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Archive for the ‘Teaching’ Category

Every once in a while, it’s good for grown-ups to try to do something they just aren’t very good at.  And it’s especially good for people who teach other people how to do other things.  It’s been a long long time since I learned how to play the piano, and like many people who end [...]

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I’m late with this announcement. I’m late with everything. This has been a crazy busy year: David and I each wrote two books, taught about 25 students a piece, a, while he taught up to seven college classes, and I went abroad at least half a dozen times. But I’m pleased to announce that The [...]

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I’ve had the giggles this week, especially while teaching. It all started with the electrifying  performances at the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (www.cliburn.tv). The poise of these young performers is almost unbelievable, and their death-defying acts of pianism are inspiring, amazing, exciting, and rejuvenating. I can’t tell you how many times in the last few days I’ve [...]

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When I started teaching, some of the first advice I got from other teachers was to implement a “studio policy.” I’d never heard of a studio policy, and at first it seemed a little unnecessary: Like everyone else, I started with only a few students. It seemed ridiculous to implement and enforce a rigid policy when in [...]

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So, how do you get a teaching gig? First of all, have a clear idea of which kids of gigs you want to go after: A school, private teaching, community college, whatever.  Imagine your ideal situation: Would you do your creative work in the morning? Or are you a performer who needs to work nights? When [...]

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What defines a successful teacher? Student progress? Student adulation? Parental response? Professional reputation? Results in juried contests? Fame of former students? Placement of students in prestigious programs? Daily job satisfaction?  Obvious progress in instilling skills, confidence, and a love of the art form? The definition of “success” is as varied as the teachers who might [...]

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The Artist-Teacher: Intro

Earlier in the month, I talked about teaching, and since so many of us do it in one form or another, I’d like to spend the next few days on the challenges of the Artist-Teacher, which I define as someone who makes his or her living both by teaching AND by working professionally in a chosen art.  (Someone who is [...]

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Sometimes, something happens that sort of pulls it all together, and lets you see where what you’re doing makes sense. It’s been an incredibly busy week. David and I got back from Nashville on Sunday night, and went right to work teaching on Monday morning. Then I started on some article writing while he drove up to Pittsfield to pick up [...]

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I ‘ve been thinking more about the whole “doing-teaching” thing, maybe because this week was the first week of the school year, and I’ve got a bunch of piano students trickling in after a summer spent doing everything under the sun — EXCEPT piano.  Those of us who choose to teach — acting coaches, writing [...]

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Here’s a flip on that old saying, “Those who can do, those who can’t teach.” “Those who can — CAN’T teach.” I discovered this little anti-cliche today, and I’m wondering about it. It made me think of a guy I once had as a teacher in a bike repair class — one of those public classroom sorts of [...]

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