Teacher resources for tough times
Dear fellow teachers/educators/pedagogues,
For updates about our shop, please see our previous blog post.
In this blog post I’ve collected some helpful resources from other teachers that will hopefully be of use to you at this strange and challenging time.
It seems to me that in order to protect your income and your health, there are three things that need to be done:
This is probably a good time to remind you of correct piano cleaning methods as well, I’ll get to that below.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength. ”
Two links that mostly nullify this blog-post:
The first resource I’d like to point you to is a handy round-up of resources on the Top Music Co website (not affiliated).
To be honest, this link might negate most of this blog-post! As always, the resources on the Top Music website are very comprehensive and this page should get you through the worst of any technical challenges:
As well as the link above, a public Facebook page has been set up to collect resources in one place. There is a lot of helpful video content here from some of Australia’s most respected music educators.
(one of the positive things this month has been seeing the teaching community band together to support each other. If you’re not a part of any facebook teaching groups yet I highly recommend joining a couple!)
First things first: piano cleaning
A clean piano is a happy piano!
Wikihow has got it right - the best thing you can use to clean (most) piano keyboards is a mild dishwashing detergent. Please be cautious using too much water or leaving cleaning solutions on the keys because the sides of your piano keys are unfinished wood and can swell or warp if they absorb significant moisture. You don’t want that!
That same diluted detergent does wonders for fingerprints and grime on the polished surfaces of your piano.
Please note:
Ivory keys, porous/unfinished woods, genuine ebony sharps, and french-polish or satin-finish pianos should not be cleaned in this fashion.
Please call your piano technician for specific advice if you are unsure on the best way to clean your piano.
1. Communicating effectively
Yes, things are different and different is scary. Not very many students or parents will be excited about change - especially if you don’t help make the transition an easy one for them.
I recommend crafting an email or text to all of your students to explain what will be happening and how you will be able to continue bringing music to them at this time. Changes are fine when there’s someone to walk as through them - so if you’re open about what you’re planning and flexible about how to make it work for your students then there’s no reason for them to be hesitant about it.
In fact: I think that you should paint this as a positive learning opportunity for your students.
Firstly, it allows you to gain some insight into how they are practicing at home (is their piano bench at completely the wrong height? Is it time to upgrade their piano or get it tuned? Should they stop snacking on popcorn while practicing piano at home?!)
Secondly, this is an opportunity for you to explore new musical ideas with them. To catch up on some theory concepts. To introduce them to fun digital tools that they could be using for their practice at home (while they’ve got their computer or tablet at the piano, why not introduce them to some backing tracks they can improvise with or even play their scales along to?)
I expect we’ll all be needing more music in our lives at this time. Right now, music lessons are more important than ever and being flexible with the needs of your students (by transitioning to online teaching) should be viewed as an honour and a privilege - even if you’re feeling a little nervous and hesitant yourself! Aren’t we lucky to have the facilities to offer remote lessons?! This is not something that would have been an option a few years ago.
A template to start with:
The wonderful Samantha Coates has been kind enough to share the letter she sent to all of her students for you to use as a template if you’re not sure what to write. Thanks Samantha!
I can’t speak to your specific situation, but as a general rule: this is probably not the right approach.
2. Transitioning to online teaching
Lucky there are many options these days for video conferencing software. From what I am gathering from teacher groups on Facebook and comments from friends, it seems that Zoom is one of the most popular apps for teaching:
Again, this facebook group is doing a better job than I ever could in providing resources for teachers that are new to online lessons.
3. Staying positive
Please don’t underestimate the importance of looking after your mental well-being as well as your physical health. Students will often be looking to us for support and this can be exhausting at the best of times, let alone in the midst of a global pandemic. Make sure you’ve got all your best self-care rituals marked on your calendar and prioritised! Take long baths - buy flowers - drink wine - make time to listen to music - do whatever it is that usually makes you smile.
Let’s start by sharing this helpful composition for the coming months…
Supporting other musicians:
I’m yet to meet a music teacher who doesn’t genuinely NEED to be listening to live music regularly for their own emotional well-being. So part of staying positive and healthy includes a generous dose of live music, albeit in a different format to what we might be used to:
The Melbourne Digital Concert Hall season begins on the 27th-29th of March with live-streamed concerts that you can attend from the comfort of your own home. All ticket proceeds go directly to the artist’s and I think this is a wonderful way to keep our vibrant live-music scene alive. Check out their website for more information. Again, we’re not affiliated, I just think it’s great!
Seeing new opportunities:
I understand this is a bit scary and overwhelming in many ways. However I’m trying to look at this as an opportunity to focus on our online content and social media channels. What could you be doing to diversify your income streams for the future? Are there any compositions or arrangements you’ve been keeping to yourself that you could share or sell online? Do you have any specialty knowledge that would make for a good ebook or online course? Is it about time that your studio finally started a youtube channel or set up an instagram page?
Dare I say it, is this an opportunity to be advertising for new students while other extra-curricular activities may be cancelled?!
Although we’re facing an array of new challenges right now, I’m hoping that this time next year we have a generation of teachers who are more knowledgable, more capable, and more flexible than ever! Challenges like this are an opportunity to grow and I know you’ll grow from this in the future to share more music with students in whichever manner allows them to learn best. Welcome to the future of flexible workspaces and flexible learning!
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”
