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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.
https://www.laurelsandersmusic.com -
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.
https://www.laurelsandersmusic.com -
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
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Do Singers Need to Learn to Read Music?Lots of singers learn by ear and feel that that’s enough for them to be a good singer. Why should they put in a lot of work to learn to read music when they can already learn music by listening to it? Don’t get me wrong, I think developing your ear is an essential skill for all singers! But music reading is also immensely useful for singers who take the trouble to learn it.Like any investment, you have to decide whether it’s worth the cost. You can walk everywhere you need to go, for free. Or, you can save up for a bike and learn to ride it. If you almost never go anywhere out of walking distance, you m
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Micki Porcaro, “Opus 36” by Dustin O’Halloran, from “Marie Antoinette” (2006)Micki Porcaro is a 17 year old student with ambition and dedication beyond her years. She's been taking lessons with me for two years and has made tremendous progress during that time. For these reasons and many more, Micki has been chosen as my first Student Feature.Outside of piano, Micki also played in her high school orchestra and has been playing drums for five years. In this interview, we'll find out more about Micki's musical experiences, goals and plans for the future.Tell me about a musical experience in your life that was really meaningful to you.A musical experience that was special to me was when I went to London and saw my dad’s band at Royal Albert Hall. I think I really realized then that (mu
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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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An open letter to the struggling studentDear student,I see you struggling. I know you’re feeling embarrassed. And I want you to know, I’m not mad at you. I would not want to be mad at you, and I hope never to get mad at you.All of these things, it’s okay for you to do:Say, “I don’t know”Play or sing the wrong noteGive the wrong answerMess up your songSound badNot get it right on the first tryNot get it right on the 100th trySay, “I don’t understand”Ask questions about musicSay, “I still don’t understand”I want you to know I don’t expect you to get everything right the first time. Making mistakes and struggling is how we learn; it’s not just
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How to help your child practice musicThere’s just no two ways about it: you can’t be successful in music lessons without practicing. When you sign your child up for music lessons, you probably realize they’ll be expected to practice. You probably also know that if their practicing is lacking, they won’t make much progress and will lose interest and motivation.Many articles have been written about how to help a child practice, or how to motivate a child to practice. Mine is based on my own experiences as a teacher and as a human. I’m not a child behavioral psychologist, but I was previously a child. And I’ve spent a great deal of time over my
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The Valley of DespairHave you ever discovered a new hobby, some skill or sport or something, and dived into it with great enthusiasm? What a great feeling, to be swept away by excitement and bury yourself in learning something new! But… after a while, sometimes, you hit a wall. You look around you at other people doing the thing you’re learning, and you realize how much better they are than you. That realization can be so demoralizing that you want to quit!The toughest part of learning music, or learning anything, is that point when you finally understand enough to realize you have a looooong way to go before you’re an expert. It’s part of w
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Writing reviews for music teachersReviews are such an essential part of how we live our lives these days. Whenever we want to try a new restaurant, find a plumber, or buy a kitchen appliance, we look it up online and read the reviews. Haven’t you ever driven past a new restaurant that looked interesting, only to Google it and find out it has an average rating of only two stars? Or imagine you’re shopping for a new vacuum cleaner online and there are several models within your price range with an average rating of 4.9 stars. So of course, you read the reviews to help you decide which one has the features you’re looking for. As a consume
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How long do I have to take lessons?A question private music teachers often have to field is, “How long do you have to take lessons?” It’s a tough question to interpret; I think those asking it might not have fully thought through what they mean by it.The answer is that it depends on your goals and it depends on your progress. We teachers can’t guarantee certain results or a certain timeline because learning is such an individual process. You may have knowledge and experience to build on, or you may be starting from zero. Your learning style may give you an advantage for developing certain skills. Or the way your brain works might make some a
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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
