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Positive Piano Instruction for Students of Every Age – Located in Muncie, Indiana

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Summer 2023

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September 16, 2015July 24, 2017 christinaw

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My weekly salutation from Episode 145 🥂 (paired

My weekly salutation from Episode 145 🥂 (paired with some cute moments in my studio this past week)

I’m a big fan of “kids these days”… …a

I’m a big fan of “kids these days”…

…and I know you are, too. 😊

But how often do we catch ourselves proclaiming we want better for future generations with one breath, and then snarking that kids have it too easy with the next?

Newsflash: “kids these days” do NOT have a simple life.

Just like all of us, they may more convenience at their fingertips than ever before, but it doesn’t mean life is easy.

You would agree, right?

Today, we’re talking about double standards in music (and beyond) for the up-and-coming generations.

Check out episode 145 for more! 🥂

New-Week-on-the-Horizon Truth 💣

New-Week-on-the-Horizon Truth 💣

Quiz time! 🧐 Do your students need to experien

Quiz time! 🧐

Do your students need to experience more “wins” at their instrument, or do they simply need to be MORE AWARE of the things they have accomplished?

Do they need a dazzling piece of repertoire, or do they need to recognize the magic of their actual instrument?

(I say that as a MEGAFAN of the repertoire 😅)

Do your students need *another* new game to drill intervals? Or do you need to dig deeper and figure out what is keeping the concepts from clicking?

I’ve had fun kicking these ponders around in my own mind this week, and I hope you’ve benefited from them as well.

Check out episode 144 for more on these ideas.

Cheers to digging past the quick-fixes and finding the methods, tools, and techniques that provide LASTING VALUE. 🥂

🤩 Episode 144 🤩 Today, we are talking about

🤩 Episode 144 🤩

Today, we are talking about prioritizing that which will last:

🌟 Investing in student emotions
🌟 Avoiding studio purchases as a “quick fix”
🌟The ripple-effect of our influence through our students and beyond

…this is the (tough, but incredible) stuff, teacher friends!

Give me 15 minutes and I know you’ll be glad you listened. 🥂

I already have a tumultuous relationship with the

I already have a tumultuous relationship with the constraints of time…

…but this quote walloped me over the head this past weekend.

In tomorrow’s One Thought Thursday e-letter, I’m pondering what deserves our A+ effort, and what doesn’t.

Head to christinawhitlock.com/subscribe to make sure you don’t miss out!

… it’s an important question none of us can afford to ignore. 🥂

Oh friends, I’m going THERE today…

Yep, we’re talking about the most polarizing tool in all of StudioMusicTeacherWorld: the metronome! 🙈

In this ultra-practical episode, I’m talking about common metronome missteps and how I use this accountability tool for success.

It’s important to reconsider our use of “standard” tools and approaches from time to time… don’t you think?

Do you have strong thoughts about the metronome? 🙃 Tell me in the comments below!

This has been brewing all week… Friends. Your

This has been brewing all week…

Friends. Your TeacherMagic is bigger than your systems.

It’s more reliable than your technology.

It’s resilient, and it will endure. 🤍

PianoTeacherWorld was rocked in a major way this week with the Tonara app announcing it was closing its doors.

Thousands of teachers were left reeling from the news their innumerable hours of work uploading assignments, videos, custom materials, and more were soon to disappear into the bowels of cyberspace.

Understandably, everyone is searching for their next move.

But I want to offer a suggestion: take a breath. Give it a few days.

You don’t have to have it figured out right now.

And - just as it took time to build your Tonara resources - make peace ✌️ with taking time to build a new collection.

Stop trying to recreate it all in one fell swoop.

I see so many people acting out of panic (and, again, understandably so!)… but the last thing you want to do is waste more time by making decisions in haste.

I’ll say it again: Your TeacherMagic is not dependent on your technology.

You are stronger than the weight of this development. We’ll get through it together. 🤍

***

For perspective, I’m a Tonara teacher who’s had one foot out the door for awhile now.

I’m weighing what - if any - alternative I want to pursue. But I *do* know, I don’t have to have an answer this week.

My families love me more than they love the apps I use. My TeacherMagic will endure - and so will yours. 🤍

Getting out of the tub, my 7-year old just said, “Sometimes I like the shower because it helps me forget all the hard things for a little while.”

Bless her. 🥹

As teachers… how (unfortunately) easy is it to dismiss the struggles of our adolescent/teen students?

It is tempting to think, “wait until they have REAL responsibilities “…

“Oh you don’t know what busy *really* means”…

…but we also forget: their brains are still forming. They do not have the capacity to deal with stress and decisions and emotions that we do as fully-grown humans.

AND - also - their lives are pretty complicated. And overstimulating. And pressurized.

So the next time you’re tempted to roll your eyes or gloss right over something your student says, remember: even young people have BIG feelings.

🥂 May we continually renew our commitment to helping students feel seen, heard, and valued. 🥂

Happy Wednesday! 🥂 …tell me something you’

Happy Wednesday! 🥂

…tell me something you’re working on…

(small things, big things… I don’t care! 🙃)

Episode 142 drives home a MAJOR heartbeat of mine:

Episode 142 drives home a MAJOR heartbeat of mine: how to take the reins of your own instruction.

Don’t get me wrong; I love a solid comprehensive method series. They are incredibly valuable to new teachers, or even experienced teachers on those days we need to hit the “easy button”.

My students consistently work through many series…

…but the series works for me; not the other way around. 😉

And THAT’S what we’re talking about in episode 142.

Give it a listen and let me know what you think! 🥂

Today we’re talking about method books… What

Today we’re talking about method books…

What they are… and what they aren’t. 😳

To be clear: you’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger fan and celebrator of curriculum designers than me.

…but method books are such a standard in our industry, sometimes we begin to rely too heavily on them.

We forget our students are here to learn from us; not our materials.

We forget our method books are ONE possible path. ONE possible learning sequence. ONE suggested source of repertoire.

…I could go on and on, but that’s why I recorded episode 142 🤣

Check out christinawhitlock.com/episode142 for a transcript, link to listen, and other relevant resources. 🌟

AND - if episode 142 piques your interest, this is your friendly reminder that speaking to other music teacher groups is one of my favorite things. Contact the programming chair of your local/state organizations and let them know you’d like to hear one of my full-length presentations on these topics.

Head to christinawhitlock.com/speaking for more information.

My three year (!) podcast anniversary is coming up

My three year (!) podcast anniversary is coming up quick!

Thank you for spending your Monday mornings (and beyond!) with me: your Anytime Piano Teacher Friend.

(Because, really… who *doesn’t* need more piano teacher friends?) 🤷🏼‍♀️

Cheers to YOU and all the light you bring the world around you. 🥂

I have endless respect for these teachers… …

I have endless respect for these teachers…

…so, to have them enjoy and find value in work I put into the world?

Sigh. Life = affirmed. 🥹

If you haven’t taken part in guided self-reflection or professional development in awhile, here’s your chance.

I love music teacher conferences more than anyone (seriously🤓)… but the lesser-discussed benefits are what goes on INSIDE OUR OWN HEADS during the event.

I can listen to brilliant people teach me things all day long… but at the end of the day, it’s MY beliefs… MY approach… MY ideas 💡that shape the lesson experience I provide.

The Studio Foundations Course was designed to straddle that balance.

Yes, let’s learn together… but ALSO YES: let’s make sure you have the opportunity to fit these tried-and-true perspectives to your own framework.

Head to christinawhitlock.com/foundations for details! This session’s doors open on Monday, 09.04. 🌟

…hope to see you on the inside! 🥂

🙋🏼‍♀️ Raise your hand if you agree! 🙋🏼‍♀️

THE NEXT SESSION OF THE STUDIO FOUNDATIONS COURSE

THE NEXT SESSION OF THE STUDIO FOUNDATIONS COURSE IS OFFICIALLY OPEN! 🥂

(Sorry for caps-shouting at you, but I am JUST 👏🏻 SO 👏🏻 EXCITED!)

The SFC covers 14 core beliefs focused on maintaining passion and excitement for what we do, for the long-haul.

Mary W., course alumna, says, “Christina has worked hard to put together a highly-informative, very organized, thought-provoking, and just plain FUN Studio Foundations Course. The course is worth every penny and then some. We all need this kind of encouragement and enrichment.”

If *you* are in need of a casual, low-commitment way to deepen your love (and effectiveness!) for the work we do, the Studio Foundations Course is for you.

Our six week sessions break the course down into portions that require an hour or less from you each week.

$129 buys you 17 video lessons, a robust workbook, private Facebook Group access, and bi-annual Zoom meetings with course alumni.

AND - as a LAUNCH BONUS - anyone booking BEFORE 4:00pm, eastern time, on Wednesday (08.29) will be given the opportunity to book a FREE 15-minute mini-consultation, 1-1 with me. 🥰 Ask me anything: course material, studio questions, repertoire recommendations… my brain will be yours. 🧠

Head to christinawhitlock.com/foundations to secure your spot. It’s shaping up to be an incredible group of teachers and we would LOVE to include you!🤩

Ahh, the fascinating mind games of MusicTeacherWor

Ahh, the fascinating mind games of MusicTeacherWorld…

A point of intrigue for me is the way we must simultaneously accept the fact that

(1) we have much knowledge worth sharing, and (2) we have so much to learn.

Today, I’m offering a permission slip to embrace BOTH of these truths.

Check out Episode 141 for more…

Full transcript and more at christinawhitlock.com/episode141

Episode 140 was all about Emotional Labor this wee

Episode 140 was all about Emotional Labor this week. 🌟

…emotional labor comes with almost every aspect of our work:

From trying to see the lesson experience through the eyes of our students…

…to building policies and tuition structures that establish fair treatment…

…and for all. the. questions. we find ourselves answering, pondering, and responding to *just so*. 🙃

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: this is not a “woe-is-me, teachers-have-it-so-hard” kind of conversation. Instead, it’s a, “hey: pay-attention-to-this-stuff-so-you-can-approach-your-work-with-better-expectations-and-boundaries” kind of talk. 👏🏻

I hope you’ll listen in AND I hope you’ll join me MONDAY - 08.28.23 - for my Anything-But-Boring webinar. Register at christinawhitlock.com/together.

*replay will be made available, but only to those who register!

REGISTER AT christinawhitlock.com/together 🎶 L

REGISTER AT christinawhitlock.com/together 🎶

Let’s GET OUR ACTS TOGETHER, well, together! 🤣

Spend an hour with me on Monday, August 28th as I share three key actions plans focused on ways to better support 1️⃣ Our students, 2️⃣ their parents, and - of course - 3️⃣ OURSELVES.

Spending time with teacher friends is one of my very favorite things to do. Come hang out (or catch the replay) and get some valuable freebies, as well as a special offer on the next 6-week session of the Studio Foundations Course.

Want to help spread the word? TAG A TEACHER FRIEND in the comments.

christinawhitlock.com/together 🤍🤍🤍

Today we are naming the previously-unnamed: The

Today we are naming the previously-unnamed:

The question is: are you adequately acknowledging the role emotional labor plays in your job?

That’s the goal of episode 140; along with a reciprocal reminder that *our* role causes emotional labor for students and parents, too. This is not a one-sided partnership.🤓

Cheers to YOU and ALL the work you put into education, my treasured teacher friends! 🥂

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