1. Teacher Personae Jena Vive Joli 25, High School Teacher, Married Jena is a young, energetic and selfless teacher who has worked with children of diverse ethnicities – Caucasian, Hispanic, African-American etc. Her teaching happens after regular classes and is optional to students. She loves teaching music and preparing students for stage recitals. Being tech-savvy, she is professionally committed to transcend boundaries of traditional music teaching and engage in newer technologies to offer an enriched learning experience. At the same time, she hates it when technology isn’t intuitive and replaces the humane aspect of the learning experience.She cares about how music can be carried outside the classroom. To catch the attention of mid-teen students, she uses a fair bit of nostalgia and colloquialism. She feels closely bonded to children as well as their families. She understands how music comforts children from troubled families but at the same time, she is frustrated when family priorities force children to curb their interest in music. Laurel-Anne55, Private Piano Teacher, Married Laurel-Anne is a gentle woman who lives for her music. She is not ambitious and doesn't wish to be more than a piano teacher. She has a lot of students, but few who stay for a very long time. Although she uses the RCM curriculum to train and test her students, she struggles to get the students passionate about that music for its own sake. Many of them want to learn simple rock and country songs, and she teaches these to keep her students interested. She loves playing piano, and sometimes performs as a duet with her husband. She's incredibly devoted to her more talented students, and tries her hardest to help them be successful and happy.

2. Teacher Needs Be Happy & Confident Life is too short to not enjoy. You want to get things done well, while enjoying it. Continuous Improvement “I never stop learning.” To get in touch with new knowledge all the time. The more you learn, the better you can teach and inspire your students. Your enthusiasm makes learning fun for your students Empathize with Students “For lazy students, I find music that students like.” To have the means to understand your students and the resources to deal with their needs to allow them to have a better learning experience Enablers and Supports “How can I help students to carry music outside the session?” To be in synch with and supported by all influencers in your students’ lives, including parents, schools, and different organizations

3. Student Personae (I) David14, Piano student David is currently learning music. He is not very happy about it because although he is not very interested in classical music, he is forced by his parents to learn music to get a high school credit. David’s teacher is having problems with getting him inspired to learn music. He prefers to play Pop and R&B over classical music. Although David‘s family wants David to learn music, they do not have a lot of money to pay for good music lessons for him. David became familiar with music for the first time through family and church. His mother is a piano player for the church. Although David has no interest to pursue music after high school, he and his family attend annual music festivals that run in his small town to enjoy it. His mother wants David to be able to play in the church later. Xavier 26, Music major, Single Xavier has been playing music for most of his life. He came in contact with music through a relative when he was young. His parents don’t play, but they were willing to get him a second-hand guitar for his eleventh birthday. He practiced a lot. By the age of twelve, he was already giving impromptu performance a this school. What Xavier likes most is the thrill he gets from being in front of an audience. He enjoys the uncertainties and surprises. He also enjoys playing with other musicians, to learn and to make great music. Right now, he is experiencing pressure from his parents regarding the practicality of his future. He sometimes wonders if he should have taken a different degree, but his love of music always brings him back.

4. Student Persona (II) Janet 57, Retired teacher / Music enthusiast, Married Janet is a retiree who currently lives with her husband in a small town. Her children have grown up and lead lives of their own. She has a very active personality and loves being social and being involved in the community. One passion she has had most of her life but never gotten much chance of doing, is music. Now that she has more free time she spends much of it taking up the piano with a piano teacher in her town. She loves her teacher because, even though he is challenging, he is always supportive and kind. She loves going to the music concerts held within her community. A concert is coming up - and she would like to play in it as part of an ensemble. Her teacher is supportive, but she is extremely nervous playing in front of other people. She wants to conquer this fear. She also has to battle the arthritis that plagues her fingers from time to time.

5. Student Needs Fulfill a Dream Whether it is your dream or your loved ones’, you pursue it wholeheartedly Challenged “I was told to stretch myself, even if I come back, go away first.” To be inspired by challenges and be pride to overcome them. Playing better, playing to wider audience, and learning more music Focus “Performing well in front of an audience is what drives me.” To be able to navigate around all the distraction in your life and focus on the music that you love Supports “I learned piano by ear, After seeing my interest in piano, my parents bought me one.” To have positive feedback when you show your interest in music from parents, school, friends, your community