Hello music teachers of Reddit —

My son started piano lessons about 6 months ago, and fiddling around on the piano has become a bit of an obsession with him (he will finish playing his assigned beginner piano pieces and scales a set number of times, check it off on daily practice chart, and then rush back to me and say, "Now can I play piano?").

He started playing the following "scale" frequently: B flat, D flat, D, E flat, G flat, A flat, B flat (I put "scale" in quotation marks because I don't know whether it counts as an actual scale?) and then also: E flat, G flat, A flat, A, B flat, D flat, E flat. I feel like there must be some logical reason for what's going on with these two sets of notes, but it's way beyond my musical theory knowledge. They sound pleasing (kind of jazzy?), and they contain many of the same notes, but don't follow a set half step, whole step pattern.

Would love to hear what better-informed minds think about this, thanks in advance!

Hello I’m a first year teacher! I will be teaching 5-12 band and choir (with a 6th grade general music class). I start professional development over the next couple weeks. Any advice starting out the year? We don’t have a concert till the end of the semester and I don’t want to start looking at that rep right away. I’ll have a HS band, MS band, HS choir, and a MS choir!

Do any other school music ensemble directors deal with kids quitting every year and find it hard not to take it personally? I know it’s part of the job, but it can still be really discouraging. How do you all handle it? How do you handle it with admin? It is difficult teaching a year long elective vs the others that are offered semesters & rotated .

Hi music teachers. I’m teaching a couple high school guitar classes and I’m already getting bored. What are some fun ways you incorporate technique and popular music? Were using a classical guitar method and idk. Just want to hear from other people. Help!!

I’m hoping someone may have some ideas on what works best for online teaching. I’ve taught online for some years and I’ve struggled with sound since the beginning. Skype was the most reliable for being able to hear what my students were playing and them being able to hear me but it’s no longer an option. I have tried Zoom and Teams at times but especially anything higher up (on the flute particularly) it just would not translate on either side. My laptop was damaged years ago and the microphone does not work so I use an external one but it was only cheap. I’m currently using WhatsApp as a temporary solution as both of my students are in their 70s and it was the only thing they already had downloaded. WhatsApp does allow me to hear them but not for them to hear me so it’s likely an issue on my side but it’s still not the most ideal thing to be using.
Basically I need any pointers on what video calling program is best and if I need to change the settings to improve the sound. If there are microphones people recommend if that’s the issue (as long as it won’t break the bank). I’m in the UK

I currently teach at Music & Arts (two locations: MA1, MA2) and just got hired at a School of Rock location (SoR).

The SoR location and MA1 happen to be down the street from each other. Starting in September, my Saturdays will open up for teaching and my initial plan was to split the day:

• MA1 open from 10–5; teach from 10–2

• SoR open from 10–6; teach from 2:30–6

I just talked to my manager at MA1 and they said they can't fit more instructors on Saturdays.

MA2 is in the next town over, about 15–20 minutes away, has the same hours. Presuming they can fit me in, I figure I could still follow my plan of splitting the day; the transition period I built in should cover travel time.

Do you think something like this is a good idea or should I just commit the entire day to one location?

I'm a relatively new guitar teacher working with primary school students at a K-12 school, and I'm struggling a little with finding the balance between being the "fun guitar teacher" and actually being firm when students aren't behaving appropriately.

For some extra context, I'm only 18 and I actually graduated from this same school last year. I was then asked to come back this year to teach guitar. I absolutely love doing it, but I think that history adds another layer to the behaviour side of things. A lot of the kids had already seen me around school before I became their guitar teacher and knew who I was, so I don't necessarily have that automatic "adult teacher" authority. I think it makes them even more inclined to joke around and have fun with me.

I completely understand that for a lot of kids, coming out of class for a 30-minute guitar lesson feels like a break. I also understand that kids are kids - they're going to be silly, talkative, distracted, excited, etc. I was the hyperactive kid myself, so I probably have a tendency to be a bit too understanding sometimes. However, I have two students in particular who I'm struggling with, and a teacher who has taught both of them has basically told me: "they know better, you need to be firmer with them."

One is in Grade 4 (so 9/10 years old). He's very energetic, constantly talking/playing while I'm trying to explain things and just generally being silly, but the biggest issue is that he will randomly scream during lessons because he thinks it's funny. Not screaming because he's upset, overwhelmed, frustrated, etc - just suddenly screaming for a laugh. I tell him to stop, but it keeps happening. Some lessons we accomplish very little because I'm constantly redirecting him, and I'm conscious that his parents are paying for me to actually *teach* him guitar.

The other student is in Grade 2 (7/8 years old). He's a little different because he genuinely LOVES guitar lessons and has told me that he hates being in class, so I think coming to guitar feels like an escape for him. He's also really capable - he can already form chords and strum and I genuinely think he could do really well. The problem is getting him to actually do what I ask. For example, if I ask him to play a G chord, he will purposely play a different chord while grinning at me. If I correct him, he purposely plays a different chord. He knows exactly what he's doing and thinks it's hilarious.

Obviously none of this is extreme behaviour. They're kids, and I want lessons to be fun for them. We play games, joke around, do activities, learn songs they like, etc. But I'm realising that I don't really know how to switch from "fun guitar teacher" to "okay, I'm actually telling you to stop now."

How do you actually become firmer with kids this age without making the lesson miserable? Particularly when you're a very young teacher yourself? What do you say/do when you've already told them to stop and they just do it again?

TL;DR: I'm an 18-year-old guitar teacher who graduated from the same K-12 school last year and came back to teach. Two primary students I teach are very capable but regularly muck around/ignore instructions, and another teacher has told me they know better and I need to be firmer. How do I establish that authority while still keeping guitar lessons fun?

Hi everyone,

Like a lot of musicians, I’ve tried using habit trackers and productivity apps over the years to stay consistent with my practice. But after a while, I realized something was off with how these tools treat musicianship.

Most practice apps borrow their playbook straight from fitness trackers or language apps: streaks, badges, scoreboards, and daily guilt trips.

If you miss a day because life happens, you break a 40-day "streak." If you spend 45 minutes noodling around and playing pieces you already love for the sheer joy of it, the app treats it the same as 45 minutes of intense, slow-tempo deliberate practice.

Music isn't a workout regimen or a vocabulary quiz. The practice room should feel like a sanctuary—a quiet space where intention becomes progress, without losing what made you fall in love with your instrument in the first place.

That’s why I decided to build Satie (named after Erik Satie).

Instead of gamifying practice, I wanted a tool built around how musicians actually work at the music stand:

• No streaks, no guilt, no scoreboards: Your instrument shouldn't feel like a chore list. If you don't practice for three days, Satie welcomes you back without telling you that you "lost your streak."
• Distinguishing "Playing" vs. "Practicing": Playing a piece for fun and actively working on a section you can't hit yet aren't the same thing. Satie keeps that distinction so you can track true progress on active repertoire without discounting casual play.
• Staying in the flow: Built-in utilities (like a tuner and practice log) right on your stand, so you don't have to jump between five different apps or manage duplicate sheet music libraries.

It’s currently in early access at getsatie.com, but before rolling it out broadly, I wanted to open a conversation here:

How do you currently track your practice routines, and how do you feel about gamification (streaks/badges) when applied to learning an instrument?

Would love to hear how other musicians approach this balance!

Hi!

I'm currently a student at the piano, with a strong foundation and according to some people good with teaching ( in general, not the piano ).

since, I want to look for some side hustles.

and one thing I can take advantage of is my piano skills, I have a great foundation, scales, Chords, techniques

currently studying for a competition, and playing as a pinaist for a church.

I want to earn some extra money, but I don't want to charge much since OP here is not a virtuouso prof yet.

What can I teach for some beginning peeps? or what can I teach them, I know i should teach the basics, but in terms of step by step, and what study materials should I have. sorry for the bombardment of questions, it's my first time to teach. and I want to be a great teacher even I'm a student myself.

Piano community do your thing! 🔥

Hello everyone! So this is my first year teaching elementary music ever (didn’t do student teaching since I’m only a minor in education, but have experience with collegiate choirs during school) and I’m having so much trouble with kindergarten. The first day I had them in my class it was good for like the first 5 minutes, but it just derailed after that so badly. They were screaming and yelling and did not pay attention to me at all, they were disobedient, there was a few kids that started climbing on the stack of chairs that I have, playing with the xylophones that I have on the bookshelf that I didn't think they'd be able to reach, but they did and then I had my assistant Principal come in and help me and she brought her behavior coach with her and they stayed for like 20 minutes with me to help me out and do some listening activities so they can listen to me. I’m feeling very discouraged now especially for this next coming week and I’m Not for sure what to do. I need help with lesson plans, and I need ideas and tips for how to manage all of this (for the record none of the classes have TA’s that stay with me, and classes range from 20-33😳). The music curriculum that we use too is Quaver (haven’t started it yet but how this past week went I might just start it early but idk)

Any help is GREATLY appreciated

So I have always wanted to be a teacher, but sometime my sophomore year I started doubting it because they don't get payed much and I just wasn't getting a lot of support for it by the people around me. I kept trying to shadow people and find a new job that I would like to try, but I wasn't really getting anywhere. I like to do art, hiking, travel, and yk stuff is more like hobbies. But even my hobbies, I'm not like super good at drawing or painting. I'm kinda mediocre at everything, even in school, I take AP and DE classes, but I always barely pass with a 90 or a 91. And that's kinda how I am with everything. Good enough, but not SUPER good at anything. About a month into my junior year, my orchestra teacher offered that I could go to a different school that they also teach at, and I help with sectionals and tuning, etc. I LOVED IT so so much! It was my favorite part of my day and I really enjoyed it. By the end of the semester, the kids asked why I didn't just become an orchestra teacher and teach them instead. After that, I wanted to become a teacher again, but instead of an elementary teacher, I wanted to be an orchestra teacher! But then I did a BIG aduition that i really really tried to get, and I didn't make it. I knew the music and felt proud of it before i aduitioned, but when I got in there, i was shaking and and my tempo/intonation was absolutely BUNS! I cried after and knew i was gonna get in. I have never had any private lessons or any sort of specialist help me. Actually, before high school, I was taught by a band teacher who didn't really know much about strings. It kinda made me realize that if I wanted to be a music teacher, I had to get much better at my instrument. I tried to teach myself more about my instrument over the summer useing youtube, ticktock, and essential elements book 3 but I feel like I know what to do but I can't do it....idk how to describe it. Yesterday, my friend went up to me and gave me music for this orchestra program and told me to try out, and after little thought, I decided to sign up. The aduition is in 7 days, I've been practicing, but I'm freaking out. Naturally, bc it's my first day with the pieces of music, it doesnt sound very good, and I've already cried about its so whatever. Also I don't meet the qualifications, you need a personal teacher and I can't afford to have one. So ik i have no chance to get in, I'm using this more for audition practice, but I feel like these past few weeks, if not months, I have been having an identity crisis. I. A senior and I have to choose colleges soon, and I'll have to aduition for the music ensemble to join the music edu major classes. I'm worried I won't make it just bc I'm not good enough at my instrument. I dont want to say its been my dream to become a orchestra teacher bc it hasn't...but i lived be an assistant teacher and thats the only direction that ive had.I've been trying to look at the other majors i looked at sophomore year and idk none have seem like I wouldn't hate my life everyday. Idk what to do bc the only job that I think I would love is the job that I don't think I'm good enough to pursue. If anyone has suggestions for how to get better, your experience before become ANY music teacher, or any other jobs that would be interesting, it doesn't have to be a music or art job, but I need to figure this out quickly! I would appreciate ANY comments that could help!

Hey everyone! I’m looking for a part-time music teacher to join me at a music program for children in Openhouse Jayanagar, Bangalore.

I currently run the music program at Openhouse Jayanagar (a learning center for children), teaching children roughly between the ages of 5–10. I’m looking for someone to take the weekday batches from Monday to Friday, 4–7 PM.

What I’m looking for

The program involves teaching:

• 🎹 Keyboard
• 🥁 Drums
• 🎸 Ukulele

You do not need to be proficient in all three instruments. What I’m primarily looking for is someone who is well-versed in at least one of them and has a good foundation in music.

If you're comfortable with one or two instruments but aren't familiar with the others, that's completely fine — I can train and guide you on the remaining instruments, as well as on our curriculum and teaching methodology. You won't be expected to walk in already knowing everything.

More importantly, you should enjoy working with kids, be patient and engaging, and be comfortable teaching beginners. Prior experience teaching children is a plus, but I'm open to musicians who haven't formally taught before if they feel they'd be good at working with kids.

The role

• Days: Monday–Friday
• Timings: 4–7 PM
• Total: 15 hours/week
• Pay: ₹18,000–₹20,000/month
• Location: Jayanagar 8th Block, Bangalore
• Teaching primarily children aged 5–10
• Training and guidance provided
• You'll work directly with me, and I'll be managing/coordinating the music program
• We can also cover for each other when either of us needs to take leave

The location is important — since this is a part-time role with 3-hour evening shifts, I'd ideally like someone who lives reasonably close by and won't have to spend a huge amount of time commuting.

This would be particularly suited to a musician, music teacher, college student/graduate, or someone looking for a stable part-time evening teaching gig alongside their other work.

If you're interested, please DM me with a little bit about yourself, which instrument(s) you play, your teaching experience (if any), where you're based in Bangalore, and your availability. If you have any recordings/videos of you playing or teaching, feel free to share those as well.

Happy to answer any questions in the comments!

As a Professor of Endocrinology, I never felt stressed giving lectures or speaking at conferences. My son, an economist, didn't either. But whenever he played the piano in public, everything changed.
Do you agree with the solution presented in this video? I personally think it’s the answer!

#PerformanceAnxiety
#PianoPerformance
#StageFright
#Piano
#MusicianLife

Hello! I am a freshly graduated musician looking to start my own private lessons studio. I have been reaching out to all of the schools within an hour drive and have gotten a total of 4 students so far. My question is, what do I do to keep marketing myself while I am waiting on more responses/new students? I don’t want to bug the band directors by asking every week but I’m not quite sure where to go from here. And advice helps! Thank you!

If I Were a Teacher, This Is How I Would Teach NAGA Pulse

This is only a teaching simulation.

It is not an official academic definition of NAGA Pulse, and I am not claiming that these musical concepts were invented by me.

In traditional music education, students often learn many things separately:

Rhythm → Groove → Bass → Melody → Arrangement → Dynamics → Timbre → Form

Students may understand all these terms, but they can still face one important question:

“Teacher, I understand all of this… but how do I decide what should happen in this section?”

If I were teaching, I would use NAGA Pulse to help fill that gap.

I would not begin with:

“Today we are learning Techno.”

I would begin with three very simple questions.

🐉 NAGA — What is breathing?

What is responsible for maintaining the sense of life, weight, space, and continuous pressure in the music?

It does not necessarily have to be the Sub Bass.

It could come from:

Bass

Pad

Long sustained melody

Vocal

Texture

Orchestra

Even Silence or Dynamics

NAGA does not define a specific type of sound.

It simply asks:

In this section of the music, what is breathing?

🐎 HORSE — What is moving?

What is responsible for keeping the music moving forward?

It could come from:

Bass groove

Arpeggio

Melody

Percussion

Repeated motif

Vocal phrasing

Instrumental ostinato

And one important point:

Movement ≠ BPM

A track at 128 BPM can still contain different cycles, different sensations of speed, and different accents within it.

So I would explain to the students:

Tempo is the overall time framework of the song.

Movement is how the musical elements move within that framework.

🐍 MAMBA — What changes the energy?

What makes the listener suddenly realize that “something has happened”?

It could be:

Bass hit

Drum impact

Silence

Stop

Sudden filter opening

Sudden cut

Vocal interruption

Fake Drop

Delayed Chorus

So:

Impact ≠ Loudness

Sometimes the strongest MAMBA is simply:

Everything suddenly disappears.

💡 Then I Give the Students a Simple Assignment

Do not decide the Genre first.

Give them 16 bars, and ask only three questions:

1. What is breathing?

→ NAGA

2. What is moving?

→ HORSE

3. What changes the energy?

→ MAMBA

After that, let the students choose for themselves.

Bass?

Yes.

Piano?

Yes.

Guitar?

Yes.

Vocal?

Yes.

Ranat Ek?

Absolutely.

🎧 Only Then Do We Move Into Genre

For example:

Assignment

128 BPM Melodic Techno

Three students must use:

NAGA + HORSE + MAMBA

But the final results should still be different.

Student A:

NAGA is very deep, slow, and spatial.

Student B:

NAGA is more melodic.

Student C:

NAGA is almost hidden underneath the entire arrangement.

All three can still work.

Because:

NAGA Pulse ≠ Sound Preset

It is not:

“NAGA = this Bass.”

Instead:

NAGA = the role played by an element within the music.

Therefore, the same framework should not produce the same music.

🔥 NAGA Pulse as a Teaching Language Across Genres

🎛️ Techno

NAGA → Sub / Atmosphere

HORSE → Bass / Sequence

MAMBA → Impact / Drop

🎤 Pop

NAGA → Bass / Pad / Vocal support

HORSE → Bass movement / Melody

MAMBA → Fake Drop / Silence / Vocal interruption

🎸 Rock

NAGA → Bass / Sustained guitar

HORSE → Riff / Bass movement

MAMBA → Drum hit / Guitar stop

🎬 Cinematic

NAGA → Drone / Low strings

HORSE → Ostinato / Repeating motif

MAMBA → Orchestral impact / Silence

🔊 Dubstep

NAGA → Breathing low-frequency movement

HORSE → Wobble / Rhythmic bass motion

MAMBA → Bass strike / Cut / Drop

Then the students begin to see:

The Genre changes.

The instruments change.

The timbre changes.

But one question remains:

“What is the music doing right now?”

🧠 This Is How I Understand NAGA Pulse

I did not create:

Breath, Movement, Groove, Impact, Silence, Tension, or Release.

All of these things already exist in music.

What I did was take the musical behaviors that I repeatedly used throughout my own music-making process, and organize them into three roles that are easier to understand, discuss, and apply:

🐉 NAGA = Breath

🐎 HORSE = Drive / Movement

🐍 MAMBA = Strike / Energy Change

It is not a Genre.

It is not a fixed sound.

And it is not a rule that forces everyone to make the same kind of music.

Different people using NAGA Pulse in Techno should still produce different identities and different results.

In fact, I would prefer for other people to take this framework, modify it, and develop it into their own way of working.

🧪 Finally, I Am Open to Criticism

If you believe NAGA Pulse has no value, I welcome the criticism.

But please do not stop at:

“It’s not good.”

“It’s wrong.”

“It’s useless.”

“This doesn’t work.”

Tell me which part, and why.

For example:

In what musical context does the definition of NAGA stop being useful?

What problem does HORSE / Movement fail to address compared with existing concepts of Rhythm or Groove?

Is MAMBA / Strike / Silence simply a different naming of existing Arrangement or Dynamics concepts?

Do these three roles actually help someone make decisions during the music-making process?

Can this framework be applied in real production?

It can even be tested directly in Suno AI.

You don't have to believe me.

Test it through music.

If someone can demonstrate that a particular part does not actually help, I am willing to discuss it.

If someone discovers that the framework is useful in their own music, I also welcome them to share their experience.

I am not sharing NAGA Pulse because I believe it is already perfect.

I am sharing it because I want to find out:

When a framework organized from real music-making experience is released from its creator, can it still help other people make music?

Just started new teaching job. 4th and 5th grade are together in one class. Four 5th graders want to do “band” with trumpet, sax, and percussionists. Twelve 4th graders want to do “music class” with singing and ukuleles and what have you.

I have a similar but still different issue in middle school. 6/7th are together and all but 2 of them want to do band. The 2 want to do choir. I’m not sure how to approach this. I should mention I see these kids only on Thursdays and Fridays. I am struggling to wrap my head around planning daily lessons for what feels like 2 classes at once in the same classroom. Any advice some sage educators could give?

As a first-year music teacher, I am completely overwhelmed trying to get ready for the school year. I am fortunate enough to have another 2 weeks until PD starts and 3 weeks until our 1st day of school, but I feel like I'm behind in prepping for the year. I'm relocating for the job I took, so my mind has been wrapped up in moving and settling in prior to the school year that I'm just now starting to plan for the year.

I figured the easiest place to start is a classroom wishlist. I've seen other non-music teachers do it, but I have a feeling their supply list looks a bit different then ours. Do you have any recommendations of things I should be asking for? I'll be teaching middle school orchestra, as well as some other music-based MS classes. I have no clue what my school has for me besides a keyboard, however they've said they are willing to purchase some supplies to get me started (which I am incredibly thankful for. However, I don't know WHAT I need to get started). Any help would be appreciated, whether it's specific links or just names of items I need.

Any other advice about prepping, organization, etc. would be appreciated :)