My favourite podcasts for music teachers

Podcasts are a great way for piano teachers and other music educators to get in some professional development on-the-go. There are a growing number of podcasts for music teachers…so how do you know which ones are the best ones?

This post was originally written in 2019 and updated in 2022.

I wanted to share my favourite podcasts for music teachers here because I’m pretty picky with what I listen to. It takes me a while to find a new show that has great audio and great content. I’ve done a lot of hunting and these are the best of the best.

If you haven’t jumped on the podcast train yet I encourage you to give it a go. You can listen to podcasts while walking your dog, driving or cleaning your studio. That last one is my personal favourite as it takes something dull and makes it so much more satisfying!

Podcasts for Music Teachers

Let’s start with the podcasts that are specifically for instrumental and vocal teachers.

The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast with Nicola Cantan (that’s me!)

I would be remiss if I didn’t kick the list off with my own podcast. The episodes of the Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast are all short, between 10 and 20 minutes, and I give quick tips to help you run your business more effectively and teach more creatively. Listen on the Vibrant Music Teaching site here or subscribe in your favourite podcasts app.

Teaching Studio Stories with Nicola Cantan (also me!)

Teaching Studio Stories is an interview show with “regular” teachers from all over the world. Listen to hear stories just like yours and feel part of our global teaching community.

Creative Piano Teaching Podcast with Tim Topham

I’ve worked closely with Tim Topham on the Creative Piano Teaching Podcast almost since the beginning and in my opinion, it’s the best one out there. It’s also the longest standing and most consistent so if you’re just discovering it now you have over 160 episodes to binge-listen to!

Beyond Measure with Christina Whitlock

The Beyond Measure podcast is one of my current favourites. The podcasts are short, sweet and completely fresh. I love her positive yet realistic perspective and friendly advice.

All Keyed Up with Ben Kapilow

Ben had me on All Keyed Up a while back and I enjoyed our chat. His interview approach is thoughtful and insightful.

Key Ideas with Leila Viss

Leila is always so creative in how she approaches common topics and issues teachers face on Key Ideas. I really enjoy the mixture of different types of episodes too.

Piano Pantry with Amy Chaplin

The Piano Pantry Podcast is brand new at the time of writing so I can’t report specifics! Amy always creates super fun content though so I’m looking forward to it.

Teach Music Online with Carly Walton

If you’re teaching online lessons there’s only one podcast specifically for you: Teach Music Online. A great learning investment if you’re planning on doing this for the foreseeable future at least.

The Full Voice with Nikki Loney

The Full Voice Podcast is directed at voice teachers, but a lot of the content is relevant to instrumental teachers as well. Nikki talks about everything from marketing to productivity to money management. There are also many episodes about singing techniques and tips which, since I believe all music teachers should sing in lessons, I find just as relevant.

Music Studio Startup with Andrea Miller

Music Studio Startup is a newer podcast on the scene, with only 29 episodes so far but the host, Andrea Miller, is a natural and every episode I’ve listened to has been great quality. Andrea focuses on the business side of music teaching.

Podcasts for Music Students

I also have a few podcasts that I recommend to my piano students and their parents. These are great for them to listen to on school runs or on the way over to your studio each week. 🙂

David Walliams’ Marvellous Musical Podcast

This podcast truly is marvellous. The only thing that I don’t love about the Marvellous Musical Podcast is that there are only 10 episodes – so treasure each one!

Classics for Kids

There are an almost overwhelming number of episodes of Classics for Kids. I recommend suggesting a particular topic series for your students or parents that’s relevant to what they’re studying. For instance, if they’re about to start their first piece by Chopin, you could send them the links to those shows.

The Musicality Podcast

The Musicality Podcast would be a great one for your teenage and adult students or an involved piano parent who wants to understand more about the process of learning music.

Piano Parent Podcast

The Piano Parent Podcast is, as you might have guessed, a podcast for piano parents. Shelly Davis interviews parents and teachers, and also runs special practice challenges and gives fun tips for parents to help their kids at home.

General Podcasts to Make You Think

I strongly believe in getting out of your box and learning new things in a variety of areas. This can teach you surprising things about your business or even just trigger a train of thought that leads to a break-through.

Akimbo

Seth Godin is the king of thoughtful marketing and I love his podcast, Akimbo, even more than his wonderful blog. This show is not about how to game the Facebook algorithm or how to craft the perfect flyer, it’s about how you think about the world.

Hidden Brain

So much of teaching is about understanding what’s going on inside your student’s head. Hidden Brain will help you understand people, and yourself, better.

Freakonomics

Freakonomics was one of the first podcasts I subscribed to and I still love it. It gives you an economist’s view of the “hidden side of everything” and will make you think differently about society, culture and how we make decisions.

Masters of Scale

You’re not going to get specific business ideas from Masters of Scale (unless you want to move to Silicon Valley and seek millions of dollars of investment, that is) but the show is entertaining, beautifully produced and can provide you with insights into how big businesses work.

How I Built This

This is my current top choice when I’m feeling voyeuristic. How I Built This tells the story of how a wide variety of companies were founded and grown, from candles to non-profits to clothing stores.

What’s your favourite podcast for music teachers?

Please share in the comments. I’d love to discover some new ones. 😀