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

March 5, 2001

Table of Contents:

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

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1. MTIPS Theme

A “non-goal” of a first lesson is showing the student how much YOU
know about music and how much YOU can help them. People don’t care
how much you know until they know how much you care.

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2. Welcome Notes

Welcome to Music Teachers Insightful Practices (MTIPS) Newsletter!

My staff and I have just completed a rewarding and exhausting weekend
of student recitals. It was absolutely invigorating to watch students grow
as people and musicians through their interaction with the arts. If you
have never put together a student recital, I highly recommend it. It is an
opportunity to celebrate the successes and efforts of you and your
students throughout the past year. This is my 11th annual recital and each
year it reaffirms why I do what I do.

A warm welcome MTIPS 23 new subscribers! And a special “thank you”
to all my colleagues and friends who have passed MTIPS onto your
friends and colleagues. I consider it an honor that you find MTIPS
valuable enough to pass it on. Thanks!

Shameless Marketing Plug:
If you know someone who would benefit by subscribing to MTIPS,
please simply 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 music
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! If you need any web site design
work done, call her. She is incredibly knowledgeable and
professional. Thanks Kristie!)

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4. MTIPS Development

The success of a first lesson, especially with a student who has switched
to you from another teacher, is crucial for both the educational and
business success of your private teaching practice. The main goal of any
first lesson is to create a strong rapport upon which a strong relationship
can be built. Rapport is the foundation of the house. Without a strong
foundation, the relationship cannot and will not progress. Build it strong
now, and any obstacles that arise in the future will be easily hurdled.

Some teachers use the first lesson to share with a student the geography
of the instrument and the translation of musical notation. Many students
leave the first lesson without even knowing their teacher’s full name!
How sad! Your students want to know who you are before they want to
know how much you know. A “non-goal” of a first lesson is showing the
student how much YOU know about music and how much YOU can help
them.

Use this (and probably the next 100!) lesson(s) to learn about each other.
Remember: A person doesn’t care how much you know, until he knows
how much you care. Care Care Care! Let your student know that you are
concerned about his success, that you are an advocate for his potential
and that you support him in any way you can in being the best he can be.

The question is, “How do people know you care?” Well let me ask you,
“How do you know when people care about you?” List 10 ways that
people show you they care about you. No, really, do it! Take the time to
make this list. It’s important in learning about your students, by first
knowing yourself. You can only know your student as well as you know
yourself. Stop reading right now, take out a pen or pencil and jot down
10-20 ways that people show you they care about you.

Did you list things that people give you? Gifts, flowers, cards, letters.
Those work. (Gets a little expensive with a full student load! May not be
too cost effective for a teacher! Although I have seen teachers extend
small occasional gifts to their students). Did you list special things that
people say to you? “I care about you”, “I enjoy spending time with you.”
(inexpensive, yet priceless!) Did you list when people recognize how
you are feeling without you having to tell them? “You seem a bit sad
today.” “You seem really excited to me!” Did you list compliments and
validations? “I love the sweater you’re wearing!” “I was looking forward
to spending time with you today.” Did you list when people are willing to
share a part of their life experience with you. “I’m having a tough day”,
“I can’t wait to tell you what happened to me this week!”

Let them know you care.

Use the above suggestion and watch your relationship with your students
blossom. They will know you care and will trust your suggestions.
Because “they don’t care how much you know, until they know how
much you care!”

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5. Notable Birthdays

JS Bach 3/21
Samuel Barber 3/9
Franz Joseph Haydn 3/31

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6. Notable Quotable

“Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but
from doing something worthwhile.”
Wilfred T. Grenfell
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7. Q and A

Q: I have a student who plays all of the correct notes and rhythms,
but the music sounds so blah. Even when he follows the dynamic
markings, it sounds very mechanical. Any suggestions?

A: You are describing a student who has not learned how to listen
to music in an emotional context. The solution takes time, and actually
works best when the student is using little effort. Simply play a short
passage the way you want the student to play it and have the student
imitate it to you as accurately as possible. If the student does not at first
get all of the little nuances, it is ok, don’t let them know they are not
doing exactly what you want. It will just close them down. Don’t even
talk about what to do! Simply play and have them echo. “A picture is
worth a thousand words”. They will gain sensitivity to the finer nuances
as they learn to listen more intently. Just keep playing for them and have
them imitate.

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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