Some teachers really find teen beginners a bit of a struggle. These students come to us from a very different place than our younger kiddos and often with pretty unreal expectations of how fast they’re going to progress.

But these were some of Jennifer Eklund’s favourite students to teach. She’s on the podcast today to convince you that they can be your favourites too, and give you some great tips on how to be successful with teen beginners.

Jennifer Eklund has just launched a new method book especially for older beginners. Fired Up! uses rich harmonies, duets and backing tracks right from the get-go and is perfect for those teen beginners who want to sound good yesterday.

Transcript

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In this episode, you’ll learn

• Why teen beginners were some of Jennifer’s favourite students
• What makes teaching teen beginners tricky for some teachers
• How we can deal with YouTube tutorials
• How to approach the first lessons with a new teen beginner
• What to do with students who want to “sound good yesterday”
• The value of backing tracks for teenage students
• Why you should be playing duets with all your students
• How to get started with improv based on your students’ pieces

Links Mentioned

• Piano Pronto
• Piano Pronto Lead Sheets
• Fired Up! – method book for older students
• FM Sheet Music

Special Discount for Listeners

Jennifer has been very generous in offering an extra 10% discount on the Fired Up! books for listeners of this podcast. Make sure to enter the coupon code FIREDUP when ordering from Piano Pronto to get this awesome discount!

Today’s Sponsor

Sheet Music Plus isn’t just fantastic because it’s the largest sheet music directory online (which it is!) they’re also doing their part to help music teachers with their program Easy Rebates.

If you sign up to Easy Rebates you get access to 8% cash-back on all your orders. You can also set up lists for your students to purchase and get the 8% cash back on those too!

Since Sheet Music Plus has over 1,000,000 titles including print and digital downloads, it’s the best place to go when you have student requests or need something for an upcoming recital, so you should definitely take advantage of this free program.

Go to sheetmusicplus.com/easyrebates to find out more and sign up today.

Get $100 off Annual TopMusicPro Membership

As a valued podcast listener, you’re eligible for a $100 discount on an annual TopMusicPro Membership. This discount lasts for as long as you’re a member and whatever price you sign up for today is the price you’ll pay as long as you remain a member.

Copy this coupon code to use when you see the “Coupon Code” box: PIANOPODCAST.

Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine.

Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run.

Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons!

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How do you approach teaching older beginners?

Have you struggled to keep your teens engaged? Do you have any tips to share on what worked for you?