Great article

I treasure the extra free time provided by the lighter teaching load of summer months. My practice time is uncluttered and there's finally time for reading and all those other "roundtuits" devoured by the busy schedule of the school year. In the old days, "catching-up-on-reading" meant a few articles in Clavier or Piano Quarterly. Now, while I still enjoy AMT and other great periodicals, I'm simply blown away by the shear magnitude of fantastic articles online. It's impossible not to discover a handful of pedagogical "tricks" for the upcoming school year and I'm always inspired and motivated to up my game. 

I think my students would benefit from some of this "uncluttered time" as well --- time to read, to stare at fireflies, to float in a pool, to search for 4-leaf clovers, and to delight in spending time at the piano without having to look at the clock or worry about the next scheduled activity. 


I hope that their schedules will allow for some of this treasured stress-free time during the summer months.


I hope they, and their parents, will make a point to schedule this free time just as carefully as scheduling camps and other workshops. All human beings, particularly musicians and artists and writers and creative-thinkers, need time for reflection, inspiration, and rejuvenation. 

Here's a link to an article that students might enjoy. There are some fabulous articles on this site but this is only the tip of the iceberg!

http://thehappypianoprofessor.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/the-best-learning-trick-ever/