Sometimes it feels like a never-ending quest to improve organization in various areas of my life. It’s a challenge I enjoy, and I’m glad to be making some headway in a few elements of my piano studio (digitizing student music theory worksheets and compiling a favorite rote repertoire for piano notebook are a few recent […]
Teaching
Carnival of the Animals Ballet in the Park
Our local Ballet Wichita organization performed a series of ballets in various parks, including one just down the street from us. It was a perfect occasion for an outing with a couple of my nephews (who also happened to be piano camp students who were familiar with the Carnival of the Animals suite!). They loved […]
Favorite Rote Repertoire Pieces for Piano
As I mentioned earlier this week, I’ve been compiling a notebook of Favorite Rote Repertoire pieces for piano. A while back, Nathalie Herres, a Music Matters Blog reader and piano teacher from South Germany, contacted me with a suggestion for a couple of classical piano pieces that she recommends teaching by rote for various reasons. […]
Organizing Rote Repertoire for Piano
Many years ago I taught a young boy who loved music, but struggled learning to read it at even a basic level and often didn’t practice much during the week. I came across the piece Poet’s Lament by Jon George (in Kaleidoscope Solos, Book 3) and played it for him at one of his lessons. […]
September Surprise Fall Piano Kickoff!
It’s that time of year again! I know most teachers have already been teaching for at least several weeks, but I love summer too much to start fall piano lessons before Labor Day. So, as has been our tradition now for at least 15 years (as best as I and some of my former students […]
Piano Teaching Webinars Galore!
One of the upsides to the pandemic has been the plethora of webinars that are now available frequently throughout the year. What a great way to continue our education as music teachers from the comfort and convenience of our own homes! Another perk of many of the webinars is that if you register to attend, […]
