Ok, so you’re looking for a piano teacher. You’ve found a some options, but how do you know when you’ve found the right one? In a one-on-one setting like piano lessons, the personal connection with the instructor can make or break your learning experience. How can you tell if a potential piano teacher will be a good match for you?
Read MoreOur studio recently completed a silent movie project inspired by the brilliant Nicola Cantan over at Colourful Keys and the Vibrant Music Teaching Library. Over the course of about 3 weeks, students created and recorded a piano soundtrack for an old Popeye cartoon with the sound removed. After watching the full cartoon, each child was assigned a 2-8 second scene from the cartoon, and we worked together at their lesson and during their home practice to compose music that fit with their scene. In the process, we explored theory concepts, compositional techniques, and built musicianship skills. But shh, don’t tell the kids all of that! As far as they are concerned, we just had a lot of fun!
Read MoreWhat do we do in an online piano lesson? And how do I keep online piano lessons fun, engaging, and musically productive?
Read MoreDoes this sound familiar? You ask a child to try a new section of their piano piece, and they freeze up, or get silly and wiggly, or worse, say no outright. You scold them for not following directions or for not paying attention, or perhaps you assume they don’t understand what to do and need remedial work. Before you know it, you’re caught up in a power struggle, you’re both frustrated, and any actual learning of the new piece has gone completely out the window.
What to do instead?
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After hearing other teachers rave about Tonara, an innovative practice app designed for music teachers, I decided to take the plunge and test it out this year. We’re about six weeks in to the semester now and I’m loving the results.
If you’re a music teacher considering switching over, here’s a quick rundown of my experience thus far.
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We're rolling out some new apps and technology in the studio this year! I first heard about Tonara at the 2019 National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy, where I met one of the founders and got a tour of the app's features. Now that piano lessons have moved online, I figured it was high time to give it a test drive for the year!
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Supersonics is a collection of music by Australian composer and teacher Daniel McFarlane. He's been writing exciting, catchy music for his piano students since 2006, and through the supersonics pro membership and app, our studio has unlimited access to his books and solos for the full school year!
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One of my favorite parts of beginner lessons is playing duets together after a student has mastered a new piece. A duet means two people play together at the same time, and most beginning piano songs have an accompanying teacher duet.
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We're often asked when a child can start piano lessons. The short answer: we love teaching preschool students how to play piano, and unlike many teachers, we accept students as young as 4 for private lessons. The longer answer is that it depends on the individual student. If you're looking for piano lessons for your young child, keep reading for some questions to help you assess readiness…
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