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Getting Strategic About How You Teach Reading

30th November 2020 By Nicola Cantan Leave a Comment

VMT125 Getting strategic about how you teach reading

This conversation is an excerpt from a Strategy Session with one of my Vibrant Music Teaching members. In this call, we worked together to uncover the issue behind her students’ lack of reading fluency. I hope you’ll enjoy listening, and that it will help you problem-solve for your own students. Relevant Resources Piano Safari Roadmap…

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Filed Under: Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast

How to Teach Piano Students to Play by Ear

29th November 2020 By Nicola Cantan Leave a Comment

How to Teach Piano Students to Play by Ear facebook 2

Playing piano by ear is one of those skills which is often squashed in traditional lessons in favour of developing reading skills. But the two can absolutely coexist. Some students just naturally gravitate towards playing piano by ear. They tend to get all the press, as teachers are often grappling to find ways to teach…

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Filed Under: Music Theory Tagged With: ear training

The Race Is On with this FREE Multi-Level Christmas Music Game

28th November 2020 By Nicola Cantan 3 Comments

The Race Is On with this FREE Multi-Level Christmas Music Game

This post was originally published in November 2019 and was updated to include the screen version of the game in November 2020. The race is on to name notes and chords in this multi-level Christmas music game! Can your students fly across the rooftops to find the green Santa hat? Reindeer Race has four great…

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Filed Under: Music Theory Tagged With: occasions

Lead Sheet Basics: Where to Find Them and How to Use Them

23rd November 2020 By Nicola Cantan Leave a Comment

VMT124 Lead sheet basics Where to find them and how to use them

Lead sheets are a vital tool for teaching other concepts and skills. But where do you find them? And once you do, how should you use them? Download the Transcript Click here to download the transcript for this episode. Are you a Vibrant Music Teaching member? You can view and download all of the episode…

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Filed Under: Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast

Where to Find Great Lead Sheets for Piano Students

22nd November 2020 By Nicola Cantan 2 Comments

Where to Find Great Lead Sheets for Piano Students facebook 1

Playing from lead sheets is an essential skill which I believe all piano students should learn. We provide fantastic training inside Vibrant Music Teaching to help teachers learn how to teach lead sheet playing. But one question still remains: Where in the heck do we find great lead sheets?! I get the struggle. It can…

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Filed Under: Music Theory Tagged With: chords

How to Teach Pop Music to Piano Students

16th November 2020 By Nicola Cantan Leave a Comment

VMT123 How to teach pop music to piano students

What approaches really work when it comes to teaching pop music to piano students? And where do we find great pop music arrangements, anyhow? We’ll dive into all that and more in this episode. Relevant Resources ChordTime, FunTime, ShowTime, BigTime piano books Pop books for piano students The Phillip Keveren Series F.M. Sheet Music by…

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Filed Under: Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast

A Life-Changing App for Digital Pianos

15th November 2020 By Julie Parker Leave a Comment

How One App for Digital Pianos Can Change Your Life facebook 2

This article about the best app for digital pianos was written by Julie Parker. Julie is Director and Head of Piano/ Keyboards at MusicStation, southeast England’s leading rock and pop specialist music school. She has worked in music education for over 30 years, teaching in schools, colleges and universities. She’s is also an active musician,…

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Filed Under: Planning lessons Tagged With: Technology

Why You Should Teach Pop Music in Your Studio

9th November 2020 By Nicola Cantan Leave a Comment

VMT122 Why you should teach pop music in your studio

Do you teach pop music to your piano students? Why or why not? In this episode, I’ll explore the reasons I believe we should be teaching pop music in our studios so you can see if it’s right for you. Relevant Resources Creativising Classics Course Download the Transcript Click here to download the transcript for…

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Filed Under: Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast

How to Teach ‘Let it Be’ by The Beatles to Adult Beginners

8th November 2020 By Nicola Cantan 1 Comment

How to Teach The Beatles' 'Let it Be' to Adult Beginners facebook 2

Beginner piano students, especially older beginners, need a quick win that makes them feel competent and musical and have fun right from the start. The Beatles’ ‘Let it Be’ is a great song to teach to adult beginners at their first lesson. It’s an all-time classic, and the simple chords will have them feeling like…

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Filed Under: Planning lessons Tagged With: older students

How to make your data TALK

2nd November 2020 By Nicola Cantan Leave a Comment

VMT121 How to make your data TALK portrait

Are you collecting and analysing data in your studio? If not, you might be missing out on the important information that numbers can give you. In this episode, we’ll talk about the data you should collect in your studio and how to put it to work for you. Relevant Resources Music Teaching Industry Report Modern…

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Filed Under: Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast

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About Nicola

Nicola Cantan is a piano teacher, author, blogger and creator of imaginative and engaging teaching resources. She loves getting piano students learning through laughter, and helping teachers to teach through games and off-bench activities, so that their students giggle their way through music theory and make faster progress.

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