Why Video Lessons?
Watch this video to learn why I think video lessons with video exchange are a great way to deliver piano instruction!
Piano Vocabulary: Scales and Chords
It’s a common occurrence in my studio for a beginning student to respond with a lovely scale when I ask for a chord, or a beautiful chord when I ask for a scale. We ask first and second-year piano students to learn so many new words! It’s understandable that they sometimes get them confused! I’ve …
Using Boom Cards In The Piano Studio
A few days ago, I was surprised to discover I had won a giveaway on Instagram! 5,000 free points on boomlearning.com! I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but I thought I’d share with my piano teacher friends how I’ve been using Boom Decks in my piano studio since January. They did not ask …
My Pentascale Process
Note: This post has been translated to Spanish, and you can read it here! This week starts my pentascale unit in the piano studio! I have a big crop of beginner students this year, and Spring is my time for pentascales. Several years ago, I wrote a post about how I teach these by starting …
The Haunted Time Signature
Are your beginners like mine? Do they add a little sneaky 4th beat when playing in 3/4 time? Here’s how I deal with that in my studio!Call in the Ghostbusters!
Not Your Grandma’s Piano Lessons
When I first started teaching piano in the 80s, there were no blogs, webinars, or facebook groups for piano teachers. No downloadable teaching tools, no youtube videos. I started out armed with a notebook full of ideas from my pedagogy professor, a survey of the various methods on the market, and the 2-volume set of …
The Wonderful, Magical Hocus Focus Tool
Beginners sometimes have trouble getting started practicing their pieces at home. Here’s an idea that might help! Watch the video to see how I use a magical Hocus Focus Tool to teach students how to start their piece. You can download a template for your own Hocus Focus tool here. (Or just draw your own on …
Happy New Year! Free Terms & Symbols Flashcards
I don’t know about you, but I’m super happy about celebrating the arrival of 2021! It just has to be a better year than 2020, right? I even had some Happy New Year cards printed this year and mailed them instead of Christmas cards. Unfortunately, we lost our big dog, Bella, to cancer shortly after …
Footrest Solutions For Piano Students
I have a new video up on my Youtube channel, and as promised, it’s all about footrests for piano students. I consider a footrest to be essential equipment, just as I do an adjustable bench. Students whose feet don’t reach the floor will tire out and succumb to frustration more quickly. They will practice longer …
All About Adjustable Benches
This week’s ‘splainer video is intended for older students, piano parents, and piano teachers. If you have a child studying piano, or if you have people of varying heights all using the same piano bench, you need an adjustable model! Even adults of roughly the same height can need to sit at differing levels due …