Written By Wayne Estes Last week a student of mine looked at me, smiled and said, “I get it now.” And another one grasped her head with both hands, smiled and looked at me, made an exploding sound and wildly moved her arms off of her head simulating a volcanic explosion. THIS is what I truly love about teaching. It is the impact we bring, no matter...
Read MoreParental involvement is something I insist on for all my students regardless of age or ability. Older students in middle or high school may only need a reminder from parents to practice or for them to provide an audience during the week between lessons. Although the need for parental involvement may not be as in important with older students, I believe in 100% parental involvement...
Read MoreBy Jamey Mann Last week a promising young student came in for his lesson somewhat down and despondent. A sophomore in high school, we are beginning to talk about his options for college and subjects he may want to study. Naturally, being a talented student I suggested studying music as an option and we discussed several different majors and other possibilities. The student was intrigued so...
Read More
If you look at my almost 4-year-old son you would agree that he is a happy and healthy little boy. He is almost always smiling, has an incredible memory, and is almost as tall as his 6-year-old big sister.
If you observed him at his preschool or in a swimming lesson, you might jump to the conclusion that he is a brat or that I am a terrible mother who must let my child do whatever he wants.
You see, my son has an array of diagnoses and special needs that aren’t visible to the typical eye. His special needs are the result of early trauma that have affected his brain deeply. His needs manifest themselves in his behavior, his struggle to focus, his ability to transition from one activity to the next, his ability to keep his body in check and many other ways that make nearly every moment a struggle because his brain has difficulty processing all the information and stimuli around him.
We haven’t been able to just sign him up for any activity we think he might enjoy, and we often don’t attend group events, Sunday School or story times at the library. We have to be very thoughtful about what will allow him to be successful, and discuss with the teachers and group leaders whether or not they are equipped and open to learning about how to deal with a child that has special needs.
You might say that having a son with some extra challenges has created a soft spot in my heart for working with kids who have developmental delays or need a little bit of “outside the box” thinking to work with them. In my years of teaching piano lessons, I have worked with kids on the Autism Spectrum, children who struggle with Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD and even one who had vision difficulties. Often times, these kids have tried piano lessons before and had a negative experience. They have a teacher who is not willing to adjust expectations, or perhaps one who has labeled them a “bad kid” instead of understanding that the child’s brain might just be wired differently.
By Jamey Mann As a private music teacher, I have found that there is no way to have a set lesson plan in place for every student at every age or level. Every 30 minutes to an hour is a new student with differences in, age, learning style, playing ability, and goals. Trying to have a cookie cutter method for all these students just does not...
Read More