In June 2025, I hosted the first ever ‘Keys and Trees’ retreat for piano teachers in the Irish countryside. This weekend was so fun and inspiring for all of us and I’m excited to host it again this June.
Keys and Trees 2025
At the 2025 retreat, I hosted 9 teachers at a gorgeous spot in County Wicklow. We had such a blast together and it was a true privilege to get to hang out with such wonderful folks all weekend.
Planning and Preparation
Once everyone had booked their tickets, I shared some more information about the event as well as planning tips for those looking to tour around Ireland before/after. We had a Facebook message group too for any questions.
On my end of course there was lots of preparation to do with planning our days, catering and making sure we had everything on hand that the teachers and their travelling companions might want. Plus some surprise welcome gifts, too. 🙂
Arrival
The group started arriving on Friday afternoon. Some had rented a car and had been touring around. I had also organised a shared taxi for those that didn’t want to drive on the left.
Once everyone was there we had our first dinner together around 7pm or so. I had prepared some icebreakers in case the chat needed help getting going but we didn’t need ‘em! The dining room was a buzz of conversation straight away. The two hubbies who had come along for the ride also seemed to find some common ground and camaraderie.
Day 1
Everyone had breakfast in their own time and then we met for our first discussion session. This started with a quick game and then a group discussion.
Then we split into smaller groups to dive deeper on 3 big issues facing our students today.
After a productive and engaging morning we took a break for lunch followed by some free time to explore the area, play music, read or just relax. I brought a huge selection of my books for folks to browse through which proved to be very popular!
After lunch we had a session that I call “Your Student’s Shoes”. Basically, each teacher had to teach a short lesson to one of the others who pretended to be their student. The lesson could be about anything, the only rule was that you couldn’t use a book/sheet music.
This was my personal highlight of the weekend! It was just so fun and inspiring seeing the different approaches in action.
Day 2
On day 2 we focussed on the teacher life. We started with a discussion about common issues facing all of us as teachers. After lunch, we did a hot seat format where each teacher had 15 minutes to pose a question or discussion point and get feedback from the group.
We had some more free time after the discussions and then headed out for dinner together in the local village.
After dinner we did some céili dancing but I’m afraid I didn’t get a photo! It was great fun though and a fabulous end to the last evening.
Keys and Trees 2026
This year, Keys and Trees will be on June 27th to 30th. I’ve found another stunning location in the Irish countryside where we can relax, unwind and learn together.
Earlybird rates are available until January 31st and you can get all the details at keysandtrees.com. I’d love to see you there!