Having a functional understanding of music theory is extremely important to me as a piano teacher, so my students are continually learning scales, intervals, chords, etc. Our state Music Progressions curriculum has been invaluable to me in helping me establish an appropriate and systematic approach to teaching theory. And my indispensable teaching tool is a […]
Teaching
Circle of Fifths Poster a Hit!
I was curious to see if any of my students would notice the new Circle of Fifths poster adorning our studio wall this week (surprisingly, it arrived just two days after I ordered it!). Sure enough, the observant ones among the bunch mentioned it as soon as they walked into the studio! A couple of […]
A New Piano Teacher Resource for Rote Teaching
I recently came across composer Dennis Alexander’s website and was perusing his page of new compositions. (I love that he has free pdf samples from all of his piano books so that you can get a glimpse of the material before purchasing!) I was looking for a collection of Nocturnes recently reviewed in the American […]
Changes Coming November 1st!
Thirteen years and one month ago, I launched Music Matters Blog after having meticulously planned out the first 30 days of posts in my idea notebook. I was a little nervous about Day 31. Would I run out of things to say? 1,650 subsequent posts would suggest that I had nothing to worry about. 🙂 […]
New Circle of Fifths Poster!
At one of my piano lessons earlier this week, I made a reference to the Circle of Fifths with one of my students. As I debated whether to quickly sketch out what I was talking about on a dry erase board or pull a printed worksheet from one of my theory worksheet binders, I had […]
September Surprise – Always a Favorite!
This past week marked our annual September Surprise! – the kickoff to our studio year, named so because the students all surprise me by playing any piece of their choice. It’s always fun to hear what they’ve continued playing through the summer or what new pieces they’ve learned on their own. Here are a few […]
