Micek Music

I got my start as a music teacher in December 2002, shortly after graduating college. My good friend Ian, who I was living with at the time, recommended me to the owner at Allegro Music in Fremont when an opening for a piano teacher popped up on Fridays. (Ian is an outstanding guitarist; he taught for many years at Allegro. He now lives in Oregon with his wife and their three children.) I never had any desire to teach. I fell into this work backwards, and it took me some years to fully embrace the job. My teaching position at Allegro has been vital in this journey - a key signpost in the progression to who I am today.  At my peak, I was teaching four days a week at the store. In more recent years I have been teaching two days a week in Fremont: Mondays and Tuesdays. During the 2011-12 school year I pared my Allegro schedule down to a single day: Mondays. Today was my final day teaching at Allegro. I have been there for nine and a half years. Through many ups and do...

I am attending the annual Music Teachers Association of CA (MTAC) convention at the Marriott hotel in downtown Oakland this weekend. The city of Oakland is a great tease. It seduces you with its grand history, cultural diversity, and urban attitude. But just as soon as you let your guard down it buffets you with some harsh reality. For many Oakland residents I'm sure the first blow is a personal encounter with crime. I can attest to this sensation from my years living in Oakland: when my car was stolen, I experienced a loss of innocence coupled with a feeling of violation. I love Oakland, but now that I'm almost two years removed from living there I understand better why it's best for me to reside elsewhere. On my lunch break today I was saddened at the number of homeless people sleeping on the ground in Ogawa Plaza at midday. Adding to my melancholy was the amount of rubbish on the ground in the plaza. Trash was everywhere and it was not a pretty sight. My Jamba Juice sm...

I am attending the annual Music Teachers Association of CA (MTAC) convention at the Marriott hotel in downtown Oakland this weekend. I couldn't rouse myself from sleep for any of the early presentations this morning. June was a challenging month for me, and now it's July 1st; this convention snuck up on me. I'm going to do my best to glean insights from the weekend's events, despite my fatigue. Here's a summary of the events I attended this afternoon: Meeting the authors of the "Just The Facts" Theory books: - Any parent or student of mine knows that I swear by the "Just The Facts" music theory books. Almost all of my students work from this series of books. They are absolutely the best I have found. A couple months ago I was placing a phone order with them and the woman helping me, Regina, mentioned that they'd have a booth at the MTAC Convention this year. I promised I would come by and meet her then.  I doubt she remembers me from ou...

I ask myself the same question in the subject line every year: Why music exams? I am a member of the Music Teachers Association of CA (MTAC). As a member of the MTAC, I am able to offer a yearly music evaluation program to my students called Certificate of Merit (CM). CM aims to be a comprehensive, leveled music study encompassing the essential musical elements: performance, technique, sight reading, music theory, and ear training. I have been a member of MTAC since Fall 2007. CM evaluations happen each spring, so 2011 marks my 4th year preparing students for these exams. It seems that there are always 1 or 2 of my participating students who falter come evaluation time. It's down to me to break the heavy news: "You didn't pass". While it's not my intention to break anyone's spirit or cause them to resent music study for life, these both are possible (though admittedly unlikely) outcomes. But failure is a part of life. I have failed or been rejected too many t...

This is an outstanding article focused on the art of teaching music and the many unique aspects of this work. It was written by teacher Yiyi Ku, published on the Music Teachers Blog, 2/1/11: Independent music teachers are ‘supermen’ and ‘superwomen’. Yes, I am talking about you and me! We do so much more than just teaching, and understanding the nature of our business is important if we are to remain successful and sane. Our job description is but a unique one. Here are some thoughts I would like to share as a private music instructor: 1. Ours is not a 9-5 job . We are always working even when we are not working. We are always thinking about our students. When we decide to take on a new student, they now share a piece of our heart and occupy a place in our thoughts. As Kristin pointed out, we spend just as much time (if not more) preparing lessons, answering parent questions, dealing with students’ emotional well being, filling out audition entry forms, writing student report...

It seems I have a few of these per year - a miserable teaching day. 6 of the students I worked with today are preparing for the upcoming Certificate of Merit evaluations. 4 of the 6 have been slacking terribly. And it makes me sick. I started each of them on the necessary material for their level(s) back in October. There has been plenty of time in the build-up. I designed it that way. Yet here we are in February - their performances set for less than 2 weeks from now - and these 4 are floundering. It is hard not to take this personally. These 4 students of mine will go and perform their technique, sight reading, and selected repertoire for another teacher. It's embarrassing. They will present themselves as representatives of my work. I hold my work to a high standard. It is immensely frustrating when your supposed collaborators are pulling minimum weight. Most taxing of all is trying to impose my will upon unwilling parties. A difficulty in teaching is that no matter how on point...

My vocation as a music teacher involves continual challenges. Each challenge is an opportunity to learn. I'm learning how to better accomplish my job every day and every week. Here is a helpful list of "Top Ten Lists for Teachers" written by Nancy Ostromencki and Dr. John Zeigler that I find to be filled with helpful suggestions. Believe me when I tell you: I'm not standing still. Top Ten Tips for Teachers 1.  Be organized!  - Be as organized in ALL facets of your teaching as possible, ranging from billing to repertoire lists to teaching materials for your students. Although it appears to take time away from the lessons, the time you spend getting organized now will make it much easier to give lessons, as well as make a better impression on your students. 2.  Consider yourself a professional, worthy of as much respect as would be given to any professional, and act that way at all times.   Make sure that your students and parents realize that teaching is your professi...

World-renowned concert pianist Byron Janis has written another excellent article for the Wall Street Journal. It focuses on important lessons he's learned, both as a teacher and a student. The article was published on 12/8/10 and features many insights from Janis' formative years. Here is an excerpt: We hear a lot about piano performance but not about piano teaching, other than when program notes inform us that so-and-so studied with so-and-so or at such-and-such conservatory. Yet we should know more about it. As Rousseau observed, the child is the father of the man: The budding pianist's lessons shape the concert artist the public later hears. Over the course of my career as a student, performer and teacher, I've realized there is no "right way" to teach the piano. But there is one cardinal rule that should be every teacher's credo: It is essential to allow talent its own creativity, and not give in to the temptation to impose your own. Read the full ...

One of the questions I am asked most frequently by students is: "What does each pedal do?". I try my best to explain the functions in person, but to complement my explanations here is a post detailing the piano pedals, their use, and application. Most students have upright pianos at their disposal at home. Upright pianos rarely have an effectual " soft pedal ". A teacher will explain to a student to a student, "The pedal on the far left is the soft pedal. Hold it down with your left and then when you play you should hear a muted sound with a different character." The student goes home, tries it, but alas the soft pedal produces no audible change. But the teacher has not lied. It's just that most upright piano soft pedals have no effect. They are just window dressing, garnish for the look of the instrument. Also, upright pianos rarely have a functional " sostenuto pedal ". Instruction regarding this pedal is also difficult for teachers, as of...

From a 9/6/10 post on a Music Teachers' blog by Chris Foley entitled " Building Practice Habits That Work ": As music teachers, how can we help our students to take advantage of these techniques and create more effective practice habits? 1.  Changing locations . This might be a bit difficult for piano students, but is remarkably easy for just about every other instrument. Getting students to practice in different locations within their house might be a way to create a constantly changing learning environment, whether they’re in the living room, basement or their bedroom. The effectiveness of this technique will come as no surprise to university students, who are used to constantly changing quarters in their frantic daily quest for a practice room. 2.  Alternating activities within one session . Most teachers probably teach this way already, carefully budgeting their teaching time between repertoire, technique, ear training, sight reading, and theory. However, it would ...

I've been an avid reader all my life but somehow I had never read J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye". That is, until now. It is a book filled with classic lines but as I neared the end of the book one particular line jumped out at me and reminded me of some of the challenges teachers face when working with youths. It reads: "The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them."

This lecture by young Olivia Ajero is excellent. She's so insightful!