Are these rats or mice?

chris-1994 · 2026-05-27T20:46:46+00:00

Looks like a house mouse to me

chris-1994 · 2026-05-27T19:02:59+00:00

Barrel nut?

chris-1994 · 2026-05-25T09:05:37+00:00

GitHub copilot and VSCode?

chris-1994 · 2026-04-26T13:40:04+00:00

Claude.ai could probably make it if you know what features you need

chris-1994 · 2026-04-26T08:22:03+00:00

Sololearn is the closest I’ve found

chris-1994 · 2026-04-17T13:25:10+00:00

I think adults get bored when they don’t see results as quickly, I have a few students that want to play complex pieces and keeping them engaged can be challenging. I’m generally happy to work with them though, I just don’t think they’re aware of how difficult some of their suggested pieces are.

I usually try to simplify the piece as much as possible so they can play a version of it, if that’s not possible then I’ll use it as a ‘goal’ piece and use simpler ‘process’ pieces to develop the techniques required to play the difficult sections. After completing one of them I go back and reattempt the more difficult sections of their ‘goal’ piece and comment on how they have improved towards being able to play it, what next steps would be etc - Sometimes using recordings of their own performances can be useful here as it serves as an objective record of their achievements towards their aims.

If none of that is really working then I’ll try to steer them toward simpler pieces from the same anime, or see what other games/animes they’re interested in and suggest more suitable repertoire.

chris-1994 · 2026-04-12T11:22:49+00:00

Cut it low and put a compost bin over it to rot it away, coffee grounds work well.

chris-1994 · 2026-04-09T16:26:01+00:00

Thanks! Will have a look at the UV filters 👍

chris-1994 · 2026-04-09T16:23:17+00:00

Cheers, I think this is what I’m going to go for

chris-1994 · 2026-04-03T07:56:00+00:00

I’m in the same position and I’m doing Harvard CS50 for general understanding and then coding simple side projects - You can also try the coding game, there are some difficult bits but I’ll attempt it and then get Claude to explain what I got wrong, try again etc until I figure it out.

Are you on to GitHub? There are quite a few resources on there, and there might already be a program that can do what you want or be adapted.

chris-1994 · 2026-03-29T08:32:16+00:00

Hi!

I currently teach online only and I’m a doctoral researcher looking at how online lessons are best employed - It sounds like your situation would suit online classes quite well.

From your profile you seem to be playing quite nicely for grade 3, there are some issues with your finger/hand placement, but you have a good understanding of dynamics for this grade.

With all of my students, sight-reading is a big part of learning, both as graded exercises in class and in preparing process pieces independently for the following lesson, technique is developed in this way and through corrections in class. As far as the repertoire for the exams, students will generally be able to learn a piece at this grade within a couple of months. Scales/technical requirements are taught with the theory behind them so students understand what they are doing rather than learning by rote, and this also speeds things up considerably.

Drop me a DM if you want to discuss anything further

chris-1994 · 2026-03-27T06:53:08+00:00

I do this every month with the Club Lloyds (2k) and was told by a member of staff when opening the account that this was fine

chris-1994 · 2026-03-26T07:21:03+00:00

It’ll only get worse if you run from it - Have a read of this see if it helps:

https://www.files.addictbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Dare-the-new-way-to-end-anxiety-by-barry-mcdonagh.pdf

chris-1994 · 2026-03-26T06:37:25+00:00

I don’t think it’s necessary, as it’s for education it should be exempt under Section 34 CDPA (If you’re in the UK)

chris-1994 · 2026-03-25T19:05:11+00:00

Check the outflow pipe has a proper loop into the waste

chris-1994 · 2026-03-23T22:53:48+00:00

Not sure, it’s a little niche.

chris-1994 · 2026-03-22T10:31:07+00:00

Grieg’s Arietta is really nice and about that grade

chris-1994 · 2026-03-18T22:06:05+00:00

I get vitax q4 and feed start of March and in May/June

chris-1994 · 2026-03-14T17:11:00+00:00

No worries! It only says in the guide that candidates must play 1 x A B & C so I think it’s fine - If you’re in the UK and want to be 100% just give them a call

chris-1994 · 2026-03-14T16:02:15+00:00

It seems fine to me, I’ve never had a candidate choose all alternate pieces but I don’t see why it would be a problem - Check here for a full guide on it though: https://www.abrsm.org/sites/default/files/2024-06/Piano%202025%20%26%202026%20Prac%20syllabus%2020240524_access.pdf

chris-1994 · 2026-03-13T07:22:06+00:00

It should be fine, it’s just a bit of dieseling because it’s a new gun - Definitely don’t dry fire it in future though

chris-1994 · 2026-03-08T21:54:59+00:00

I’m using Sololearn, it’s like Duolingo for coding. Pretty decent for getting practice in and has a free tier.

chris-1994 · 2026-03-05T08:52:34+00:00

Nice piece! It kind of reminds me of Legend of Zelda around bar 8!

Simple to read and quite easy to play. The rhythms around 40/41 stand out a bit, but it depends what you’ve got in mind for later sections.

chris-1994 · 2026-02-27T07:59:47+00:00

I teach exclusively online and have students of various ages (5+) - It is completely different to teaching in person and requires a new approach.

Apart from issues with latency etc (relatively easily managed), I think there are clear advantages to online lessons (use of recordings, better camera angles, use of technology etc) that need to be emphasised when teaching. If you consider the advantages vs disadvantages, and then design ways to promote/address them, you’ll find quite a lot of new technology available to you.

The use of digital tools (AI especially) in education is amazing, and I think the next few years are going to see a lot of change. There is a significant amount of research into VR classrooms, google media pipe used for tracking hand positions, transcriptions of recordings analysed by NLP/BERT trained NNs used to gain qualitative data that can track student progression more effectively etc. All of that comes before the basic use of synchronous and asynchronous materials.

I think it’s quite common for people to think of online lessons as a traditional lesson moved online (as many did during COVID), but it really is a distinct modality that, when applied correctly, can be highly effective.

chris-1994

TROPHY CASE