraged, or just dared to be better.  To stay sharp here are some "pointers" that help me.

1. Leave music open on your piano that you need to practice.  
2. Leave a stack of music close to your piano that you would like to learn.
3. Memorize your warm-up routine and when you have a minute or while you're waiting on a singing group or student, play it.
4. Be aware of your playing at all times.  Notice weaknesses, repeated mistakes, problems with eye-hand coordination.  My left hand tells all, when it goes "weak" I have to step up the Chopin practice and the minor third arpeggio practices.  Record yourself and listen at a later time, this may be an encouragement to practice or just a plain encouragement!
5. Play through a piano lesson book, go to the next level and play through it, etc...
6. Buy a piano solo book with an accompaniment CD and have fun learning songs and playing them with the accompaniment.
7. Hanon and Czerny are good friends.  You don't have to play the entire book, but the first twelve to fourteen exercises in each will help tremendously.
8. Playing and practicing are different.  Practicing is...

• studying and marking the music, either on the page or in your mind
• LH alone, section A, master it, then...
• RH alone, section A, master it, then...
• HT slowly, section A
• HT up tempo, section A
• Then to section B...

It tries your patience, but just put yourself into your students' shoes!  You'll stay sharp!!!

So, you're a piano teacher?

(pictured: Miss DeAnna Gray, student and also a teacher of several students)
Part I
 "Do you teach piano lessons?"

"I can't wait until Genevieve is old enough to take lessons!"

"Look at my baby's long fingers, a natural pianist!"

"Honey, we need extra money, why don't you teach piano lessons?"

If you are a pianist in a Baptist church you have probably heard these statements.  Maybe you feel the pressure of teaching piano lessons or it is a requirement on your list of church duties.  In whatever position you may find yourself, teaching piano lessons is something that will take some prayer, forethought, counsel, and planning.  There is nothing wrong with teaching piano to help "make ends meet", but to be fair to your students  you still must allow your greater purpose to overshadow the money making.

1. Define your objective - training musicians for God's glory?  money only?  civic competitions or training for secular performance only?
2. Define your schedule - I am not all-knowledgeable in the area of music teaching.  I do have thirty years of experience and am still learning.  Scheduling is a KEY element in being prepared, focused, and happy in your teaching.  Thinking that you can put all of your beginner lessons on one day, starting at 8:00 a.m. and working until 4:00 p.m. is insane!  If you do this, more power to you, but please think about your mental health.  I've learned to think of my time in blocks, a block of two or three of the same type of lessons in a row, then switch to a different block with different types of students.  Example: Block A =  first year students, Block B = advanced students.  Some years I start and finish the day with top-notch students - so I look forward to starting the day and keep going toward the last lesson without quitting early!  Yes, I have gone home early one or two times...was it for your lesson former students? I will never tell...
3. Define your standard - What type of behavior will you tolerate?  How much laziness is too much? How long will you go without being paid?  When is a book too old or worn out to use?  You must be professional from the start.  Let your parents and students know your practice requirements, tuition due dates, music book requirements, and teaching objectives.
4. Define your teaching style(s) - I have a teaching style, but I try to adapt to each student's need and musical level.  Be a friend, but be firm in your guidance and correction.  Ask a lot of questions to make sure they comprehend what is on the page in front of them.  Perform for them on occasion - they need to be inspired.  Praise at any sign of improvement, quietly encourage when times are rough.  Speak with the parents when there is a concern or a praise.
5. Define what inspires and enthuses you. - You need this!   Attitudes are "caught" not taught.  When you are "moved" they will be moved, when you are enthusiastic it catches like wild fire.  Give them CD's to listen to or suggest new music books for inspiration. Play duets with the students or have the students play duets together.  Go to the music store with another music "junkie" so you can stay more than ten minutes. (my kids would groan and moan and sit under the music racks until I left!)

Ideas are flowing through my mind quicker than I can type.  I am barely scratching the surface, but I know that if you do not regularly do some of the the above, your studio and piano teaching ministry will digress.
I don't plan for this blog to last forever, I may repeat some entries and points, but I find that as a piano teacher I need encouragement at the beginning, middle, and end of every piano teaching term - and sometimes every day.
God bless you dear piano teacher friend. Keep on going and enjoy every minute!

Psalm 115:1

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,

but unto thy name give glory,

for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.