When it comes to sweets I can say no to just about anything but brownies or cookies. I rarely make brownies but man, do I love them. I’m looking forward to trying this interesting recipe which uses black beans as a base. Sounds gross, I know, but I have a feeling they’ll be a winning “healthy brownie” recipe.
2 – Willing to be Ridiculous
“…if I want to chase after beauty in this world and make art, I have to maintain my right to be ridiculous.”
Attending the national conferences is always something to look forward to (besides the expense of course! :-). There’s always so much going on and new and exciting things to check out. More than anything I look forward to meeting all of you face to face who I only get to see online otherwise!
My roomie, Joy Morin and I are planning on arriving on Friday the 16th. Even though it was a great time, I’m not planning a Piano Pantry dinner like I did in Baltimore (2017). Disney is just too crazy of a place to organize a formal meet-up!
We wanted a chance to hang out with ya’ll though, so we are planning on being at the Laguna Bar at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort (the Conference Hotel) on Friday evening around 8:00 pm.
If you haven’t already scoped it out online, the outdoor area at Coronado Springs looks pretty cool. I hope we have good weather!
No need to RSVP, just plan on coming by if you can. If you’d like to drop me a message, feel free to contact me here or comment on this post.
Hope to see you there!
Don’t Leave too Early!
I’m also looking forward to presenting a session at the conference! It will be my second time ever at a National Conference. Yea! The first time was at 2016 MTNA in San Antonio.
My session is called Taming the Jungle: Digital Management Strategies for the Independent Music Teacher.
It was a privilege to get the chance to present the same session to all the wonderful teachers of Louisville MTA in Louisville, Kentucky this past weekend.
If you’re not too tired by then or already heading to the airport, I hope to see you there!
“Educating children for expertise suits the economy. We need the people who do the jobs to be as good as possible at them. But what we lose when we let the ethos of success dominate is the sheer fulfillment of doing things that absorb us even if we’re relatively bad at them.”
Candy jar contests are sure to grab the interest of young and old alike. Let’s be honest here, when is the last time you turned down an opportunity to guess the number of items in a jar whether it be candy, pennies, or otherwise! 🙂
In my piano studio, I find the candy jar contest to be an easy way to build community. It may feel a little far-reaching, but since most music lessons are solo events, any time I can create an opportunity for all students to engage in the same thing (even if they’re not doing it together all at once), I consider that a win.
Getting sick. Ugh. The only good part of being sick is you can watch endless episodes of your favorite show while wallowing in your misery on the couch at home.
Otherwise, it’s the nemesis of every teacher. Why? Because it’s more of a pain to catch up on life than it is to simply have a normal day.
The flu is running rampant this year. Twenty percent of my students canceled last week from either being sick or having a family member sick (in which case they didn’t want to spread it around-thank you!).
Yes, getting sick as a teacher is often the result of exposure to so many students every week. More so than that, though, I’m more likely to get sick when I’ve not been taking care of myself. That could be lack of sleep, stress, or getting out of the habit of physical activity and/or taking daily supplements.
Today I want to share a few ways we can be proactive in our studios and with our personal health – especially during the winter months when we’re on high “germ alert.”
*Disclaimer: All advice and opinions posted here are simply from my own experiences. I am not a health professional nor do I claim to be.
Clean Environment
Keep your studio and teaching area clean. Regularly clean areas touched by students including door handles, computer keyboard and mouse, and of course the bathroom.
Clean Piano
I’ve never had luck with remembering to enforce this, but having students wash their hands with soap and water before coming to the piano would be ideal.
Avoid hand sanitizer as it has proven less effective than good old soap. I’ve also been told (by my piano tuner) that hands covered in hand sanitizer could possibly cause cracks in the piano key surface. The same goes for antibacterial wipes.
Keep it simple. Stash a cloth nearby and regularly wipe down the piano keys. A lightly sprayed cotton cloth with a vinegar-water mixture would suffice, or try a cleaning cloth such as the Guardsman Dusting Cloth.
The Guardsman cloth is a wonderful, gentle cloth that won’t scratch your piano and has a very lightly tacky surface that is brilliant at collecting dust. Find them at your local hardware.
You could even consider using the Norwex Antimicrobial Window Polishing Cloth for the keys, but I would not recommend using it or any of the other Norwex rags on the body of the piano as I would be afraid their material might scratch the surface.
Curious about what Music Learning Theory (MLT) really is?Did you know that “MLT” differs from “music learning theory?” My friend Joy Morin has just posted an eloquently-written article over at ColorInMyPiano.com explaining just that.
When I first discovered podcasts years ago, I went bananas. Every free moment I was listening to one – working out, driving, making the bed, cooking dinner, laminating and cutting out teaching aids – you name it. I couldn’t get enough.
It almost got to the point where it felt like a to-do list. I didn’t want to miss an episode of any of the podcasts I was following (the list was much shorter then).
Then one day it hit me. I’m burnt out. I simply have not had the motivation to listen to any-more, especially those that are more than 30 minutes.
Keep in mind I’m talking about on a weekly basis. There are those times on long drives or when I’m mowing the yard in the summer when I’m happy to plug in and listen to a long show, but in general, I am now reaching only for those that are 30 minutes or less and even more frequently 20 minutes or less.
So, today I wanted to share with you my favorite podcasts under 20 minutes.
Andy Stanley Leadership Podcast
Host: Andy Stanley (Also known for: Pastor at Atlanta-based North Point Ministries)
Description: “A conversation designed to help leaders go further.”
Episodes worth mentioning: 03.02.2017 Creating a Culture of Continual Improvement 05.05.2017 Doing What Only You Can Do 07.07.2017 How to Lead When You’re Not In Charge
Seth Godin has a new podcast! Nuf said.
Sports-themed Iwako Erasers. You name it, they make it in a Japanese Eraser. Thank you, Iwako for helping piano teachers make lessons fun.
