Thank You for signing up!
We just sent you an email to verify your subscription. Once you confirm, you’ll get updates from us about once a week. Meanwhile, check out some of our latest posts.
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #10
We've already reach number ten in our Teaching Tactics series! Each week we bring you a quick idea that you can incorporate into your teaching. This week's idea might sound strange at first, "make the piano fit the child." Of course pianos are all the same size, at...
What MTNA Means to Me – Whitney
If you missed Spring's post check it out here! We decided to "interview" each other to give you our perspectives on MTNA and why we are active members. This time it's my turn (Whitney) to answer the questions. We hope if you are a member, you will add your comments...
Adult RMM Lessons – Part 2
(For Part 1 of this series, visit Adult RMM Lessons - Part 1) So what motivates adults to start piano lessons? I posed this question to the five students I interviewed and here's what they had to say: Ginger says, "It’s been wonderful!" Isn’t that great to hear? And...
What MTNA Means to Me – Spring
This week, we wanted to share with you how MTNA has impacted us personally. We often share about attending state and national conferences (see MTNA Conference Highlights, TMTA Conference). But MTNA also plays a significant role in our day-to-day teaching. Whitney...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #9
Today we're sharing another Tuesday Teaching Tactic and it's something we really believe in. The best way to introduce the tactic is with this quote from Robert Duke: "Every human being should experience something beautiful every day." So think for just a moment, what...
Adult RMM Lessons – Part 1
This past March I had the privilege of presenting a session at the MTNA National Conference titled "Adult RMM Students: More than Just a 30-Minute Lesson." For this presentation I recorded interviews with 5 adult students at our studio. From these interviews...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #8
Welcome back for the latest Teaching Tactic Tuesday - today we're sharing an old favorite, called "Dynamic Skiing". This activity is amazing for students to internalize their dynamics for a piece! When your student is missing their dynamics, have them stand up for a...
Challenge Yourself – Why You Should Learn New Repertoire
I recently joined the Piano Teacher Practice Room group on Facebook and as a result have begun learning Chopin's Ballade No. 1 in G minor. This group was started at the perfect time for me, right after I welcomed home my new-to-me Boston grand. The idea of the...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #7
Welcome back for our Tuesday Teaching Tactic - today we're sharing a tip called the FREEZE Game. It's so simple, no printing or cutting required. Next time your student is playing and tensing up, just say "Freeze!" (You may want to warn them that you are going to call...
Start the Year
It's that time of year... Some parents are super excited to send their kids back, others are less excited... But the structure and routines are back. Lessons start up regularly again. Teachers are busy preparing classrooms and new materials. As a piano teacher, I'm...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #6
Each Tuesday we bring you a quick teaching idea that you can implement in your lessons right away! Here's our sixth tip in this series: Most teachers get in the habit of sitting in the same general area of their studio for lessons each week. I sit on the bass side...
Tuesday Teaching Tactic #5
It's time for our fifth Teaching Tactic! Teaching our students to recognize the feel of intervals is key to developing fluid readers. Our idea today is to take an "interval trip" with our students, by dictating intervals for them to find. I start by having a...