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Shopping around for a music teacherSometime last year, a friend of mine who’s a wedding coordinator was telling me about the most common issues she runs into with new clients: Many couples think they don’t need all her services or that it’s too expensive to be worth it. They assume they can just take care of things themselves and it will come out just fine.For example, one bride-to-be was telling my friend that she planned to go to the LA flower district a few days before her wedding and buy everything to make all the bouquets and arrangements herself. My friend told her two major reasons why she should not. First, it’s a time-consuming task
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image by wal_172619 on pixabay Learning unfamiliar music in lessonsI’ve said before that learning how to play or sing a piece of music isn’t the only thing a student is learning in lessons. But it’s certainly a big part of what we do in lessons, and being able to perform pieces is, arguably, the main purpose of lessons.Sometimes students make requests to learn particular pieces, and sometimes I accommodate them. People always want to learn to sing or play something they already know and love. It’s such a great motivator, and I want my students to work towards goals they care about.But I also c
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Do you want to support a young music student in your life, but you’re not sure what to do? Here are 11 ways you can help them.
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Practicing is a hot topic among musicians. It’s relevant to everyone, musician or not, because we all practice things. We all prepare, in some way, when we want to be ready for something. But what does it take to be truly ready?
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How long do you have to take music lessons to see results? I don’t think sounding amazing as quickly as possible should be your biggest concern, but I'll give you a timeline anyway!
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Do “difficult” students resist instruction just to be difficult, or are they responding to their own feelings? Here’s why I’d rather let my piano students learn more slowly than teach them to ignore how they feel.
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Music doesn’t come from some mystical source called "talent" - it can be learned, and it can be learned by anybody. Being talented, or the idea of being talented, can actually get in your way!
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Hello! I’m Laurel. This is my blog. I’m an LA-area musician and music teacher and a generally opinionated person. I have a lot to say on many topics, but what I’ll mostly be writing about here is teaching and learning music.
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I have a short answer to this frequently-asked question, and a medium-length answer, and a long answer. Find out what good practicing looks and feels like, and how it helps you make progress.
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Singing together, virtually! How do online music lessons work?Online lessons are hugely popular right now. COVID-19 has us all at home in front of screens, trying to use the Internet to do things we’d otherwise be doing in person. So, now that we’re all getting so familiar with online conferencing programs, especially Zoom, it’s the perfect time to try taking music lessons online.According to TakeLessons.com, a company I’ve been using to connect with students for several years, 86% of their July sales were for online lessons, compared with 37% in February before lockdown began. Many teachers h
