TC245: Are Recitals the Best Way to Assess Your Students? with Tom Donald

Have you ever wondered whether recitals and forcing kids to perform on stage is really the best way to assess their growth in their music learning? For the longest time, recitals have been teachers' go-to but as time and technology have changed music and lessons, so have these assessments. In this episode, Tom Donald shares creative ways of looking at his students' progress and how this process has helped both his students and studio. Join us in this interesting conversation as we dive deep into the alternatives you also might want to consider for some of your students who maybe are doing things more in the composing, recording, and songwriting realms.

• [04:42] Tom tells us about himself and his music school.
• [05:54] Different ways to assess the progress of our students.
• [09:40] How they started recording their students’ music.
• [12:17] The music recording process.
• [16:18] Releasing the music to the public.
• [19:01] Several styles of releasing music for children.
• [20:25] The reason behind calling his students members.
• [21:06] The packages he offers and the marketing he does for lessons.
• [22:20] Tom shares secret wins on teaching.
• [23:47] How student releases can come back as great marketing for their studio.
• [26:00] Students releasing music for the fun of it.
• [27:44] Update on his performances.

Transcript of the show

If you'd like to download a PDF transcript of this episode, please click below. [thrive_leads id='140652']

Links Mentioned

• London Contemporary School of Piano
• Shivank Menon YouTube 

Today's Guest

Tom Donald is an incredible jazz pianist and also one of our expert teachers in TopMusicPro. He is a passionate advocate for the use of chords and improvisation in all music learning. He's also a champion for the struggling adult amateur by connecting them with their inner genius. He’s a real coach. He’s worked on musical transformations with countless students over the last two decades and now heads up the London Contemporary School of Piano.  In this episode, we discuss some of the innovative ways he has implemented in his school to assess students.

Thank you for tuning in!

Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.