A-ha Music | Music videos: Art&#39s new star - Music 2 Video

Article by Gregg Zubowicz, Old Bridge Music Center

Being in the private music education business for over 27 years, we have worked hard to be the best and stay on top of the changes in the music industry, while at the same time staying true to what we believe are the essentials for any successful music school, (or business), which are a genuine love and passion for the service you are providing, a desire to make sure that the customer is completely satisfied on all levels, and a desire to constantly improve the quality of service being offered.

Although it is important to have the necessary skills to teach music privately, there are a number of other qualities that are of equal importance. Let?s take a look at some of the things that we look for in the instructors that work for our school that will help you with your own lessons to be a better instructor:

1) Have a Genuine love for teaching.

* If the first question someone asks during the interview is ?How much is the pay?, we know that they are not the type of person that would fit with our ?team?, as they are most interested in the money, not the students. Great teachers are constantly thinking of ways to improve their method of instruction, and do whatever they can to inspire the students they teach. Great teachers think of their vocation as being a true privilege to help others learn the art of music, not a way to ?make a living?.

2) Have a wide range of interests and styles.

* Many times we have accomplished ?serious? musicians mention during the interview process that they ?don?t teach students that pop junk that is on the radio?, and we know that they wouldn?t be a good fit for our school, as many of our younger students listen to popular songs on the radio, or on their cd?s or mp3 players, and they want to learn the music that they like. A student will sense when an instructor is ?into? what they are teaching the student, and it will inspire them. Remember that the same d minor scale that is in a pop song from a teen idol is also in a Bach ?Minuet?. Keep an open mind, and take a genuine interest in the styles of music your students want to learn.

3) Go above an beyond.

*Student?s pick up on instructors who do ?extra? things to add to the lessons. For example, whenever a student at our school is learning a song, or a piece of music from a particular artist, we give them different materials relating to that artist to take home and study, whether a cd, dvd, book or other item. Other times it may be giving a student extra time, or taking the time to go see a student perform at a local venue, or other event. Bring in a cd for your student to take home and check out, or perhaps a magazine with interviews or other interesting things that will expand the students knowledge and understanding of what they are learning.

4) Further develop your own skills.

*A student can only be taught what the instructor knows. We feel that any instructor who is being paid at our school should be able to answer any question relating to music. Be an expert in your field, and devote time each day to learn something new to expand your musical knowledge. Take lessons yourself, and find a good mentor who can point out some things for you to work on to improve your skill sets, which you can then pass on to your students.

Perhaps you need to work on your sightreading skills, or maybe build up your ear training skills so that you can figure out any song ?by ear?. Stay motivated to improve, and you will have more to teach your students over time.

5) Be punctual and reliable.

*One of the simplest things that you can do to bring a positive connection to your lessons and business is to do the simple things like consistently be on time every lesson, and in general be someone whose word is ?gold?, someone that can always be counted on to do what they say. Be prepared for each lesson, be on time, never cancel unless an absolute emergency, and your students will love that they count on you to be professional and reliable.

6) Be grateful?

* As we had mentioned earlier, being able to teach and help people enjoy the art of music is truly a privilege, and something to be grateful to have the opportunity to do. Whenever we are grateful for something we treat it differently. During those tough lesson days or difficult students, remind yourself of those less fortunate who are working exceptionally hard jobs for half the wage, who would give anything to have the opportunity to play an instrument and get paid to do so. Humility makes you shine.

7) Care?

* When you care, everything else falls into place. Caring makes you get to your lessons early so no one has to wait for you, makes you be prepared ahead of time by having assignments ready to go, makes you stay later for no extra charge,makes you take an interest in your students lives and musical interests, makes you do whatever you can to enrich the lives of those around you, and hopefully make the world a little brighter place than the day before.

Enjoy the gift of teaching music, and we hope that this helps you in your quest to be a better music instructor. Have fun with the music!

Source: http://music2video.com/a-ha-music-music-videos-art39s-new-star/

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