How to Build a Curriculum Path for Intermediate and Advanced Students

Beginning students are the easy part. Most method book series give you a clear, sequential path — you know exactly what comes next, and the books practically plan your lessons for you.

But once a student moves beyond the beginner books? That's where a lot of teachers start winging it. And winging it at the intermediate and advanced level is one of the fastest ways to lose students who are otherwise thriving.

Here's how to think about building a real curriculum path — not a rigid course syllabus, just a clear enough roadmap that your advanced students always know where they're going.

Why It Matters More Than You Think

Advanced students — and their parents — are investing a lot of time and money in lessons. If they can't see a clear direction, they start to wonder if lessons are still worth it. "We've been at this for five years — what are we working toward?" is a question you don't want to hear unprepared.

A curriculum path answers that question before it gets asked. It gives advanced students a sense of purpose and forward movement. It makes your teaching feel intentional, not random. And honestly, it makes your job easier because you're not reinventing the wheel for every intermediate student who walks through the door.

Think in Levels and Landmarks, Not Just Pieces

You don't need to map out every piece a student will ever play. You just need landmarks — the skills, styles, and accomplishments that mark real progress at each stage.

For example, in my own studio I think about intermediate students in terms of what they should be able to do by the time they reach advanced work: solid hands-together playing at a comfortable tempo, basic understanding of music theory and key signatures, experience playing in at least one performance setting. Those are landmarks. The specific pieces we use to get there can flex.

For my High School level Piano students, freshman students work on fugues. Sophomores tackle mini sonatinas. Juniors develop accompaniment skills — they'll actually accompany me on a horn solo, which gives them real ensemble experience. Seniors work toward a senior recital piece. That's a four-year arc with a clear destination. Students can see where they're going, and they stay enrolled to get there.

For my High School level French Horn students each year we have an “in the pocket” easier piece they can perform last minute if needed, Like a Mozart’s 4th Concerto 3rd movememnt Rondo, Saint-Seans’ Romance or Rachamanioff’s Vocalise while working on a bigger standard rep. Specifically when they are a Junior I have them start working on their college audition piece so that by the time they are a Senior they already have it mastered and ready to perform for a concerto competition audition and their college level audition. And for their senior year, they choose their piece they want to work on that is a step up from their College level piece, so when they go to their audition, they already have an impressive audition piece and they can also say they are working on X piece currently for their senior recital.

Create a simple formula of structure to follow and tell them about the plan you have frequently, so they are excited for what is coming next. Plus, you’re reminding them that you have a plan for them and can see them accomplishing that plan and are excited to go on that journey with them. And they will feel like they have more to learn.

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Layer in Different Styles Deliberately

One thing that separates good intermediate teaching from great intermediate teaching is intentional exposure to different musical styles and eras. Baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary — students who only ever play one kind of music develop a narrow skill set and, eventually, get bored.

You don't have to be rigid about it. A simple guideline like "at least one piece from each major era per year" gives you enough structure to keep things balanced without turning every lesson into a history lecture. Students often discover styles they didn't know they loved when you expose them on purpose rather than by accident.

Make the Path Visible to Students and Parents

You don't have to hand families a formal curriculum document — but having a loose "here's where we're headed this year" conversation at the start of each fall goes a long way. It shows parents you're thinking ahead. It gives students something to look forward to. And it positions you as a teacher with a plan, not just someone filling 30-minute slots.

A simple conversation at the start of the year: "This year I want to focus on building your sight-reading and getting you comfortable with a romantic-era piece. We'll work toward performing both at the spring recital." That's a plan. That's what keeps families enrolled.

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You don't need a perfect system. You just need enough of a plan that your students can see the road ahead. Start there — and refine it as you go.

Happy Teaching!
Becky

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Simplify Your Business: How to Maximize Your Teaching and Business Schedule

Running a private music studio and teaching lessons can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience, but it can also be overwhelming. Between managing your schedule and keeping track of your students' progress, it can feel like there's never enough time in the day. However, simplifying your business and maximizing your schedule with just a few days a week can help you achieve a better work-life balance while still providing quality education to your students.

One way to simplify your business is to streamline your scheduling process. Rather than offering lessons every day of the week, consider limiting your availability to just a few days and always back to back. This not only makes it easier for you to manage your time, it gives you a block of working hours that are easy to tell prospective parents about and you always know what slot is open. Plus, your students come to expect that their lesson day remains the same. Giving the students a sense of structure and consistency. You can offer multiple lesson times on those designated days to accommodate different schedules.

Another way to maximize your schedule is to prioritize your teaching methods and focus on what works best for you and your students. Instead of trying to teach every genre or style, hone in on your areas of expertise and offer those lessons exclusively. Or create a lesson plan for specific grades associated with a level. My advanced students all follow the same path. Freshmans, is fugue year. Sophomores, is mini Sonatina year. Junior is accompanist year (they will actually learn to accompany me while I play a horn solo) and Senior year, is Senior recital year ranging from a Mozart concerto to a big Solo piece. This not only makes it easier for you to prepare for each lesson, but provides a structure to your teaching.

In addition, for the back end of the teaching. You can simplify your bookkeeping and send emails only one day a month. For me, every 23rd of the month is the day I have scheduled on my calendar to send out lesson summaries, (tuition dues) And I wait until the 1st to do my banking from depositing checks or transferring the income received in my Paypal to my bank.

Ultimately, simplifying your business and maximizing your schedule with just a few days a week can help you achieve a healthier work-life balance while still providing quality education to your students. By streamlining your scheduling process, prioritizing your teaching methods, and incorporating technology, you can become more efficient and effective in your role as a private music instructor.

Happy Teaching!

Holiday Recitals And How To Squeeze Them In During The Busiest Time of The Year

The holidays are quickly approaching, and you want to showcase your student’s hard work! GREAT! But, how do you make time in your and all your student’s families for a recital?

1. GET A LOCATION NOW! Start calling around at churches , or facilities asking what is available before you set a date. Or if you already know a date ask specifically for that date.

2. Be flexible on TIME OF DAY. Sometimes most families have an easier time with midday recitals when they have other activities during the evening.

3. Use the opportunity to do community service. With Covid, this might not be possible, but for the future, other locations that you can perform are: Retirement or Senior Centers, Malls, Even at the Hospital. You have to get prior permission and there might be other rules attached, but I consider this a Community Service project as a way to give back to the community.

4. Pick an odd day. Wednesdays and Thursdays seem to be an odd day for many activities and often don’t have a conflict. So try these days instead of a typical Friday or Saturday.

5. Try to notify your parents AS SOON AS YOU HAVE YOUR RECITAL DATE. And know, that someone might not be able to participate, and that’s okay, it happens. Life is busy at the holidays. goal is to be as early as possible with notifying so they have enough time to put you on their calendar before it fills up over the next month.

6. Last tip: AIM TO KEEP YOUR RECITAL SHORT! 1-2 songs most, and let the parent’s know you would like to keep it short. Don’t go overboard with the recital. Just some holiday favorites, to show off the progress of your students.

Happy Teaching!

Becky

Successful Private Music Studio Performances and Recital Strategies

It’s recital season! But it’s also the end of the year and very busy schedules for your families! I’ve worked hard to have short and to the point recitals. The last thing I ever wanted was for the families of my students to spend too much time at my recitals. I’ve been there, part of over hour long recitals. It’s hard to sit through and with young kids waiting to play, it’s hard for them to stay focused.

My biggest recital featured over 20 students performing 2 songs each and the recital was less than 30 minutes. Recitals that last over an hour is hard to sit through especially for young kids with short attention spans. Continue reading to learn a few of my strategies for simplified but amazing and short recitals!

Strategies to have a smooth recital

• Work with your students starting a few weeks BEFORE the actual recital about what to expect. Including, where they will be sitting (having the students sit in recital order is helping in knowing when they go next) How to get on and off the stage or to the area where they perform. What they should do with their music before and after they play and what direction they will be bowing to/ helping them understand where the audience will be. Practice it in your studio space before multiple times for at least 2 weeks before your recital date.

• It’s okay to have multiple recital days to keep recitals short or if space is limited at your recital location. This is best for combined studio recitals of multiple teachers or if you have more than 40 students performing or multiple groups. Have your parents sign up for whichever day works best for them. It’s best to have a mix of beginning, intermediate and advanced at each recital though. While it might be more inconvenient for you, to arrange multiple recital days, think about the attendees and how long they will have to wait if you have a long recital.

• Don’t feel obligated to talk a lot. Less is more with recitals sometimes especially if you have a lot of students performing. A simple introduction of each student and their song is enough since you provided a program. It’s so easy to talk about how amazing each student is, but that is something that can be done after with the parents. Create a showcase for the recital, for students that have hit milestones. Like 3, 5 and 10 years of lessons with you, or the students who practiced the most on your practicing challenge.

• Do, have something for everyone, like a single flower, and invite each student to collect it from you at the end. Bonus: it sets up the opportunity for a studio photo that you can use on your social media to promote your studio.

• Do ask for help from the parents in setting up or cleaning up after the recital. Many hands makes for little work.

In the end, the parents will thank you for a shorter performances especially if there are younger siblings in the audience. Mine always have and it gave more time for our potluck reception that follows every recital.

Happy Teaching!

xo, Becky