WOWZERS of the September – Favourite Piano Teaching Resources this Month

Need some inspiration? Looking for something a little different?

Then take a look at my favourite piano teaching resources in September. These are my 3 favourite resources for music teachers out of everything I’ve been exploring for the last month.

Get ready to be WOWed!

Repertoire by Rote

I love really well written rote teaching pieces, and that’s exactly what this book provides. I really like the visual representations of the patterns and the steps they provide to teach the pieces.

Dennis Alexander and Amy Greer have put a lot of thought into the rote teaching steps, illustrations and patterns used in Repertoire by Rote.

Their approach would be a great help for teachers who are new to rote teaching. It could also be helpful if you’ve tried rote teaching in the past but just never been satisfied with how it went.

Piano Parent Podcast

Have you heard about this podcast yet? I think Shelly Davis is on to something wonderful here.

Shelly is answering all the questions that piano parents didn’t know to ask. Everything is covered from practice habits & instruments to leading by example when learning new things.

I really like this idea and I’ve enjoyed hearing another teacher’s perspective on what parents should know.

Definitely check it out, and pass it on to your piano parents if you like it. Our studios are definitely better when we have involved, well-informed piano parents on our side.

Play it Again: An Amateur Against the Impossible

I read this book while I was on holiday in the south of Spain. While I’m sure the sunshine and amazing scenery didn’t hurt, I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed it in any context. 😉

Written in a diary format, this book follows the author’s attempt to learn Chopin’s Ballade no. 1 over the course of a year.

This is a book about an amateur pianist, but the part I found really fascinating was the exploration of amateurism in general. While Alan Rusbridger has a challenging and rewarding career as a journalist, the piano provides something different in his life.

One of my primary goals as a teacher is to create lifelong music makers. I’m not particularly interested in creating “professional” pianists.

I want to give my students the skills to enjoy piano for a lifetime, in whatever way they choose. If you have similar aspirations, I think you’ll really enjoy seeing what this looks like in practice and what it can provide in a person’s hectic reality.

Disclaimer: No one has asked me to write about these resources, however  some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This doesn’t cost you anything but means that Amazon will send me a small commission for sending a customer their way. These commissions help me to keep this site running, so thank you!

Which of these resources are you most excited about?

Are there any that you have explored before? Something new you’re going to order right away?