Building character. Fostering excellence.
Welcome to the International Music Academy
Piano Teacher Training Course IMAGINE
(International Music Academy Guide to Instructional Excellence)
IMAGINE is a course designed for piano teachers who would like to learn how to teach more effectively and how to inspire students to work harder, play better and stay with music longer. To inquire about our next course or request our course for your music school contact: hello@theinternationalmusicacademy.com
Meet our trainers: Matthew and Katarina Loudermilk
UPCOMING EVENTS
PEDAGOGY SEMINARS
The International Music Academy is hosting a Pedagogy Seminar on a painful topic of our profession - students who lose interest and drop out. Join us this fall for three highly practical, funny, and inspirational workshops for music teachers, presented by Dr. Matthew and Katarina Loudermilk. How do we teach in a way that inspires students and motivates parents? Is it magic? Come hear the Loudermilks put the magic into words and clear instructions! 
What: Pedagogy Seminars
When: October 11, 18, and 25, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Where: Kawai Piano Gallery OR via Zoom
Who: all music teachers
Why: to take your teaching to the next level
How: click here to reserve your spot
Cost: $20 per lecture OR $50 for all 3 lectures (click here for payment)
Topics: (click here for more information)
1) Why Do Students Quit? - How to Be an Effective Teacher
2) Teaching Beginners: Teach Skills, Not Pieces
3) Life After Coursebooks: Teaching Not Just to Play, but to Love Classical Music
We Offer
+ MasterClasses for students. To book an online or in-person MasterClass email hello@theinternationalmusicacademy.com
+ Individual coaching sessions for piano teachers. This is a mentoring program for piano teachers, aiming to help them rediscover their passion for teaching or improve their skill in a certain area. It was created to support teachers who desire to grow and to help those who find themselves feeling dissatisfied and burned out. If you are feeling unhappy with your work and are starting to question your calling, we recommend you book a private session with Katarina Loudermilk for an honest assessment of your teaching and personal situation.
+ Enjoy highly practical, funny and inspirational lectures and workshops. Our courses will help starting out teachers learn how to teach effectively. They will provide inspiration to more experienced teachers and help them improve their skills in certain areas.
- Teaching beginners. Teach Skills Not Pieces. For those starting a teaching career this seminar provides guidance on teaching your beginning students effectively; for established teachers, it will serve as a source of new ideas and inspiration. In two hours you will know exactly what to do during the first lesson and how to take students from the very first notes to the early beginner’s repertoire. Participants are given practical advice on the progression of skills and pieces, how to teach each skill and how skills build upon each other, thereby preparing students to master the classical repertoire.
- Life after Coursebooks. Teaching Not Only to Play, but to Love Classical Music. This is a two-hour session dedicated to teaching late beginning and early intermediate classical repertoire. Topics include the development of fundamental piano skills which have been covered in the beginning lecture, and how to apply them to express feelings and ideas with music. The importance of teaching different styles of music and how to make each period relevant to modern children is emphasized. This period is vital in the development of each student; this is the time when children are introduced to classical music, they learn to listen to it, relate to it and communicate feelings and ideas through it. The teacher who is able to navigate this period successfully will have a studio of motivated students who love and understand classical music.
- The art of teaching piano technique. Stop Working and Start Playing. This is our most popular seminar, led by our piano technique expert, Katarina Loudermilk. Her Russian School professional pianist training, with a complete change of her technique at the age of 19, put her in a unique position to be able to help piano players and teachers understand exactly what they need to do to achieve effortless virtuosity. Injury prevention and treatment is a special addition to this seminar, available upon request, it include topics like teacher's role in the treatment process, and the proper response to pain.
- Why do students quit and how to prevent that? Students Don’t Stop Because They Don’t Like It, They Stop Because They Are Not Good Enough. Compared to industry average, our school has enjoyed a very low drop-out rate. We would like to share the secret to student satisfaction, which leads to student retention. This is a multi-topic three-hour seminar, which includes
Part 1 Student-Parent-Teacher love/hate triangle. Communicating with parents of your students.
Part 2 Ensuring progress and feeling of success, long-term planning for the progress of each student.
Part 3 Performance and event planning for each student. - Dread Not, Enjoy! Why Do Excitement and Anticipation Turn Into Dread? This is our seminar on Performance Anxiety: causes, coping techniques and ways to improve. Topics include: how to set up the proper attitude towards performing; how to prepare to give a successful performance; how to identify your anxiety triggers and prevent freezing on stage; how to turn anxiety into excitement.
This workshop includes a theoretical part about performing as well as a practical part during which participants are taken through a number of exercises designed to identify sources of their performance anxiety and are then given tools to work through it. - The happiest piano teacher in town. Be Well To Do Well! Feeling discouraged or limp? Feeling like students don't value or respect you? This lecture is designed to help teachers battle and win, in the common (oh so common!) problematic situations that arise with students and parents. The topics include setting up proper relationships with parents and students, and finding your own teaching niche - something you are good at and your clients are willing to pay for. The seminar includes a large question and answer section designed to address the concrete problems the listeners bring up.
To inquire about the next course, contact: hello@theinternationalmusicacademy.com
We offer our courses to music organizations and studios. Show your appreciation to your teachers by investing in them. If you would like to improve your student retention and teacher satisfaction, reach out to us and we will set up the seminar which fits your goals and your budget. We offer online and in-person options.
Performance Anxiety Workshop
Dread Not, Enjoy!
Sunday March 6th 3:00 - 6:30 p.m. at The Kawai Piano Gallery,
5800 Richmond Avenue, Houston TX 77057
Early registration is $40 for adult, or a child under age 12 with one parent or pay $50 at the door.
Saturday March 12th 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. ONLINE, recording is available for 3 months after the workshop, participation is $40.
Learn More
Music Theory online class
Jennifer Lee Gutierrez.
Let's take this opportunity to deepen our understanding and appreciation of music! Music theory is a study of how music is created and put together. It helps students better understand the pieces they are playing.
This 8-week course is designed to prepare student for the Texas Music Teachers Association State Theory Test and introduce them to great works of classical music. To see if this course is for you, talk to your music teacher or email: hello@theinternationalmusicacademy.com
The limit is 10 students per class. The cost is $195.
For students ages 6-9 the Class meets every Saturday in September and October at 1:30-2:30 p.m.
For students ages 11-15 the class meets every Saturday in September and October at 10-11 a.m.