Last week, I visited Chicago to attend the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. It was my first time to attend this particular conference. I not only enjoyed attending the sessions, but I also had fun spending time with friends!
Pictured above from left are: Eik of Sproutbeat, myself, Julie, Joy of Color in my Piano, and Amy of Piano Pantry.
There were a variety of sessions offered each day, but I found myself attending the sessions related to practice and listening. One of my goals for this year is to give very specific practice instructions and to spend even more time showing students how to practice. If a student is able to practice with you and has clear goals for practice, he will be more likely to do it! As a fan of Piano Safari, I’ve been incorporating rote pieces in my teaching the last few years. I bought the most advanced level of Paula Dreyer’s Little Gems to teach rote pieces with intermediate students. I plan to continue incorporating rote pieces with students and even more listening activities.
Attending the conference was a great boost for implementing new ideas into my studio for the upcoming school year! While I was there, I was thrilled to be able to visit the Lyon & Healy harp factory and see where my harp was made! (I started playing the harp two years and completely fell in love in with the instrument.)
Before I left, I also took an architectural boat tour of Chicago. The weather was absolutely beautiful!
Be sure to check out some other summaries of the conference:
Piano Pantry: NCKP Highlights
Color in My Piano: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4
Lauren teaches piano to students of all ages. She enjoys creating resources for her students and teachers. She is the author of Ready for Theory®. For personalized help, check out the consultations page for teachers.
I’ve yet to do rote pieces with intermediate students so I’ll be interested to see how it goes!