I know it feels like Summer just started, but it’s already time to start thinking about the 2024-25 school year!
~ I will be in Bloomington Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays. (Note: this is the last year I’ll be there 4 days a week - 2025-26 will start a 3 days a week schedule.)
~ I’ll be in Plainfield on Fridays, with some possible morning availability one other day as well. (Note: in the 2025-26 school year I’ll start 2 full days a week in Plainfield.)
~ Zoom students: I prefer to schedule you Monday-Thursday this year.
Please fill out this survey with as much information as you currently know. It will automatically send a copy of your responses, and a link to edit them if something changes for you.
Please complete the survey by Monday, July 8th. I’ll have a draft schedule as soon as possible after that. We’ll have a couple weeks for emailing back and forth as we tweak things, then the schedule will be finalized before the end of the Summer Session, Friday July 26. Fall 2024 Schedule begins Thursday August 8th.
Links:
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Some “Food for Thought”:
I realize that everyone is juggling multiple activities, and won’t always know their schedule in advance, or have control over when they receive that information. I certainly understand that challenge!
The fact is, there are more wonderful, fun, beneficial, and worthwhile things to do than it is humanly possible to do at any given time. We all have to make choices about what to say “Yes” to now, and what we may be interested in but can’t responsibly take on at this time.
One of the ideas behind setting the lessons schedule first is to help you prioritize and potentially fit other things around lessons, instead of trying to fit lessons around other things.
What if your availability changes after the schedule is set? While I always want to do what I can to accommodate needs, the fact is that it is highly unlikely that I will have any open spaces, and if I do that they will fit your (changed) needs. The best possible outcome is finding someone else able to swap lesson times. While this can sometimes work out for the best for both parties, it is not always possible, and not always convenient for others to change the time they’ve agreed to simply because you chose to add an activity that conflicts with your lesson time. This isn’t to say that you can’t add activities or change your lesson time. But it is to encourage you to really evaluate what your priorities are. Again - there is so much to do, but we can never do it all. Choices are part of life!
Further Thoughts
We take on many activities for our children (or ourselves) to help them explore and be exposed to a wide range of experiences, be able to decide what they like, and be “well rounded”. This is good! But the dangers include being so busy running from one thing to another that we don’t enjoy it, don’t have time to really benefit from each activity, and don’t have the necessary down-time to process, rest, and reset.
Additionally, when we don’t dedicate enough time to learn to do something reasonably well, there can be a sense of “I’m not good at anything”. While anything worth doing is worth doing even at the most beginner level, there is a sense of satisfaction from the accomplishment of improving at a skill that can only be attained through a certain level of dedication. That can be missed when we’re spread too thin.
In conclusion: it is helpful to continually evaluate what you really want, and what activities, and what ways of participating in those, best serve you at any given time. I encourage you to think about what you want long term out of music, for your child or yourself. What best supports that right now?
It's a joy to share this portion of their/your musical journey!
Updated June 17, 2024. Subject to amendment.