Teaching help

[willythekid]

I'm teaching this kid and she is progressing really fast but she seems to be losing interest. What do I do?

She has been taking lessons with me for a little over half a year and is already to Advanced Method I.

[BGuttman]

Have you tried playing duets? Get a couple of her friends (or your other students) and create an ensemble?

Is she bored with what you give for lessons? How about a solo? Some popular tunes she likes?

[officermayo]

A recital, perhaps?

[rmb796]

I got one of my students a straight mute....and all of a sudden she was interested again.
For now anyhow.....All of the above are great suggestions.

[tbdana]

I think Bruce's idea of duets is a good one.

Maybe having a goal, something to shoot for, would help. Like, a band or orchestra she want to play with but isn't quite ready? When I was her age my big goal was to get into a youth band. (In California, back when the earth's crust was still cooling, youth bands -- concert and marching -- were huge.) Is there some sort of ensemble she might want to play with but has to audition for? And would having that specific thing to look forward to motivate her?

[Doug Elliott]

Tenor, alto, and treble
I learned them in 8th to 9th grade

[norbie2018]

I agree with the duets: she can play at home with recordings that you make for her. Record then with a metronome, both parts, and she can play them through her phone or tablet.

[norbie2018]

I also agree to teach clefs as this is invaluable for layer playing if the student sticks with it.

[harrisonreed]

Expose the student to real solo literature and other genres, like jazz, funk, and even pop style horn lines. Make listening a big part of the next lesson.

If "Advanced Method I" is as 'advanced' and boring as it sounds (ie that blue Rubank book), that might be why the student is losing interest. Heck, the Disney solo books are even fun, and playing those convincingly is more challenging as a younger player than you would think.

I remember sometime in like the 8th grade, I thought I was pretty good. My new teacher played some trombone recordings for me that blew my mind and made me realize that I hadn't even scratched the surface of the absolute depths there are to music and brass playing. That really got me into it, even after playing for 4 or 5 years prior. It was the right time, the right day, for me to hear that stuff.

[willythekid]

Thank you all for the advice! She is working on a couple songs and I'll be introducing the Rochut etude book soon.