Did the Q&A session today with Ben. As I was the only person on the call, I had the benefit of asking numerous questions. It’s very generous of Ben to give up his time like this and appreciate it. Seamus

This month, I want to share with you a resource that's been on my mind for a while, and I've been workshopping it with my students today (thank you, Seamus and Thomas!). It's called: The Pre-Lesson Report (dun, dun, dunnnnnn). It's designed to: - Focus your practice - Help you progress by yourself - Help us use lesson time more efficiently It's a natural progression of the Practice Journal (see previous posts for info about that). Here's how it works: Before every lesson, for each piece, create a table. At the top of the table, next to the title, write your target speed. Make sure you include "crotchet equals" or "quaver equals" etc.--not just a random bpm! Now for the table itself. From left to right, the columns are: - Section (you can write specific bar numbers, line numbers, rehearsal markings, etc.) - Hands separately/hands together - Safe speed (the speed at which you'll be able to play this section perfectly with a metronome in the lesson. Make sure you include "crotchet equals" or "quaver equals" etc.--not just a random bpm!) - Notes (any specific questions about the section, or any additional details) Then, under each piece, write 1-3 questions. Each question must start with "How do I...". Here's an online template so you can see how it works: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OAXYmEU-T4K5IqRsTxk-iNiYgVwPAwoWs4KfoiIhDyk/edit?usp=sharing Repeat this for every piece you want to look at in the lesson. If you're not sure what you want to look at in the lesson, do it for all your pieces! Your challenge is this: for every lesson this month, submit your Pre-Lesson Report the day before or on the day of your lesson. This will be much easier if you keep a robust practice journal! If you don't manage to do it sometimes, don't worry; we may do it together at the beginning of your lesson as an exercise to improve your practice skills.

Welcome! This post is designed to help you navigate this community and get as much value as possible out of it. You will see that there are many of my posts up until about November 2025. I don't regularly post anymore, but I'm still active in this community in other ways! You will get out just as much as you put in, and here's how: - Post in the community if you have any questions. I check the community most days and will respond to help you. - If you're feeling generous, make a post to help others, comment on people's posts to answer their questions, and reply to people! Everyone has something of value to contribute, even if you are a beginner. - Check the Classroom tab for helpful digital content. If you want to see something added — big or small — post in the community, and it will happen! - Check the Calendar tab for group classes, workshops, and concerts. If you'd like to join any of these, click the event to see how. (Note: Sometimes, group classes will be cancelled if there is not enough interest. If you are intending on attending a session, you can fill in this 10-second form to ensure that doesn't happen: https://forms.gle/q86ozZUucEAXQwFA7) - For full details on all the ways you can learn--including one-on-one lessons, go to the classroom tab and click on "support". - Make sure you've downloaded the Skool app to keep up to date with this community. Go to the classroom tab > onboarding > Download the Skool app for more information! As you can see, this community is now really member-led! The content you get, the support I offer, and the posts you see are all shaped by you, your requests, and your contributions. I hope this will be a valuable resource for you, whether you're taking lessons or not!