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Printables for Interviewing Students

Here are some sample forms for conducting student interviews, as promised.  Feel free to take a peek so you can make your own.  

• example New Student Interview form
• example Transfer Student Interview form
• example Student Information form

• coming soon: example Studio Policies handout

*** all documents under © 2009 Joy Morin ***

View this document on Scribd

View this document on Scribd

View this document on Scribd

How to Give the First Music Lesson: Interviewing the Student

Are you a frequent eHow user?  My husband and I both have accounts on eHow, where you can write your own “How to” articles and make money.  The money you make is based on how many times your article is read by others, and the money is safely deposited into your linked PayPal account.  Don’t expect to make a ton of money, but if you keep up on it, it may be enough to cover your website hosting expenses each month.  (That’s my current goal!)  Below is a link to the article I wrote that summarizes the information from my most recent blog post, about conducting student interviews:  

How to Give the First Music Lesson: Interviewing the Student

If you haven’t tried using eHow before, give it a shot!  There’s lots of great articles to browse through, and it is fairly easy to write your own articles.

Conducting Student Interviews

Many teachers interview prospective students before accepting them into their studio.  While I haven’t yet felt the need to do so with my own studio, after reading James Bastien’s insight concerning interviews in his book Teaching Piano Successfully, I’m convinced that interviewing students is a great idea — even if you are planning to accept the student anyway.  

It’s difficult to know how to spend the first lesson: should you buy a book in advance for the student, and jump right in?  Should you hold off on the music books, and first teach them the musical alphabet, some simple tunes, and maybe some five-finger patterns?  Maybe.  

But what if you spent the first lesson (whether it’s a beginner or transfer student) getting to know the student?  It might sound like a waste of time, but, as you know:

You have to take time to save time.  

If you could gain a better sense of the students’ musical level, wouldn’t it be so much easier to plan the student’s repertoire?  (Why didn’t I think of this sooner??)

James Bastien’s book contains some great suggestions for how to conduct student interviews.  Here’s my summary:

Purpose of the Interview

• To inform the parent(s) and student of the studio’s objectives and policies.  
  • This may include information concerning: length of lessons, tuition costs, cost of books/materials, accepted payment method, recitals and other performances, participation, etc.
  • It is advisable to type up Studio Policies handout for the parent/student to refer to as needed.
• To allow the teacher to gain information from both the parent and student, so as to better teach the student.  
  • It is advisable to type up a Student Information Form for the parent to fill out.  (to be blogged about soon!)
  • It may also be helpful to create a form for yourself to fill in as you interview the student.

Questions to Ask the Student

The first part of the interview should be completed without the parents’ presence in the room.  Politely ask the parent to fill out the Student Information Form in another room (dining room table or living room couch is fine).  You may also give them the Studio Policies at this time, so they can start reading it through if they have time left over while waiting.  It is likely that the student will relax more without the parents’ presence.  Besides, it is important to see whether the student is able to answer the questions without the parents’ help.  

1. name?  can you spell your last name for me please?
2. address?
3. telephone?
4. email?
5. parents’ names?
6. grade?
7. can you read?  do you enjoy reading?
8. what school do you attend?
9. do you like school?  what subjects?
10. do you want to take piano lessons?

Activities to Conduct with the Student (Beginners Only)

Before asking the parent to return to the room, you may wish to ask the student to perform a few simple musical activities, so you  can better assess the student’s level.  

1. Sing a simple melody with them.  Drop out and let them finish on their own.  
2. Ask the student to match a few pitches within their singing range.
3. Show him/her the black key 2′s and 3′s.  Ask them to cover the 3 group (fingers 1, 2, and 3 are fine; or 2, 3, and 4) and to copy simple patterns that you play.  
4. Ask the student to clap back some short rhythms.  Or, ask him/her to clap the rhythms to familiar tunes, like Row, Row, Row Your Boat.  
5. Tell the student that the Musical Alphabet contains only the letters A through G.  Ask the student to try reciting it backwards.  

Assessing Transfer Students (Intermediate or Advanced)

For older students, here are some more suitable questions to ask:

1. What music have you been studying with your previous teacher?
2. How long do you practice each day?  Do you like to practice?
3. What recitals, auditions, or contests have you participated in?  
4. Were you taught theory?
5. What did your teacher assign you for technique?  (ask student to play some scales, chords, and arpeggios.)
6. What were some of your memorized pieces?
7. Ask the student to play a piece for you.  Listen for the student’s rhythm, fingering, and dynamics.
8. Ask the student to sight-read for you.  Ask the student what key the selection is in.  
9. Test the students ear.  Ask them to identify whether a chord is major or minor.  Ask them to identify some intervals.  

Discussing Studio Policies

After assessing the student’s musical level, you may ask the parent back into the room.  Now is the time to discuss the Studio Policies and to address any questions or concerns the parent/student might have.  The major points to hit:

1. Scheduling.  If you have not already set a regular weekly time for the student’s lesson, you may do so now.  
2. Payment.  Inform the parent of the tuition rate, and tell them the proper payment method (by the month, by the semester, etc.).   Inform them of the late fee policy (if you have one).  Make sure they know about how much to expect to spend on books/materials, or whether that is an expense that you cover.  
3. Attendance.  Inform them of your policy regarding excused and unexcused absences.  
4. Practicing.  Make sure both the parent and the student understand how much time they need to devote to practicing.  Make sure they understand that lessons will be much more progressive and enjoyable if they practice regularly!  
5. Contact Info.  Let them know how they can reach you and when is the best time to call. 
6. Questions/Concerns.  Ask the parent and student if they have any questions or concerns.  Encourage them to read the rest of your Studio Policies on their own.   Bastien recommends this book to parents: A Parent’s Guide to Music Lessons, by Vera G. Wills and Ande Manners (Harper & Row, 1967).  (I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, but I thought I’d pass along the information!)

___________

So there’s some ideas to get you started with conducting your own student interviews!  I’ve typed up some forms for myself to use in my own studio, and plan to blog them soon.  Check back soon and have a peek.  :]   

• coming soon: example New Student Interview form
• coming soon: example Transfer Student Interview form
• coming soon: example Student Information form
• coming soon: example Studio Policies handout

Identifying Intervals Worksheet (unison through 5th)

Do you find yourself telling students how much easier it would be if they learned to recognize intervals on sight when they are sight-reading?  Here are two new free, printable worksheets, designed to help students who have difficulty distinguishing between different intervals on the staff.  The first one is for younger students who have just begun reading staff notation.  It teaches and quizzes the difference between unisons, 2nds, and 3rds.  The second worksheet is a little bit harder, adding 4ths and 5ths into the mix.  Enjoy!

• NEW!   Worksheet: Intervals Unison through 5th  

This worksheet is designed to teach/quiz the student in identifying the intervals unison through 5th, in both treble and bass clefs.  The top line gives an example of each type of interval, and the rest of the page is dedicated to quizzing the student on identifying the interval. 

View this document on Scribd

Printing/copying is permitted for educational uses only.  

Identifying Intervals Worksheet (unison through 3rd)

Do you find yourself telling students how much easier it would be if they learned to recognize intervals on sight when they are sight-reading?  Here are two new free, printable worksheets, designed to help students who have difficulty distinguishing between different intervals on the staff.  The first one is for younger students who have just begun reading staff notation.  It teaches and quizzes the difference between unisons, 2nds, and 3rds.  The second worksheet is a little bit harder, adding 4ths and 5ths into the mix.  Enjoy!

• NEW!  Worksheet: Intervals Unison through 3th  

This worksheet is designed to teach/quiz the student in identifying the intervals unison through 3rd, in both treble and bass clefs.  The top line gives an example of each type of interval, and the rest of the page is dedicated to quizzing the student on identifying the interval.   

View this document on Scribd

Printing/copying is permitted for educational uses only.  

…it’s been a while.

Hello, again!  It’s been a while.  I took a longer-than-intended break from blogging, unfortunately, because I was dealing with graduation (yes! my hubby and I both graduated with Bachelor’s Degrees) and moving (we moved 2 hours away, where we will be attending grad school in the fall).  We have settled into a little apartment, and things have calmed down a little, I’m happy to say! 

The move, unfortunately, meant that I had to give up all my wonderful students to other teachers.  :(  How sad is that!  I miss teaching something awful.  I won’t be back to teaching piano until the fall, when I’ll begin teaching through the Community Music School at my new college.  Meanwhile, I’ve been reading up on pedagogy techniques and various aspects to maintaining a piano studio.   I’m about halfway through: How To Teach Piano Successfully, by James W. Bastien, and have managed to get quite a few good ideas from him.  I hope to blog about some of my discoveries soon.  :) 

Music + Imagination

I often have students’ parents and grandparents tell me that they wish they had kept taking piano lessons.  I use this to encourage my current students, and tell them that it’s a gift to be able to sit down at an instrument and create music — a gift that can provide great pleasure to oneself and others.  

Why do so many students quit?  I mean, I realize that it might not be feasible for everyone to take lessons for their whole life (although wouldn’t that be amazing?!), but still, why do so many people regret that they didn’t continue their lessons longer while they were young?  

I think one reason may be time restraints and schedule conflicts.  When it comes down to it, there are only 24 hours in a day, and you simply cannot do everything.  

I think another reason might be a lack of inspiration.  I mean, what happens when an painter loses inspiration?  No painting gets painted.  What about a writer?  No words.  And what happens when a musician loses inspiration?  No music!  At least, no powerful, moving, emotion-filled music, like it should be.  When inspiration is gone, music making becomes a robotic task.  

As soon as music lessons become only about getting all the notes right, following directions correctly, getting a certain amount of practice done each day — it becomes vain and endless.  No wonder students quit!  Those are not the end goals — those are only some of the many possible means to the end goal.  Music making should be like an adventure, where every day you get to experience new places and sensations.   

Music making is all about causing a piece called “Peaceful Sunset” evoke a feelings and mental images of a calm, tranquil sunset of vivid reds and oranges at the beach on a warm summer evening.  It’s figuring out how make a piece entitled “Coconut Shuffle” transport you to a tropical place where the sound of crickets and Caribbean dance music fills the evening air.  

 

Keeping inspiration alive is all about engaging the imagination.  After all, having an imagination is one of the major differences between humans and robots.  

When engaging the imagination becomes the end goal, practice no longer seems like practice.   It becomes music making, and piano lessons become an apprenticeship, where you learn how to improve and fine-tune your music making skills.  Time constraints are no longer an issue when music making is something to do for fun, and something to look forward to.  

As a teacher, this is my chief goal: to instill into each of my students a living, breathing zeal for music making that will last a lifetime.  

Print your own certificates

Looking for a quick and affordable way to recognize your students for their accomplishments? Here’s a link to a site called www.dyetub.com that offers free, printable certificates, to give to your students. All you have to do is choose the design you like, enter your information, and print!

There are a number of themes and designs, although few are very music related, unfortunately. But still…..what a lifesaver!

A Little Music Humor for your studio door

Here’s a link to a site where you can print some crazy musical scores. Somebody sure had a sense of humor. This would be a great gift to send home with your students on April Fools Day. :]