Summer Expectations vs Summer Reality
Dorla Aparicio —affectionately known as Miss Dorla to her students—always seems to have her act together when she prepares for the next season of her thriving studio. Her camp curriculums are carefully prepared and include trendy and engaging content that educates, too. It’s obvious that she knows what keeps kids intrigued and coming back for more.
That’s why when Dorla offered to write a blog post for LeilaViss.com, I immediately took her up on it. All her resources have been top sellers at the blog. I’m interested in hearing how she makes things happen!
When I began reading the post, I was impressed with her organization and amazed by her ability to plan so far in advanced. Then I kept reading.
Confession: I was relieved to read on that Dorla has the same problems that we all face when it comes to summer programs! So it’s not just me? Not just you? We all hangout on that summer planning struggle bus.
Stay strong. Don’t give up. Here at LeilaViss.com there are trendy and engaging options for summer camp curriculums that will keep your students loyal even through those long summer months.
-Leila
Expectations
The Month of January
My summer piano schedule is planned:
Three weeks of lessons in June.
Two weeks of lessons in July.
One week of piano camp at the end of each month.
The Month of March
75% of my students have chosen their day and time for the summer.
Deposits for summer have been received.
I’ve purchased a piano camp curriculum and love it!
The Month of May
Maxine’s mom called to say that she won’t be able to attend during the month of June. She has enrolled her in College for Kids.
James’ dad sent a text. He didn’t know his wife signed him up for summer lessons and they plan to be traveling parts of June and July.
The "Home-School Moms Group" called about their scheduled trip to visit your studio. Can it be postponed?
The Month of July
Summer piano schedule is one big headache:
Cancellations
No-shows
Rescheduling.
Perfectly made plans are messed up. Ugh!
Reality
It’s great to have a plan. But a plan is just a guide.
Like driving on the freeway, you follow the road until
Someone in the car needs you to stop.
The signs lead to a detour.
You get to your destination.
What is your destination?
What do you want to achieve with your students?
What is your plan?
What do you want to focus on?
-Dorla Aparicio
Miss Dorla
Learn more about Dorla’s expertise and experience as a group piano teacher at her website: missdorla.com.
Make your Expectations a Reality
Leila here, again…
Unfortunately, we CAN’T CONTROL the scheduling requests and changes made by your parents and your students.
Tip: Requests and changes can be managed by upholding a strong policy so make your policies clear to all student families before they sign up!
Here at LeilaViss.com, teachers including Andrea West, Marie Lee, Heather Nanney, Dorla Aparicio and yours truly CAN HELP you determine your curriculum and your goals for the summer.
There’s a variety of options that can be tailored to suit your needs and those of your students.
The MOST important thing about choosing a summer curriculum is YOUR excitement about the theme. If you’re all over it, it will be much easy to sell the idea to your parents.
To determine what curriculum is best for your studio, determine your goal.
Looking to enroll new students? Then use Musical Stem or Drumming for Piano Teachers. Little to no experience is required for campers.
Looking to fill a gap in students’ knowledge? Then select a curriculum designed around music history like Go Baroque or around a style like the 12-Bar Blues featured in Be Cool and Play the Blues.
Wanting to encourage more playing by ear and reading from lead sheets? Center a camp around the Happy Birthday tune and follow the lead of Perry’s Party Piano Camp.
Hoping students will gain understanding in theory, rhythm or scales? Plug in a number of different resources listed below and call your curriculum Theory Boot Camp.
Camp Themes
Science
Musical S.T.E.M. is a curriculum for playing the piano with science, technology, engineering and math. It can be used as a summer piano camp, school, studio, or after-school program. It’s that versatile!
Music History
The Baroque period is a treasure chest of legendary composers and keyboard repertoire but, students usually don’t ask to play the music from the powdered-wig style. Go Baroque will change that!
The Go Baroque bundle of downloadable PDF’s comes with a Teacher Guide, Jumbo Ornament Flash Cards, Infographic of the Baroque and Classical Periods, Relate Baroque Art to Music Guide Questions, Get Inspired! Episode 12 Guide Questions, Activity Poster and Punch Cards to keep track of activities. The clever activities can be streamlined into a successful summer camp.
Not tech-savvy? No problem! All tech-related activities are optional when you Go Baroque.
Lead Sheets
Dive into the nitty gritty of the tune sung at every birthday party and mine it for unforgettable teaching moments. The colorful resource for private or group instruction is packed with plans to help students master an original arrangement. It features curriculum for at least four camp days, 2-6 hours each.
Improvisation
Gain step-by-step, tech-savvy video instructions on how to teach and improvise within the 12-Bar Blues on and off the bench. On and off bench activities are ideal for all ages and levels in group settings as well as private lessons.
Composition
Explore and create with hip harmonies and pop-inspired patterns that ignite imaginations and original compositions. This resource is perfect for a Rock Band camp or one focused on chords and chord charts.
Writing a good melody can be mysterious so here’s an unprecedented 48-page resource to shed light on this area of creative music making. Packed full of melody-writing ideas organized into a hierarchy of importance, perhaps the best thing about it are the 15+ worksheets to equip you or your students with the practical skills to improvise and compose strong melodies.
Rhythm
Let’s Drum This: Bucket Drumming for Piano Teachers
With this customizable resource you’ll learn why bucket drumming is THE perfect solution for your holiday or summer camps, group and private lessons. You’ll have access to buckets full of resources so that you can learn how to teach bucket drumming in style. With the help of over 80 “recipe cards” you’ll be able to integrate bucket drumming into any of your current plans with pedagogically-sound and guaranteed-to-rock activities.
Intervals
Sometimes limiting a summer camp to one concept, like intervals, can turn out to be the most beneficial to your students and the most fun for you! This resource includes innovative, tech-savvy and engaging activities for you to implement immediately into private or group lessons or camps on and off the bench.
Activities to Use in Camp Units
Active Listening
History
Chords
Rhythm
Pitch Recognition
Scales
Intervals
Royal 9 Interval Card Game
Best wishes on choosing a camp curriculum that’s right for you. And, get all the support you need by hanging with Dorla at her Facebook group, Piano Camp Curriculum and my group called Piano Pedagogy On and Off the Bench.
