Building Creativity into Every Lesson

Our community of local music teachers recently attended a Hal Leonard Piano workshop with renowned clinician and music educator, Mona Rejino. She spoke eloquently on the subject of motivation, engagement and creativity within the traditional structure of lessons. She professes that as music educators, "what we do goes beyond teaching quarter notes and tempos. It goes beyond the tick of the metronome."

In the workshop, Mona stressed the importance for the teacher and student to "leave time for creative magic" through improvisation exercises and self-expression in every lesson. Improvisation is a major part of unlocking creativity and inspiration in each student. "Children love the element of surprise, not knowing what is going to happen." From the very first lesson, improvisation gives the teacher insight into the unique personality of each student, whether they are shy about taking risks or have an active imagination and want to jump around on the different keys of the piano. This key understanding leads to better communication and connection with each student.