While perusing the Piano Safari website late this summer, I came across a couple of books in their Musicianship category. Ready to Play books 1 (Off We Go!) and 2 (Moving Up!) by Sally Cathcart. Forever on a quest to improve how I teach my students musicianship, I was intrigued and added a copy of […]
Teaching
Notes First or Artistry First?
The latest Musicians Way newsletter (which is always chock full of interesting links and resources) references a post from a few years ago addressing the issue of The Problems with ‘Notes First’ Practice. The longer I teach, the more I realize the wisdom of Gerald Klickstein’s approach, which focuses on developing musical artistry first, not […]
September Surprise is Full of Surprises!
Our much-anticipated kickoff for the year, September Surprise!, launched us into a new year of piano lessons with lively interaction and surprising performances! We began the evening with a fun get-to-know you game where I compiled a list of interesting facts – one for each student and parent – and the families had to work […]
New in the Studio This Fall – Trio Class
This is an idea that has been percolating in my mind for a while, and I’m so excited to launch it this fall! In light of the realization that many of my students identify group classes as one of their favorite aspects of taking piano lessons and also knowing that many children thrive in the […]
My Debut on the Piano Pantry Podcast
I knew Amy was a go-getter the first time I received an email from her 12 years ago. Truth be told, I had to do a little recon to make sure she was actually legit since she was so enthusiastic in her writing and was inviting me to join her for a hot air balloon […]
New in the Studio this Fall – HomePod Minis
My husband snagged a great deal on a set of Amazon Alexa Echo products, so I eagerly unpacked the box and started setting them up for use in the studio. The idea was to stream mp3 accompaniments from my laptop or phone to multiple devices around the room to create a surround sound effect, especially […]
