I’ll be honest, some of my practice incentive themes and studio banners are harder to let go of than others. Cracking the Crystal Code is one of those. I am still relishing the year of incredible progress that I saw in each of my students, along with the way their motivation remained high all year […]
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Go Practice Music — Practice smarter, not longer – A Guest Post
A note from Natalie: With so many piano apps on the market (and more being added all the time!) it is often overwhelming to navigate all the options. What appealed to me about Go Practice Music (click here to use my referral link) when Sebastien reached out to me about it is the sleek interface […]
Gustav’s Musical World – A Guest Post by Heather Donovan
Note from Natalie: Anyone who’s been around here a while knows that I love children’s books and I have a whole section of the Music Matters Blog website devoted to Music Books for Kids. So I was especially thrilled when author Heather Donovan contacted me about her new adorable children’s book about Gustav and his […]
Rhythm Practice Games for Music Lessons – A Guest Post by Spin the Wheel
Note from Natalie: As a student who struggled with internalizing a sense of musical pulse, I especially appreciate the way that Spin the Wheel incorporates different movements into their rhythm activities to help students not only understand rhythmic notation cognitively, but feel it musically as well! Rhythm Practice Games for Music Lessons: Create a Music […]
New Free Music Listening Worksheets!
Sixteen years ago I shared a listening worksheet that I used with my piano students at the request of another teacher. It has to be one of the most boring worksheets I’ve ever created! I’ve had it on my to-do list for a while now to create a new one that I’m not embarrassed to […]
New Practice Incentive Theme is Here! Save 20%!
If you are looking for a way to motivate and guide your piano students to become excellent sightreaders, Cracking the Crystal Code may be just what you’re looking for! We have just wrapped up this year-long practice incentive theme in our piano studio and it is one of the favorites we have ever done. It has […]


















