Welcome to Music Teachers Insightful Practices (MTIPS) Newsletter!
Written and Published by Nicholas Ambrosino
www.musicsimplymusic.com
mailto:director@musicsimplymusic.com

February 4, 2001

Table of Contents:

1. MTIPS Theme
2. Welcome Notes
3. MTIPS Archives are Up!
4. MTIPS Development
5. Notable Birthdays
6. Notable Quotables
7. Q and A

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1. MTIPS Theme

It is very easy to fall into the “I have plenty of time” trap. You know
the, “I-won’t-see-my-teacher-for-2- weeks, so-I’ll-practice-next-week.”
syndrome. That is not how goals are achieved.

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2. Welcome Notes

Welcome to Music Teachers Insightful Practices (MTIPS) Newsletter!

Thank you for assisting me in exceeding my goals for new subscribers!
MTIPS now reaches 264 music educators/musicians throughout the
world I consider it an honor that you find MTIPS valuable enough to
pass it on. Thanks! My next goal is 300 by the end of April.

Shameless Marketing Plug:
If you know someone who would benefit by subscribing to MTIPS,
please forward them this copy and if they choose, they can click on the
link below to become a monthly subscriber.

http://www.musicsimplymusic.com/newsletters.htm

MTIPS is a FREE monthly newsletter that’s goal is to provide piano
teachers (hopefully you!) with insightful practices that will make the
career of sharing music with soon-to-be-musicians a more rewarding
and successful one. Please let me know how I can be of further service
to you. You may contact me at:
mailto:nickambrosino@musicsimplymusic.com

Be sure to check our web site at:
http://www.musicsimplymusic.com
We have lots of information, and resources you can use. We’re
constantly adding and up-dating, so check it often!

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3. MTIPS archives are up! Many MTIPS subscribers have requested
back issues of MTIPS. Well, I have finally posted all of them
(there are 20 issues!). You can check them out at
http://www.musicsimplymusic.com/mtipsarchives.htm (I didn’t
actually post them, my wonderful web person, Kristie from
www.kristiescustomdesign.com did! Thanks Kristie!)

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4. MTIPS Development

Well, we are now 1/12 through the New Year. Are you 1/12 closer to
“getting” the goals you set for yourself and with your students back in
January? Have you set up your success team to support you in making
2001 the most incredible year? If not, read on!

It is very easy to fall into the “I have plenty of time” trap. You know
the, “I-won’t-see-my-teacher-for-2- weeks, so-I’ll-practice-next-week.”
syndrome. That is not how goals are achieved. The only way to
complete a major musical work is the same way you complete your life,
one note or day at a time! Don’t allow your students to fall into the
trap of limited success. The trap that is tripped by thinking that success
occurs in one big burst, one huge event, that you can achieve it
overnight. Assist them in creating the “next reasonable challenge”.

The “next reasonable challenge” was a term used by one of my
mentors. It is a term used to describe the gradient at which a person
learns. The only person who knows what this appropriate gradient is, is
the learner. So ask him/her!

Ask your student, “Is the challenge we set up for next week too much,
too little, or just right?” I called the next reasonable challenge, The
Three Bears Question. Share with your student that you want the
challenge chosen, such that the student feels successful by the end of
the week, not bored (too little) or frustrated “too much”. Once the
student and you create the appropriate challenge, assist the student in
creating a DAILY next reasonable challenge.

So the yearly goal is made into 12 monthly goals, the monthly goal is
set into weekly goals and finally, the weekly goal is set into a daily next
reasonable challenge goal. With these simple steps, the most
seemingly difficult obstacles are accomplishable, one note at a time.

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5. Notable Birthdays

Georg Friedrich Handel 2/11
Felix Mendelssohn 2/3
Gioacchino Rossini 2/29

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6. Notable Quotable

Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.
William Butler Yeats

Creativity helps us realize that we don’t have to understand everything.
We can enjoy something - feel it and use it - without ever fully
comprehending it.
Faith Ringgold, Artist and Author
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7. Q and A

Q: What do I do when a student does not achieve the goal he set for the
week?

A: There are many reasons this may have occurred. Create a dialogue
with the student. First find out if was just a difficult week. Perhaps the
student had several school projects and tests. Or maybe the student was
out of town for a vacation. Let it be ok to not practice in these
situations. Next, ask if the week’s goals were too many or too difficult.
If either was the case, you and the student are learning how to set
reasonable goals. Reset the goals and see how the next week goes.
Finally, some students need external support in achieving their goals.
Find out if the student needs parental support in setting up a daily
practice time and them speak with the parent and the student together in
creating this arrangement.

Copyright © 2000 Nicholas Ambrosino. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute MTIPS so long as this cop1yright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached. The author of this article is Nicholas Ambrosino and he may be contacted at:

http://www.musicsimplymusic.com
director@musicsimplymusic.com

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