Happy April everyone!

What's new on the horizon?  Things are happening at Piano Teacher Girl, the biggest changes are two additions to our staff!  We are very excited to welcome two new teachers.  Hop on over to http://www.pianoteachergirl.com/teachers.html to learn more about them.  When you're ready to start lessons, call us and we will set you up with one of our great teachers and you will be learning music in no time!

Also, we will be having our Spring Recital May 18th in Los Angeles, which we are very excited about. Recitals are great times for students to perform (obviously), see other kids perform, and my favorite part, interact with kids that they may not otherwise meet.   Last year's recital was my first one ever, and while it was probably more nerve-wracking for me, my students showed what awesome little performers they have become.  Since piano is a rather solitary instrument; let's face it, not until junior high or high school with kids have an opportunity to be a part of an ensemble, and even then, there aren't enough piano spots to go around for everyone that might be interested in playing.  This is why the recital is such an important part of the experience.  Because Piano Teacher Girl is growing, my hope is to have a fall recital as well.  Stay tuned, this might be the year that that happens!

Otherwise, some of my piano teaching friends are hosting a summer Music Camp, and there are only two weeks left to register!  Here is the link http://www.musicampla.org/ with everything you need to know, but spots are filling up quickly!  These camps aren't necessarily for those that are enrolled in music lessons, it could be for students that have expressed an interest in music.  It's a great way to test out the music experience before committing to lessons.

That is all for now!  My hope is to post more often instead of letting so much time go by.  Life is busy!

Here is a picture of one of my students's masterpiece drawings in her notespeller book.  And now she is onto the next level!  Morgan, 6 years old.

Been a bit busy!

I haven't posted here in a while, such is life, right?

I am still teaching about 22 students per week and am currently working on expanding my student roster by hiring some teachers to help me.  As you might imagine, it's a busy process getting a business up and running.  Since I've had to do very little active marketing and advertising to attract students, I haven't done much in the way of research to find beneficial advertising methods.  But I did just find a great service called Thumbtack that helps service providers connect with people in the community.  A customer looking for a music teacher (or a service provider in any number of other categories) just has to request a few quotes from music teachers in their area, the music teachers submit quotes and then the customer picks the teacher that seems like the best fit.  Just in the few days I've signed up to receive quotes, I've gotten many inquiries, which means that it's a vibrant and active community! 

I'll check back in a bit and let you all know how it goes.  Until then, please visit my website at www.pianoteachergirl.com to read more a little more about our teachers, company and lessons.

Ciao!

Piano instruction

A new adventure....

I hear a lot from people around this time of year reflecting back on how fast time flies.  I'm a staunch denier of time passing faster toward the end of the year, as we get older, etc.  Time goes the same rate throughout our lives, it only feels like it is speeding up or slowing down depending on what we are doing.  At least this is what I keep telling myself.  (Tee hee!)

Within the past couple months, I have gone through some big changes, in both my personal and  professional life (the latter being all good changes).  I have had about 6 or 7 new students sign up for piano lessons, and have gotten closer to plans toward expanding my piano teaching business to the point where I can hire teachers.  In addition, I have gotten hired onto one very interesting and involved composing project that I am excited about called The Elements Club http://www.kysrealm.com/.   I've also gotten great news about future potential projects with people whom I've collaborated with in the past.  So all good things.

Another thing I am doing that is completely new to me, is signing up with the IronTeam which is a part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team In Training.  Team In Training participants work toward fundraising and training in various endurance sporting events to support cancer research, provide patient services for those fighting Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood diseases, as well as support their families while their loved ones are undergoing treatment.  I am going to be the Vineman Ironman next year in July.  Yes, a whole Ironman.  Any of you that may have read this blog in the past know that I am a runner and that I often compare the time and commitment required in endurance athletics (well, any sport really) with that required to excel at music.  So now I am embarking on what I think will be an incredible journey, training and fundraising alongside some really amazing people (several of them I've already met and gotten to know a bit) as I prepare for the mother of all triathlons.  A full Ironman consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike, and 26.2 miles of running.  Yes, that's right, a full marathon.  It's a big undertaking.  

And here is where I can tie it into piano (of course you knew this was coming, right?).  Learning any instrument requires a great commitment of time, effort, grit and heart.  There are times when you might sit down to practice, and nothing comes out right, the notes are confusing, you can't get your fingers to play the rhythms correctly.....you know what vexes you the most.  Going back to the topic of my Ironman training and fundraising efforts for the LLS, I know there are going to be times that I will be tired, frustrated, unmotivated and feel like throwing in the towel.  But it will be important to remember my end goals, as I do with piano, and through this, I will be able to keep myself going till the race comes, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so that they can keep doing the great work that they do. 

Something else new I'm just trying for fun-- I decided to learn every song from "A Charlie Brown Christmas," here is the picture of my brand new shiny book.  Enjoy!

One final note, anyone that would like to donate to my fundraising campaign can do so here.  I would be very much appreciative, and it is tax-deductible!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/VineFIrn13/mbezzeride

It's that time again!

While it is still blazing hot in Los Angeles (actually it's finally cooling off a bit, but it has been quite the scorcher the past few weeks), September is also the marker for the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall.  Which means, of course, back to school!  Maybe not for many of us, having bid adieu to our school days, but for many kids across the city, this is the month when the lazy days of summer are becoming a distant memory, and the new and exciting opportunities await as they embark on a new grade, get acquainted with a new classroom, new teachers and crack open some books exploring new subjects.  This is also the time when people begin to sign up for various extracurricular activities, or continue on with the ones that they may have taken a break with over the summer.  This is of course, a prime time for starting up piano lessons!  And this is where someone like me comes into the picture.  As a piano teacher with a large student roster, I believe I can offer some great advice on what to look for in a teacher based on my experience, and my understanding of the LA lifestyle and interests of kids (and the expectations of parents!)

First of all, I would like to mention that I have a few spots left in my schedule and would be happy to speak with anyone interested in trying out a trial lesson to see if we're a fit.  You can check me out on Yelp.com and look under "Piano Teacher Girl" to see some great reviews from past and current students.

Now that my shameless self-promotion is out of the way, here is some of my advice on picking a piano teacher for your child (or yourself!) 

The first thing is to figure out what your and your child's goals are for taking lessons.  Do you just want your child to learn the basics of playing so that they can have some fun while learning?  Or do you want your child to gain a fair amount of skills so that they can become very adept at playing in a few years?  Are you just looking for another activity to see if it fits, or do you think they have demonstrated some musical talent already and you are interested in seeing how far lessons can take nurture this talent?  Some parents are just interested in having their kid do an activity to broaden their horizons, and maybe gain some useful skills along the way.  Some parents are interested in honing their child's talent and really want their musical abilities to blossom for the long haul.  Both of these are completely valid, and it doesn't really matter what camp you fall into.  The important thing is getting a sense of what kind of experience you want for your child, and finding a teacher that you believe would be a good fit for him or her to achieve these goals. 

Once you figure out what your expectations are, you will have a better sense of what type of teacher would be a good fit.  A teacher that tends to be rigid and have a set way or methodology of teaching may be good for a more advanced student who is goal-oriented and believes a structured approach will help him or her advance further.  I believe an advanced student would be more willing to adjust their learning habits and practice skills for a teacher if they believe the teacher's vision and methods will get them toward a better playing field (pun intended).  But for beginning students, sometimes this rigid and structured approach is not going to work.  Young kids (and even just elementary-aged students) have a lot of activities going on and have a very diverse set of personalities, so one method of instruction may not be very effective.  A teacher with a more "organic" and "holistic" approach (sorry if that sounds new-agey and from a natural foods grocery market) will be better suited to most beginning students as they will take into consideration the complexities of teaching young children something that is inherently abstract, and breaking it down into manageable bits of information.  This is why its usually better to find a teacher that doesn't ascribe to a particular methodology or structured way of teaching.  This is not to say you should pick a teacher that seems to have no approach, because that, ultimately, is not going to work either.  Like many things in life, there is a balancing act for everything good.

Finally, once you have figured out what your expectations are, and you try out a few teachers to find a good fit (most teachers will offer a first free lesson so there's no commitment), it is now time to start taking lessons and practicing, following the teacher's advice and guidelines, and start enjoying and learning piano!  This may seem easier said than done, but it really can be if you do a bit of research, speak with a teacher on the phone, meet them in person, and see how they click with your student.  A good indicator of how they will be is also their emailing behavior.  I am a big proponent of proper email communication, and I always take the time for my 'please' and 'thank you's' as I believe that is a great way to start off any communication right.

Good luck with your piano teacher search, and for any specific questions, please feel free to contact me!

Marianthe Bezzerides, Head Teacher/Owner of Piano Teacher Girl
hello@pianoteachergirl.com
www.pianoteachergirl.com

Back to School time!

I am not a big clothing shopper, so I don't frequently find myself in stores.  But I have to say, the moment when I start to see fall fashions overtake summer clothes while its still 85 degrees outside, is always unsettling to me.  I have always loved summer more than any season, probably from having grown up in a state where there actually are seasons, and from fall to spring just feels cold and well, cold.  But the one nice thing about school starting up again, is that its the time when a) I start to get more phone calls for lessons and b) Its time to start up new ideas with my lessons, whether it may be a new set of songs to teach, or for the young beginners, some new game ideas.  But don't take my word for it, maybe you should see for yourself!  I'm running a daily deal right now through YP.com, for only 4 more days!  Take advantage and get back into the fall swing of things with me!

Click here for Piano Teacher Girl's Daily Deal!!! Purchase before September 7th!

We Are Young Tutorial!

Hey all,

This is a quick post...(I know my posts are kindof longish- working on that!)

I am teaching one of my students the song "We Are Young," which I know is quite popular right now.  I'm teaching him from the sheet music, but we first starting out listening to the original song and seeing if he could pick out the notes by ear.  It's a hard skill to learn, so thankfully there are people who do these tutorials for all types of songs.  Enjoy!

"We Are Young" Piano Tutorial

Marianthe
Piano Teacher Girl

And with that, we look to Rio 2016!

As many of you know, the Olympics came to a close this Sunday.  I was able to catch some of the Olympic events, unfortunately not everything that I'm interested in, but that's the way it goes sometimes.  I did get to see the entire Trampoline competition, which was really awesome.  The truth is, I don't even own a TV, so unless I was visiting a friend that had a TV or was in a bar, I couldn't really catch much of the coverage.  But anyways, sad sob story for my lack of a TV aside (I only miss it SOMETIMES, like when there's a show on that I like, or every night when the Daily Show and the Colbert Report are on - *sigh*) the Olympics still made me think a lot about my own experience growing up with sports and music lessons.

I have a few students who are very involved with multiple activities.  At certain ages, this seems to be more common for obvious reasons, i.e. kids start to get more coordinated as they get older, and obviously gain more interests in things.  When I was growing up, I don't recall that there was quite the same emphasis placed on multiple concurrent athletic activities.  I wanted to swim because my older brother swam, but that really was the only sport I could focus on at one time because it required every day practice.  Correction, I believe I begged my parents to let me swim, seeing how much of a seemingly fun involvement my brother had with his team.  Sadly, I didn't quite click with the girls on the team (maybe because I was a really shy dorky girl? I don't really know) so my experience being on a team didn't quite match my brother's.  I did join the cross country team in high school, and that seemed to be the place for me, where many of my friends were already involved, and it was exactly the type of experience I was trying to get when I was a swimmer, but was always lacking.

My point (yes, there's a point!) is that while I watched the Olympics, it made me think about the choices people make as to what to focus on intently in life.  It seems that many of my students are spread thin with school, various sports, sometimes another instrument, and my piano lessons on top of it all.  Sometimes I feel guilty piling on an activity during the week, because maybe piano just isn't really a priority.  But if there is something that you want to be good at, it needs to be a priority.  Once any of the Olympic athletes showed any prowess and interest in an activity, that became their passion and their priority in life, and many other things probably had to fall by the way side.  Not because other activities are less important, but because one needs to decide whether they want to be a Jack-of-all-trades and a Master-of-none, or an aspiring Olympic athlete, aspiring concert pianist, or an aspiring [insert one activity] ....... something.

I imagine this is how my parents thought, that maybe it would be best to focus on piano because that's what I showed the best promise in, while I had to beg to be put into swimming, something that I was ok in but would never be great.  Or maybe it's because I grew up in small town of 17,000 and one activity was really all you could get.  I'm writing this while smiling because, it all works out in the end.  Michael Phelps gets to be Michael Phelps, and Gustavo Dudamel gets to be "the dude".....and they'll never have to compete with each other because they only wanted to be the best at their one thing, their passion.  Now all I have to do is explain that to a 9-year old.....