This post about teaching composing to piano students is a consolidation of posts which were originally published in April 2015, March 2016, May 2016, February 2017, May 2017, April 2018 and April 2019 and updated in September 2020. Does the idea teaching composing to piano students make you nervous? Are you not sure where to…
Blog
How to Make Your Online Music Lessons FUN
Are your online lessons feeling a bit stale? Are you wondering if there’s a better way to engage with your students over video call? In this episode, I’ll help you figure out how to inject some fun into your online teaching with games, surprises and teaching tricks. Relevant Resources Your Essential Guide to Teaching Piano…
Getting the Right Level of Support from Piano Parents
I’m pleased to share this article from guest blogger Alexandra Westcott about the right level of support from piano parents. Alexandra has been a successful private piano teacher in North London for 30 years. She loves sharing her passion for the piano with her students and sharing what she has learnt about teaching with other…
Planning and Systems for Online Music Lessons
Do you have good systems in place for your online lessons? Are you happy with how you take notes, plan or send assignment sheets to students? We’ll look at the best planning methods in this episode so you can upgrade your systems and make your lessons run as smoothly as olive oil. Relevant Resources Your…
Hosting a Piano Practice Workshop for Parents
I consider it our responsibility as teachers to make sure the parents who didn’t study music are just as capable of helping their kiddos as those who did. That’s why I’d been wanting to do a parent practice workshop for quite some time. I hosted my first one last September. A parent practice workshop is…
Tools and Software for Teaching Piano Online
You can absolutely get started with teaching piano online simply. All you need is your computer and something to run the video call. When you’re ready to level-up, though, there are a few things you can do to make things run more smoothly and provide a fantastic experience for your students. We’ll dive into a…
4 Steps to Even the Playing Field for Non-Musical Piano Parents
One of our core values at Colourful Keys is that music should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their background. I think that most teachers would agree with this sentiment, and I’m sure you do too. But most of us are falling short in helping piano students with non-musical parents succeed. I hate to even…
The Best Equipment for Online Piano Lessons
When it comes to your online teaching kit a few upgrades can make a huge difference. But it can be SO confusing! In this episode, I’ll break down all the microphone and camera jargon so that you can get to the bottom of what will work for you in your music studio. Relevant Resources Your…
Stop Teaching Music Mnemonics and Create Fluent Readers Faster
Teaching music mnemonics to piano students might seem like an easy and helpful way for them to get to grips with the grand staff. But the truth is that mnemonics are probably hindering their progress more than helping. The tide of the music teaching world has turned away from using mnemonics in recent years. If…
How to Get Ready for a New School Year
Are you ready for a new year of teaching? There are several things you can do to get your head and your systems set up for a new school year. In this episode, we’ll look at setting up your calendar and timetable, finding the balance in the busy seasons, and making sure your new students…