Stop me if this sounds familiar. A new piano student walks in your door. They’ve had a few years of lessons and their parent told you they’re playing some pretty impressive intermediate repertoire. You’re excited to work with such a promising young student. They sit down on the bench…and the glass shatters. What are they…
Teaching technique
How to Teach Piano to Beginners with Games and Creativity
Let’s explore how to teach piano to beginners. Is it as simple as following a method book? Is there more to consider? Most beginner piano students arrive to us super enthusiastic to dive in to this world of music making. I believe we have a responsibility to teach piano to beginners in a way that…
Tips and Tricks for When Group Piano Students are Ahead (or Behind)
Group piano students get many advantages over one-on-one students. They get to experience playing as part of an ensemble each and every week, and they have built-in accountability to practice. Whenever group piano lessons of any kind are mentioned, the most common questions are: Isn’t that impossible to schedule to get the same levels together?…
3 Ideas for Helping Piano Students with Right/Left Coordination
One of the beginning concepts that can trip young piano students up is right/left coordination. If they don’t know which hand is playing (or which hand is right/left in the first place!) they can feel a bit lost. > Many method books (such as my favourite: Piano Safari) start out with piece (or at least…
Creating Piano Practice Pros Part 2: Home Practice Instruments
Does this story sound familiar? A student is struggling with technique, they’re clearly not practising enough and for some reason, they keep getting lost looking for middle C…months into lessons! You try everything. You play games, you colour code, you connect what they’re doing to their favourite TV series and, nothing. Then you see a…
First Year Goals for a Preschool Piano Student
Many teachers are starting to take on their first preschool piano students. Some are successful, some aren’t, and most just don’t know if they are! What counts as good progress when we’re teaching 3-5 year old piano students? It’s important to get our own goals right so that we can feel good about our students’…
CKQC023: Beginner piano technique with zebra taps and lion paws
The student in this video is very bright, and quick to catch on to new concepts, however she struggled in the beginning with technique. She naturally played with a lot of tension which we have been working to alleviate. The Lion Paw exercise from Piano Safari is perfect for working on this issue. It…
The Ultimate Compendium of Buddy Piano Lesson Activities
A buddy piano lesson is what I call it when two students’ lesson times overlap in the middle, so that they get some time one on one, and some time together. The specific durations of each segment are up to each teacher. In my studio I give two options: 40 minute buddy lessons: 20 minutes…
CKQC009: Developing finger dexterity with piano preschoolers
I love the finger warmups included as part of the Wunderkeys program. These little rhymes and actions are so fun, and a fantastic way to develop finger dexterity. I work with a lot of 3-5 year old beginners. This is a very different thing from teaching older students in so many ways – and one of…
CKQC008: Employing a Cuddly Piano Technique Assistant
In this teaching clip, you’re going to meet Steve the Stickler. Steve is a miniature lobster beanie baby (I believe I got him in a McDonald’s happy meal way back in the day!) and he helps out in my studio with all things piano technique and posture. I was inspired by Tim Topham’s ladybug Linda…