Changes, changes, changes....

"Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are." - Bertolt Brecht

I can truthfully say that next to my faith, the only thing that has been consistent in my life over the past year has been change. From losing my mom to cancer, to my closest friend moving 2000 miles away right afterward, and most recently my packing up and leaving the church and students I love so that I could move back home to be with my dad and start a brand-new piano studio, there has been a LOT of change! However, I am excited to see what the future holds and very excited about teaching at home. Though I have been teaching for 20 years, this is the first time that I have actually taught at home and I am really looking forward to it.

I'm still in the process of unpacking and sorting all of my music (who knew one person could accumulate SO much music over the years?) and getting everything settled in so that I can begin lessons in two weeks. I've created my studio policy, started signing students up, and still tried to come up with studio goals for the upcoming school year. Although I will say, those are the most difficult to create since I don't yet know anything about the students with whom I will be working! I currently have just two goals for my studio this year. Goal number one is: "Aim for having 40 students enrolled by Spring!" I have posted flyers around our small town advertising lessons, have relied heavily on word-of-mouth advertisement, and of course relied on Facebook for a little help in that area as well. I will also be creating a studio website very soon. My other studio goal is: "Make sure that I am doing my very best to make each student's learning experience a good one!" For me this means paying careful attention to students' learning styles and introducing new concepts while integrating activities that will make the learning experience more enjoyable.

I know that there will be a few challenges with keeping home life and lessons separate but I truly believe that it will be a smooth transition. I have several ideas that I hope to try with my younger students, those who learn in a more tactile way. I also hope to help my older students establish goals and work dilligently toward those goals. If any of you currently teach at home I would certainly welcome advice concerning challenges or even benefits that I haven't thought of. And I promise to start blogging regularly when everything gets settled!