Once a year, The Cascade Melody School of Music hosts a teacher concert where we have the advanced students and the teachers perform. It’s not super common to host a teacher concert and that’s why I wanted to share why we do it! 

As you may know from my previous blog, I believe in hosting recitals, whether in-person or online, I think they are always worth having! I think they are necessary for our growth and progression! Yes, even us teachers need to be reminded of this. Hosting a teacher concert may seem unnecessary, but there are more benefits and rewards to it than you may think… 

What’s the point of hosting a Teacher Concert? 

The main reason for the teacher concert isn’t to give the teachers a spotlight. Although I do think that is a cool experience and it also reminds you what it’s like to be put in that position and work towards something, that’s not the main objective. 

The point of hosting a teacher concert is to inspire our students and show them what years of dedication leads to. Everyone within The Cascade Melody School of Music is invited. This means that all the teachers can invite their students – beginner to advanced students! 

I think it’s very important to incorporate the advanced students’ performance into the teacher concert because this shows the younger kids the possibilities that await within the coming years for themselves. With a little hard work, they can be one of the advanced students chosen to participate! The students see it as a true honor to perform with us. 

It’s common for your younger students to think you’re really cool but the older students are harder to impress. ? When you give them the opportunity to perform at an advanced level, they feel proud and excited. Knowing that they have the talent to perform at the “teacher-level” makes them feel “cool” and it means they’ll just work that much harder in their lessons! 

How Do You Host a Teacher Concert?

Hosting a teacher concert is a very similar process for hosting a student recital! We host our teacher concerts at JB Piano and invite all the students and teachers within our School of Music. It’s pretty cool to host at JB considering it’s a piano store/piano workshop! There are over 50 pianos within the shop and it’s really cool to be surrounded by them while playing. 

It’s a really unique group because it’s a combination of my students and my student’s students! (What I mean by this is most of the Cascade Method Teachers were previous students of mine, so it’s really cool to see them owning their new role as the leader)! 

Here’s the full playlist of the 2020 Teacher Concert we just hosted in March! It was a small turnout due to COVID-19, but at least we’re able to come together one last time before all this tragedy happened. ?

One Last Reason You Should Consider an Annual Teacher Concert

As you’ve gathered, The Cascade Melody School of Music is mostly a collective group of my students from over the years that have transitioned into piano teachers. However, I still have about five teachers who we’re never students of mine.

In the past couple of years, I have witnessed a major shift within my school of music though. The majority of all my advanced students are becoming teachers! Now, most of the teachers performing are more than “just teachers.” They’ve been watching each other grow in their talent for years as students! Now, they’re teaching the piano together! (How cool!!!) 

Anyway, the reason I bring this up is is shows the Cascade Method works. When you use the frameworks provided through this program, you design kids that not only love the piano but also yearn to teach it! 

Every piano recital – whether it’s for my students or it’s the teacher concert, reminds me that The Cascade Method is a proven method. It shows that these students stay within the program forever and they advance at such an early age. The Cascade Method teacher’s range in ages 14 to 30+! Yes, I’ve had students start to teach as young as 13 years old this past year. It is so amazing to see their ability to instruct at such a young age. I started teaching piano at 14 years old, so it’s definitely possible. ❤️

The Cascade Method is all about a Culture

The Cascade Method is a revolutionary way to teach piano. The goal is to form well-rounded musicians who take their talent and passion and bring it to others. 

We are a movement and we’d love for you to be a part of it! You can become a Certified Cascade Method Teacher by completing The Cascade Teacher Training Program! This program is filled with all the Cascade piano methods, freebies, and hands-on videos that guide you through each step. 

If this interests you or you’d like to know more about the teacher program, click here OR feel free to email Tara directly at [email protected]!