CPTP159: Inspiring and Motivating Teens with Jerald Simon

Do you have trouble motivating teens in your piano studio? I think we’ve all found this difficult from time-to-time. My guest today is an expert at reaching teen students and connecting to them with the music they love.

Jerald Simon has composed a whole series of pieces designed to inspire students that are especially great for motivating teens. He calls them Cool Songs because that’s what his students call them.

Take a listen to this episode and hear how Jerald saved many students who were on the brink of quitting by listening to what they wanted to learn and finding the music that would hook them. 

Transcript

If you’d like to download a PDF transcript of this episode, please click below.

Special Offer from Jerald

Use the code “timtopham” to get 20% any order from Music Motivation.

In this episode, you’ll learn

  • Why Jerald was inspired to start his Cool Songs series
  • How to find the “hook” and bridge students towards classical music
  • How to make theory fun for students by making it practical
  • Why Jerald creates backing tracks for his songs
  • How to simplify improvisation to get students started
  • Top tips for motivating teens in your studio

Links Mentioned

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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! If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons on the left of the page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes or on my Facebook page. Reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to show’s ranking and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally. Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

Do you have trouble motivating teens in your studio?

What music has clicked with them? Have you tried any of Jerald’s Cool Songs?

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