If you ask the average music teacher what teaching is, they'll describe Acquire. The fourth letter of the ADVANCE method is the part most studios think is the whole job. The teacher introduces a new skill. The student works on it. The teacher gives feedback. The student practices. Eventually, the skill lands. That's Acquire. TheContinue reading "The Part of Teaching Most Studios Think Is the Whole Job"
Private Lessons + JAM Camp: Why We Tell Parents to Do Both
A parent emailed last spring asking if JAM Camp was worth it when her son was already in lessons. Here's what I told her — and why "isn't lessons enough?" is the wrong question.
The Step Most Music Teachers Skip — and Why We Refuse To
Remember the kid I told you about a few posts ago? The one who was "learning Riptide" and couldn't tell me what it was teaching him? This is the post about what his teacher should have done instead. The third letter of the ADVANCE method is Validate. It's the step that turns a song intoContinue reading "The Step Most Music Teachers Skip — and Why We Refuse To"
Why I Started JAM Camp
I built JAM Camp because I kept watching kids hit a wall I couldn't get them through in a 30-minute lesson. Here's the longer version of that story — and the pattern I kept seeing in teenagers that finally made me do something about it.
Why the Best Music Students Eventually Stop Asking What to Play Next
A few weeks ago, a student walked into her lesson with a list. Not a request. A list. Some Broadway numbers she wanted to learn on piano. A folk song she'd been singing at home that she wanted to figure out on ukulele. A classical choir part she was working on at school that sheContinue reading "Why the Best Music Students Eventually Stop Asking What to Play Next"