I was contacted recently by the folks behind the PlayScore 2 app to see if I’d be interested in writing a review. At the time, I was feeling overwhelmed with Christmas preparations and put them off, but I’m thankful that they followed up with me again, because I’m really finding this app useful in my […]
How I’m Using PlayScore 2 In My Studio Read More »
I made a video giving you an overview of this app that I’m enjoying in my teaching. Its the Chords and Scales app by Sincere Apps. I like the fact that it’s available for both iOS and Google Play, the free version is very robust and offers lots of information, and it’s easy to use
The Chords and Scales App: A Very Useful Tool Read More »
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
Using Boom Cards In The Piano Studio Read More »
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
Not Your Grandma’s Piano Lessons Read More »
There’s a new video up on my YouTube channel! This one is an explainer on how to read intervals quickly. I’m big on intervallic reading with my students, and in this video, you’ll hear how I teach them to move past the stage of counting lines and spaces when identifying intervals by number, and how
New Video and a Free Halloween Piece Read More »
I’m a month into our fall term with now 4 online students and 11 in person, and thankfully, no students have gotten sick – at least not with Covid. If you’ve read my previous posts about my cleaning and masking protocols, I’m happy to say that’s working out well. I’m thrilled to have 6 beginners
I’m Making Videos! Read More »
In my very small hometown, our local newspaper celebrated student achievements, even small ones, by publishing lots and lots of photos. Nice older folks in my community would clip those photos and articles and mail them to the students with congratulatory notes. These days, we do the same thing with social media and “likes.” This
Smart Sharing: Posting Student Media for Motivation and Marketing Read More »
Apple iPad Mini Piano by iadwords Technology has been slow in coming to the traditional piano studio. Most teachers over 40, like myself, didn’t use anything more techy than a digital metronome and a cassette tape recorder in our own study. However, if we want to stay relevant in the decades to come, that means
Embracing Technology in Piano Study Read More »
C Major Pentatonic Scale In my last post, I explained the pentatonic scale and why it’s such a useful tool for for helping students learn to make their own music. I’m discovering that lots of folks aren’t familiar with this scale and its versatility! Carl Orff and Zoltan Kodaly both incorporated pentatony (isn’t that a
Pentatonic Power Part 2 Read More »
Minute for Marketing is a weekly series about advertising the independent music studio. Click here to see all of the Minute for Marketing posts.At least until every person has a smart phone, business cards remain the best physical tool for supporting word of mouth advertising. They’re one of the most cost-effective advertising tools. They have
Minute for Marketing #4: Business Card Design Tips Read More »
