Oclef Podcast

Tomorrow's episode is an interview with Adriana Linares who has incredible ideas on connecting. I just wanted to take today to remind you all how important the larger concepts are behind music education. For the note police and hand-position-obsessed, don't listen to this episode. The less I teach piano, the more students and parents are attracted. It's the bigger long-term lessons that count more.

This is a personal reflection on the events that occurred at Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. 

Minds race. But there is an answer to calm the mind. Meditation is as real and helpful as diet or exercise (which used to also be considered unimportant). Meditation for children should be a regularly scheduled activity. The best part? It's only 10 minutes. And the results are massive. Try it for a month and just watch how your children begin to deal with stress differently.  Reach out to me if you're an educator who does this, we'd love to have you on the show - julian@oclef.com

Curiosity, patience, and persistence. Just find any student with those three qualities or variations of those, and learning will be magical. I've found that amplifying these three qualities has become the way I turn average or non-talented students into superstars. A student who is not willing to give up when solving a problem and who will be aggressively curious until they figure it out will appear talented. Fingers are never the problem. Always look for the source and start there.

It's something I hear often and I know other educators hear this as well. "Thank you for helping my son/daughter, they are so lucky to work with you and learn from you."  I do everything I can to help high school students stand out and raise their status. Help them get performances, great paying jobs, internships or run great projects. It's important. And we have to make it a priority because it matters. Let me know your stories of how you helped students - julian@oclef.com

I'm seeking three things in the class: 1. Building a Tribe - Creating the right culture that encourages everyone to sync to one another, learn openly and support each other 2. Parent education - Some parent habits in the practice sessions shut down a child and my job is to always enhance their abilities to make practice time productive. 3. Joy - I think "magic" needs to happen at an early stage in learning music. It makes the bonds strong for future challenges.

Several months ago we had Lori Bastien on the show and now I'm so excited to have Lisa on the show. I'm actually in New York for this one and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to visit her flat where she teaches and composes. The Bastien family is legendary in the music education space, but these days Lisa, Lori and Jane are coming out with an app and launching new books. The methodology is available on Amazon. Check it out here: http://amzn.to/2GYbw9X

We all have a few of them. Stubborn kids. I was one of them! The trouble is for those who practice, their parents are trained to help and disciplined about practice - the very last step is collaboration. Sometimes it doesn't happen because the student thinks they know more than their parent. And they probably do on most things, but not so often on practice strategies. Anyway, I think I've solved this issue with the following phrase, "Mr. Julian said..." Try it and let me know.

Peanut Butter and Jelly. Tom and Jerry. Music and Dance. They just go together so perfectly.  Yesterday, I had the opportunity to have one student dance while another played and magic filled the room. It's these beautiful moments in education that so often define relationships and perspectives for students and parents. What stories do you have? Reach me at julian@oclef.com

One of the biggest things I hear from parents who help their kids, "I don't know if he/she is playing the music right. I don't know music." For me, if they're willing to get into the sandbox with their child, more than half of the work is done. I educate parents step by step and we will start to do this more on YouTube. Check out our channel www.bit.ly/2FSOksp

We all have them. They are some of our highest points of pride. The students who have achieved excellence, but weren't gifted with musical aptitude. They were gifted with a focus, a patience, and commitment to hard work year after year. I'm convinced that these are the pride and joy of almost every teacher, not the talented students who get it right away - the struggle is the happiness.

This is a big one. Blindly following someone or copying what they do is never a good thing. As professionals, we all know the value of independent thinking. But how did we get that way? I think it starts from childhood. Everyone has a responsibility to develop this skill in children - Educators, Parents, Administrators, and EdTech.

Do. Reflect. Change. Music is mental practice and a mental discipline. It's not pushups. Just because your child is sitting at the piano and playing doesn't mean they're practicing piano. Sit with your child and help them develop a mental feedback loop.  

This is the sentence that every parent hopes for. "I love piano." It's a beautiful thing to watch kids find joy in the activities that we know help to build them up. In this episode, I highlight three ways things that you may do to make your kids dislike piano: 1. Practice at the wrong time 2. Chase perfection blindly 3. Practice too long This is mostly geared for young students and new beginners. Though these are mistakes that happen at every level - so watch out. 

For students, I'm constantly driving home the concept that circumstances are circumstances and that it's their responsibility to get over what the situation is and overcome any challenge. Personal accountability and perseverance to achieve goals thought to be unattainable is the formula for grit and confidence in my opinion - and I want my students to have a ridiculous amount of both. Excellence doesn't happen by accident.