GLORY ST . GERMAIN ’ S
Ultimate Music Theory & Tips for Running a Successful Lessons Program
Glory St . Germain wears many , many hats – author , publisher , entrepreneur , teacher , public speaker , and more . From her humble beginnings as a 16-year-old teaching music lessons to buy her first car , she now leads a multi-faceted career as the founder and CEO of Ultimate Music Theory ( UltimateMusicTheory . com ), for which she has authored and published over 50 music workbooks .
More recently , she also authored and curated the inspirational , international best-selling five-book The Power of Why Musicians series , in which musician-authors from around the world share insightful lessons from their own lives and careers . St . Germain , of course , is still active in her first love – teaching music and running a lessons studio – and now offers business training to other music instructors and program operators through the UMTC Elite Educator program and other courses . Not one to rest , during the pandemic she also spearheaded four virtual Global Music Summits , which brought together thousands of music teachers from around the world with highly-regarded industry speakers . Very recently , she also fulfilled one of her goals of becoming a TEDx speaker . Her talk is titled “ 3 Secrets to Unlock Your Students ’ Success ” ( TEDxLenoxVillageStudio ).
So , it ’ s pretty obvious that St . Germain is incredibly ambitious and astute , but she ’ s also successful because of the enthusiasm and passion she exudes . In an hour-long chat about her career and the advice she has about running lessons programs , she radiates excitement and an immense desire to help others succeed .
This interview has been edited for length and clarity .
CMT : What was the goal of the four Global Music Summit online events you organized , and what were a couple of your big takeaways from them ?
GLORY ST . GERMAIN ( LEFT ) WITH A STUDENT
St . Germain : I really felt that , because the world had changed so much in the last year , we needed to do something . The interesting thing is that it kind of exploded beyond my expectations . I was just trying to connect a few people from a few countries , and it just ended up being a real powerhouse of connection .
We did four Global Music Summits , and the first one was the Global Healing Power of Music Summit , where we showcased musicians from around the world . We covered many topics , but a couple of them were how music reduces depression and anxiety , how it affects the mind , why it matters , and how it is an outlet for self-expression and music therapy . I loved all the summits , but I really felt deeply that this was a powerful message that needed to be heard . As you listened to the speakers from around the world , it was really awakening for many of them , because they shared a lot with each other in the conversation .
BY MICHAEL RAINE
The second one was the Global Music Teachers Summit , and this one showcased teaching techniques to facilitate learning , and finding the life / work balance and class management in teaching groups . One of the interesting things was that different countries have different mythologies of how things should be taught . Even if they ’ re teaching Bach or Beethoven or whatever it might be , they have different approaches . So , it was a real eye-opening for the speakers that were in the groups throughout the summit to say , “ I never thought of it that way .” The third one that we did was the Global Music Composers Summit . This one showcased the steps to the creative writing process , whether collaboration or writing by yourself , and transferring feelings into music … The final one that we did is the Global Piano Teachers Summit , because obviously I ’ m a piano teacher . It showcased teaching students of all ages with different learning styles and different abilities . The discussions
24 CANADIAN MUSIC TRADE