This year of focusing on piano sightreading skills with all my students with the Cracking the Crystal Code practice incentive theme has been fabulous! Here’s a brief 5-minute video summary of the theme and how we used it in our piano studio. Remember, use the code CRYSTAL by June 15 to get 20% off this […]
Studio Ideas
Announcing this Year’s Practice Incentive Theme!
We had a fabulous time at our September Surprise! kickoff last weekend and an invigorating first week back to piano lessons. One of the things I love about instituting a new practice incentive theme every year is the renewed excitement it gives all of us for another year of piano lessons. Each year’s theme is […]
Another Successful September Surprise!
How can it be October already?! As always, we launched a new year in the studio with our beloved September Surprise! It’s an opportunity for the students to play any piece that they want (thus surprising me with what they’ve worked on over the summer) and it’s when I announce our new practice incentive theme for […]
Keybird – A Portable Acoustic Piano
Several months ago I posted about the new PocketPiano – a digital piano that you can disassemble and fit in a backpack. Super cool! The only downside, of course, is that it’s digital. Apparently Lander Pinson feels that way, too. Drawing on his mechanical engineering background, this Danish innovator has built an acoustic piano that […]
Win a Free Practice Incentive Theme Plus All the Studio Decor!
As is my custom when I am wrapping up one practice incentive theme in my piano studio and preparing for the new theme, I’m offering a giveaway of the previous year’s theme along with all of the correlating studio decor and any additional supplies remaining. In this case, that will include the Destination: GPS downloadable […]
Welcome to… Books Perfect for Piano Camp or Group Class
Have you seen the Welcome to… series of books by Carolyn Sloan? I used this Welcome to the Symphony story a couple years ago as part of our To Russia with Mussorgsky and His Exhibition piano camp, and the students loved it! So when I was looking for a book this year to go along […]


















