Technology or Board Games?

I realize there is a place for iPads, apps, computers, technology in general.  The days of just teaching beside your acoustic piano are said to be fading away.  What do we hear?...You need to have a studio with technology!  You need to offer a computer lab!  You need to use GarageBand and record all your students!  You need to have an arsenal of apps and computer programs available so your students can learn!  You need to stay up on things like ever other teacher around you!

Hmmm...I didn't learn with ANY of that.  My teacher - the organist and choir director at my church growing up - sat beside the piano, gave me instruction, handed me a theory book to complete and expected me to practice during the week.  Period.  And yes, I learned to play the piano!  And every day now that I sit down at my piano, I am reminded of her commitment to help me learn to play.  It didn't hurt that I loved it and wanted to learn, but she still stuck with me through the highs and lows of my playing and motivation.

Why do I say this?  I've struggled at times feeling like I needed to make sure I offered technology as well!  And because I didn't grow up with computers (I used a manual typewriter with carbon paper in college!) technology has been something I had to teach myself.  So if I were to give myself a grade?...I'd probably need to repeat the class!   I've tried however to provide as much as possible - within my scope of understanding!  I do have a computer lab in place, but only have four students whose parents are willing to pay for it.  I do have an iPad with loads of apps - some free, some purchased that is available and yes, my students do use it and some like it.

But, ALL of my students LOVE a board game or activity they can do with me or with each other.   Hands down!   What does that tell me?  That technology is a tool - not a necessity!

I sit by the piano and give instruction.  We play games and do activities away from the bench to encourage learning and to have fun!  Learning to play the piano is work, so in my opinion, lessons should be fun.  I create incentive programs, build a games library, run summer camps, do group lessons - mostly without technology and guess what?!

My students learn to play the piano...and play it well!  I invest in them and like my own piano teacher, I help them find their motivation and stick with them through the highs and lows.  I'm committed to helping them learn to play so that they will enjoy this skill for life.

And that is why I'm not stressing about technology.  And why I'm committed to finding and creating games and activities that my students enjoy and that will help them learn to LOVE this magical world of music!  That doesn't mean I'm not trying to improve those areas, certainly, but I want to keep it in perspective.

Which is also why I put together the camps I currently have for sale in my store.

 Right now I have 15 kids signed up for one of my weeks of camps because they can't wait to come back after last year!  And there's still a month and a half left to sign up!  The revenue from the camps (for those outside my studio) normally covers the entire expense and helps fund instruments, resources, etc. for my studio.

So just as a reminder...there are only 8 more days for you to post a comment to win a free copy of any of the camps I have for sale!  Just post a comment under this blog entry!

Marketing with Facebook

I'm not a technically saavy person.  Period.  Everything I know on the computer is self-taught since personal computers were "non-existent" when I went to school.  But, I certainly recognize how important new technology is to my business.  So...I depend upon my kids to help me out and a lot of other people who take pity on me!

I've been watching the Facebook craze and will admit that I have a Facebook page.  BUT...I'm terrible about keeping up with it because it seems so time consuming.  I even set up a page for the studio, but wasn't sure that I even did it correctly!  I recently stumbled upon this article and thought I would pass it on to all of you.  It's loaded with all kinds of information - literally everything you ever need to know about Facebook and how to use it to market your studio. 

When I have more time (after camps!), I hope I can read through it all and make changes to what I've done.  If you are using it now or know what you're doing, please stop over!  I would love to meet you!  But please, be patient and don't laugh because...I'm not even sure I can remember my password!!

Technology and Music Lessons

I didn't grow up in the age of computers and the internet.  Believe it or not, growing up my television would flash "in color" at the beginning of a show instead of "in HD"!  I was first introduced to a computer at my job...after college...when "floppy discs" were common!  So, all of this technology that is rapidly evolving was never part of my pedagogy training.  I have had to learn most of it on my own!

 

I recently picked up the book, YouTube in Music Education by Thomas Rudolph & James Frankel and found this to be an extremely helpful and informative book.  Now, lest you think that I'm entirely ignorant, I have used YouTube many times, but I wanted to make sure that I was "getting it all". I also have this great need to be completely informed.  I think it's really important that I stay on top of what my students are interacting with daily.  I also want to offer them the best music education I can with the most current technology and training.  It can be overwhelming at times, but it's also really exciting at how much opportunity students have today.

I thought I would share thoughts on this book from my perspective.  The book touches on topics like how to create a YouTube account, how to creat playlists, participate in groups, subscribe to channels, playback, sound quality and display, copyright laws, how to produce your own videos (a great chapter!) and has over 100 teaching strategy ideas for using YouTube in Music Education.   The teaching strategy ideas alone are worth the price of the book!  For me, it was a wealth of great information.  In those areas that I was unclear on, I now have a resource that will save me loads of time!  I also now feel confident to integrate simple productions with my students and basically use YouTube in ways the rest of you probably are already doing!

So, if like me, any of you may be a bit intimidated by the whole thing or you just want to have a great resource, I would highly recommend the book.  And just to show that I have some knowledge...here's a fun video I love...