KASTA Launches Private Studio Teacher Summits

 On Saturday, November 11, 2024, KASTA held the first of many Private Studio Teacher Forums to come. Led by our new chair of Private Studio Teachers, Erinn Renyer, the Forum took place at the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center on the Washburn University campus from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. Ten private teachers from the Topeka/Lawrence/Manhattan area gathered to share snacks and discuss topics ranging from encouraging musicians to teach private lessons and motivating students to offer tips and tricks in string teaching.  All participants really enjoyed the session and are excited to see how this initial forum will expand to reach more teachers and spawn similar summits throughout Kansas.

For our pilot program, we decided to start with teachers in the Manhattan, Topeka, and Lawrence areas. Attendees included a wide range in age, studio size and experience. We had several college students interested in starting studios, several young teachers just beginning private studio careers, several teachers with many years of experience, and two teachers with university teaching experience. It was amazing how the ideas flew around the table. Everyone brought some of their own personal tricks for success with string students and some of the difficulties they faced. As the afternoon waned, it was obvious that we needed more time! All agreed that we had picked up some great ideas, plus we really enjoyed getting acquainted and chatting about our mutual concerns.

Look for more opportunities for this kind of collaboration in the Private Studio realm. All interested teachers are welcome to join in. If you are interested in serving as a local organizer in your region, please contact Erinn Renyer at erinn.renyer@washburn.edu. We need someone in the Kansas City, Wichita, Salina, Hays, Dodge City, and Garden City areas, for example. Now that we have a pilot program to use as a starter, it should be easy to get this going!