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 […]
Free Resources
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 […]
Create a Custom Music Note Identification Worksheet in Seconds!
Since our piano practice incentive theme this year (Cracking the Crystal Code) is focused on building sightreading skills, one of the ways students can earn extra steps in the Enthusiastic Exploration cave is by completing various worksheets. More than one of my students completed all their worksheets within the first month of lessons, so I’ve […]
The Rhythm Randomizer – A Fabulous Free Tool for Piano Teachers
At our recent local music teachers association meeting one of the teachers introduced us to a new resource (at least new to us!) called The Rhythm Randomizer. I have dreamed of having something like this for years! You can select 1,2,4, or 8 measures and then set parameters for time signatures and various note values. […]
Amazing Photos of Deconstructed Pianos
Yamaha’s “The Art of Sound Project” gives a close-up view of some of their pianos and various components of the pianos. If you’re looking for some images to show your students to help them understand how a piano works, check these out. They are fascinating and beautiful! HT: World Piano News
Financial Resources for Independent Music Teachers
One of my hobby interests for many years has been finances and investing. It’s probably my dad’s fault! He volunteered for many years leading financial Bible studies and counseling people who were stuck and trying to get out of debt and make progress toward financial goals. From a young age he set my siblings and […]


















