Making the most of short lessons.

[princessmoose]

How do you do it? My pupils next year will be getting 20 minutes, I can run a bit over if the next one doesn't turn up but I do need to stick to around 20 minutes. They're not beginners, well most of them aren't, so how do I make the most of this short time?

[Steve Hopwood]

I bet some lessons will be even shorter, when kids leave their class at the start-the-instrumental lesson time, rather than early enough to be ready and waiting at the start of their session with you.

Kids occasionally turn up 10 minutes late for lessons here because there is a railway crossing a few miles outside the village that stops traffic for up to 8 minutes - drives us all nuts as there is no way around it.

My lesson priorities are:
- hear everything they have practised at the start of the lesson.
- polish the new piece they started last week.
- preparing a new piece to keep it company (I like a 2 week piece turn around until kids are quite advanced).
- deal with any useful theoretical\historical stuff that arises from the music the kids are playing.
- sight reading.
- a scale; don't panic, I don't make them practise them. I just get them to play one by getting them to follow me as an echo, doing exactly what I do (comical, when I drift off and do something daft ;D)

When they arrive late, I will either scale down the time I spend on every activity or else abandon what usually happens during the last ten minutes of the lesson.

So, my suggestions to you are:
- decide what your teaching priorities are; this will give form to your lessons. Decide how much time you want to spend on each component in the lesson and watch the clock. When you perceive a need to spend longer than usual on something, be clear in your mind what you are willing to sacrifice in order to do it.
- follow the same format in each lesson. The kids will get to know this format quickly and will know what they are going to do as soon as they walk in - a great time saver.
- be organised. Know where all the materials you need for each lesson are so you do not waste time hunting in your bag for it.
- encourage the kids to be organised, to: leave their class 5 minutes before their lesson with you; take out and assemble their instrument during this time; get their music ready; be able to enter your room, dump their bags, plonk the music on the stand, say 'hi' and get playing. Most will be incapable of this kind of organisation, but you can try. ;D


Steve