A Summer Reading List For A Successful First Week When Piano Lessons Return
Did I just see a back-to-school commercial? Yes, I did. And while summer is in full swing for some teachers, for others, the return to lessons is rapidly-approaching. Heading back to lessons after a...
View Article6 Things Piano Teachers Should Stop Doing For Their Students
Our youngest daughter just started Grade One this year. She’s officially “not a baby” anymore… and it certainly felt different dropping her off at her first day of school (last year, Trevor and I...
View Article10 Reasons Why Your Piano Student’s Mood Suddenly Changed Mid-Lesson
Have you ever taught one of those piano lessons where things were humming along smoothly and then WHAM… the mood of the student beside you changed in an instant? Have you ever had a once-happy child...
View Article5 Ways To Help Piano Students Love Their Music… When They’re Not In Love With...
The title of today’s post may have caused you to raise an eyebrow. Shouldn’t students always love the pieces that they are playing? My answer to that – yes, they absolutely should. With the amazing...
View ArticleHow To Take Key Signatures From Frustrating To Friendly; A Piano Teaching Tip
Key signatures make a lot of sense to composers, teachers, and experienced pianists. But to young piano students… they are a thief who arrives one day and steals all of the helpful accidentals...
View ArticleThe DO’s and DON’Ts Of Talking To Struggling Piano Students
The words we use when speaking to our piano students are incredibly powerful. Children are impressionable and can take everything you say to heart. The wrong verbal approach to a piano student’s...
View ArticleDear Piano Parents: There Are Four Times When I DON’T Want Your Child To...
As piano teachers, we spend much of our time inspiring, reminding, asking, and… begging… parents to help their children practice at home. In fact, it is by far the most common “piano teaching problem”...
View Article5 Things Piano Parents Should Do Before Driving To Piano Lessons
At some point, every piano parent will have to wrestle their children out the door when it’s time to go to piano lessons. And when this happens, many piano parents will all be thinking the same things:...
View ArticleThe “Talk and Play” Teaching Tip To Ace Piano Exams And Recital Performances
‘Tis the season for exam and recital preparation and you’re likely helping students polish, perfect and memorize pieces for upcoming performances. And while there are a million ways to prep kids for...
View Article5 Things Other Teachers Want You To know About WunderKeys Primer Piano Books
Trevor and I are excited to announce the release of WunderKeys Primer Piano Book 3; the third and final book in our primer method book series! When there are only a few “major players” in the method...
View ArticlePlaying Through Time: A No-Sweat “End Of Year” Student Assessment For Parents
Piano lessons are coming to a close for another year. In the next few weeks most families will decide if they are going to continue on with lessons… so it is really important that piano teachers give...
View ArticleAre Your Piano Students Ready For The ONE Piece Challenge?
During the school year your piano students work hard to get through their method book music. it’s likely that they have completed 20, 30, or 40 pieces in the past year. Maybe they have even...
View Article12 Scale Printables To Add To Your Summer Piano Practice Packs
With the end of lessons in sight, you are probably looking forward to that moment when you can close your studio doors for the summer and take a well-deserved break. With that said, you’re probably NOT...
View Article7 Resources So “Summer Piano Teachers” Can Turn Lemons Into Lemonade
At some point in our careers we’ve all worked through the summer. And, while we love teaching piano, it’s probably not too much of a stretch to say that most of us (if given the choice) wouldn’t pass...
View Article10 Questions To Answer Before You Can Grow Your Piano Studio This Fall
Are you heading out on a vacation this summer? If so, then a “to do list” a mile long is probably taped to your fridge. Summer vacations only come around once a year, and so taking the time to assess...
View ArticleFive Piano-Playing Youtube Superstars To Inspire Your Teen Students
A teen who takes singing lessons has a limitless number of same-age, vocal idols. A quick search of Youtube will bring up talented teen singers with thousands, if not millions, of subscribers. So it’s...
View Article20 ‘Welcome To Piano Lesson’ Questions That Parents Can Answer In 2 Minutes
Have you ever had a happy piano student quit lessons? It happens more often than you might think. One week you have a cheerful, progressing student, and the next week you have a hole in your schedule....
View Article5 Ways To Take The Snooze Out Of Review When Piano Students Return To Lessons
It’s back to school time and you’re probably welcoming new students who are thrilled to start on a piano lesson journey. For these students, everything is fresh and exciting; method books are shiny,...
View ArticleIf You Think Piano Students Love Stickers Wait Until You Try Iwako Erasers
We all know that off-the-bench piano games are beneficial for children. After all, kids learn best when there are frequent changes of focus within a lesson. But if you don’t have time to leave the...
View ArticleWhy Your struggling Note Readers Should Be Singing The Alphabet Backwards
Have you ever tried to say the alphabet backwards? I have… and it gives me a headache. But thanks to a competitive family and a bunch of practice I am quickly becoming a reverse alphabet champion. And...
View Article