Red 'maps' pin involves piano students in feedback process [Printables]
Have you ever tried for weeks (or longer) to help a piano student improve something about their playing, only for the idea not to catch on? The red 'maps' locator pin is the ultimate symbol for 'it's happening here.' Print your own to help students participate in feedback. ...continue reading →
Master Your Feedback Style: 3 useful Adjudication tricks for piano lessons [Printables]
The moment your piano student begins to play and you start making mental notes, you have switched into Adjudicator Mode. Learn how to manage your time, words and feedback like an adjudicator to add a bit of spark to your lessons every week and plant musical seeds that can continue to grow for a lifetime! ...continue reading →
Master Your Feedback Style: A piano teacher's guide to positive redirection
I want you to imagine that every time you respond to your piano student you are giving them a coin. And just like a coin has two sides, any statement can be phrased in one of two ways. Will your words inspire, or will they discourage? What side of the coin will you present? ...continue reading →
Egg hunt motivates your piano students to sight-clap rhythms 7 Steps [Printables]
Let's be honest, whose piano students normally jump at the chance to sight read? Or clap a rhythm? Engaged students learn more. Students who want to participate advance further. Our biggest job as piano teachers is to grab our students' attention and hook them long enough so they will want to learn more and improve...continue reading →
Gift bags organize your piano camp and group lessons. Easy and fun!
Anticipation worthy of a birthday party. That's what your students can feel as they enter your studio for each group lesson or day of piano camp. This one organizational strategy is so simple, yet so effective, that when I first did it I wondered why I'd never thought of it before. ... continue reading →
6 steps to Improvising and Composing left hand piano [Printables]
Have you composed an original melody? Are you feeling inspired to improvise solo piano music or a piano accompaniment for a church chorus, or a popular tune you’ve learned by ear? Creating a left hand part on the piano is satisfying. ... continue reading →
6 Expressive Repertoire Picks for Early Piano Levels [Free samples]
Expressive music is perhaps the single biggest thing that hooks kids on piano. Give a student a piece that helps them discover their sensitive side, and you'll see more practice, more personal investment and better advancement. ... continue reading →
Composing music? Steps 5 to 8 help you make your piece longer [Printables]
You can be a composer. All it takes is believing in yourself and allowing the time to let it happen. The process of composing is a chance to unplug from our fast-paced world and unwind, discovering the music within you. What’s next? It’s the biggest question ... continue reading →
Want to compose music? Steps 1 to 4 help you begin [Printables]
In a world where we have instant access to so much ready-made information and entertainment in ever-decreasing byte-sizes, I believe that now, more than ever, it is important to get in touch with your inner creative life. To slow down. ... continue reading →
