The Mobile Piano Geek
Fresh Piano Lessons Delivered to Your Door Or Through Your Computer
http://www.alisonmaira.com
Beginning of Term Newsletter 2020

Hello Lovely Parents and Students,
It’s great to be back in the saddle of learning, studying, and growing! I’m excited to see you all again, to work and study with you as we immerse ourselves in that amazing, beautiful mystery that is music. Whether you are a beginner just learning how to read notes or an advanced student studying for exams, there is much to learn – the mechanics of music yes, but more than that too. How to persevere, how to try hard, how to bravely explore new ideas, how to not be afraid of mistakes or let them stop you from learning and succeeding.

Covid-19 Safety Protocols:
I will be wearing a cloth mask during in-person lessons. I will bring hand sanitizer and clean my hands before each lesson and during the lesson too, if necessary. I will also clean the piano keys before each lesson. How you can help: make sure your children wash their hands before their lesson, and ask them to wear a mask.

Teacher and Student Illness Policy:
This is where online piano lessons can really come in handy. From now on, I will not be coming to work if I or anyone in my household has cold or flu symptoms. We can have lessons online that day if I’m well enough. You must cancel our in-person piano lessons if your child or anyone in your household has cold or flu symptoms. We can move that lesson to online delivery if the student is feeling well enough. I reserve the right to cancel in-person lessons and reschedule them as online sessions if the student or their family members have cold and flu symptoms when I arrive for an in-person lesson.

Cancellations: each student receives two free cancellations per school year. Please let me know when you would like to use them and I will apply a cancellation credit to your invoice. Any subsequent cancellations will not be refunded or credited, but you can arrange a make-up lesson with me if you wish. I have availability for make-up lessons on Saturday afternoons.

In Other News:
I’ve just started classes at the M.Ed Counselling Psychology program at SFU. I’ll be immersed in child development, education, and counselling for the next two years. YAY! My favorite topics on earth. I wanted to make sure all my students know that I too am in school. I have teachers that assign me hard things, and I have to time-manage my butt off to get my homework done. I love to learn, and I’m proud of myself for gaining all this new knowledge that I can use to help people in my community. End of life lesson lecture;)

Things to do to prepare for a wonderful year of music study:
– Establish a practice routine, input into family calendar. Set aside time for 4 piano practice sessions every week.
– Get a timer to measure practice sessions. A basic kitchen timer or stopwatch is fine. This timer stays on top of your piano or in your piano box.
– Get a container for your piano materials. Something big enough to put metronome, piano books, piano binder, timer, pencil, eraser, current sheet music. Keep this container on top of the piano or somewhere very close by.
– Start a “Songs I Like” list. Put a copy on your devices and a paper copy in your piano materials box. This list will be helpful when considering what repertoire to study next.
– Arrange for piano or keyboard maintenance if it has been longer than a year since last tuning or there are ongoing issues needing repair.

Playing For Fun:
Music is a glorious thing and it is an amazing gift to give your children or yourself. Usually your child’s piano assignment will not touch on the great emotional journey that music can be. It will be about sustained effort, delayed gratification, intellectual challenge, discipline, and if everything goes well, slow and steady progress. Sometimes practicing will feel like kind of a drag. It is very important to round out your or your child’s musical education by giving them the fun, easy side of music as well. Go see live concerts, have a dance party at home, try karaoke, play Rock Band (the video game), and encourage your children to mess around at the piano, with no pressure. Try to figure out some notes of a song you like. Write your own songs. At my house my daughter plays absolutely crazy “music” on the piano and I have to do an interpretive dance. This brings her great joy, and that is the point. Although I must admit my dancing skills are not coming along as well as I would like.

Available Lesson Times:
I have two lesson times available on Saturday afternoons for adult or experienced piano students who are too busy to have weekly lessons but would like to maintain their piano skills with a teacher’s guidance. These would be once-a-month, 60 minute lessons. If you know of anyone (or yourself?!) who would be interested in this format, please feel free to pass along this newsletter to them.

Attached is my Studio Policies 2020, and Practice Tips for Beginners/Intermediate Students.

Thank you for reading! Please contact me with any questions or comments you may have.

See you all this week,
Cheerio,
Alison