I'm looking at threads. I posted 8 hours ago, and there is another post from 21 hour ago. There is so little traffic here, most of the time it's not even worth looking in...

Sometimes it seems like things need to cool off for a while after it gets seriously derailed.

Well, that's probably true, but what stops me from being more active is that I never know when someone has answered me. In other forums I get alerts the moment I log on. Also, when I reply to a post elsewhere there is an arrow showing everyone what I replied to. You just click the arrow.

Here I just don't know. If I don't remember exactly when and where I posted, and to whom, I just lose track. I can't depend on email alerts because so much goes on for me in email that alerts get lost...

I have felt the same way, never knowing when someone replies to something I wrote. I wish there was some type of alert system too.

Clearly everyone who is anyone on this forum is busy off teaching, because... well... students don't teach themselves

This forum can be very active at times -- and like now, very inactive at others. That's just the way it is.

It is true that this forum is a bit archaic in certain ways.

I don't like the fact that the threads you don't look gets marked as read. If I don't have time to read everything I'd like in one go, I'll miss it on my next connection. All other forums I frequented don't do that and many have a button to "mark everything has read" when you really want to mark everything has read.

Was there a big fight over something?

No.

Sometimes there are though.. I keep coming here every now and then to check if there's one going on

But I guess these things are frowned upon. *Sigh*

For the forum to be fun, people have to be willing to give others the benefit of the doubt. There also has to be a reason to connect, which there really isn't.

Ever since the beginning, the most common thread is a variation of "How do I enforce my policies?" The answer is by being assertive. But of course, in real life, it's next to impossible because there are not many students around to replace the duds. And the new ones coming in are just like the old ones you sent away.

Each teacher has his own methods, developed through years of practice and teaching. Why learn new techniques if you are managing to keep students and are doing a reasonable job? I myself never bother to go to any workshops or conferences because they're just a way for others to take money from me, and rave about some new fad/series of books.

This will sound controversial but there is no need to improve for me. I studied piano for almost twenty years of lessons and acquired a Bachelor of Music degree. I'm good enough for the purpose at hand, perhaps overqualified, teaching beginners to early advanced. Most kids stop at seventeen anyhow. Most have precious little time to practice.

The challenges a teacher faces are mostly practical and have nothing to do with music.

One need never discuss anything with other piano teachers, really.

I do what I can to keep this place interesting. I contribute.

But I can't give away all the trade secrets.

You sure do AZN. Not to offend you or anything.. But I come here many a times to read your posts, and then leave in a self-righteous huff

You are good fun.

My brand of humor is an acquired taste, but if my 8-year-old students can understand my sarcasm, I guess sarcasm doesn't work well when typed.

I'm also here to battle myths and half-truths. The story of my life.

Just throw a few of these around, and you'd be good to go!

My point: There was a question about Mixolydian. I think I gave a reasonable, intelligent answer, and a useful one. So far one response.

But look at all the responses in this thread.

I rest my case. It's hopeless.

Mixolydian ... hmmmm, is that a kind of mixtape?

Runs away
.
.
.

quickly.

My tuppenceworth? I’d quite like to contribute to this board occasionally as I’m classically trained, completed the first year of a music undergraduate degree and in another life might well have been a professional teacher. But the teachers on here are a bit scary so I don’t, basically. 😃

[quote=Candywoman]
Ever since the beginning, the most common thread is a variation of "How do I enforce my policies?" The answer is by being assertive. But of course, in real life, it's next to impossible because there are not many students around to replace the duds. And the new ones coming in are just like the old ones you sent away.

/quote]

Sounds like you're burned out.

That was rude. I thought carefully about how to tactfully say it, because that's my style, though it doesn't always succeed. Then I thought about the complaints about not being lively here and did my best to border on offensiveness. Hee, hee.

I've been here for years. The most common thread is "they don't practice" and the second is "they don't pay on time." But secondary to that have been some really interesting discussions and I've learned a lot.

I'm sorry Gary's response on the mode didn't get much feedback. I really appreciated the effort he put into not only explaining but tracking down examples. A lot of times you read a book (that's where they hide secrets) and they give an example, but it's always a recording I don't have. Being able to jump to it instantly is huge, and a giant leap in pedagogy. Of course in a lesson you simply demonstrate but that isn't available to all of us.

and finally, in order for any community to function well, there has to be a balance of signal to noise. Forums or any group that insist on everything being on topic and relevant do not develop enough critical mass to be useful or rewarding. The noise component is important, including the occasional flame.

Of course. Flames are needed to attract moths.