Sabrina Peña Young, of MusicalU.com, has just posted a fun and inspirational collection of 10 Mini Song-Writing Challenges that would be super fun to use as composition starters with piano students as well! Check out her list for details on suggestions like: superhero songs, using art for inspiration, finding random lyrics, postcard songs, and more!
Teaching
Piano Explorer – A Rediscovered Gem!
Years ago, I subscribed to the Piano Explorer magazine for my studio, letting students take home a copy if they were interested and archiving the rest in a notebook for future reference. Eventually, I let my subscription expire and its existence faded from my memory. Something recently reminded me of the Piano Explorer and I […]
The Math Behind an Octave
There are so many things that are easy to take for granted as musicians. We are standing on the shoulders, as it were, of many who have gone before us, making observations and discoveries that have been instrumental (:-)) in the progress and development of music as we understand it today. Even this tidbit that […]
Pictures and Easy Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Dozens of Musical Instruments
In conjunction with our rhythm-themed practice incentive, Beat the Pirates!, this year, I was thinking it would be cool to spend time at one of our group classes to make our own rhythm instruments. So I was thrilled to come across this wonderful page at DariaMusic.com that has dozens of musical instruments you can make […]
Sneak Peek at Our New Studio Practice Incentive Theme
There are always a number of factors and considerations that go into developing a new practice incentive theme for our studio. This year, there were two primary inspirations. The first was a fervent request from one of my students (who also happens to be my daughter!) that we do a pirate theme of some sort. […]
Practice Habits Launches Member Community
Chris Owenby, founder of PracticeHabits.co, has been cranking out oodles of resources for piano teachers – from sheet music to technical exercises to helpful practice guides. He has put together a membership site that contains all of these and more. He’s offering a 30% discount for anyone who joins between now and midnight on July […]
