Piano Camp 2018: Power Up Practice

Power Up Practice

For years Elizabeth Gutierrez has hosted the popular Piano Camp for Piano Teachers. Every year Elizabeth gets requests for an on-line version so teachers around the globe can attend. As a sponsor and affiliate, I am proud to announce that Piano Camp for Piano Teachers is completely online this year!

Power Up Practice is the theme for Piano Camp for Piano Teachers this year. One of the biggest problems music teachers have is motivating our students to practice. There is so much involved in this topic that this year’s camp will showcase six experts who will share a multifaceted approach to address this problem.

Elizabeth has put together a lineup of piano pedagogy leaders who will educate and inspire you to greater heights in your teaching. Most of the seminars I have attended are a little bit of this and a little bit of that. This one is different because it digs deep into one topic and explores it in different ways. You will come away with new and practical ideas you can implement with your own students. For those of you who are not able to travel to conventions, here is your opportunity to attend a piano pedagogy seminar without leaving your home!

Register for LIVE access to 6 webinar sessions on July 26-27 and receive LIFETIME ACCESS to viewing the webinar video replays on demand and to the downloadable handouts.

There is no expiration ever!

Session Topics

Supporting Well-Rounded Musicianship through Balanced Practice Sessions by Dr. Janet Lopinski

How do we help our students make the most of the time spent at the piano between lessons, while also ensuring that all the senses are fully engaged when practicing to maximize progress and musical development? This seminar will present strategies for guiding students to develop a practice routine that supports the development of well-rounded musicianship, while integrating musicianship, theory, and sight-reading into every session.

Practice Strategies with Catherine Rollin by Catherine Rollin

Catherine will present successful practice strategies she turns to time and time again with her own piano students. She’ll discuss approaches she uses with her own publications, including a few from the NFMC Jr. Festival list and several “warhorse” pieces she teaches often.

The Over-scheduled Child: Incentivizing Practice in the 21st Century by Samantha Coates

Extra-curricular life in the 21^st century has gone mad. For many children who take up the piano, it is just another activity that is barely fitting into the tiniest corner of their lives. Ms. Coates will discuss various reward systems and practice incentives and how they impact both student and parent. Managing parental expectations will also be addressed, with a special focus on establishing effective practice routines even in the busiest household.

Practicing with Purpose: A Teacher’s Guide to Motivating Student Practice  by David Kish

Teaching students to practice is one of the most important (and overlooked) aspects of music instruction. Armed with effective techniques of individual practice, students become more efficient in the practice room and feel a sense of accomplishment which leads to consistent practice habits. A discussion of research-based and field-tested practice techniques will be followed by additional suggestions for integrating these practice techniques in the classroom or private studio.

Effective Communication of Practice Expectations: Send Them Home with the Tools for Success by L. Scott Donald

How do we effectively communicate to our students the goals and practice strategies that need to be done during their at-home practice? Based on a survey distributed to independent piano teachers, this session will discuss trends in mode and format of information that is sent home with students to guide their practice. There will be time for the attendees to participate in dialogue regarding their own mode of communication of assignments and practice expectations. Benefits and limitations of various modes of communication will also be discussed.

First Step on the Road to Effective Practice by Nancy O’Neill Breth

Most students have no idea how much they can learn about a new piece simply by searching through the score for familiar patterns: scales, chords, arpeggios, rhythms, sequences, repeats. Pre-practice score analysis, or mapping, shines a light on such patterns, empowering students to rise above note-by-note practicing to a new level of understanding and enjoyment. This interactive seminar shows teachers how to guide students of all levels through the nuts and bolts of mapping a score. Participants will do mapping during the presentation using examples from different musical eras.

Click here to read more about the presenters and get more information on the Piano Camp Page.

The early bird price for this course is good until midnight, July 4, 2018. The investment for the Camp’s six sessions is only $109 [The price at this time is still a great value at $127] and you will receive LIFETIME ACCESS to these sessions and the handouts.

Hurry! The early bird price is good only until July 4. 

Elizabeth Gutierrez has years of experience teaching piano, piano pedagogy, and piano literature to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Texas at San Antonio. She has given numerous workshops and master classes to teachers around the globe and as a national clinician for Faber Piano Adventures. For her workshops and online courses, she draws on her extensive background as an independent teacher, professor, performer, and composer/editor/author.