
This blog post about adding technology to your piano studio was written by Carmen Carpenter. Carmen has taught music both in a school setting and in her home studio for more than 30 years. Teaching combines two of her favourite things: music and kids! Besides teaching music, Carmen loves spending time with family playing games, working puzzles and watching movies. She’s also an avid reader and loves taking long walks on her local woodsy trails.
Although apps, software and various sundry other technology products for music teachers have been around for many years now, piano teachers’ use of these tools in their studios varies from “all-in” on tech tools to just dipping a toe in the pool, too scared to try them or stalwartly against the use of technology in music teaching.

No matter where you fall on the technology-embrace spectrum, trying anything new can be overwhelming and scary. But with a little time and a consistent, concerted effort, you too can leverage the benefits of technology to take your teaching game to the next level.
Even if you consider yourself a techno-whiz, you can apply the principles below to any new thing you’d like to add to your teacher toolkit – whether it’s adding a new method book series, setting up a studio system or learning the flugelhorn.
In order to add more technology to your teaching life, you need two important components: time and consistency. Oh, and a plan never hurts either!
So let’s get started…
Reflect
I’m the daughter of an “early adopter”, so my early examples of embracing the latest fad heavily influenced me to get a bit distracted by shiny, glittery objects.
But when I step back a bit to consider what things are truly going to make my teaching life better (and which I’m likely to make use of), I make wiser choices…and spend less dough!
So before you dive right into the latest techno-gizmo that caught your eye on Instagram or TikTok, take some time to consider what really interests you and what you’ll actually use.
Make a List
Brainstorm a list or make a mind map of what apps, software or other tech tools interest you. Don’t limit yourself to things you consider out of your league at this time.
Simply jot down all the things you’ve heard or read about or seen on the interwebs. Be sure to include some of the things which might be free and/or super easy to implement, too!

Your list might include everything from creating your own YouTube channel for storing student videos to leveraging backing tracks for improv at lessons to writing a symphony using notation software.
Consider Needs
Now that you’ve created your “interest list”, think about what needs could be met by implementing some of the items from your brainstorming session.
Student Needs
Most teachers’ first inclination is to put student needs first. If that tracks for you, ask yourself this: What technology tool would catch their interest and benefit your students most?
Consider issues such as:
- Do your students need a better way to view assignments and interactive elements like reminder videos or YouTube links? If yes, consider a practice app.
- Are they bored with scales, arpeggios and the like? If so, use backing tracks to add a little pizazz to this notoriously tedious task.
- Have students with an itch to compose? Consider notation software to make their journey a smidge easier.
- Does theory seem like a drudge, with students struggling to retain what they learn? There are plenty of music theory videos out there to help with note names, intervals, key signatures and more.
There’s truly no end to the needs that technology could meet for your students with one or two additions to your teaching toolkit.
If you’re not sure what tech would fit a student’s want or need best, just do a Google search like this: “technology to help piano students [fill in the blank]”. You’ll find loads of answers that’ll get you started.
Studio Needs
Even though you might feel your first duty is to your students, you may want to “put your own mask on first” by figuring out what tech tools could help you streamline your various studio tasks while filling up your teacher toolbelt.

Certainly productivity software and/or apps are a great place to start. These useful tools save you time, effort and energy, leaving you greater margins to plan more fun and effective lessons or for some self-care. 🏖️
In addition to running the admin side of your studio business, you may want to explore new apps for teaching theory concepts, websites for upping your technique-teaching game or just getting more familiar with how YouTube and Instagram work.
Easy or hard?
At this point you may be thinking, “Where (or how) should I start?” Well, that’s going to be a personal decision based on knowing your own personality and tendencies best. I would either try to do the easiest thing first, or the hardest. (Profound, yes?)
Start With the Simple
If you know that doing the hard stuff first will only overwhelm and demoralise you, then by all means, pick something easy! Backing tracks and note reading apps can be fairly simple to implement if you’re new to using technology in your piano studio lessons.
Example: Invest in a note naming app such as Note Rush, and commit to starting (or ending) every lesson with that app for the next two weeks. You might be surprised at the results, and it could even boost your excitement in general about using technology in piano lessons!
Another simple and effective technology addition to your piano lessons is using digital games on your iPad or in your online lessons.Vibrant Music Teaching members have access to hundreds of digital teaching resources, like the multi-level Google Slides game Key Kites. Enter your info below, and you’ll be able to try the Google Slides version of Key Kites for free.


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Embrace the Unknown
If you’re the kind of person who likes the feeling of empowerment you get from doing difficult tasks (or you just like to get them over with), make it your first order of business to master something you consider intimidating.
While these things aren’t necessarily difficult, some of these larger project ideas can seem overwhelming at first:
- Build a studio website to attract more students
- Implement a practice app in your studio, such as Vivid Practice
- Start a weekly lesson planning process
- Make a catalogue of your studio’s piano music stash
- Explore a better way to manage your bookkeeping
Whether you choose the tough or easy route, make it your business to stick it out until you’ve fully grasped your new technological tool. (Remember the key words from above: time + consistency.)
JDOT: Just Do One Thing
If you’ve been around the Colourful Keys blog or Vibrant Music Teaching, it’s likely that you’ve heard about the power of doing one single thing at a time in order to make steady, forward progress. Our fearless leader Nicola Cantan calls it JDOT: Just Do One Thing.
When it comes to using technology in your piano studio, it can be tempting to try to implement all the things, all at once. I can promise you: That mentality is a recipe for disaster.
Instead, choose just one single component of your technology add-on dreams to implement, and then explore it fully until it feels like second nature. Once that’s done, you can go on to the next thing with the confidence that – yes – you can do hard things. 💪
Visit the Technology section of the Colourful Keys “Planning Lessons” hub page for more help with using technology in your music teaching studio.
What new technology tool will you try in your piano studio?
Please share your ideas in the comments. We’d love to hear about them so we can add them to our own teaching toolkits.