Piano Teaching Solos For Sale on eBay

Music In Our Schools Month

March has been designated as the "Music In Our Schools" month by the National Association for Music Education (MENC).  Coordinated activities include the World's Largest Concert, which will be held on March 11.  Find out more at the MENC website and make your plans to support and promote music education in our schools.

The Traveling Music Teacher

Recently, I began a new approach to piano teaching:  I offer lessons in the student's home, rather than mine.  Why leave the convenience of my home studio for the inconsistency of other people's homes?  Why pay the extra gas expense and lose the opportunity to schedule lessons back-to-back?

When my family was small and my responsibilities were fewer, I would never have ventured outside of my home to teach piano.  There was plenty of room in my house for a baby sitter to watch the kids and my living room was the perfect place for a lesson that could be observed by parents when needed.  Students arriving a few minutes ahead of the next lesson were an excellent reminder for me to wrap up the session with my current student.  The clock was positioned near the piano, so I could keep an eye on the time as we progressed through each student's appointment.  I had everything I needed in a home studio and I didn't have to pay additional rent.  Life was good.

Through a variety of circumstances, however, I stopped teaching piano to focus on other needs of my family.  When I did begin teaching music again, several years later, it was in a classroom and the students were vocalists and band instrumentalists.  While I appreciate the growth opportunity that has come with teaching Band and Choir, piano will always be my first love.  When I decided to begin teaching piano again, I found that my living room was no longer the ideal home studio that it had once been.  Our family has grown and the living room has become the center of many family activities.  How would I teach piano here without seriously disrupting my family and how would I keep my family from seriously disrupting my lessons?

The answer appeared in a Craig's List ad for In-Home Music Teachers.  In-Home Music Teachers is one of several companies that hire music teachers to offer lessons in the student's home.  Many music teachers provide this service independantly as well. 

Through this opportunity, I have learned that, while there does not appear to be a huge demand for piano teachers where I live - perhaps there are already many other active teachers - there is a demand for piano teachers in an area that is approximately twenty minutes from my house.  One student leads to more students in the same area through word-of-mouth.  My commute is no different than the drive to work that many other people make and I am paid a fee that compensates for the drive.  Students and parents are willing to pay more for the convenience of having a music teacher come to their home.

Any music teacher who has more openings than students should consider offering the service of teaching in their student's homes.

Product Review: My First Piano Adventure

I recently began teaching a new piano student who is five years old. I've taught young beginners before and used different methods, but this time, I decided to try My First Piano Adventure by Nancy and Randall Faber. What an experience!

True to the innovative nature of the Piano Adventures series, My First Piano Adventure is a creative approach to teaching young piano students. Six "friends" are introduced to introduce concepts at the piano. The enclosed CD makes a wonderful practice companion. Lessons are divided into units and the corresponding Writing Book reinforces concepts learned in the Lesson Book.

Your student will enjoy My First Piano Adventure so much that practicing will never be a chore. Order your copy of My First Piano Adventure from The Music N More Store today and find out why it is a best-selling piano method for young beginners.

New Music Lessons for the New Year!

January is a time for beginning new things. After blowing our diets and budgets over Christmas, we resolve to lose weight, eat healthier, pay off our debts, and manage our money more effectively. Resolutions that are born from short-term feelings of guilt often have short endurance. There is one resolution, however, that is requires a long-term commitment and is, therefore, often continued through-out the year. It is the resolution to learn a musical instrument.


While the back-to-school season is the most common time to begin music lessons because we’re in the “back-to-school” mode, January is the second-most popular time for new music students to findmusic teachers. Perhaps someone received a new instrument for Christmas. Maybe a New Year’s Resolution is the driving force. Or the down time following Christmas has given room for pursuing new activities. Whatever the reason, students are looking for instructors in January and the smart music teacher will be ready to be found.


Teachers and students can find each other through the Music Teacher Locator. Teachers register their contact information and other criteria such as location, instrument, style, etc. Students enter instrument and zip code to find a teacher in their area. Everyone wins!

Mary, Did You Know?

This beautiful contemporary Christian original song was written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene. An introspective reflection of the birth and life of Christ, "Mary, Did You Know?" has been recorded by many artists from several different genres, including Contemporary Christian, Country, Classical, Jazz, and Pop.

The First Noel

First published in 1823 in a collection, The First Noel has been passed down since possibly as early as the 16th century. The song is of Cornish (English) origin, not French as some believe. The French spelling of the word "noel" is due to the Norman (French) influence on the English language after the Norman invasion in 1066. The title is sometimes spelled with the Anglo-Saxon "nowell".

www.wikipedia.org

www.carols.org