What follows is a rough-edit of the episode, so please forgive typos and/or formatting errors.

All content is my own; requests to use this material – with proper citation – can be sent to [email protected]

Episode 238: Cheers to Teacher Reflections

Hello there, my studio teacher friends!  Welcome to Episode 238 of the Beyond Measure Podcast.  My name is Christina Whitlock and I count myself fortunate to serve here as your Anytime Piano Teacher Friend. I’m here to offer you a boost of solidarity by sharing experiences that only WE can fully understand. Welcome to your weekly dose of camaraderie! I’m so glad you’re here. And now, let’s get on with the show….

So, I did a thing last week… it was something I call Studio Teacher Thanksgiving. It’s a weeklong series of emails, each one containing a video reflection and a small giveaway. This is the fourth year running that I’ve hosted it, and each year it just gets better.

My favorite thing about Studio Teacher Thanksgiving is the fact that it gives me a direct line of communication with my audience and opens up a ton of conversation.  Each day I prompt readers to consider a unique angle of gratitude and share their thoughts with me.

So, you guys get my ideas and you generate your own, but I have to say: from MY perspective, it’s pretty incredible to sit at my computer with an exploding inbox and be EXCITED to read the overwhelming number of messages.

And – in case you were wondering – I promise, I read every one. I’m not great at replying to everything, but I do read them all.

Anyway, Studio Teacher Thanksgiving gives me this birds-eye view to all the things happening in Music Teacher World and it’s a fascinating seat to sit in.

Here’s what I’m thinking, friends: when this episode releases, there will only be 37 days left in 2025. Woah.

It’s become somewhat customary to enter a season of reflection as the seasons change and another year comes to an end, and that’s what I plan to be doing here on the podcast for the remainder of this calendar year.

Today, I thought I would share a few responses I received during Studio Teacher Thanksgiving that gave an extra tug on my heart strings.

Now – if I’d been thinking ahead – I would have asked people for permission to share the words I’ll be reading today. But, this idea came to me later than I’d like to admit and that ship has sailed.

Therefore, I’ll keep everything anonymous for today. I just don’t want to blast anyone’s personal thoughts online without their permission. That’s not how I roll.

Anyway: I won’t recap the entire week here, but I wanted to share some things I thought you would enjoy.

On Day 2 of Studio Teacher Thanksgiving, I prompted readers to consider what their students have taught THEM this year. I knew the responses to this question would be good… but they were even better than anticipated.

I received replies about students who taught their teachers a new appreciation for popular music; helping us break that musical snobbery that so many of us (ahem) held for so long… I heard a lot about resilience,  one teacher named the fact that her student taught her about the 6-7 trend, and someone else shared how her student reminded her that her vacation should be a vacation, not an excuse to catch up on work. Oof. That one hits, right?

Here’s another:

One person said, “I learned the power of silence from one of my students. She was having trouble with a rhythm on the Piano Safari sight reading and rhythm cards, and I was getting ready to jump in and help, when I noticed the look of concentration on her face. So I just sat and waited. She stared at that rhythm for a long, long time, and then executed it perfectly. I’ll never forget her wide eyes when she looked up at me and said, “That was hard!” And I said, “And you did it!” And she was so proud!

You know, friends… that is a BIG teacher lesson. At NCKP this summer, I was presenting my session about Quiet Students and one teacher in the audience told me her go-to phrase in silence. She said she tries to give the silence time, and then she simply says, “Are you thinking or are you stuck?”

I’ll tell you what, friends: that question has been a BIG help to me. I wish I could remember who said that in my session. If she happens to be listening today, please drop me a message so I can thank you!  Are you thinking or are you stuck?

We don’t always need to come to our students’ rescue, right?  Allowing them to feel the discomfort and work through it is a very powerful – very counter-cultural – experience.  Diane Hidy and I talked about that in our summer conversation here on the podcast as well.

Another reply that really got to me that day was this one: it said, “I think my piano students have taught me to slow down a bit. I’m a very results oriented person, always thinking about what my next goal is and what I need to do to reach it in music. Some of my lovely adult students just enjoy where they are right now and have fun with the music making process. Their contentment gives me permission to not move so fast towards the next thing and take some time to enjoy where I’m at too!”

You guys. GOOSEBUMPS. That’s the stuff. Right there. There are so many GREAT things about goals, but truly: I’ve been actively surveying my students and considering how many of them can sit at the piano and actually enjoy themselves. Because I’m simply not interested in any of my other goals if I’m not helping a student find THAT. I used to tell students they needed to put in a lot of work before piano would feel “fun” and I do NOT believe that anymore. We know better now. We have better resources and better opportunities for training now. Teaching students to find contentment in something OTHER than chasing down the next big goal is 100% where it’s at for me.

Here’s one more reply that really resonated with me: “One of the big things my students have taught me this year is not to give up. Sometimes they seem to have very little invested in learning piano and the progress is so slow it is hard to see. I even worry that their parents are wasting money. But then sometimes the light turns on after 5 years and they finally start practicing outside of their lessons.

If progress can finally happen after 5 years…I shouldn’t be quick to give up on them or myself. (in piano or in life) “

Oooooooh friends. I know, I know… this one probably boils up a lot of feelings for you. But I have to say, I totally agree. In MY studio, I do not see piano lessons as a waste of money, ever. If a student is pleasant to work with and they’ll cooperate during the lesson time, I will pretty much always keep them. I absolutely believe progress is made – even when it’s slow. I believe the work we do together is worth it. I even believe it’s worth it if their attitude is crummy, but to be honest, I don’t have the mental bandwidth to deal with that and I *would* cut a student loose if they were uncooperative during their lesson AND not practicing at home.

Anyway – I’ve said it here many times; I have an entire episode devoted to the topic – but we need to STOP PUSHING our students through their stages of musical development. We need to stop hurrying Elementary leveled students, thinking they should be mastering multiple concepts every week. Likewise, FOR THE LOVE we need to stop hurrying students through the Intermediate stage.  Janna Williamson and I just wrapped up our first-ever Intermediate Student Cohort, and it’s more evident than ever how much there is for students to learn in that Intermediate stage before you drop Beethoven Sonatas and Debussy on your students.

(FYI: If you’re curious, the Intermediate Cohort was a WONDERFUL success and we do plan on running it again next fall. There are a few relevant links in today’s shownotes if you’re curious for more information).

On Day 3 of Studio Teacher Thanksgiving, I shared a thought that I seem to encounter everywhere I go this year: the fact that the art we create is less about the art itself, and more about the person we become through making it. Art, of course, can be interpreted a million different ways, and I happen to see teaching as art. So, by this idea, the results of our teaching are great… but, maybe, the most influential result is actually who WE become by teaching. I asked teachers to consider how teaching has changed them.

Of course, lots of teachers reported feeling more patient, more empathetic, more understanding. Those things are often true. I also had a good number of teachers respond that teaching helps them be more assertive in communicating their policies. I think that’s an important thing to remember: every awkward conversation you have helps make the next one easier. Tell yourself, “it’s time to flex my difficult conversation muscle!” and go say the thing you don’t really want to say (in a tactful way, of course).

One respondent said, “Teaching has made me a better parent! Because I’ve learned how to meet my students where they are, to accept them and support them in their efforts and focus on their successes, rather than their flaws, I’ve been able to do that better with my own children.”

Oh HEAR HEAR to that, friend!  Teaching has had a BIG influence on the way I parent, just like being a parent has made a tremendous impact on how I teach.  Those two things involve SO MUCH overlap and each influences the other for the better.

How about THIS one…

Someone said, “I’ve had an interesting year in my personal life and have sometimes had to turn up to lessons less prepared than I wanted to be. What changed was a growth in understanding that sometimes students don’t need all the repertoire, all the games, all the strategies… sometimes it’s enough for me to turn up and listen and answer their questions.”

Oh I want to shout this one from the rooftops. There are lots of good things that come from staying up on the wealth of resources available to us… but sometimes it also means we overcomplicate the lesson process. Truly, if we are creating an experience where students feel seen and understood? And we make music?  They’re leaving that lesson having learned something, I promise.

So yes, use all the books, have the games on hand, plan a good plan… but don’t FOR ONE SECOND think those things are what make the lesson successful.  You; your presence, your attention, your ability to see what needs worked on first and communicate the next steps clearly? THOSE are the things that matter most.  Activities are great, but they’re not more valuable than YOU.

Sigh. Do you see what I mean?  My inbox was full of THIS KIND OF GOODNESS all last week. So, to ALL of you who participated in Studio Teacher Thanksgiving, thanks for sharing your words this year. Next year will be our FIFTH year of this tradition, and I’m determined to make it bigger and better than ever before.

If you are interested in watching those 5 gratitude reflections for your own use, I’ll link a wrap-up post in the shownotes for today’s episode.

I would love to share more responses from last week, but I always try to stay respectful of your time here at Beyond Measure, so I’ll wrap up here with a toast.  Go grab the nearest glass, because here we go…

Studio Music Teacher Friends from all over the world: No matter where in the world you live, this is a terrific week to be intentional about gratitude. There are many things about our work to be grateful for. Giving thanks for unique growth opportunities in our profession does not negate the reality of its challenges; there are plenty of those, too… but giving thanks for what you can sure makes it easier to navigate the tough stuff. Today, we embrace it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly, and MOST OF ALL, we give thanks that we have EACH OTHER.  Seriously. You guys save me from my own negative thoughts ALL THE TIME.  We’re so much better together, friends.  Hear, hear.

As I mentioned, we’ll be doing some contemplative posts here through the end of 2025. I always love everyone’s year-in-review types of episodes and I’m looking forward to sharing mine with you. If you’re interested in checking out any of the links I mentioned earlier, head to today’s shownotes at ChristinaWhitlock.com/episode238 and you’ll find everything you need there.

Have a GRATITUDE-FILLED week, my friends!  Onward and upward we go.