Some students will always find rhythm to be the most challenging part of piano lessons. It’s also the most important part of music so it’s vital that we find lots of ways to teach rhythm patterns to our students. By having lots of tricks up your sleeve (like those found in my book Rhythm in…
Practice & Performance
Effective piano practice is one of my passions as a piano teacher. Make the most out of your students' practice time with these freebies, ideas and insights.
What piano students can learn from scat singing
One of the activities in my Meet the Blues workshop (which is coming out tomorrow for Vibrant Music Teaching members!) is a quick lesson in scat singing. I love this part of the workshop because it’s silly and fun; and because it teaches my students some valuable skills. If you’re not familiar with the term…
Chord Level Challenges – Systemised Piano Chord Goals
Piano chords are extremely useful for understanding the structure of music and for playing from lead sheets and improvising. But they’re not the easiest thing to learn. For a student, it can seem like there are too many types of piano chords to keep track. It can be overwhelming. That’s where these chord challenges come…
What I did differently for my recital this year
A recital is an important event in most piano teaching studio calendars. Every year I try something a little bit different to mix things up and keep it fresh. This was our second year at this recital venue…but it doesn’t mean everything stayed the same. Two Chances In previous years, I have had students play…
Why every preschool piano lesson should include improvisation
If there’s one thing all preschoolers have in common it’s that they’re curious. And it’s the curiosity that makes improvisation the most natural fit for preschool piano lessons. Improvisation allows for exploration and makes space for preschoolers to learn through play. Preschoolers are built to play. They need to play to understand the world and to take…
How to handle summer in your music studio business
Summer can be a bit of a sticky wicket for music studio businesses. Families are travelling and kids are out of their normal routine – so what’s the best way to run a music school during the summer months? There are a few options that work for music studios in the summer. The best fit…
How to teach pop music to piano students
Are you struggling with how to teach pop music to your piano students? Perhaps you tried already and it was a total flop?! Let me help with some tips and tricks for teaching pop piano. 🙂 Teaching pop music doesn’t have to be difficult or scary, and it doesn’t have to take over all your…
3 Ways to Bring Group Workshops into Your Studio
Have you considered adding group workshops to your studio but you’re not sure when or how often? Or how to structure them? Group workshops can be a fantastic asset for your music teaching studio. They provide an opportunity for your students to get together, socialise, learn through games and make music together. But it’s tricky…
How to Teach Music Composition to Piano Students
Do you teach music composition in your piano studio? This is a great way to work on your students’ notation skills, without them even realising they’re doing “theory” and it’s super fun and motivating too. 🙂 If you haven’t dived in yet to teaching composing yet, I can highly recommend it. I do a project like…
Hippity Hop Your Way to Rhythm Reading Success
Whether you’re celebrating Easter in your music teaching studio, or just the arrival of spring, this rhythm reading game is a great way to do it. Hippity Hop is a bunny-themed game to work on rhythm reading with music students. The full version (available to Vibrant Music Teaching members here) includes 4 different levels of…