Blog

Let’s Talk About It

Teaching is easy. I bet you’re laughing right now. But really. Think about it. You know your subject. You are passionate about your content. You know what’s difficult? Talking to parents. Think about it for a moment. Even if all you’re doing is giving the parent an update on how their child is doing, it can be a nerve-wracking conversation. But there are ways to make it a less daunting prospect.

First off, relax. Both you and the parent(s) want the best for the student. Both of you are also probably nervous. Don’t get defensive. Both of you do know best and now you have to find a middle ground.

Before you start the meeting, have an idea of what you want to talk to the parent about. Even if all you can think of are negatives, make sure to have some positives. Start off with those positives. But don’t use them all up, keep one in reserve for the end. You want to end on that positive note.

Parents, please don’t go into the meeting thinking that the teacher is going to tell you all the things they think you are doing wrong. While you’ve known your child longer, they see your child in a different light. I promise you, your child can sometimes seem like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when you and the teacher compare notes. And you might not know which side of the child you’re seeing.

Finally, as with all meetings, both parties need to go into the meeting with an open mind. In the long run, both the teacher and the parent want what is best for the student. That’s something we can all agree on.

guitar, student

Charlie Puth and Commentary

In this video, Charlie Puth is breaking down how he wrote his hit song, “Attention”. I have always been a HUGE fan of Charlie Puth and his music. I came across this video the other day and was really intrigued by his song writing process. Being classically trained, I am constantly looking at the sheet music and putting all my focus in that. Even when I wrote compositions during music school, it would be on sheet music. Charlie thinks outside of the box. He puts all of his music on his phone in his voice notes app when he has a song idea. What was interesting about this video is how he goes through his song writing process, by playing, mixing and layering different parts together into the final product. Charlie uses his ears and knowledge of different musical genres and backgrounds into his pop music and as he says, “likes to trick people into what they are hearing”. I love seeing what songs start out as and how they grow into the final product.

I thought about using this a couple of different ways. First, I wanted to remind myself to make sure my students know where different ideas in music come from as we are learning them (which I normally do, but this is important!). I also want them to play different genres of music so they have that knowledge. Secondly, I wanted to show them alternatives to writing music. Not everyone writes it down on sheet music. This also teaches how important it is to know your scales, intervals, and to use your ear, whether you are reading sheet music or if you are improvising or composing. I would like to implement more ear training into my lessons for my students.

– Ms. Kristen Hyatt

New and Old Violins

Have you heard that older violins are better? Or modern ones? There is no perfect instrument out there, despite all the known ideas out there.

According to MTMS instructor Nitin Sharma, age is one consideration of a stringed instrument’s sound. Vibrations of the wood cause the grain to loosen and expand over time. “Matured” instruments can sound so full and loud, but this is only true of a well-loved instrument, not one that is simply displayed.

The understanding is that this is all stringed instruments, including guitars and piano. There is a limit to how much this changes the sound, and the limits are more about the craftsmanship of the instrument and the quality of the wood used to create it. Some very cheap instruments have particleboard, MDF, or plywood, which is terrible due to the way those pieces have been constructed without a uniform wood grain.

Nitin’s teacher in college had a real enthusiasm for violins. “t least once a month he would come in with a different violin, different bow, or different strings and ask me how I perceived his playing. It really teaches you a lot about your instrument when you experiment with it like that and I would suggest, if you play any sort of string instrument, to start experimenting with different strings! It can make a world of difference in your sound. So many people just go with the most popular brand, like Ernie Ball for guitars or Dominant for Violins, but there are so many options out there that can really transform your instrument.”

Stringed instrument users – have you changed your strings? Have you looked into a different brand? I might change my guitar strings today, and try a brand I haven’t before.

violin, student