Hello again, teacher friends! Y’all, over 10 years of teaching and trying to juggle the studio with responsibilities as a homeschool mom, I’ve learned one thing the hard way: setting goals for piano students is the secret sauce that turns good lessons into great ones. If you’ve ever felt like you’re spinning your wheels – teaching the same concepts, wondering if students (or parents) are really on the same page, or watching dip mid-year – this post is for you. Today, in part 1 of our goal-setting series, I’m sharing why setting goals for piano students matters so much. (Spoiler: it’s not just about progress – it’s about joy, connection,…
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(Plus 4 Foolproof Practice Tips So You Sound Like a Pro!) Y’all, it is a great day because I am knee-deep in piano Christmas music! Nothing makes me happier than playing through Christmas music for the first time each season – except maybe hearing my students play it all month long. Christmas music brings people together like singing a nostalgic Christmas tune with the piano in the background and so I made something for you this year. I took the three easiest, happiest, most sing-along-able Christmas songs and turned them into super simple, melody-only sheet music that even my 6-year-old students are already playing after one lesson! No chords. No…
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Do you have a piano recital scheduled for October but you don’t want spooky music? Perhaps, like me, you have students that don’t even celebrate Halloween! Each year my studio holds a virtual piano recital the last week of October. It is a wonderful time to do a recital because they can showcase all of the wonderful things they’ve been working on before we get out our Christmas music for our December recital. But a few years ago I started teaching piano students who do not celebrate Halloween. I didn’t want them to be left out of the recital fun but I also did not want them to be the…
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Do your students have trouble keeping a steady beat? Do they need some extra help playing rhythms? In this article, discover creative rhythm activities to add to your studio this December. I have one piano student in my studio who does an excellent job of remembering information. She can tell you everything there is to know about different notes, time signatures, and the theory of rhythm. But her parents and I had a conversation one day where we both noticed that even though she knew the information, she absolutely could not feel a steady beat or play the rhythms on the page correctly. During this conversation, we discussed many different…
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Let me be clear, I love Christmas as much as anyone. The trees, the snow, the lights inside and outside, fires, stockings, I could go on and on! But also in my top 3 favorite holidays is Thanksgiving. I love the coziness of fall, the delicious food, watching the parade with my family, and focusing on all the things we are grateful for. I think it is so wonderful and important that there’s a day we slow down and talk about all the things we’re thankful for – big and small! If you aren’t quite ready for Christmas music in your piano studio, check out these free Thanksgiving themed piano…
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Trying to compose a song on the piano but you don’t know where to start? Here are the 6 simple steps that even beginners can take to compose a song on the piano – from start to finish! Have you ever heard a beautiful song and wondered, “How in the world did he write that song?” Today I want to share the 6 simple steps that I’ve used with beginning piano players to help them compose their own songs. Whether you want to write a song for yourself or you’re trying to find a fun and engaging activity for piano lessons these steps can be used for beginners or advanced…
