FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What age should my child start piano lessons?
As a general rule, a good time to start girls in piano lessons is around age 5 - 6. A good time to start boys in piano lessons is a little bit later, around age 6 - 7. Children that take piano lessons should be able to sit and concentrate and listen to directions for a thirty minute session. They should also be able to read numbers and letters well and recognize left and right. Most importantly they should be able to understand the process of piano lessons and that they are required to practice on their own outside of lesson times. A twenty to thirty minute evaluation lesson should be given to beginning students at these ages.
What age should my child start voice lessons?
Opinions differ on this subject from teacher to teacher but my personal opinion is that girls should begin vocal study between the ages of 10 - 13. Boys should begin vocal study at a later age, between the ages of 13 - 16. In some situations vocal study can be started earlier than age 10 but the primary focus of lessons at this age should be fun and for the purpose of training the ear, working on performance anxiety and very basic vocal technique. More advanced vocal training should begin in the early teenage years after the student has experienced vocal changes during puberty. Be cautious of any teacher that wants to "train" a young child's voice. In many cases you will pay for inadequate teaching and put your child at risk for irreversible vocal damage.
How long of a lesson should I take?
Lessons are usually taken in half hour or hour sessions. Students that take hour lessons (with regular weekly attendance) are the most successful in my studio. Half hour sessions are good for beginners and for younger students. I feel that middle school, high school and adult students should commit to weekly hour sessions.
How much should my child practice a day?
I leave the entire practice routine up to the student and the parent. I assume that if you want to take lessons then you are going to put in the practice that is required for you to learn the art form. A little practice each day is better than none. A set amount of practice each day is even better than a little practice. The practice routine should be set up and understood between the parents and the student because in most cases the parents are paying for the lessons. If you are engaging in "the practice fight" on a regular basis then the dedication to lessons should be re-evaluated.
Why don't you accept voice students that also participate in cheer leading?
In my experience as a vocal coach I have seen the damage that cheer leading can do to your voice. Vocally, it is very demanding and most cheer leading coaches do not properly teach cheerleaders how to yell in a healthy and supported manner. In most cases, students that participate in cheer leading are putting more hours into yelling and screaming than they are into singing practice. The two cannot go hand in hand. It is frustrating for me to try to teach singing to cheer leading students and it is also a waste of money for the student. Please check out the links below to read more about vocal health.
Florida Center for Vocal Health
The Most Successful Students & Getting the Most for Your Money
I have taught literally hundreds of students in my teaching career. I have also personally taken hundreds upon hundreds of music lessons in my lifetime - maybe even into the thousands. I can safely say that I can tell in the first two lessons how successful a student will be in reaching their goals.
A successful student does the following:
Brings their materials to their lesson!! This includes tape recorders, video cameras, music books, notes, translations and anything else you have been given.Is consistent in their lesson attendance. If a lesson has to be missed, they always try to make it up.
Listens to the suggestions of the teacher and works to incorporate those suggestions into the lesson.
Practices!! The old adage really does ring true here, if you are taking lessons and you never practice outside of your lesson time, it will take you years to reach your goals. As a teacher and coach, I can only teach you what you are ready to learn.
Comes to each lesson with a goal or project in mind. Students that use their lesson time to address issues they are having in their practice are always the most successful. Each lesson begins with tremendous potential for achievement, focus and accomplishment. Coming to your lesson unprepared or without a plan for the day is really unacceptable.
Takes advantage of ALL performing possibilities. Performing takes practice. Students that perform on a regular basis in shows, recitals, auditions and competitions are the most successful students in my studio.
Listens to Recordings. This is must! You have to listen to music to be a good musician.
Attends Live Performances. Another absolute must. Live performances are losing audiences to recordings and videos in this age. If you want to be a performer and you expect people to attend your events, you have to support your art and other artists.
My child is interested in a career in music and/or musical theatre. Where should we begin?
Time and time again I get inquiries from parents and students that are seriously planning to have a career in music, performing and musical theatre. In many cases the student is in their last part of high school and getting ready to enter college. When I inquire as to what training has been done the most common answer is "none".
For someone that is seriously considering a musical or performing career the training needs to begin at a very young age. The competition in this world is too great. If you wait until you are in your late teens you are already years behind your competition. You WILL put a lot of money into following your dreams and you may not get a high return on the investment in your training.
Tips for students interested in performing careers:
1) Piano Lessons (Everyone in performance careers should have basic music reading and piano skills.)
2) Dance Lessons (Musical Theatre students MUST have dance training - no exceptions.)
3) Voice Lessons (Singers MUST have basic vocal training.)
4) Acting Lessons (All performers should take basic acting and movement for stage lessons and workshops.)
5) Audition for Performances (In order to begin building a performance resume you MUST get out there and start performing. NEVER refuse a role because you feel it is too "small".)
6) Head shots & Resumes (Required for all theatre and musical theatre auditions and many vocal auditions). Head shots should be done once a year. Resumes should be updated several times a year. NEVER submit a head shot that is over a year old or a resume that is out of date!!)
7) Networking & Connecting (Begin to recognize those people that can help your career later on and make good and lasting impressions and connections. All serious performers should have information online and in print/recording format. Web sites and Demo CD's and packets are great tools.)
8) Competitions and Recitals (Take advantage of every opportunity to perform for an audience - there is no substitute. If you are looking at a career in performing and you have little to no experience performing for an audience, re-evaluate your decisions.)
9) Professionalism (Hold yourself to a very high level of professionalism at any age. This goes for parents as well. Talent only takes you so far in this business. A bad attitude or having a bad reputation will hurt you in more ways than one.)
10) Expand Your Horizons (Explore all the possibilities that exist in your element. Artists that are versatile and talented in many areas are in higher demand than those that specialize.)
POLICIES & ETIQUETTE
LESSON ETIQUETTE:
DO NOT come to your session sick. Schedule a makeup, stay home, rest and work on getting well. A fever, "a little bit of a sore throat", a sore throat, over exhaustion, vocal fatigue and allergies are all reasons to cancel your lesson. Please consider your health and the health and wellness of those around you.
DO come to your session on time and with your materials. NO Gum please. Cell Phones OFF please.Piano Students: Please wash your hands before you begin.
ACCOMPANIST SERVICES:
I do some accompanying for my students outside of lessons and student recitals. As a general rule, I do not accompany my own students in auditions or competitions. Students that need accompanists need to arrange them on their own or use accompanists that I have secured for special performances. Students are responsible for paying their own accompanist fees in addition to lesson fees. Please contact me regarding other accompanying services.AUDITION/COMPETITION/RECITAL FEES:
Students that wish to participate in events that require me to attend extra practices with accompanists should be prepared to pay an additional fee for all additional rehearsal/coaching time. There will be a small fee for students participating in recitals. This fee goes towards performance space rental fees and programs, etc.
CONCERT ETIQUETTE:
Standard concert etiquette should be observed in all performance venues.
DO NOT enter or leave a performance space when someone is performing.
DO NOT bring small children that cannot sit quietly to performances.
DO NOT attend a concert if you are sick, sneezing or coughing.
DO turn off all electronic devices and cell phones.
Wikipedia article on Concert EtiquettePOLICIES:
All coaching sessions must be paid for on the first lesson day of the month for the entire month. Any outstanding fees for materials should be paid for as soon as possible. Future coaching sessions will be terminated for non-payment.Coaching sessions/lessons for most students are hourly appointments. I feel that my students make the most progress and are the most dedicated in hour lessons. I will offer 30 minute appointments for beginning piano students during the primer level of piano books. At the completion of the primer level the students moves to an hour lesson.
24 Hours notice is required to cancel your session. Make-ups will be offered only in the event of emergency or illness.
Abuse of the coaching policies and frequent "No-Show" appointments will result in cancellation of future coaching sessions.
All students and parents receive a FREE student account at MusicTeachersHelper.com. This account allows you access to your payment history and payment due dates, account balance, lesson schedule, repertoire lists, practice log, studio announcements and other related lesson information.
Students should plan to begin to build up their own music libraries (this includes CD's and sheet music.) It is not acceptable to use photocopied music or unauthorized copies of recordings that violate copyright laws. Students should begin to look at the suggested music list and discuss with me what music they should purchase. All students should consider obtaining their own music downloading service for personal use.APPROPRIATE MUSIC SELECTIONS:
I am a strong believer that children should sing songs that are age appropriate in subject matter. I discuss the subject matter of songs with my students and I do not feel comfortable discussing adult situations and subjects with young children. It simply is not appropriate. For that reason, I am very choosy about what songs I give to my young singing students. If you are a parent that wants to put your child into singing lessons in my studio, do not expect for them to be singing pop music about adult subject matter.
AVAILABILITY TO STUDENTS:
If you need to reach me, please leave a phone message or email me. I will get back to you as soon as I am able to do so. There are days when I am in a long series of lessons and not available to students. Please plan ahead so your needs do not become emergencies.