Happy Autumn and Registration Blues

Happy Autumn!

September is here again and suddenly all my classes are full.  For some reason this new music season began slowly and I had begun to wonder if the world had suddenly lost interest in music. Okay, not really, but until a few weeks ago, even after all my advertising, only three new students had enrolled.  This is highly unusual for my programs.

In a moment of weakness, I decided to open up to accepting some private students, something I haven't done in many years.  I had been busy with Solo Time Games and I decided to go back to school this fall and finish my degree. Consequently, I was hoping for only a couple of new classes to fill in last year's time slots so I could make it all work.

When the week of September 13 rolled around I had my schedule set and thought everything was good to go when suddenly, I was inundated with phone calls. All of my classes filled up! Oh my, it has been crazy. I'm still getting phone calls from last-minute students anxious to get in a class! I don't know what the hold up was but it is great to know that people are still excited about being part of MYC.

I'm off to the B.C. MYC conference in Princeton soon. This year the event is being held at a resort in the mountains. In addition to seminars and great speakers, the conference includes activities like zip-lining, hiking, canoeing, and swimming.  I can't wait!

Don't forget to check out the Resources page at www.solotimegames.com  for teaching aids that are brand new this September.

I hope that your fall classes have filled and that you have a great start to a happy and successful musical year.

Musicallyours,

Mrs. Lois Dicknoether (dicknader)  

MYC Certified Teacher
Solo Time Music Games
info@solotimemusicgames.com 

Game of the Month

COMPOSER TIME PUZZLES Check out this great, new teaching aid! Fun Facts and Trivia about Bach   Check out the new teaching aids available for you to print on you own printer for your students.

To Market To Market - Google Plus

Google+ is the next phase in social media. Your friends are now grouped in circles.  On Monday nights I enjoy a feature called "Hangout", where I meet with ten friends for a book study.  We're currently reading a book called, Linchpin, by Seth Godin.  I find Google+ superior to Skype for this type of discussion. It doesn't cost anything and up to ten people can be part of your chat room conversation.  Want to join?  Send me an e-mail and I will sent you an invite! info@solotimegames.com

What Recession?

Over the past few months I have been reading about the recession. The recession has been in the headlines and causing concern among business' and talked about among teachers. But we need to realize that "not everyone was hit by the recession!" There were and are people making money during and after the recession. If you are experiencing recession woes among potential and future clients, (complaining about your prices, etc) it means you need to find people who were NOT hit by the recession." I have spoken about this before in previous newsletters and I encourage you to once again to not to undersell yourself.

"No one forces us to change our price to fit the market," Colleen Francis stated in her MYC webnair a few weeks ago. She also stated that we "Don't have to take the mindset of lower price to get students!" Why recruit people with no money? It might sound a little harsh but there is some truth to her statements. Search out new markets. Find out from your returning parents which communities (sports, church, etc) they are involved in and find out how you can get involved with them or get your flyer into that community. It takes a bit of work but it will pay off in September.

Piano's - Digital VS Acoustic

Which piano should I buy? Digital VS Acoustic

A digital piano is great if you are short on space or not sure if your child has a long term interest. Digital pianos are fun as they come with cool sounds and rhythms and doesn't need to be tuned. Also the new digital piano's are great as they now come with the proper weight of keys, they are touch sensitive but sometimes a new digital is just as costly as an acoustic.

The value for a digital piano is just the same as for a computer or a car you drive off the lot. It goes down in value the moment it enters your house. So if you want to buy a digital piano look on craigslist first and then ask me for my opinion. Costco has casio piano's (88 keys) with a bench for about $600.00. They are great for the first few years of piano but if your child chooses to go further in piano you will have to buy an acoustic as a digital piano just doesn't have the weight and action of an acoustic. Many people stand by the new digital and they are superior in quality than they have been in the past but they do have their pitfalls. Especially if the power goes off then your child can't practice. But with the power out, you can always light a few candles and practice on an acoustic (I'm a slave driver, I know it!).

And I do know this from experience. Having lived in remote northern locations (NWT and Yukon) and giving piano lessons and only being able to fly in a digital piano because of the weight restrictions, that when the power goes off (which it did regularly) there were no lessons. I learned early on to improvise and had everyone do theory on the days when there was no power.

An acoustic piano is by far the more important piano for your child to play on. It helps your child build the arm and finger strength they need to play the piano. A new one is costly but sometimes a lower end one is the same price as a high end digital. Again check on craigslist or kijiji for a used one, get the opinion of a piano tuner before you even buy it. Please don't purchase a piano that hasn't been seen by a piano tuner, even if it's a GREAT price. There could be something wrong with it that could be a costly investment for you to fix it up. And those old piano's that weight 1000 pounds and are 100 years old and are really cheap and you need to hire a moving van and a bunch of strong men to move it. Leave it where it is. That's just my opinion.

And there is nothing worse for your child to play on than a piano that is out of tune. I bought a lower end drum kit for my daughter who wouldn't practice until I bought a high end drum kit. Sound and quality made all the difference in the world. but it still wasn't the most expensive drum kit around it just sounded better. Even as a beginner your child knows a good sound from a bad one. So what piano should you invest in?

It's all about choice and what's good for you and your family but never contend for something that is just a good deal and keep your mind open to the option that i