Happy January!

I hope you had a restful teaching break and that you’re ready to dive back in with renewed energy, creativity, and motivation.

The Spring semester can be busy. In my studio, we have informances in March (which you heard me talk about last year—see episodes 068, 069, and 071), our state Solo Festival in May, and our annual year-end recital in June, plus 2-3 studio classes for each group (which ends up being 13 or so, for me) and of course, weekly lessons.

It’s the middle of December, which means you’re probably caught up in the rush of holiday performances, concerts, and recitals, studio classes, parties, and general busyness as we wrap up the year. Your to-do list is long, but the days are short, and you’re doing your best to stay on top of it all.

But as busy as this time of year is, it can also be a time to pause and reflect. To embrace the quiet and stillness that comes with the first snowfall or sitting in the living room late at night or early in the morning by the light of the Christmas tree.

As a teacher, December is a time to acknowledge everything you’ve created and accomplished this year—everything you’ve learned and all the ways you’ve changed and grown and evolved as a musician and educator.

It’s my second full week of teaching. I know some of you have been back to school and lessons for a month now, but I’m still getting my bearings, adjusting to a new schedule, organizing studio classes, and setting my intentions for the year.

This is not a formal practice, but it’s something I sort of subconsciously do to mark the beginning of the new teaching year. Today, I’m sharing 7 things to carry into the new teaching year, and I hope this inspires you on your teaching journey.

I don’t know about you, but this summer is going by very quickly. I know some of you may be going back to school this week or preparing to go back in a few weeks; here in New York, we still have a little summer left, as we don’t start back until after Labor Day.

But regardless, it’s quick.

At the beginning of the summer, I made a list of 5 things I wanted to work on outside of teaching. In this episode, I’ll share what was on that list, how it’s going so far, and what I’m spending time on this month.

Last week, I taught a brand-new beginner her very first piano lesson.

Cora is 5 1/2 and is mature for her age. She is the youngest of three - her two older brothers also study with me. In fact, the oldest started with me when he was 5, a few weeks after Cora was born, so it’s kind of a full-circle moment.

I love starting beginners in the summer, before the beginning of the new school year because it’s less chaotic. This gives us a few weeks to get into the rhythm of lessons and playing at home so that routine is already established by the time school starts.

A friend of mine from college reached out to ask about how to find a piano teacher for her two young children:

"Any pointers on how to find the right person?" she asked in a DM. "Do you think going to a school is better or finding someone to come to us is better?"

The interview process for finding a music teacher goes both ways:

• The teacher is interviewing the student and family to assess musical, physical, and emotional readiness; determine if the student (and parents) have the same goals for musical study; and evaluate whether or not they'd be a good fit in the studio. We talked about this in the last episode, Ep. 072 - The Case for Consultations in the Music Studio. So, go back and listen to that, if you missed it.

• At the same time, the student (and often the parents) are interviewing the teacher to assess musical skills and qualifications, teaching style, method and curriculum choices, and extracurricular offerings.

Years ago, I received an email from a piano teacher asking about initial consultations and interviews.

“What do you do? What questions do you ask? How long should it be? What materials do you give them?” These are great questions!

Here are some of the reasons I offer consultations to prospective families in my studio:

1. They give you an opportunity to meet prospective students (and their parents) face-to-face before either of you commit to lessons.

2. For students who are transferring from another teacher, it's important to see what music they're currently working on, assess what they know, and determine where you want to begin in your first lesson.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to structure a prospective student consultation (including what to have the student bring or prepare ahead of time), six questions to ask, how to plan your time together, and how to onboard new students and families after the consultation.