One of my challenges the last couple of years has been planning group class games for my piano students that work for a combination of online and in person attendees. I primarily teach in person, but have a couple students who are mostly online and I want to include them as much as possible in […]
PocketPiano is Here!
A whole piano that fits in your backpack? Yes, please! This new ultra-portable PocketPiano 2 was unveiled at NAMM 2024 and looks super cool! As long as you can make do without the highest C on the keyboard, this piano will let you take all your practicing on-the-go. It even comes with a damper pedal. […]
Piano Music for Left Hand
One of my students started experiencing inflammation in her right forearm at the end of last semester due to extensive note-taking in some college classes. So we launched into this semester with the need to give her right arm a break. We determined it was the perfect opportunity to explore left hand only repertoire! I […]
An Unexpected Christmas Gift Find
When I was in a neighboring town a few weeks ago, I stopped in at a local coffee shop and was intrigued by the connected business called “The Clayworks.” I perused the attractive display of handmade items – notecards, pottery, ornaments, and more. In speaking with the friendly receptionist I discovered that they are a […]
Using Scale Blocks for Musical Form and Memorization
As I mentioned last week, we focus on musical form at piano lessons right from the beginning. This week we had to get creative with the song, Ferris Wheel, from Piano Safari Level 1. The first line, which we labeled “A” is repeated in inverted form for the third line, and the second line is […]
Musical Form & Analysis for Beginning Piano Students
Having been a long-time piano student who graduated from high school with no idea how to tell what key I was playing in, I’ve been determined as a piano teacher to make sure that my students understand music theory. Not in a disconnected fill-in-the-answer-in-the-theory-book way, but in a way that ignites greater understanding and appreciation […]
