My final project of the year -- Reflection! ♪♫

Hey everyone! Well I'm here to announce that I have done my piano tutoring session. This was a project I did on my own.

At first, I envisioned this project to give me the chance to help students improve on their piano. I saw it as a fun project because piano is my passion and I one day will want to teach piano lessons as well. I would work with the students on whatever they wanted or needed help on such as a piece or theory. They would come to my house where I would be able to teach them and have resources such as books if they needed to use them.
Looking back now, the piano session was a bit more complicated than I had thought in the first place. What was really hard was that a lot of things I had expected the students to know was not actually engraved in their minds. They were still struggling with the very very basics such as notes and note values. Instead of being able to look at the note and say its a C, they had to count lines and spaces to figure out what it was. (i don't blame the beginners though. they are still learning) It was also hard because of the different levels the students were at. I started asking them questions and testing them to see where they were at and I was shocked literally. Either their teacher didn't really give them a good foundation on the basics or they just weren't getting it.
Although I have completed this stretch of my project, it is not over yet. I will continue giving the kids lessons every other week to keep up with them and help strengthen their weaknesses. I feel that it will be a good opportunity to really get those basics nailed into their little brains. that will help a lot when their music gets more complicated and they advance.

As a leader, there are many areas where I need improvements on. I believe there is always room of course.  I think a major obstacle as a leader, especially in this project, is patience and flexibility.



 This is cute little Ryan. He is a beginner in piano.

 This is Dylan. He is trying to learn a new song called Vivace.

 This is Kyle. He still has to learn his note and rest values before trying to learn his new song -- the theme song of the Peanuts.

Help 3 ish..... Prom Committee yeah!

This 3rd help isn't super official (since we only needed two helper projects) but I did help Olivia with her Prom Committee project. She ran some ideas by me and then I made posters to promote Prom Committee this last week. I feel Prom Committee is a great way to get the Juniros involved in planning out one of their biggest events and high school memories! And since Junior year is super duper stressful, this will hopefully lift some stress off the class captains.

Help 2: Elective Survey

I helped Michael and Jonathan A. on their project of taking surveys of the electives in school. The survey included ratings on a) how much the student learns b) how challenging the class is c) how much fun it is d) its overall rating. I helped them pass out, collect, and tally up the results of the surveys. It was a lot of fun to see what the students had to say about their elective. I feel that the survey was a good idea to have because it gave me and will give other students a better insight on what being in the elective is like and therefore help the student choose which elective will best fit them.

(there were no defined milestones for this project. Milestones of giving out and tallying the surveys were met during the week of 6/13 to 6/17)



Milestones reached

Both the 6/5/11 and 6/12/11 milestones have been reached.

I was successful at having my lessons during the two weeks.
I was able to help out five kids with their music. This included teaching them basics and learning new music and trying to better their current pieces.

I was only able to fit a lesson for each person, but steps are being taken so i could provide more help in coming weeks throughout the summer.

Milestone #1

Completed by 5/27/11

I was able to talk with people and ask them if they would want me to help their kid.

I was successful at meeting this milestone. I got in contact with people I knew at my old school who have children that play piano. So far, I do have four kids I am able to tutor. Times have been set up for me to help them. So I am good to go.

Next steps are to have the lessons. Lessons will be approximately 45 minutes.

What happened at Masters?

The team did a great job! Unfortunately, they did not place, but nonetheless, it was fun and a great experience for all of them!
Congratulations to Rachel P. for placing 2nd individual in the 5th grade Dvision II! Great accomplishment!

New Project!! ♪♫♪

Piano Tutoring

Hello all. I am introducing my second lead project!

Project time table: 5/22/11 - 6/12/11

Milestone dates: 5/27/11, 6/5/11, 6/12/11

Advisor: Giao T.

______________________________________________________

*Describe what I see as the end result of my project. What will it look/feel like? How does my project align with our mission ond goals as a class?

What  I would like to do in this project is to help kids in my community improve in their piano skills by giving them a piano help session. This could mean helping them on their theory and pieces for their recital, performances, or talent shows.  I would especially like to offer this to those I know who only could provide lessons for their kids on a minimal basis due to financial reasons. To me, it is my chance to use my talent to give back and help others. It is something I enjoy and have a passion for.

I know as a kid, while going through piano lessons, I went through a hard time where I needed extra help at home with practicing my pieces. I was fortunate to have a close uncle who helped me out and helped me improve tremendously. Now I want other kids to have the opportunity too.

*What are the obstacles and or challenges that you are anticcipatng when working on your project?
♪ I need to find an easy way for the student to understand what I'm trying to bring out in their piece
♪ sometimes getting the student to focus could be a challenge (as seen in my previous project)
♪ I need to explain my thinking on how they could improve their piece in a clear manner
♪ getting the student to play it with their feelings (dynamics, technique, phrasing, etc..)

*What are the milestones I am going to meet?
by 5/27/11 - I would like to ask various people if they would like me to help out and schedule the lessons by then.

by 6/5/11 -  I would like to have part of the lessons done by this time.

by 6/12/11 - Finish all the lessons

*How will I ensure that I reach my project milestones on the dates listed above? How do I think I will overcome these foreseen obstacle?

I will ensure I reach my project milestones by not procrastinating and keeping a planner/schedule so I could keep track of everything. I would also start as early as I can and not wait until the last minute to fulfill my milestones.
I think I will overcome the foreseen obstacles by just realizing ahead what is going to stand a challenge. since I do not know what the student will be like, not much is in my control right now. I could gather any books or resources I might need to refer to now. Once I have scheduled a student, perhaps I could ask them their musical background so I know what I may want to teach them or help them with.
*What materials am I going to need to be successful in my project?
Well, I just need a piano. And I have taken piano for about 12 years now. I may need some theory books to help me when a student needs to understand theory.
*How many people will need to help me in my project?
I will be able to do this myself with the supervision of my advisor.

*What is my plan to hold myself accountable for the success of the project?
My plan is to stay on top of everything. I am going to start finding people and planning out lessons as soon as I can. Futhermore, I need to make sure beforehand that all of the materials I need are with me so that I am prepared as well. After each lesson, I would also blog about it so I could be updated.