December Newsletter

Bradshaw Studio Newsletter December 2014

Hello all!  ‘Tis the Season… for getting sick!  We’ve already had a few things hit our house, but hopefully are on the mend now!  If your student is sick, please do not send them for their lesson.  We will arrange a make-up lesson for a later date.

Just as a quick reminder, it is the beginning of the month.  Tuition is due by the 10th and signed practice records should be turned in at the first lesson of the month (which will most likely be this week).

With the holiday season coming up, there are school breaks coming up as well.  In order to make things a little easier, I am only planning on teaching make-up lessons during the last two weeks of the month (December 22nd-Jan 2nd).  The other lessons will be the first 3 weeks of the month as normal and then a group lesson on December 19th.  The group lesson will be from 3-4 PM at my house.  It will be a very fun lesson and students are encouraged to come if they can.  All the students have been assigned Christmas songs and will be playing them at the lesson.  (The songs they learn will also give the students a chance to learn a song in case they are asked to play something at family parties or neighborhood parties.)  If your student is unable to make it to the group lesson, please let me know and we will reschedule a lesson for sometime during the two week break from lessons.

I am looking forward to some fun things for the New Year.  We will get ready for the Spring Recital and have some opportunities for additional piano projects/incentives to work on.  As always, thank you for your help in getting your students well-practiced and prepared for lessons.  Thank you also for your support!  I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday season!

November announcements

Great job on the Halloween Recital to all students who participated!  I was very pleased with how well things went!

No lessons for students who attended the group lesson on the week of November 10-14.

Please be aware, also, that there is no school on November 26th.  I am planning on teaching lessons as normally scheduled that day.  If your student(s) will not be able to come to their normal lesson time that day, please let me know ASAP so that we may reschedule their lesson.

Enjoy your November!

Practicing Tips

I'm sure I don't need to tell everyone reading this my thoughts on the importance of practicing at home.  I do, after all, encourage practicing to the point of giving rewards for completed practice records.  Still, many are not aware at just how important practice is for a piano student.  As long as a student is taking lessons and practicing on occasion, they should improve consistently, right?

Actually, it is much harder to improve if there is little to no practice outside lesson time, especially as the student progresses in piano.  That is why I recommend more practice time, not less, as the student increases in proficiency.  The songs naturally become more difficult and complex and students will find it very difficult to pass off songs if they do not practice at home.  It is not plausible for a student to progress if they merely go to a piano lesson for 30-45 minutes a week.  There has to be outside work or the student may be working on the same songs for weeks or months at a time.

Piano teachers can tell the students who are practicing at home as opposed to those who aren't.  It is frustrating to have students continually come to lessons unprepared and I sometimes feel anxious that the students have lost a lot of momentum due to poor practice habits.

Here are a few tips for helping your student to practice at home:

1.  Make it part of a routine.  If students know they are expected to practice every day (or close to every day) at a certain time of the day, it is much easier to stick to it than finding random practice time here and there.  Some parents like their children to practice before school, others may find it is better suited for after school.  Other parents may find that breaking up the practicing to a little before school, a little after school, and even a little in the evening works best.  Whatever works for your student and your family is fine.

2.  Practice with them.  This doesn't mean you need to play their songs with or for them, but it is a good idea to regularly see exactly what your student should be practicing and ensure that they are practicing the correct things.  Look through their notebook to see what specific things may be listed for them to work on.  Make sure they don't forget to do their Theory.  Keep them motivated and encouraged.  This also helps them to have a bit of accountability.  Of course, it is not necessary to practice with them every time, and more advanced students should not need supervision or help as much as beginning students, but it is encouraged for parents to at least know what is going on in piano.

3.  Make sure students aren't always just "going through" their songs.  If you can tell there are parts where your student may be uncertain or making a lot of mistakes, encourage them to just practice that line or those measures repeatedly for a day or two until they have the passage learned better.  Quality practicing should include isolating small parts of the song, especially for older students.  Simply going through a song just to get through it can build in mistakes and make it harder to fix them.  In addition, hands separate work is ALWAYS encouraged, as is taking music at a slow pace when learning and perfecting it.  I have told this to my students, and tell this now to you: "I would much rather the song be SLOW and RIGHT than FAST and WRONG."

4.  Praise them for practicing.  It's not easy to learn an instrument.  It takes patience, practice, and a positive attitude.  Keeping things positive about piano will help everyone to have a good experience with lessons.  I LOVE when students come to lessons prepared and have practiced well.  It makes a HUGE difference in the lesson!

Now, this is not to say that students should not come to lessons if they haven't practiced.  We can still do quality work if they haven't practiced for one week.  However, if they are continually skipping practice sessions and not progressing at all in their books, you will need to figure out when they can fit in more practice time in order to make lessons worthwhile.

Hope I didn't scare any of you!  Most students are doing well in practicing and coming prepared to lessons, even if there are a few off weeks.  Thanks for all you do in encouraging your students to keep going in piano!

October reminders

Just a quick note to remind everyone of a few things. 

First, tuition for the month is due by the 10th. Please pay by then if you have not already paid!

Second, I have not heard back from anyone about the group lesson, which of course means that all students will be there! :) Please double check your schedule and let me know for sure if your student(s) will be able to attend the lesson. It is on Friday, October 24th at 3 PM in my home and will go until 4 PM. This will also be the make up lesson for the month of October.

Finally, I want to remind everyone the Halloween Recital is on Wednesday, October 29th at 7 PM at the Clearfield library. I hope you all are already planning on attending. If your student(s) will be unable to attend, I need to know ASAP.

Thanks for everything! As always, contact me with any questions or concerns.

S Bradshaw

bradshawpianostudio.blogspot.com

Fall Newsletter

Bradshaw Piano Studio Newsletter

Fall 2014

Welcome back and welcome new students! I am so excited to start another year of piano with 

many returning students as well as several new students! Now that lessons are underway, I 

would like to remind you of a few things and also let you know about the upcoming Halloween 

Recital.

I have scheduled the Halloween Recital for Wednesday, October 29th at 7PM at the 

Clearfield Library. The recital hall is in the basement of the library and there is a back 

entrance that should be open for the recital. To get to the back entrance, you can park on the 

West side of the library, close to the park. It is a very fun recital space and I am looking forward 

to having another recital there! If your student(s) will not be able to attend, please let me know 

as soon as you can, or at least two weeks before the recital date. The Halloween Recital is a 

fun, low-key recital where students are encouraged to dress up in costumes and play a fun 

Halloween song for their families. It is not imperative that students attend, but it is a lot of fun if 

they are able to! Please remind your student that while dressing up for the recital is 

encouraged, wearing items like masks and gloves may interfere with playing the piano, and 

therefore may not be the best idea!

We will have a group lesson prior to the recital on Friday, October 24th at 3PM at my house. 

Students can also dress up for that, if they would like! Even if your student(s) cannot make the 

recital, it would be a good idea for them to come to the group lesson if possible. We will perform 

songs, play some fun games, and have some fun Halloween music activities. Please let me 

know if your student(s) will be able to attend at least a week prior to the group lesson.

Now, onto a few reminders. I just wanted to remind you of a few things when dropping off and 

picking up your student(s). Please be prompt, especially when picking up your student(s). I 

have a tight schedule and it is difficult when students are left waiting after their lessons are done 

for parents to come. I understand that sometimes things happen and I would appreciate if you 

could call or text if you know you will be running late as soon as you are possibly able to. Even 

if you are late to drop off your student(s), the lesson time ends at the time it is scheduled. If you 

are 10 minutes late dropping off your student(s), we cannot go 10 minutes over their scheduled 

lesson time. So far this hasn’t been a problem at all, but I just wanted to remind you all in case 

it ever comes up. You are free to park in the driveway or in the street when dropping off or 

picking up, but please watch for neighborhood children as they like to play outside (often right in 

front of our house!) when the weather is nice. If your student(s) walk to lessons, please make 

sure they arrive on time and they will be sent home on time when the lesson is over if they walk 

home as well.

As some of you remember, I also changed my policies on pricing and make-up lessons. 

Remember to pay by the 10th of the month to get the discounted tuition. If you have questions 

about how much tuition is per month for your student(s), please contact me. Also, make up 

lessons for the month will now be on my make-up lesson day if there is no extra lesson for the month. This month, I will have make up lessons on September 26th (Friday). Those in need of 

a lesson that day should schedule it through me at least one week in advance.

I will keep a copy of this newsletter on my blog as well as other important information. Please 

check the blog regularly as I will update often with studio announcements. I also have the 

rules and requirements for monthly practice records on my blog.

Speaking of practice records, I am sending them home every month now. They are optional, but 

I would like to encourage students and parents to use them. It is very beneficial for students to 

track practice time if they wish to progress in piano. Parents are also encouraged to practice with their student(s) regularly to ensure their practice is quality. Even parents who know little 

about music or piano can help just by encouraging and sitting with their student(s) sometimes to 

keep them motivated to practice. Other rules and requirements of the optional practice records 

are listed on my blog.

Finally, as a reminder, there will be no lessons the week of September 15-19 as I will be out of 

town.

Thank-you all for a wonderful first week of lessons! As always, if you have any questions or 

concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

S Bradshaw

www.bradshawpianostudio.blogspot.com

Practice Records

I will be sending home practice records this week for the month of September.  Some students have already received them.  Please keep track of them as best you can!  Listed here are the Rules & Rewards concerning monthly practice records:

Practice Record Rules & Rewards

*Be honest!

*We will discuss a goal each month for each student depending on need for practice

*If students meet their goal, they will earn 5 Bradshaw Bucks for completing their practice record in addition to those earned for songs passed off.

*If students exceed their goal, they will earn 1 extra Bradshaw Bucks for each extra 20 minutes practiced, but no more than 5 additional Bradshaw Bucks per month will be rewarded.  In other words, students can earn up to 10 Bradshaw Bucks for practicing 100+ minutes more per month than their original monthly goal.

*Practice includes: practicing assigned songs, working on theory, and up to 20 minutes per week of flashcards (extra flashcard practice is fine, but will not be counted toward any practice time including additional time earned after meeting the monthly practice goal).  Students may not count practice time for songs not assigned, but are not discouraged from playing music that has not been assigned in their leisure time.

*Practice sheets must be signed and turned in on the first lesson of the following month in order to receive Bradshaw Bucks for it.

*If a student loses their practice record, they will have to start from the day they get a new record and not count the minutes they practiced prior to that.  It may be a good idea to keep the practice record attached to their notebook or piano book in order to help keep track of it.

Welcome to Fall Lessons!

I hope you all had an enjoyable summer!  Welcome back to piano lessons and welcome to my new blog!  I will be posting information here as needed in order to make sure parents are kept up to date on everything.  Please check back at least once a week to look for any new information.

Here's to a great year of piano!