Has anyone used the studio website offered free by PracticeSpot.com? It seems as though it would be a great thing to add to my studio, but would like to know if anyone else has tried it and how it has worked for them. Thanks. Karen Medved

-- Karen Medved (medvedstudios@gaby.cc), August 16, 2003

Answers

I inquired about it, read all the info on their site regarding starting my own website, got myself all set up with a password and everything, then didn't follow through. I began to think that maintaining this type of site would be more work than it's worth. I mean if you take full advantage of the features they offer. Take for example posting lesson assignments. After a day of teaching 8- 10 students in real time, I don't think I want to then go to my computer and begin to review and document the day's work. And do this on a daily basis? I don't think so. Even if each one took 5 minutes to post, that's 40-50 extra minutes of busy work per day, 3- 4 hours per week. I'd rather use that time to practice. Could be wrong but it seems to me that my own studio website could, after a while, take on a life of its own.

-- Jack Tyrrell (tyrrell@rcn.com), August 17, 2003.

I love the website! I can very quickly update their lesson assignments by cutting or pasting text. It's a million times easier to quickly type in practice instructions during their lesson, then to hand-write it. Back in the old hand-writing assignment days, I felt like all I had time to do was to write their assignment and teach while I was writing. Now I type their assignment quickly during their scales or while they're playing one thing, and I can focus on teaching, rather than assigning. As an added bonus, if I get swept up in the moment of teaching, and don't have time to finish writing out their assignment, I can enter it real quick after teaching that day. And then, if a parent calls me, I can call up the child's assignment and remember what's going on with that student! I couldn't live without it!

-- Natasha (pianomagic1@hotmail.com), October 01, 2004.