Tuesday, July 14, 2020 by Julie Newton | Music Lessons

Stick With The Music: 

Help Kids Find Their New Normal

We are in unprecedented and difficult times.              

The disruption of many studio piano teachers have had to come up with ways to use distance learning.  Teaching online has taken the personal touch away from the students and makes it at times frustrating to communicate.   Parents of students have fears related to the COVID-19, Corona Virus, outbreak and have become very stressful for parents and kids across the world. What can parents, and we as a music teachers do to keep kids playing and help ease some of this new anxiety… while still finding routine in what is called the “new normal”? 

Maintain a Regular Routine                                                            

Parents need to continue their normal day to the best of your abilities…consistent time for waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast, doing the School homework, music practice time, taking snack breaks, going outside for recreation.

Stay Connected

There are so many ways to Facetime, Video Chat to call friends from their school and relatives. There are many private music classes available and most can be done online from your home which could still unleash their inner virtual success.

Inspiring YouTube Videos or Live Streams Performances

Music teacher can be a great resource for recommending online videos to keep students inspired and motivated. Music & Arts curates a list of daily live streams for musicians, check them out!

Stay Positive

Practicing isn’t always fun, and stay-at-home orders aren’t fun either. Talk about things that brings your  family together or things that are going well both with music and in other things you are doing, help them choose activities that are positive and that will improve the mood.

This Won't Last Forever

Perhaps easier said than done, reassure them that, despite the struggles, this “new normal” iwon't last forever. Talk about being how your family can be flexible in coping with each day’s new challenges.

Building a routine and self-discipline for practice will help them with many other life-skills as well as success for the future.

As a piano/voice teacher for over 40 years, I send hope to my students and their families and future students and families.  Online teaching is safe and secure for the time being.  If you think about online lessons you can go anywhere to get piano or voice lessons.            

Register Now!

Monday, July 9, 2018 by Julie Newton | Music Lessons

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 by Julie Newton | Music Lessons

April 16, 2018 By Sharlene Habermeyer

School is winding down. Parents and kids are getting ready to launch into the “lazy-days-of-summer.” But educators are worried. They know that during the summer, kids will forget a chunk of information learned in class over the past 9 months. When they return to school in the fall, teachers will spend the first two months reviewing everything students forgot during those hot sunny days.

Parents…ask yourself, “What can I do to help my child retain what he/she has learned in school this year?”

There are many worthwhile summer programs that will get your kids moving and participating in fun and educational exercises. But some programs outweigh others when it comes to brain-building activities. For instance, nothing beats music lessons for strengthening the brain and helping your child retain information.

If your kids take music lessons or are involved in specific music programs during the summer, when they start back to school in the fall, their brains will be in tip-top shape! (but don’t stop the lessons–keep them going).

As I’ve said in previous blogs, music is the only activity we do that exercises the entire brain—left, right, front, back portions—simultaneously. Learning a musical instrument is giving the brain a major aerobic workout.

And, it’s just what the teacher ordered to safeguard retention of information during the summer.

See Video