There have been many studies to demonstrate the benefits of how learning music affects the brain. Learning a musical instrument can lead to greater levels of patience and discipline, increased confidence, improved motor skills, and the list goes on.
This creates the question: Should you learn more than one instrument? Some think that learning two instruments at once would be confusing or too much to handle.
There are many ways to organize a music lesson. There are some key components though that occur at most lessons. These include scales/technique, songs that are being worked on, new material, theory, downtime and often sight-reading and ear-training activities.
Some teachers start each lesson with technique – I don’t always do that. I tend to fit it in between songs. For many students, technique isn’t always fun to play, but it’s necessary. The technique exercises strengthen our fingers, help our hands move confidently around the keyboard, and encourage speed.
For my students, I try to have 3-4 songs going at a time. One song that is fairly new, one that is getting close to being “finished” and 1-2 between those two! This gives a variety of levels of difficulty. The new song is generally the hardest. We don’t know it well enough to even hum it, it’s slow, and it doesn’t sound like much yet! The song that’s close to being finished is generally the easiest to practice. It’s comfortable, we can hum it, and we know when we are playing things correctly (or not!). The songs in the middle are just that. There are some parts that we know and still some new parts to learn.
New material can come in a couple different forms. Generally it’s the new parts of the songs. Sometimes it’s the addition of musical details – staccato, dynamics, other articulation. Either way it can be challenging! Sometimes I bring some completely different music to the lessons. This we call the “fun” stuff. It’s generally easier than the usual music so students get more immediate gratification – the song is finished quicker! This year, many of my students have learned Hallowe’en songs – something different to mix things up a little!
Theory is an important part of lessons. In the early years, it reinforces note recognition and timing, as well as dynamics and articulation. There are lots of books out there, but I prefer individual sheets. I used them to help with anything that is confusing or needs working on. I enjoy searching out themed sheets to use! It makes it seem more fun!
Downtime is a surprisingly important part of the lesson. Most students need a few minutes in between songs or after every couple of songs to give their brains a small break. Sometimes it’s chatting about what’s happening in their world, sometimes it can be a music game. Other times, it looks like playing their instrument creatively. For example, listening to how the piano sounds with the pedal down, playing high or low notes, or making “mystery” chords.
Last is sight-reading (working on reading unfamiliar music so students can strengthen their note-reading skills) and ear-training (connecting what we see on the music to how we hear it). Both are extremely important for building a musical foundation.
Each lesson generally follows a predictable format so students know what to expect each lesson. We fit a lot into those lessons every week. We aim to have fun as much as possible while working hard.
As always, lessons are tailored to the particular students’ strengths and needs to ensure a positive and rewarding musical experience! If you or someone you know would benefit from music lessons, you can learn more here.
Written by Tamara Leszner-Rovet
As you have seen on the blog over the past few months, we have been discussing our transition to Telehealth (online) lessons/sessions. We have discussed in detail the benefits we have seen, and what we have learned using this new platform to ensure our students/clients maintain a sense of normalcy, routine, and their motivation and progress during this unpredictable time.
Toward the end of May, we were given the go-ahead to begin resuming in-person lessons/sessions with strict health and safety protocols in place, as set out by our regulating college and public health.
This transition was slow, first starting with “urgent” students/clients who for a variety of reasons, could not be seen on Telehealth (online) through this time. About a week later, we were able to begin transitioning all our students/clients who were comfortable back to in-person lessons/sessions.
Very quickly, we needed to pivot again and put clear contingency plans in place to ensure the safety of our teachers/therapists, students/clients, and their families. Here are some examples of the health and safety measures that are now a part of our “new normal”:
Whether we are seeing students/clients in the studio or in their home, the first thing we do is ensure they wash their hands or use hand sanitizer before and after each lesson/session. Our teachers/therapists do the same.
All our teachers/therapists are required to wear a mask during every lesson/session. We strongly encourage students/clients to wear masks as well, but in some circumstances this is not possible. If this is the case, our teachers/therapists wear face shields in addition to masks for everyone’s protection.
In each studio and in the bathroom, you will find a litany of cleaning supplies used before and after each lesson/session, as well as during lessons/sessions to make sure that any used instruments and/or supplies, frequently touched surfaces, etc. are cleaned and disinfected promptly.
If you are visiting the studio, you will see checklists around the entire space: entryway, stairwell, hallway, treble clef studio, bass clef studio, bathroom, and waiting room. There are checklists for all the possible items, surfaces, etc. that could be touched in each area, and students/clients and their families can see when everything was last cleaned.
Our studio is definitely quieter these days! We are allowing students/clients in one at a time (with some exception to siblings), typically with an accompanying adult waiting outside. We are starting to implement staggered start and end times as well. The waiting room is no longer a hub for coffee, snacks, toys, games, or a place to “hang out” while lessons/sessions are being conducted.
At all times, we respect the varying comfort levels of each student/client and their families. Telehealth (online) lessons/sessions continue to be available for families who prefer this platform, and/or for families to utilize until they are comfortable resuming in-person lessons/sessions.
Though this “new normal” has brought a lot of changes to how we run our day to day operations, there is no question that our teachers/therapists and students/clients alike have been so happy to start seeing each other in-person again!
As further restrictions begin to ease, we look forward to continue resuming in-person lessons/sessions with all our students/clients as the summer goes on, and into the new school year!
As always, we wish everyone continued health and safety amidst these extraordinary times!
Though the beginning of our 2019-2020 school year started off strong, 2020 has already been quite the year and it’s already June.
Back in March, maybe you were thinking, “It’s only March and this is how the year is going?!” To be honest, a part of me was in disbelief as well. The year 2020 will be known for many reasons, one of which here at TPSMTS, will be the year that we had changes we never would have anticipated!
Our music therapy sessions and music lessons have thrived for 13 years as in-person, in-studio or in-home sessions/lessons and for the first time ever, and now offered on a regular basis, we moved to Telehealth (online). If you have not heard of Telehealth yet, it is “the provision of healthcare remotely by means of telecommunications technology” (SOURCE).
In March, we immediately shifted all of our lessons/sessions to Telehealth. If you want to read more about that experience, you can read our previous blogs HERE and HERE.
Tamara’s Piano Studio and Music Therapy Services (TPSMTS) has now been conducting Telehealth/Online lessons and sessions amidst these extraordinary times for 8 weeks now.
Our teachers and therapists have learned many new skills and dedicated time to furthering our techniques through this process!
There have been many students/clients that we initially thought moving to Telehealth lessons/sessions would be difficult for. Despite our initial reservations, we have found that students/clients we thought may struggle have been doing quite well! We have found that some of our students/clients are actually focusing better with Telehealth lessons/sessions!
Written by Gabriella Serruya
During these extraordinary times, many businesses and services have unfortunately been halted or cancelled. This affects our daily routines, but not as much as it does for the children we work with.
Many services have moved to an online or virtual platform to continue providing services, and TPSMTS has done this as well. While Telehealth lessons/sessions will not have the same impact and effect as in-person lessons/sessions, they still have many benefits.
During this uncertainty in most parts of our lives, the thing that TPSMTS been able to keep consistent is our music lessons/sessions through Telehealth (online) lessons/sessions.
Telehealth lessons/sessions are provided through a video chat application that allows for real-time interaction and (virtual) ‘face-to-face’ communication. Through the use of a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant platform, services can be provided in a safe, fun, and consistent manner.
Top music lists are no longer confined to songs in English, and often consist of popular songs from foreign countries. In many cases, people can enjoy songs in languages that they don’t understand themselves. This is a great example of how music transcends the boundaries of language.
Another example of how music transcends language is through translated songs. One of the most translated songs in the world is Amazing Grace. It has been translated into over 60 different languages including Zulu, Mandarin, Farsi, Filipino, and Arabic. Through these many translations, the meaning of the whole song is kept very similarly and faithful to the original that was first published in 1779.
Another song that has been translated many times is a very popular Christmas tune, Silent Night. It has been translated into over 100 different languages (originally in German as “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht”).
In addition, Happy Birthday To You has been identified by the Guinness World Record as the most recognized English song, and has been translated into more than 30 languages!
Written by Tamara Leszner-Rovet
In general, I have found that the key to long term progress, success, and enjoyment of playing an instrument is intrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation refers to behaviour that is driven by internal rewards. The motivation to engage in a behaviour arises from within the individual because there are natural rewards associated with it. In other words, students practice because they want to progress (similar to playing sports, where there is a motivation to practice in order to develop the strength and skills to progress). In my experience, students who want to practice their instrument and continue to progress are the ones who reap the most benefits and rewards for themselves, and are more likely to continue lessons long-term.
Extrinsic motivation typically doesn’t work well as a long term solution. Rewards such as candy, toys, etc. may not be effective when it comes to music practicing. This is not to say that they won’t work in the short term, but often they satiate and eventually are no longer motivating. The point is that practicing equates to further progress, which is motivation in itself. While rewards may not be an optimal long-term way to motivate, positive reinforcement (strengthening an action with praising words, a pat on the back, performing for others, etc.) can help to further encourage growth and skills to develop intrinsic motivation.
Written by Gabriella Serruya
Instead of an in-person End-of-the-Year Party & Recital in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, our students/clients recorded and shared music selections that they had studied and prepared. Please enjoy their performances below!
2020
2021
