Kristin Yost

Top 5 Things You Can Do to Make Learning More Impactful

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 19:22:50 -0800

March 1, Musical Minds Online launches as a VOD service and will appear in all the app stores. With the rise of video learning, this means there are more people learning how to play piano than ever before, so I wanted to write a short post on how to maximize learning and growth potential while on this musical journey.

If you're signed up and learning to play piano online, or even in person, I applaud you. We're kindred spirits. You're successful. You're also busy, you're tired and yet you still want to be the best version of yourself. You've even decided to take up learning how to play piano! I'm all of those things, and I decided I wanted to take up voice lessons in my not-so-spare time, so let me tell you, I can REALLY relate to this musical learning journey, on multiple levels.

Here is my Top 5 list of things you can do to make learning more impactful:

Show yourself grace. There will be days and weeks you are basically a rock star and practice well. Great! There will also be days and sometimes weeks where you aren't. That's okay too. Learning a new skill is a journey that isn't immediate, and requires simply integrating into your daily routine when you are able.
Use the rewind icon. You're learning a language so this stuff takes time, and repetition. Watch the same video 10 different times if it's beneficial to you!
There is no hurry. Take time between videos to play the songs you learn for a few weeks at a time, or until you are comfortable enough to move on to the next new thing. Give yourself space to enjoy and feel good about what you're playing.
Play. Purposefully repeat ideas and songs with the intention of improvement, or simply enjoyment. The more you "do", the better you become.
Enjoy the process! The beauty of Musical Minds...Read More

Transfer Students

Wed, 15 Jan 2020 09:38:25 -0800

Making Transitions Smooth and Enjoyable

We've all been there. Confused, excited, thankful and frustrated. On the one hand, we're fortunate enough to work with a new student who has had a teacher (or teachers) before. You see the potential in the student, you see that they love making music, but more or less you're not really sure where to even start because while you are grateful for the new learner in your presence, you have a lot of things that you want to "fix" but still keep their interest up and not quite sure where to begin.

I've recently had quite a few transfer students. As the owner of the Centre for Musical Minds, when a long-term faculty member departs, or special circumstances arise, I take on the role of stabilizer. 2019 was a huge transition year for us at CMM and i've been stabilizing more than I would really like, but simultaneously I am SO thankful because we have a lot of amazing students! Really cool young people and wonderful young artists that really care about making beautiful music, with phenomenal support systems. With transfer students, you have to pick what's most important. It's important to prioritize their love and increase their level of interest, over technical prowess or rhythmic perfection. Basically, my best advice is to get comfortable with letting some things go while you train your student how to approach the instrument with a new way of thinking and style. That said, here is my best advice to keep transfer students moving forward with joy.

"In the beginning, there was rhythm." This doesn't mean we have to count everything verbatim, but it does mean that my goal is to get this student to make sure they are playing steadily, with the correct number of beats in each measure. If the transfer student is of middle or high school age, it's IMPERATIVE they not feel 'stupid'...Read More

Recitals and Performance Anxiety

Sat, 26 Oct 2019 14:45:24 -0700

Preparing for a Performance

You've heard it for weeks. Johnny has been playing his recital piece beautifully - beginning to end with minimal mistakes. Then, in the performance, Johnny gets nervous and 'blanks' in a few spots, his fingers are shaking and sweaty, so instead of a flawless performance like he had at home, he has one with some bumps and bruises. Does this sound familiar? For some children, this type of performance can be a crippling experience that makes them feel like they have failed, and provides a negative association for any type of performing in the future. Your child is not alone! There are a lot of wonderful musicians who have performance anxiety. In order to prepare so that the performance can not only be a great performance, we want to instill a joy in being able to share music with others without fear. So how can we do this?

BRAIN CHEMICALS. The brain when under stress, produces adrenaline and dopamine that make us hyper alert, which isn't how our brains work when we're playing through a piece to 'practice' it at home in our relatively stress-free environments. We think differently. We respond differently.

In order to do our best in a performance, here are my most sound, time-tested prep steps to ensure as positive and flawless of a performance as one can hope for.

Memory Spots. I love to section a piece off by phrases. This provides delineation of space in the music for easier memory recall (great for visual learners.) For each page of music, consider having 2 starting spots per page (give or take.) As an example, have a "memory test" for your student/child where you call out a section number, or they pull a number from a hat, and have to start at that particular section. Say you start with section 3, then you jump to 6, jump to 2, etc...This takes...Read More

Revolutionary Technology

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 06:18:50 -0700

Frisco's First Piano School Using AI

The Centre for Musical Minds has been in Frisco since 2008 when Kristin Yost and Sam Holland (now Dean of Meadows School of the Arts, SMU) designed a forward thinking music school that would rival any college prep piano program in the country. With an unrelenting eye on creating meaningful experiences and connections, CMM is now taking its students into exciting new possibilities using cutting edge apps to enhance their in-person lessons. Implementing a 5-pillar learning approach using Literacy, Performance, Interpretation, Arranging/Composing and Theory, lesson time with the teacher is of the essence. Using these technology tools, CMM students learn more music, at a faster rate than any other school, and on a higher level. Here are the top 3 apps we're using that make us unique:

MusicalMindsOnline - taught by Royal Conservatory certified teacher Kristin Yost, students have access to all of their Scales (one and two octaves). This saves significant lesson time and is presented in bite-sized, easy to understand bites that the student can do on their own, at home. I'm loving not spending lesson time on scales!
Piano Maestro - students have access to this amazing world of practice using accompaniment tracks for familiar songs, lesson book materials and favorite pop music. In particular, this is a fun practice app that encourages listening and steady rhythm.
Tonara - this revolutionary app uses artificial intelligence to listen to a student practice, and keeps track of each student on their studio leaderboard, as well as globally. It measures practice time and we keep track of all assignments digitally, that allow us to include recordings, photos and music, all inside the app. Students are LOVING this!

I'm a huge fan of using technology to make my life easier and to help my students. These 3 apps are the most results-driven apps of 2019 that...Read More

Increase Your Teaching Revenue by 20% Next Year!

Sat, 10 Aug 2019 14:43:40 -0700

Make more money!

Who doesn't want to make more money? Nobody I know, that's for sure. Do we live in a culture of always wanting more? Yes. That's capitalism. But even more simply: money buys the freedom to do things and spend time however you want. So...let's look at some ways you can increase your teaching revenue by 20% for next year!

First thing's first, and this requires some deep thinking. You have to know (and lean into) what you're naturally and already good at. These can be things like communication, organization, discipline, ability to connect with others, etc...then, ask yourself and others who you might strategically survey and see if those strengths that you have identified are in fact what you are known for by colleagues and clients. If you find others know or label you as having strengths you didn't know you had, and you think you're naturally good at other things, how can you better align these strengths and "capitalize" (sorry, poor word choice) on them? As an example, I'm really good at getting things done. Per the Gallup Strengths Finder test, i'm an achiever (my #1) and I crave significance (my #5) in my life, I also naturally connect and relate to people (#2 and 4). So...naturally, I'm a teacher. But to be the best version of myself as a teacher means I have a feel like I am achieving with each student and also feel like I am adding significant value to their lives, along with being able to connect and relate to them. I value the relationship of the people I work with as much or more so than I value the theory, for example. (For those that can't take the suspense, my #3 is Harmony, which means I don't like conflict. Interested in taking this test too? Check out the Clifton Strengths Finder in our good friend, Google.)

Once you've identified your strengths, get really good at those, lean into them, and figure out what makes you unique. "My students having fun playing piano" is not...Read More

Winds of Change

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 05:25:43 -0700

Growing through trying something new.

It's August....feelings of new beginnings, a fresh start and for my northern friends, you're on the cusp of cooler weather to match the wonderful change into fall. (I am so jealous of that, by the way!) I love August. I love sitting down and planning through the entire year for each of my students. What they'll play, my goals for them, their goals for themselves, new processes and fun new office supplies.

What are you doing this year to grow yourself forward? This year i've changed up a bunch of things at CMM (www.CentreforMusicalMinds.org) and one of those things is i'm leaving my comfort zone of the notorious binder with assignment sheets for a fancy new AI app, Tonara (www.Tonara.com) I'm excited about the possibilities! We'll be able to have a school-wide practice challenge without having to tally up minutes of practice, collecting practice cards, etc...we'll be able to have our assignments in ONE spot, and no more forgetting to write down practice time or "forgetting" to read their assignment. I'm also really excited about having recordings and/or files INSIDE of the student's account so that they aren't searching for them.

Another new 'thing' i'm working on is exploring new music. As you know, it's easy to get into a rut teaching the same thing year after year. As i've begun to write my own music for my students (and people actually seem to like it!) I feel like it's opening my ears up and I have a better appreciation for the work our fantastic composers do. For this first go-round, for our fall recitals at CMM, we will be featuring music by some of my friends and local Dallas-based composers: Mona Rejino, Mike Springer and David Karp. I've built a whole fall semester around what they have created and I couldn't be more excited.

The last 'thing' for 2019 that's new is...Read More

Am I Ready for Piano Lessons?

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 05:38:11 -0700

The Dream Student

Every teacher's dream is the dedicated student who comes to lessons enthusiastically, brings in their own musical ideas, composes without being asked, practices for an hour a day and volunteers to perform on every public performance. Our reality is a mixed bag of learners who have elements mentioned here, but also have a lot of time constraints on their schedules, self doubt, fear of making mistakes and never feeling like they are "good enough." This is true for children as well as adults.

Who Should Take Lessons?

Anyone who is interested in the piano, self development, growth and looking for a hobby! If you can find 10 minutes a day that you can dedicate to focused learning, then you are ready. There are a lot of different types of students, learners and people who have natural strengths conducive to learning a new skill. That said, if you want to do any of the above (learn how to play, grow, find a new hobby, etc...) please understand that you are committing to learning a language, which takes time. Many of you know I have a "21-Days to Piano Pro" plan that is available through Musical Minds Online. Newsflash: This requires far more than 10 minutes a day. While the statement is true that I will take you from beginner to where many pros are who make a living with this knowledge (and sometimes less!), it is also true that if you don't use those skills, you will lose them. So if you work REALLY hard for 21 days, much like if you do a weight-loss bootcamp, you will simply gain the weight back if you stop. In this case, you will lose everything you worked hard at from those 21 days. And, it's also just a beginning to be able to understand and make music. Music study is one of those things that, like learning and using a language, if repeated purposefully enough over a long...Read More

What Makes a Mind, Musical?

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 20:58:18 -0700

Do You Have a Musical Mind?

Music represents ideas and feelings. A mood or a vibe if you will. Lyrics aside, what makes music stick in our brain? That beat that just makes you want to dance, or that great line that was simple enough to remember and sing later when you’re doing something mindless at home probably stick most. We already know that playing a musical instrument is basically one of the best things you can do for your brain and emotional health, but what makes a mind, musical?

Are you born with a musical mind, or can it be taught? I think you can have both. My philosophy for Musical Minds Online is based on a premise that everyone wants to be good at something, and at MMO. we focus on helping people become good at piano. Here’s what we do specifically that encourages a musical mind:

1. Catchy music - always listen!

2. Effective teaching techniques - college degrees with 20+ years of research and experience

3. Clear and simple “how this works” explanations - because no beginner wants the academic version

With these 3 things present, we can create and train ANY mind to become musical. When we use both parts of our brain as we do in music, we are creating all kinds of new memory tags: aural, conceptual and emotional to name a few. These memory tags are what help us use our brain more fully as we age, not to mention help us feel things on a deeper level. Imagine a wedding without the music. It wouldn't be as meaningful without the music before, during and even after the ceremony. And what about the party after? You have to have music!

With music present in our lives, so many more emotions and life experiences are enriched and heightened in ways that are sometimes difficult to explain. But they can be felt. By simply experiencing music, one can have a musical mind. If music helps you feel just a bit deeper, you have a musical mind.

App-Based Learning

Tue, 21 May 2019 09:25:16 -0700

The Way We Learn Has Changed.

Remember when your parents told you it was absurd to not know math because you 'would never have a calculator with you all the time?' Well...we proved them wrong! Same with having a readily accessible map. Or ordering food, booking a hotel and even buying a house from your device. There is no reason why learning how to play piano can't be effective and enjoyable using your computer or even your phone.

A lot of my students learn songs from YouTube. A surprising number actually. But surprising to whom? I spend my time as a teacher making music come to life and hopefully helping my students enjoy playing. I spend my time showing my students how to practice, how to improve and how to love learning. It's empowering to learn music on your own, especially when you sound good right away. So why not take this type of learning on-the-go with the same experience level, more efficiency in the process and make it accessible whenever, wherever, and have it available at anytime? The goal of Musical Minds Online, and my own teaching isn't to create professional pianists. The goal is make music come to life and enjoy the process. If you want to work on that professional level pianist goal, this is also a great way to open the door. I know of no better, more cost effective way to learn how to play piano in a way that sets you up for any kind of music you might want to learn than this method right here.

Streamlining and grading the music/skills is key. What do I say the same way, over and over? A lot! Musical Minds Online is a gateway to being a REAL musician. You learn REAL piano skills, from a REAL piano teacher. No gimmicks. No shortcuts. With Musical Minds Online Series 1, we learn about rhythm, how to read music, piano technique,...Read More

Teaching Into the Future

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 09:28:34 -0700

Teaching Into the Future

Going places: Whether you are a new and inspired teacher, or a seasoned and (hopefully still inspired teacher) we all have our own way of taking our students places. Whether that be to 19th century Russia, 17th century Germany or to what's current in American pop culture. As we continue to have more information coming at us than ever before from sorting through all the new music or methods, combing through information is now a skill that we need to sharpen or we will end up in the black hole of too much, too often, all the time. Do we jump on the newest music? Do we try new teaching techniques? Do we stick with the same old thing? What about that new method that came out? What am I missing if don't try it? Weren't there 10 new apps I wanted to try that I brought home from the last conference? And...we know what works for us, so what exactly are we trying to figure out by trying these new things? The answer is easy: Growth. To teach into the future, WE grow. This potentially involves failing. I always say fail fast, and fail forward but most importantly, keep trying new things. I keep this mantra close, for my students, as well as myself.

What's the goal? As a teacher, I am working toward bringing fulfillment to my students, and I use music as my toolbox, with all kinds of tools and gadgets inside. How can I help guide and make more meaningful connections to my students' lives and the music they learn? Music is unique; to one person it means one thing, and to another, it means something entirely different. How we each listen is also unique to the listener. Welcome to art! Creativity can be perceived as messy, non-linear and it's always in motion. Much like life. Our careers as piano teachers I would hope are also 'lived in' with a multitude of cultures around us, a wide array of musical styles that go beyond western classical music, and with students who learn in a variety of ways....Read More