The fourth project of MTNA's certification program requires me to describe my teaching environment, and what resources I use to promote my students' learning.
My teaching studio is located in the living room of my home. It is always neat, and all my teaching tools are organized in one corner. My instruments are displayed on the walls using String Swings, which is not only attractive but also makes them easy to get to. In addition to my teaching instrument (a five-string violin equipped with a pickup so I can plug it into my computer for recording), I have a viola, a nicer violin I perform on, and 4 fractional-sized violins: 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4. All of my instruments are maintained yearly with new strings and horsehair, and additional maintenance as necessary. Having fractional violins in easy reach makes it easy to measure new and current students, have them try a better quality instrument so they can experience how much easier it is to play, and I can have students use my instruments when they forget theirs.
For younger students, I have a "fishing" game that allows them to pick which piece or skill to demonstrate next in their lesson. Young kids love this, and it helps develop fine motor control. Other games are a music game I created, Musopoly, music dominoes, and "Go Composer" (like Go Fish but using composers). I use these games during group classes to encourage students in their theory, performance, and knowledge of music history.
During nice weather, I will teach my students outside, on the front porch. This gives us a change of scenery, and it reminds me to talk to my students about what precautions are needed when playing out of doors. In addition, I live on a small farm, so students can play for my chickens, ducks, goats, alpaca, and horses. They especially love when I have baby goats that they can play with after lessons!
My first resource is a list of practice techniques. I give every student a copy of this list, so they always have multiple ways to practice at home. Each item is numbered, so in their lesson notebooks I only have to write a number, and they can refer to the list for how to practice it. This means I'm spending less time writing, and more time teaching and interacting with each student.
This is what I think of as my "teaching corner." The electric piano, while not as good as an upright or grand piano, gives me another instrument to accompany my students on without the hassle or cost of maintenance, so I can focus my resources on my other instruments and my teaching. Two stands, one extra tall with a stand extender, mean we can have lots of music up, easily play duets, and I can comfortably teach my very tall students.
This instrument was one my mom bought for me as a child, only to find out that it wasn't worth even trying to play. I have it displayed like this, partially taken apart, so my students can see what the inside of an instrument looks like without trying to dismantle their own. They can see their base bar, and that the bridge and soundpost are not actually attached to the rest of the instrument, which many are surprised about.