Too often, I see well-meaning parents unknowingly limiting their child’s potential by holding onto outdated ideas of what music lessons should be. In this episode, I’m sharing a personal message I wrote to help shift that mindset—an open letter to piano parents. It’s a heartfelt invitation to move beyond exam-driven expectations and embrace a more creative, joyful, and lasting approach to learning music. Drawing on my own experiences and conversations with educators around the world, I’ll share why it’s time to rethink how we define success in music education.

• Tim shared his open letter to help parents support modern music education.
• He explained the shift from exam-based to creative learning in piano teaching.
• The value of music lessons goes beyond exams and competitions.
• He emphasized the long-term benefits of music on brain development and life skills.
• Tim outlined the real costs—time, energy, money—involved in music education.
• He warned against the “exam express” that can lead to student burnout.
• The importance of curiosity, creativity, and relevance in music lessons was discussed.
• Tim encouraged parents to trust teachers using new, student-focused approaches.
• He urged parents not to push exams unless guided by the teacher.
• Tim highlighted that lifelong musical enjoyment should be the real goal.

Links Mentioned

• An Open Letter to Parents of Piano Students
• Contact us at support@topmusic.co

Thank you for tuning in!

Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you.

If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show.

Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Mondays weekly.

TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial

Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership.

TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL

In this episode, we’re chatting with TopMusicSheets composer Anna Robinson for a deep dive into the teaching strategies behind her engaging, pedagogy-rich pieces. Anna shares how her compositions are often sparked by her students’ needs, interests, and even their pets—and how fun, pattern-based writing can make tricky concepts more accessible. We explore how she uses rhythm phrases, movement, and articulation from the very first lesson, and how her journey from arts administration to full-time teaching and composing has shaped her creative voice. If you’ve ever wanted to bring more musical storytelling and intention into your teaching, this masterclass is full of practical, inspiring takeaways.

• Anna shared how her pet-themed compositions were inspired by connecting with students’ pets during lockdown.
• The use of phrases like “ice cream for breakfast” to help students internalize tricky rhythms.
• The importance of tailoring rhythm games and phrases to each student’s interests.
• How she integrates movement and conducting to teach articulation and phrasing.
• Why she considers herself a pedagogical composer, writing with specific teaching goals in mind.
• How modulation and pivot chords are introduced naturally in her compositions.
• Tim noted how Anna’s left-hand writing often uses patterns that look complex but are easy to teach and break down.
• How composing often begins as a response to a specific student need or learning gap.
• Modeling creativity and improvisation during lessons as a way to normalize student composition.
• Anna's advice to teachers and composers.

Links Mentioned

• Anna's website: Flying Ivories Music
• Anna's YouTube Channel: Flying Ivories Music
• Find more about TopMusicSheets here.
• Download the latest TopMusic Magazine edition here.

Today's Guest Anna Robinson started learning the piano at age 6 and flute at age 12. After graduating in Mathematics from University College London, she worked in administrative roles in classical music in London for several years before moving to Melbourne and working in the world of opera and artist management. After gaining performing and teaching diplomas in piano, Anna left the opera world to focus on teaching. Her student roster quickly grew, and she currently teaches at two government schools whilst maintaining a busy home studio. An experienced accompanist, Anna enjoys collaborating with fellow musicians of all ages and welcomes further opportunities to perform in this special supportive role. She regularly accompanies AMEB and VCE exam candidates; at eisteddfods and auditions; for choirs, musicals, school ensembles and instrumental teachers’ studio concerts. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Mondays weekly. TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources,...

Today, we’re having a chat with Michael Clark, who’s here to discuss MTNA's new online conference, TEMPO, which aims to be more accessible and cost-effective for music educators. We'll dive into the key features of TEMPO, including 40 prerecorded breakout sessions, live Q&A chats, and extensive networking opportunities. Michael highlights the importance of an international reach, unique content, and the flexibility of accessing sessions for two months. Stay tuned as Michael shares key highlights and insights into why this conference is a must-attend event for music educators worldwide.

• Michael shared about the new online conference from MTNA called TEMPO.
• He described his role in MTNA and as an assistant professor at Baylor University.
• His project "Piano Tricks," focused on fingering redistributions for piano pieces.
• The importance of TEMPO being an accessible and cost-effective online MTNA conference.
• How is TEMPO different from MTNA’s national conference?
• What are some of the highlights of TEMPO?
• How can listeners attend and register?
• He shared some of the topics that the sessions will cover, including international repertoire.

Guest Links

• Michael's Website: MichaelClarkPiano.com
• Michaels' Instagram: @michaelclarkpiano
• Michael's YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@michaelwinstonclark

Links Mentioned

• Click here to find out more about TEMPO and use code TOP25 at checkout for 20% off registration. (The conference is scheduled for April 25-26, with early bird registration available until April 15)
• TopMusicPiano Podcast 061: Finding Your Creative Voice with Leila Viss

Today's Guest Michael Clark is a pianist, teacher, and scholar noted for his “natural, clear, and nuanced” performances (Piano Magazine). An advocate for the music of Florence Price, he made the first studio recording of her complete piano waltzes for Navona Records, edited the first publication of twenty of her intermediate pieces for Hal Leonard, and has performed her works around the United States. Clark also researches traditions of piano fingering and is the founder of PianoTricks.net, an online database of fingerings and redistributions for over 1000 passages from the piano repertoire. He serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Mondays weekly. TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued...

Most piano teachers encourage their students to perform as regularly as possible, but how many of us give our students strategies for coping with performance anxiety? In this replay episode with Dr Noa Kageyama aka the Bulletproof Musician, find out why teaching performing skills should be a part of your piano teaching. We’ve all seen students who were perfectly prepared for a recital or exam who simply crumble on the performance day. It wasn’t a lack of ability or drive, but simply because performance anxiety got to them. Get some tips and advise on how you can help your students to focus during their performance and how to practice to be able to perform at their best. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• • Why teaching performing skills should be a part of your piano teaching.
  
  

• • Visualisation exercises you can do even with your youngest students.
  
  

• • How to turn off self-criticism when performing.
  
  

• • How you can help your students to focus during their performance.
  
  

• • What diaphragmatic breathing is and why you should be teaching it.
  
  

• • How to practice the lead up to a performance.
  
  

Links Mentioned

• • Noa Kageyama's Website
  
  

• • Make it Stick the Science of Successful Learning
  
  

Today’s Guest Noa Kageyama is a performance psychologist and Julliard faculty member and is the performance...

Today's podcast episode focuses on Serena Mak's TEDx Talk, “Exposing Music Exams and the Distinction Delusion." Serena is a passionate piano teacher for 18 years, managing her own private studio and volunteering regularly at her local church as a pianist and vocalist. She shares with us the catalyst that changed her mindset about piano exams and how this affected and changed her teaching in her studio. In 2022, she took to the TEDx stage and unravelled the problem of traditional, assessment-focused learning. And finally, Serena shared the story on how she came to do a TEDx talk gig.

• • Serena shared a brief overview of her background and her studio.
  
  

• • The catalyst that changed her mindset about piano exams.
  
  

• • Is the rushed and linear approach of the “exam express” a limiting factor to creative teaching?
  
  

• • Serena explains the quote that she got from an ABRSM examiner on why exams is like taking a body temperature test.
  
  

• • An overview of Serena's Ted Talk called “Exposing Music Exams and the Distinction Delusion."
  
  

• • What’s the best way of recording musical progress technology-wise?
  
  

• • The effects and the changes on her teaching when she changed her mindset about piano exams.
  
  

• • Serena shared the story on how she came to do a TEDx gig.
  
  

https://youtu.be/ZuX89b-XAJc Links Mentioned

• • Serena Mak Website
  
  

• • Serena Mak Instagram Page
  
  

• • Serena Mak Facebook Page
  
  

As musicians, understanding scales is an important part of our study, but it can also be a struggle for some students. In today's episode, our guest Nicola Cantan from Vibrant Music Teaching answers a lot of questions and concerns when teaching scales, starting by looking at the value of learning scales, how improvising can change how our students look at scales, and learning about fingering and the relationships between different patterns. Nicola also shared some helpful tips on how to start learning scales as well as creative and innovative scale practice ideas.

• • Where should we start when teaching scales?
  
  

• • Understanding the value of learning scales.
  
  

• • How improvising has changed how students look at scales.
  
  

• • When do you start learning scales?
  
  

• • Tips on how to introduce scale fingering and in what order.
  
  

• • Aligning scales with the music that our students are playing.
  
  

• • What can we do if a student is struggling with a particular scale?
  
  

• • Innovative scale practice ideas for beginners.
  
  

Links Mentioned

• • Vibrant Music Teaching
  
  

• • Colourful Keys
  
  

• • Review the Integrated Music Teaching Podcast
  
  

Today’s Guest Nicola Cantan is a piano teacher, author, blogger, and creator of imaginative and engaging teaching resources. She loves getting piano students learning through laughter, and exploring the diverse world of music making through improvisation, composition and games. Nicola’s Vibrant Music Teaching membership site is helping teachers...

In today's episode, sight reading specialist Rebecca Stewart joins Tim and shared with us her top five tips for sight reading (with really cool names). Rebecca has authored and published Sight Reading Secrets, which has now nine books in the series. She also founded Imagination Regeneration to give rural students meaningful learning opportunities at no cost to their families. This episode explores the importance of sight reading and why we should still intentionally teach and practise it. And Rebecca talks about how to teach sight-reading in a way that makes it fun, but also interesting and engaging for everyone involved!

• • Rebecca shared a brief overview of her studio in New South Wales.
  
  

• • How she founded Imagination Regeneration program for rural students and what it's all about.
  
  

• • The importance of sight reading and why we should still intentionally teach and practise it.
  
  

• • Rebecca's 5 tips to sight reading success:
    • • TIP 1: Using language learning technique approach to teach sight reading.
      
      
    
    
    • • TIP 2: Tangible ways that parents can follow up what teachers require for sight reading practise.
      
      
    
    
    • • TIP 3: Having a systematic sight reading curriculum using the idea of growth mindset and extrinsic motivation to boost students' confidence.
      
      
    
    
    • • TIP 4: Having a repertoire-rich teaching approach and learning pieces during a year, not just for exam pieces, positively affects your sight reading ability.
      
      
    
    
    • • TIP 5: How integrated creative/chord playing, improvising, composing and playing duets improves sight reading.
      
      
    
    
  
  

• • A quote from Dr. Martha Baker-Jordan from her book, Practical Piano Pedagogy.
  
  

• • Rebecca's sight reading workshop inside TopMusicPro Academy.
  
  

Links Mentioned

• • Rebecca...

In today's replay episode, internationally regarded piano pedagogue and presenter Samantha Coates joins Tim to blitz through sight reading and aural tests. Sam is the creator and publisher of BlitzBooks, the music education series that has brought laughter and creativity to music theory, sight-reading, and piano repertoire. Learn how to improve your aural skills and sight reading using an integrated approach. You’ll also learn why certain elements of music are important, how to develop your ear training and finally, why and how to use it in piano teaching. Now whether or not you have students preparing for exams, I think you’ll really enjoy today’s discussion on these crucial musical skills. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• • Why isn’t there more focus on aural skills and sight reading.
  
  

• • Why you should be making sight-reading a priority.
  
  

• • The most important element of teaching sight reading.
  
  

• • What makes someone a good sight-reader.
  
  

• • Why knowing note names isn’t that relevant.
  
  

• • A funny anecdote from one of Sam’s presentations.
  
  

• • How to use an integrated approach to aural skills.
  
  

• • Why single-note flashcards are a waste of time.
  
  

• • Why rhythm and feel is more important than notes.
  
  

• • Fun rhythm activities that actually work.
  
  

• • What are aural tests really testing?
  
  

• • Why singing in music lessons for all instruments is VITAL and how to get it happening.
  
  

• • Why you can’t rush these aspects of music
  
  

Guest Links Mentioned

• • BlitzBooks
  
  

In this replay episode of the Integrated Music Teaching Podcast, world-renowned conductor Benjamin Zander of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra joins Tim to discuss the direction of classical music and the influence of this in the music teaching industry. He shares about speaking at Ted Talks, with anecdotes of Boston Philharmonic Symphony musicians and students of the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. He also shared some insights about our responsibility and our job as music teachers and how music teachers are part of the healing profession.

• • The responsibility of music teachers.
  
  

• • Being part of the “healing profession.”
  
  

• • Our job as teachers.
  
  

• • The impact of Beethoven and emotion in classical music.
  
  

• • The significance of the upcoming Boston Philharmonic Symphony repertoire.
  
  

• • What to say when you make a mistake.
  
  

• • The responsibility of the conductor.
  
  

• • Breaking down the formality of classical music.
  
  

• • The depth of classical music when we turn off autopilot.
  
  

• • Benjamin shared about Boston Philharmonic during COVID.
  
  

• • Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra students.
  
  

• • His thoughts on transitioning from performing to conducting.
  
  

• • Helping students remove extra impulses.
  
  

• • Who we are being in the world.
  
  

• • How the “A method” might work in instrumental studio lessons.
  
  

• • Last piece of wisdom from Benjamin Zander.
  
  

Links Mentioned

In today's replay episode, we're having a chat with Karen Gerelus about her research on piano student retention. We discussed the key factors on why students are quitting and some techniques to keep them engaged. We also talked about what motivates kids externally at the start and how the intrinsic motivation will take over. Karen also shared why teachers are often quite resistant to offering autonomy in their lessons and how giving students show-off pieces boosts their confidence levels and help retain their interest in playing. In this episode, you’ll learn how extrinsic and intrinsic motivation affects piano student retention:

• • A short introduction on Karen and her studio.
  
  

• • Karen talks about her research work called Parting Ways with Piano Lessons – comparing motivation between continuing and dropout piano students.
  
  

• • Focusing on piano student retention in her research.
  
  

• • Key factors for students quitting.
  
  

• • The impact of parents being in the music lesson.
  
  

• • Self-Determination Theory
  
  

• • Motivating kids externally at the start is okay. Hopefully, the intrinsic will take over.
  
  

• • Karen shares her own story on quitting and coming back to piano.
  
  

• • Karen explains the quote “There is no relationship between practice time and motivation.”
  
  

• • Thoughts for teachers about practicing and having a tough-love stance, a hard stance on, or being relaxed about it.
  
  

• • Karen talks about what she found out about students dropping out because of the lack of popular repertoire.
  
  

• • The reason why teachers are often quite resistant to offering autonomy in musical choice in their lessons.
  
  

• • Giving students show-off pieces to boost their confidence and retain their interest.
  
  

• • Recommendations for bridging the gap between external motivation and internal self-motivation in students.
  
  

Today's episode is another special and favourite episode from the archives with the 4-time Grammy award-winning young music legend from London, Jacob Collier. Hailing from North London and playing seven different instruments, including distinctive vocals, Jacob’s sense of harmony and tonality is evident in his signature style. He records all of his albums from his music room at home. Jacob shares so many things on this episode, from the story of how he started playing, to his approach to chords and harmony and his thoughts on music education. And we’re treated to a very special performance mid-show as well! In this episode, you’ll learn Jacob Collier’s insights on music and education:

• • Coming from a musical family, Jacob shares his exposure to music and instruments from a very early age.
  
  

• • Jacob’s start in learning music, including the piano.
  
  

• • The importance of chords in teaching and learning music.
  
  

• • Childhood musical experiments.
  
  

• • Jacob's skills in playing multiple instruments.
  
  

• • His thoughts on practice vs. playing.
  
  

• • Jacob’s advice for teachers to encourage more listening because it is so crucial and it’s been so fundamental in his own journey.
  
  

• • His experience with formal music education.
  
  

• • Making a pivot in his plans with Quincy Jones.
  
  

• • Jacob shares the story behind Djesse, his quadruple album.
  
  

• • His love for performing with other people.
  
  

• • Jacob gives us a glimpse of his music room.
  
  

• • His special performance of “You Got A Friend”
  
  

• • Up and coming online gigs we should watch out for.
  
  

• • Jacob’s inspiring words for teachers on encouraging students to be more and do more.
  
  

Will teaching beginner with no books really click with your piano students? In this replay episode of the Integrated Music Teaching Podcast, our guest is Georgina Jordan who's a piano teacher in the UK who've had a very traditional music education and was struggling to add creativity into her lessons. She shares her story with us and explains how the No Book Beginners framework opened up a whole new world for her studio and why she thinks it works so well for teaching her beginner students.

• • Why Georgina joined the TopMusicPro (formerly Inner Circle).
  
  

• • How having a community helps a new teacher.
  
  

• • How Georgina uses the No Book Beginners framework in her studio.
  
  

• • Which students is the No Books Beginners framework a good approach for.
  
  

• • How to expand on the story-based ideas in No Book Beginners.
  
  

• • Why the No Book Beginners approach is so valuable in teaching beginner students.
  
  

Links Mentioned

• • Piano Safari
  
  

• • Practising the Piano
  
  

• • Why I Teach Beginner Piano Students Without a Method Book
  
  

• • How to Teach Beginner Piano Students
  
  

Today’s Guest Georgina Jordan is a piano teacher and a photographer based in the UK who had a quite traditional music education. She was highly motivated to add creativity into her lessons. She joined TopMusicPro (formerly The...

Our episode today is actually a favourite episode from the archives where we’re going to be sharing with you one of our earlier episodes way back in 2018 with none other than the piano guy from The Piano Guys, Jon Schmidt. In this interview, Jon gives us the inside scoop of his awesome YouTube videos, as well as his thoughts on tampering with the classics, and what we can do to inspire the next generation of creative pianists.

• The magic behind The Piano Guys’ incredible music videos.
• What it’s like to be inspiring so many piano students around the world.
• How Jon started with traditional piano lessons.
• Where the inspiration for Waterfall came from.
• How Jon approaches teaching chords to students.
• How The Piano Guys go about choosing and creating new arrangements.
• Jon’s views on “messing” with the music of the great composers.
• The essentials of Jon’s own practice routine.
• What we can do to inspire the Jon Schmidts of the future.

Links Mentioned

• The Piano Guys
• The Piano Guys YouTube Channel

Today’s Guest Jon Schmidt was born to German Immigrant parents, who gave him the gift of early education in music. Classical training fell on the fertile ground of Jon’s natural talents for music and hard work. Schmidt began composing as early as age 11. He started teaching piano lessons when most people get a driver’s license and he began a successful solo career in his early twenties. Schmidt’s 20 year solo career has included many albums, performances, and awards. The Piano Guys entrapped Schmidt with their lair of beautiful pianos. Shortly thereafter, they all ran away together to create spectacular piano/cello video content. Their goal is humble—to inspire those that may listen. Schmidt contributes not just to the on-screen piano talent, but he loves to throw out all of his ideas, and he is not afraid to edit and revise until he has a refined and quality product. Jon finds his fire for the journey seeing the joy of people who hear great music. He is thrilled to reach a wider audience through his work with The Piano Guys. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Today, we dive into the world of digital organization with Amy Chaplin and Joy Morin, two passionate music educators who have transformed the way they manage their studios and lives using Notion. They share how Notion helps streamline workflows, reduce scattered files across multiple platforms, and keep everything organized in one place. They also explore why this all-in-one tool is revolutionizing productivity and discuss their Notion for Teachers workshop, designed to help educators set up their Notion pages efficiently. Plus, they wrap up with their top three productivity tips for teachers. If you’re looking to organize your studio and life more effectively, this episode is packed with insights to help you get started!

• Amy and Joy shared their thoughts on productivity and efficiency.
• The importance of balance and avoiding the ‘hustle and grind’ mindset.
• How apps should support the way we work rather than dictating our workflow.
• Why Notion stands out as a powerful, customizable tool for organization and productivity.
• Why Amy transitioned from Evernote to Notion.
• Importance of re-evaluating tools and workflows to ensure they align with evolving needs and preferences.
• Joy highlighted the flexibility of Notion, making it a great option for users looking for a customizable note-taking and project management tool.
• The differences between Notion and project management tools like Trello, Asana, and Monday.
• How they Notion for professional tasks, such as podcast planning and project management.
• The use of Notion for personal tasks like travel planning and creating gift ideas for Christmas.
• Amy and Joy shared their top three productivity tips for teachers.

Links Mentioned

• TopCast Episode 14: Harnessing the Power of the Internet with Joy Morin
• TopCast Episode 372: How to Organise Your Music Studio and Life with Amy Chaplin
• Forbes Article: $10 Billion Productivity Startup Notion Wants To Build Your AI Everything App

Guest Links Mentioned

• Organize Your Life With Notion Workshop
• Notion Workshops Waitlist
• Joy Morin's Website: ColorInMyPiano.com
• Amy Chaplin's Website: PianoPantry.com

Blog posts:

• An Introduction to Notion – A Customizable Digital Workspace to Organize Everything in Your Life
• Your Qs Answered and How I Use Notion to Manage My Piano Studio (Joy Morin)
• 40 Ways to Use Notion as a Music Professional (Joy Morin)

The movement of pianos with narrow keys has been around for years, but many are not knowledgeable about it. So in this episode today, I’ve invited Rhonda Boyle and Linda Gould to talk more about the narrow key piano movement, how it works, how it started, and where it is now in the process.

• A short history on the narrow key piano movement.
• How the first few narrow key pianos and keyboards were made.
• The challenge of convincing manufacturers to invest in these products.
• Rhonda shares how and why she started PASK Piano (Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards).
• Linda tells us more about Narrow Keys.
• The development of circular pianos in the market.

Guest Links

• PASK Piano Website
• Narrow Keys Website
• Narrow Keys Facebook Page

Links Mentioned

• Relevant Websites and QR Codes PDF Download
• Related Link: 300: Integrated Music Teaching

Today’s Guest Linda Gould Linda Gould is the author of Play Piano Chords Today and has been teaching and performing for 5 decades, debuting at age 11 when she performed a Bach Piano Concerto under the baton of J.S. Bach and the Mount Royal College Orchestra. Linda has an ARCT and B Mus in performance with distinction, and a minor in Math. She is a competition and exam award winner and recently won Tech Teacher of the year. In her late 30s, she met David Steinbuhler, the inventor of the D.S. 5.5 and 6.0 narrow keys piano actions. Within two years, Linda was back performing big works with orchestras and the Orford String Quartet. This spring she completed a two-piano concert tour with her sister, Sue Gould, performing 11 concerts in 6 days on her new narrow digital piano keys. Rhonda Boyle Rhonda Boyle studied piano as a child, but her small hands discouraged her from pursuing a career in music. She has tertiary qualifications in science, environmental science and urban planning and her career was mostly in the Victorian State Government. Rhonda returned to the piano in 1999 as a student of Robert Chamberlain. She stumbled across Steinbuhler keyboards on the Internet at the start of 2007 and acquired a DS5.5® keyboard for her piano in 2009. She has since been involved in research relating to hand size and piano playing, presenting at conferences in Australia, USA and Europe and contributing articles to various journals. In 2011, she set up a website devoted to sharing information on research and developments relating to alternatively sized piano keyboards. In 2013, she co-founded the world-wide advocacy group PASK (Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards) with Erica Booker and Professor Carol Leone (Southern Methodist University, Texas). She is also a director of the US-based DS® Standard Foundation and a co-artistic director of the International Stretto Piano Festival. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

What is it like to build a brand new primer method? In this episode, I have a very special guest, Daniel McFarlane, who was my first ever guest when I started the podcast way back in 2015. Daniel is known for the Supersonics Piano Method, which he has grown over the years. He's going to share more about his teaching styles, approaches, and strategies today. And of course, he's going to share the Supersonics Piano Method and how you can use it with your students.

• A sneak peak on a typical day for Daniel.
• How Daniel handles his business and being a father and teacher all at the same time.
• Tips on how you can position yourself in the business to get parents and students to seek you out as a teacher.
• The benefits you can get from taking on transfer students in your studio.
• Why you need to give your students autonomy and choice in what they are doing.
• Daniel shares a segmented and structured approach in his teaching style.
• The Supersonics Piano Method.
• The story of why his approach was called Blast Off.
• The difference of the Primer Series of Supersonics Piano Method.
• Appropriate age for using the app for teachers and their students.
• Tips for teaching mid to late elementary.
• The goal of repertoire rich learning.

Guest Links

• Supersonics Plus Website
• Supersonics Website
• Supersonics Piano Facebook Page
• Daniel McFarlane Website

Links Mentioned

• TTTV001: Student composition tactics with Daniel McFarlane
• YouTube link of TTTV001 Interview

Today's Guest Daniel McFarlane started composing pieces for his own students back in 2006 and since then he’s never looked back. In addition to composing, he’s also taught students piano, theory and composition since 1997. Many of these students have gone on to tertiary study and careers in piano performance, composition, music education and jazz performance. He’s conducted workshops on composition and teaching for the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, the Australian Piano Pedagogy Conference and for music teachers in Brisbane, Toowoomba, Cairns, Melbourne, Perth and the Sunshine Coast. He’s also adjudicated competitions and examined across Australia. Daniel currently lives in Brisbane with his wife, Melanie (now a doctor but previously an extremely competitive piano teacher), their two children, Annabelle and Freddy, and his dog, Bella. When he’s not in front of the computer or at the piano, Daniel occupies his time chasing after the kids, walking the dog, going for the (occasional) run, reading, eating and trying not to melt in the subtropical climate. In a previous life, he had a brief moment of sporting glory when he represented Australia in athletics. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

We are talking all about transitioning to group teaching today with Christina Whitlock, the Beyond Measure Podcast host and TopMusicPro member. Christina just recently started her move to this new way of teaching and we’re going to hear all about her fresh and raw excitement on how she’s going with this change. If you’re thinking of starting group teaching now or in the future, this is a really important episode for you to listen to.

• Christina gives a short introduction on herself and what her studio looks like at the moment.
• The story of her podcast, Beyond Measure Podcast, and why she started it.
• Christina shares what goes behind making a solo episode, the time it takes to finish one, and how the Power Hours have helped her with this.
• The top things she has learned from doing the show.
• She talks about her goals for the podcast.
• The beauty of group teaching and how she shifted to this method successfully.
• Resources and methods she tried when moved to group classes.
• Advice for teachers who want to start group teaching regarding the financial expenses that comes with this transition.
• The important lessons she has learned since she started group teaching.
• Words of wisdom for teachers who are dabbling on their creative projects.

Links Mentioned

• Christina Whitlock Website
• Beyond Measure Podcast Instagram
• Beyond Measure Podcast Facebook Page
• Related: TC231: Trust that Your Impact on Students is Not Futile with Christina Whitlock

Today's Guest Christina Whitlock, M.M., N.C.T.M., operates a lively independent studio from her home where she offers both private and group instruction. She discovered her love for piano teaching at the age of 14 and enjoyed a full studio roster ever since. Christina is passionate about the life-changing power of music study, and loves to share that enthusiasm with studio music teachers of all instruments and voice types. She hosts a weekly podcast titled, Beyond Measure, where she fancies herself everyone’s Anytime Piano Teacher Friend. Christina thrives off the variety our profession has to offer, and keeps busy with a variety of teaching, speaking, writing, and collaborative opportunities. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

In today's episode, we're having another TopMusicPro member spotlight. And our guest for today's podcast is Rachel Davis, owner of Three Sisters Music Studio. It's been a long road for Rachel, who is now running a very successful studio. The journey has not been easy. In fact, she almost quit teaching altogether six months ago. But then she found TopMusicPro and everything changed! Join us as we get to know Rachel better and talk about her inspiring story, how she built her business from scratch and overcame the challenges along the way.

• Rachel’s studio and the students she teaches.
• The dilemma she had with her teaching and how she got through it with the help of TopMusicPro.
• Moving from the USA to Canada and transitioning from having no exams to a country that is heavily immersed in an exam or conservatory system.
• Treating your teaching as a business.
• Looking back at the time before she became a TopMusicPro member and sharing why she joined the membership.
• The biggest contributor to her sadness and her reason for wanting to quit teaching six months back.
• Rachel gives us a rundown on how she rebuilt her entire studio structure from the ground up.
• Her main reason for setting up an open house for her students.
• How she differentiated and diversified herself in the market.
• Hiring an additional student for her studio.
• Rachel shares her 5-year plan.

Links Mentioned

• Three Sisters Music Studio Facebook Page
• Three Sisters Music Studio Instagram Page
• Related: TopMusicPro Member's Success Story

Sign up for a 14-Day Free Trial of TopMusicPro Today Today's Guest Wife, mother of three and music studio owner, Rachel Davis loves a good challenge. Though officially Canadian, she was born and raised in the United States where she received 20 years of piano training and spent the first 7 years of her private piano teaching career. After marrying her Canadian husband in 2013, Rachel moved to Canada. In 2019, she opened Three Sisters Music Studio in Cochrane, AB. Rachel’s motivation for teaching comes from a passion to see others learn to express their emotions in a healthy and safe way through music. She does this through her signature blend of fun, creativity and a dash of chaos. Her goal is to see every student move through life equipped with the tools needed to process the world around them, empowered to impact others, and instilled with a never ending love of music. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing

In today's episode, I’m going share some of the feedback that we've been getting from all of you about the Integrated Music Teaching model that we've been sharing from episode number 300. I am also going to share integrated music teaching ideas from Mike Grande on rhythm and Dr. Anita Collins on Just in Time Learning. It’s quite a different episode today, but I’m sure you’ll get a lot of lessons from it.

• Janna's feedback on the integrated music teaching model.
• Jeff's shares what he thinks about the change of focus in the podcast.
• What integrated music teaching means to Mike Grande.
• Laura's feedback on the emotional importance of creative activities.
• Linda shared her interest in the Integrated Music Teaching Certification.
• Two short excerpts from Dr. Anita Collins on the integrated music teaching model.

Links Mentioned

• Benjamin Zander Website
• TC184: Dr Anita Collins on the Neuroscience of Music Lessons and the Brain
• 304: Building the Certificate of Integrated Music Teaching with Kimberly Swanson

Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Today, we’re going to unpack our brand new, 9-module course, The Complete Guide to Songwriting, and meet the creator and instructor, Simon Rushby. He has written songs that have charted for artists in Europe and Asia. His compositions have been used worldwide for TV shows and commercials. As a performer, Simon remains busy as a pianist, keyboard player, and a musical director. In this episode, you will hear about his intention of writing this songwriting course, overviews of the course modules, and what you can learn from them. Simon also shares great tips and advice for teaching your students.

• Who is Simon Rushby?
• Simon’s intention of writing this songwriting course.
• Making connections between music.
• Bobby McFerinn’s Video on the Pentatonic Scale
• Quick overview on the modules of the course and what you can learn from each one.
• Talking about Elton John’s Oven song.
• The story of how Simon started as a songwriter.

Guest Link

• Simon Rushby Website

Links Mentioned

• Bobby McFerrin's Video on the Pentatonic Scale
• Elton John Oven Manual Song
• Stickey Notes Seller Online Store
• topmusic.co/episode300

Today's Guest Simon Rushby is a music education expert, teacher, performer, composer, an ABRSM examiner, and author who taught music in schools across the South-East of England. With over 30 years of experience in leading UK schools as a Director of Music, he’s worked with many students of all levels. He’s published several educational resources, including Discovering Music Theory, an ABRSM exam prep series. As a composer, Simon has written songs that have charted for artists in Europe and Asia. His compositions have been used worldwide for TV shows and commercials, including BBC, ITV, Sky and BT Sport in the UK. He’s been the lead on two albums for Alexander Shulgin, which have topped the charts in Russia. As a performer Simon remains busy as a pianist and keyboard player and has been musical director for productions of shows such as Sweeney Todd, Carousel, The Producers, Les Miserables, Anything Goes and West Side Story. He also plays keyboards in a number of highly respected pop, rock and jazz bands. And he has conducted performances of a vast range of choral and orchestral music, both with student and adult ensembles and choirs. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

In today's episode, Kimberly Swanson will join us to discuss all about how we've been building the Certificate of Integrated Music Teaching over the last six to nine months. We'll be going over the big picture view of why we've created this certification and how it fits into a larger educational framework. And  finally, we're going to talk about how you can explore this journey with us.

• Kimberly tells us more about herself and her background.
• Tim gives us an overview of TopMusicPro’s vision.
• What sets the IMT Certification apart.
• Understanding the power of the cohort system.
• Learning more about multimodal assessment, adult learning implementing this in the IMT Certification assessment.
• What is integrated music teaching?
• The learning outcomes for teachers.
• Elements of the assessment and how it’s going to be conducted.
• The length of the process for the cohorts.

Links Mentioned

• Kimberly Swanson Website
• Kimberly Swanson LinkedIn
• Sign up your interest for IMT Certification

Today's Guest After two years of teaching music in public schools and six years of teaching private piano and theory lessons, Kimberly transitioned into the field of Instructional Design. For her day job, Kimberly creates learning experiences for adult learners in corporate America. But she just can't keep away from the music education world. She is partnering with TopMusic to create and launch the Certificate of Integrated Music Teaching. This project allows her to fuse her passion for music, her experience as a music teacher, and her passion for educational psychology. Kimberly holds a Master's in Music and Human Learning from the University of Texas as well as a Bachelor's in Music Education from the University of Florida. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

In today's episode, we continue to talk about the Integrated Music Teaching method. We are going to let you hear some integrations in actual lessons that I’ve taught. I thought this would be really instructive for those of you who are still wondering how this actually looks and sounds in a lesson.

• How to teach our intermediate students in an integrated way.
• Ideas on how students learn best through connections.
• Basic ways that you can do integration across the four disciplines of technique, repertoire, creativity, and functional skills.
• Watch my lesson with Jono where I use a creative activity of improvisation in harmony to cement his knowledge of the G harmonic and melodic minor scale.
• Watch my lesson with Finn where you'll hear a variety of integrations between repertoire and improv scales and theory.

Integrated Music Teaching in Action Videos

• Janna explains IMT from an intermediate repertoire perspective
• Integrated Music Teaching - Jono
• Integrated Music Teaching - Finn

Related Links

• 300: Integrated Music Teaching
• 301: The 3 Pillars of Integrated Music Teaching
• 302: 3 Steps to Teaching an Integrated

Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

In today's episode, we're going to unpack the 3-step process on how to teach an integrated music lesson in your studio. Integrated music teaching is based on expanding and deepening your students’ connection to repertoire, so this 3-step process is all based around the repertoire that the student is already learning. Have a listen as we discuss these processes from analysing the repertoire for musical elements, to finding musical connections, and planning activities that integrate different elements.

• The 3-step process for using the IMT learning model in your studio.
• Analysing the repertoire for musical elements.
• Finding the connections and make music learning meaningful.
• Few examples of connecting elements.
• Planning the integration activities.
• Examples of integration activities.
• Two resources to help you implement this in your teaching.

Links Mentioned

• The Age Old Question - How Do We Make Piano Scales Fun and Relevant?
• Scaling the Chords by Bradley Sowash
• The Ultimate Guide to Left Hand Piano Styles & Patterns

Today’s Sponsor Interested in nurturing budding composers but aren’t sure where to begin? The 8+8 Composium at LeilaViss.com offers a proven recipe for composing. The four-week course held on Zoom is limited to 8 teachers and steps you through the writing process 8 bars at a time. Learn how to compose an ABA piece, notate it in Noteflight, create cover art in Canva, and how to pass these skills along to your students. “I am over the moon excited about notating my first composition and on fire to continue composing.” -Lisa M Use coupon code TOPTEN to save on registration. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Our exploration on integrated music teaching starts with an overview of the three pillars, which will provide the foundation for you to successfully use this approach in your own teaching. We will explore student first or student-centered teaching, multimodal assessment and questions that build curiosity. And we will look at ways that you can implement them in your own studio.

• The 3 key principles / pillars you need to implement the integrated music teaching model in your studio.
• Understanding student-led teaching.
• Goals that are crucial for students to be successful in a lifelong music-making journey.
• The three key psychological needs for students to feel motivated.
• Exploring the multi-modal assessment.
• Examples of other possibilities for assessments.
• The importance of asking questions to build curiosity.
• Sample questions you can ask to build curiosity from your students.

Related: 300: Integrated Music Teaching Today’s Sponsor Interested in nurturing budding composers but aren’t sure where to begin? The 8+8 Composium at LeilaViss.com offers a proven recipe for composing. The four-week course held on Zoom is limited to 8 teachers and steps you through the writing process 8 bars at a time. Learn how to compose an ABA piece, notate it in Noteflight, create cover art in Canva, and how to pass these skills along to your students. “I am over the moon excited about notating my first composition and on fire to continue composing.” -Lisa M Use coupon code TOPTEN to save on registration. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

In this episode, we’re chatting with Demitris Maddox to explore the key elements of a successful website for music teachers. Demitris shares how he developed a streamlined approach to website design that helps studios attract more students. We discuss the importance of clear messaging, an engaging hero section, and user-friendly navigation that encourages visitors to take action. He also highlights common website mistakes and simple fixes that can make a big difference.

• Demitris shared insights on building a strong online presence for music teachers.
• The importance of having a professional website to attract students.
• He highlighted how a well-designed site can showcase your teaching style and credentials.
• The value of clear, engaging content was emphasized to keep visitors interested.
• Why an easy-to-navigate layout improves user experience.
• How search engine optimization (SEO) can help teachers reach more potential students.
• Tips on integrating scheduling tools to streamline lesson bookings.
• The importance of mobile-friendly design was stressed for accessibility.
• How testimonials and reviews build credibility and trust.
• He encouraged teachers to update their websites regularly to stay relevant.

Links Mentioned

• • Learn more about TopMusicSheets here
  • Learn more about TopMusicGames here
  • Demitris Maddox's website: ProvideImpact.com
  • Hero Section Henry
  
  

Today's Guest Demitris Maddox began his journey in 2016 helping his girlfriend build her thriving piano studio. Drawing from years as the Chief Marketing Officer of that successful studio, where he also provided website services for other music studios along the way, Demitris is now the confident founder of Provide Impact, where he helps private music studios attract more students through his Impact Method which focuses on optimized websites and online marketing. When he's not in the kitchen experimenting to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, he's on a mission to help private music studios elevate their online presence to attract more students and grow their business. He's put together a free quiz for music teachers who want to know how ready they are for a professional music teaching website. Check it out at MusicTeacherQuiz.com Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Mondays weekly. TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership. TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL

I can’t believe it’s been 300 episodes since I started this podcast! Looking back at the first episode until this one, so much has changed for the better. I’m thrilled to be sharing two announcements on today’s podcast, which is a culmination of all these years of learning and growing as a music educator, and both related to Integrated Music Teaching. Join me today as we look back on the memories and look forward to the exciting changes that are coming to help you become the best music teacher you want to be.

• Looking back on our first episode and the podcast through the years.
• My first realization of how my teaching style was different from the rest.
• Three key factors associated with a traditional music lesson.
• Making connections outside music to help a student’s deeper understanding of music.
• Understanding and practicing the integrated music teaching approach.
• The three foundational pillars of integrated music teaching.

Links Mentioned

• TTTV001: Student composition tactics with Daniel McFarlane
• Take A Track Walk: Getting Students to Slow Down
• Watch the very first episode of the podcast here.

Today’s Sponsor Interested in nurturing budding composers but aren’t sure where to begin? The 8+8 Composium at LeilaViss.com offers a proven recipe for composing. The four-week course held on Zoom is limited to 8 teachers and steps you through the writing process 8 bars at a time. Learn how to compose an ABA piece, notate it in Noteflight, create cover art in Canva, and how to pass these skills along to your students. “I am over the moon excited about notating my first composition and on fire to continue composing.” -Lisa M Use coupon code TOPTEN to save on registration. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Have you ever thought of selling your studio in the future? In today's episode, we're having a chat with Jeff Homer, the founder of Ensemble Music Schools. Jeff shares with us what Ensemble Music Schools is all about, his background and how he got into this type of niche. He also shares his thoughts on how school owners market their studios. Listen as he gives us some great tips and advice for studio owners who are thinking about selling their studio in the future.

• Jeff tells us about Ensemble Music Schools and what it's all about.
• Jeff shares his background and how he got into this type of niche.
• What are the things that music and school owners lack?
• Customer acquisition costs lifetime value.
• Jeff tells us how they put a value on the schools that they assess.
• Tips and some common mistakes of school owners when selling your studio.
• The importance of having bookkeepers for your school.
• The line between making schools more profitable without compromising musical integrity.
• The Google big three.
• The process of hiring and retaining school teachers in Ensemble Music Schools.
• Advice to studio owners who want to sell their studios in the future.

Links Mentioned

• Ensemble Music Schools
• Jeff Homer LinkedIn
• Related: How to Find Music Students Fast For Your Studio

Today’s Guest Jeff founded Ensemble Music Schools in 2019 as a passion project that promised to combine his hobby as an amateur musician with his professional background in investing. Starting with just one school in Louisville, CO, Jeff’s vision was to build a best-in-class administrative platform that would equip local community music schools to thrive in the digital age and better serve their students and teaching faculty. Motivated by some early successes and the blessing of “doing what you love,” Jeff left his day job to focus full-time on Ensemble in early 2020 and hasn’t looked back! Jeff’s prior employers include institutional investment firms Bain Capital, Reservoir Capital, and Independence Capital Asset Partners. Jeff graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in Economics. Today’s Sponsor Interested in nurturing budding composers but aren’t sure where to begin? The 8+8 Composium at LeilaViss.com offers a proven recipe for composing. The four-week course held on Zoom is limited to 8 teachers and steps you through the writing process 8 bars at a time. Learn how to compose an ABA piece, notate it in Noteflight, create cover art in Canva, and how to pass these skills along to your students. “I am over the moon excited about notating my first composition and on fire to continue composing.” -Lisa M Use coupon code TOPTEN to save on registration. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic...

In this episode, my guest Dorla Aparicio, discusses the benefits of multi-level group teaching. She shares with us how she introduced it into her piano studio and what steps were involved. She talks about how to approach it with students and her methods for keeping students engaged despite their age and skill level. Dorla also shares her method, the Piano Pyramid Method, which makes it possible for teachers to start with multi-level group teaching. This is a great episode for teachers who want to get started with group teaching but are nervous or hesitant to do so.

• Dorla’s background and what her teaching studio looks like at the moment.
• How she was introduced into group teaching and what she loved about it.
• Using the ensemble type of group teaching in her studio.
• She shares her first experience with group teaching.
• Tips for teachers who want to start with group teaching but are hesitant to do so.
• One of the mistakes she made in her career and what she has learned from it.
• The musical and social benefits that your students can get with group teaching.
• How Dorla makes teaching kids in multiple levels in one class work.
• Dorla talks about the Piano Pyramid Method and how it can help teachers with an ensemble-based multi-level group piano teaching approach.

Guest Links Mentioned

• Miss Dorla Website
• Let's Talk Group Piano Facebook Group
• Piano Pyramid™ 

Links Mentioned

• TopCast Episode 103: A Chat with Mayron Cole, Pioneer of Group Teaching
• Free Piano Method Website

Today’s Guest Dorla is a piano teacher who supports group piano teachers with organized and engaging resources that will help them offer excellent group piano classes. She believes that teaching in a group setting is one of the best ways we will keep the world of piano teaching alive during this century. Over the past three years, Dorla has created Piano Pyramid™, a group piano method in which it is possible to teach students of different ages and skills, namely students between the ages of 8 to 14 who are beginners up to the early-intermediate level. Dorla received her Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. She has taught early childhood music, private and group piano for more than 30 years. Until recently, she was an adjunct professor of music for 10 years at the University in Keene, Texas. Today, Dorla continues to work independently in her studio, where she teaches weekly group piano classes. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Today's special episode is a rebroadcast of TopCast Episode 204. Listen in as Selena Pistoresi joins us and we unpack an often misunderstood area of teaching - special needs teaching from the viewpoint of respecting neurodiversity and presuming the competence of students. Selena is going to share practical, ready-to-implement strategies that you can adopt to confidently teach your students with exceptionalities in a way that acknowledges their gifts.

• Selena shares how she came to specialize in teaching students with exceptionalities.
• The definition of special needs.
• The idea of talking to people or parents about terminologies.
• Most challenging things about teaching special needs students.
• Talking to parents about diagnoses – is it necessary?
• First step to building a strong teaching foundation and relationship with a special needs student.
• The importance of providing structure in lessons.
• Do games work in the same way on students with special needs?
• Final tips and thoughts from Selena.

Links Mentioned

• Special Needs Teaching Free E-book Download
• Notable Piano Website
• TopMusic Meet Up

Today’s Guest Selena Pistoresi has been a piano teacher for over a decade. Selena blogs over at Notablepiano.com and is the author of the Milestone Method. She owns Cultivate Music Studio, a studio in San Jose, California, where she specializes in working with students with special needs. She equips teachers all over the world with the mindset tools and curriculum to teach students with special needs and to help their studios flourish. Today’s Sponsor Forte is a free alternative to Zoom, optimized for music lessons with industry-leading audio quality. Forte has been used and loved by The Royal College of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Curtis Institute. It is designed to put you and your teaching style at the center of the educational experience. And the best part? It’s free forever for teachers, and it’s incredibly easy to use. Just send your personal studio link to your student, and with one click, you are teaching. No hassles, no downloads, no gimmicks. Just music. Start teaching with Forte today at fortelessons.com. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Teacher recruitment is one of the most challenging aspects of running a music school. And with the current employment shortage, music school owners are really finding it hard to look for quality teachers. In this episode, Dave Simon presents a revolutionary idea that can potentially solve this problem for your studio. His in-depth discussion on this topic, as well as training teachers, marketing tips, and so much more will give you a simple and effective solution on how to find music instructors for your studio.

• Dave talks about the teacher shortage in the music industry.
• The number one challenge of running a music school.
• Considering group classes in your studio and how you can get more students into groups.
• Is it necessary to have a instructor with such a high level of musical understanding?
• Using marketing to persuade parents to join your group classes for beginners.
• Why hiring musicians is a good idea to get teachers for your studio.
• A sample of an ad on how to find music instructors for his studio.
• Dave shares a sample questionnaire for potential hires.
• Setting up a training program for your music instructors.

Links Mentioned

• Dave Simon Music Website

Today’s Guest Dave Simon licenses his group music classes Kidzrock/Jr. Rockerz, and Piano Jam to educators worldwide. His programs allow complete beginners to experience the ultimate musical thrill; learning and performing music in an ensemble. Dave ran and operated a music school for 17 years in St. Louis Missouri where he developed a passion for marketing. He is also the host of the business growth podcast Music Lessons and Marketing. Today’s Sponsor Forte is a free alternative to Zoom, optimized for music lessons with industry-leading audio quality. Forte has been used and loved by The Royal College of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Curtis Institute. It is designed to put you and your teaching style at the center of the educational experience. And the best part? It’s free forever for teachers, and it’s incredibly easy to use. Just send your personal studio link to your student, and with one click, you are teaching. No hassles, no downloads, no gimmicks. Just music. Start teaching with Forte today at fortelessons.com. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

My guest, TopMusicPro member Kelly Jenkins, is a music educator, stage musical writer and arranger, owner of a hybrid studio just outside Boston, and a synesthete. In this episode, were going to talk about the wonders of synesthesia. We'll unpack what it really is, how to spot it in our students if they have it (or us for that matter), how to use it as an advantage for our students, but also how to unleash some synesthesia magic for students who don't have it.

• Kelly shares the interesting story of how she found out about her synesthesia.
• Is it possible to develop synesthesia or is it something you are born with?
• Famous synesthetes and what they do.
• Kelly describes how she sees color in music.
• How students can improve their study of music through color connections.
• The lessons she has learned through observation of students’ learning styles.
• She shares more of her experience as a TopMusicPro teacher, what she loves about membership, and the positive outcomes that it has had in her life and teaching.

Related: How a Top-Level Pianist Returned to Teaching and Built Her Music Coaching Business Using TopMusicPro Today’s Guest Kelly Jenkins lives outside Boston, Massachusetts where she teaches a hybrid studio of 62 students, ages 4 to 74. Growing up, Kelly trained with a classical piano teacher through high school and went on to study with a Van Cliburn finalist from the Cincinnati Conservatory. Teaching piano since 2007, Kelly enjoys using improvising, creativity and paying attention to each student’s unique learning style to help each one develop their own gift of music. When she’s not teaching, Kelly can be found writing and arranging stage musicals with her lyricist/co-writer, who also happens to be her awesome mom. Today’s Sponsor Forte is a free alternative to Zoom, optimized for music lessons with industry-leading audio quality. Forte has been used and loved by The Royal College of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Curtis Institute. It is designed to put you and your teaching style at the center of the educational experience. And the best part? It’s free forever for teachers, and it’s incredibly easy to use. Just send your personal studio link to your student, and with one click, you are teaching. No hassles, no downloads, no gimmicks. Just music. Start teaching with Forte today at fortelessons.com. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

For teachers looking for an alternative way to teach piano to students such as group teaching, this episode is for you! We are joined by three amazing guests, Marie Lee, Melanie Bowes, and Dorla Aparicio, who will be sharing their experiences on running group piano classes. Have a listen to our three guests as they discuss the various aspects of group teaching. We cover the basics you need to know about teaching in groups such as pricing, grouping students, lesson plans, repertoire and so much more.

• Our three guests introduce themselves.
• Learning how to price your group lessons.
• Placing kids in group settings.
• How to teach multi-level students in a group setting.
• The teaching approaches for students in groups who are advanced or aim for exams.
• The formats and lesson plans used for group teaching.
• How to go about your online group lessons.
• The best time to run group classes - is it during school time or school holidays?
• Ideas for running summer camps.
• Favourite resources for multi-level repertoire.
• Best advice for teachers who are looking to start group teaching.

Links Mentioned

• Dorla Aparicio Website - Miss Dorla
• Marie Lee - Group Teaching Blueprint
• Melanie Bowes - Keynotes Music

TopCast Episodes on Summer Camps and Group Teaching

• TTTV038: Running Your First Summer Camp with Jennifer Foxx
• TTTV040: Scaling your Summer Camp with Jennifer Auerbach & Joshua Hawks
• TTTV039: Fun Piano Camp Themes & Games with Tracy Selle & Sara Campbell
• TC191: Jennifer Foxx on Online Summer Camp Programs

Today’s Guests

• Melanie Bowes
• Dorla Aparicio
• Marie Lee

Today’s Sponsor Forte is a free alternative to Zoom, optimized for music lessons with industry-leading audio quality. Forte has been used and loved by The Royal College of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Curtis Institute. It is designed to put you and your teaching style at the center of the educational experience. And the best part? It’s free forever for teachers, and it’s incredibly easy to use. Just send your personal studio link to your student, and with one click, you are teaching. No hassles, no downloads, no gimmicks. Just music. Start teaching with Forte today at fortelessons.com. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and...

Teach your students without a method book in their first 10 lessons with my No Book Beginners Framework, which we’ll be unpacking in today’s episode. Many of you will have heard about it, I'm sure some of you have used it in your studio. I will run through everything you need to know about No Book Beginners, including what it is, why you might like to try it out, and where you can get started with the first three lessons.

• The most common thing that happens during a student’s first piano lesson and why you shouldn’t do that anymore.
• How music is best taught for better absorption and learning.
• What is the No Book Beginners Framework?
• Get a peek on NBB’s Lesson 2 to see an example of how you can teach students without a book.
• The reason why singing should be a normalised part of music lessons for piano students.
• How to access the No Book Beginners Course.

Links Mentioned

• Get the first 3 lessons of No Book Beginners for FREE!
• Buy the No Book Beginners Course

Today’s Sponsor Musicnotes for Education Teachers and students everywhere deserve a sheet music experience that impresses, and that’s precisely what you get from Musicnotes.com, the largest online retailer of quality sheet music! Musicnotes has built a special Pro membership exclusively for teachers and students. With Musicnotes Pro for Education, teachers and students will get exclusive discounts on every sheet music purchase and in-app benefits to keep their sheet music library organized and at their fingertips so they can play anywhere – all without a membership fee. Teachers and students can apply for a free Pro for Education membership today and bring the benefits of Musicnotes to every lesson! Join free today at musicnotes.com/pro. P.S an exclusive for our Top Music listeners, Musicnotes are offering 25% off e-Gift cards for a limited time! Visit musicnotes.com/topmusic to claim this exclusive offer! Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

We're all about the exam game. Today's episode is all about the Universal Music Exam program, which is founded by Michelle Madder. In this episode, she shares the story behind how she started UME, what sets its methodologies apart from others, and what to expect when you choose to take one of their exams. We'll also be unpacking everything you need to know about UME piano exams program, from what it is, to how it works, and why you'd want to check it out.

• The story of how Michelle started Australian Music School.
• Finding the right person to work with her on the AMS methodology.
• How she started building the Universal Music Exam.
• What sets Universal Music Exam apart from other exams.
• The instruments they are offering at UME.
• Michelle shares the flexible exam requirements for students.
• Pieces and repertoire that are allowed in the exams.
• Types of teachers who are using UME.
• The UME events they’ve launched since it started.
• The recognition of students who take UME piano exams.
• Details of how to take their exams, the costs, and who can take it.
• Michelle’s future goals for UME.

Guest Links

• UME Website
• UME Facebook Page

Today’s Guest Michelle is an Australian pianist, composer and teacher with over 30 years’ experience. As a young person, Michelle was well recognised as a pianist and composer, winning the ABC Young Composer’s Competition and several prestigious piano awards. Michelle studied composition with Peter Sculthorpe at Sydney University and graduated with Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and Composition. She then went on to further study of Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium. She founded Australian Music Schools in 1993 and over the ensuing years expanded to offer quality music education in locations across Sydney. As director of AMS Michelle designed a piano exam system which proved successful over many years of operation. She further developed the syllabus and established UME - a quality music examination system focused on the needs of students and teachers. As head piano examiner of UME, Michelle brings experience, empathy and musical expertise to what can be a stressful time for students and their parents. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Michelle now mentors teachers around the globe. Today’s Sponsor https://www.musicnotes.com/topmusic Musicnotes...

Do you have a million things going on but have trouble working on and accomplishing them all? Are you feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, and behind in life and business? Then this episode is for YOU. In this episode, I’m going to share my top productivity hacks and tips for having a productive mindset. I’m by no means an expert on this, but these are the things that have worked for me with all the moving pieces in my business - our courses, the podcast, webinars, speaking engagements, and so much more. As a business or studio owner and teacher, I’m sure you have so much going on all over the place. So in this episode, I’m going to give you my strategies for becoming productive and organized in life and business. [spp-player]

• Why you need to focus on what’s important.
• How automation and outsourcing can be the best thing for your business.
• Practicing time-blocking and batching — two organizational methods that help you get the most out of your day.
• Get your most important work done early in the day.
• How taking care of your health can help you be productive.
• Use Dropbox and Cloud-based databases to save files and vastly improve your efficiency.
• Achieve more by turning off your notifications.

Member Links

• The Productive Mindset

Today’s Sponsor   Musicnotes for Education Teachers and students everywhere deserve a sheet music experience that impresses, and that's precisely what you get from Musicnotes.com, the largest online retailer of quality sheet music! Musicnotes has built a special Pro membership exclusively for teachers and students. With Musicnotes Pro for Education, teachers and students will get exclusive discounts on every sheet music purchase and in-app benefits to keep their sheet music library organized and at their fingertips so they can play anywhere - all without a membership fee. Teachers and students can apply for a free Pro for Education membership today and bring the benefits of Musicnotes to every lesson! Join free today at musicnotes.com/pro. P.S an exclusive for our Top Music listeners, Musicnotes are offering 25% off e-Gift cards for a limited time! Visit musicnotes.com/topmusic to claim this exclusive offer! Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

In today’s episode, I’m thrilled to welcome Andrea Dow from Teach Piano Today. Andrea shares her unique approach to piano teaching, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, creativity, and building strong teacher-student relationships. We dive into how she and her husband Trevor started Teach Piano Today, how they developed their popular WunderKeys method, and how they’ve kept students engaged through imaginative, game-based learning materials. Andrea also opens up about her own teaching journey, the early influences that shaped her, and how she balances creativity with family life. You’ll come away inspired by the power of storytelling in piano education and how it can transform your studio.

• Andrea shared a brief overview of her background and reflected on her early podcasting experience.
• She shared her introverted nature and challenges balancing family life.
• How piano teaching has evolved toward business and entrepreneurship.
• How transitioning from Suzuki to traditional methods shaped her musical path.
• Andrea shared how she grew her teaching studio to over 350 students before eventually selling it.
• The importance of teacher-student relationships.
• How she and her husband Trevor started Teach Piano Today in 2011, motivated by the disparity between classroom learning materials and piano resources.
• The storytelling approach in the WunderKeys method, which enhances student engagement and emotional expression.
• She emphasized starting composition and improvisation early in lessons.
• The value of integrating composing and improvisation early in lessons to foster creativity.
• She shared how Trevor’s background supports their resource design.
• The importance of game-based learning to build rapport, reduce fear of failure, and reinforce concepts in a fun, memorable way.
• Why games are helpful for all ages, including teens and adults.

Links Mentioned

• Learn more about TopMusicSheets here
• Learn more about TopMusicGames here

Guest Links Mentioned

• Teach Piano Today Website
• WunderKeys Website
• Teach Piano Today Facebook Page
• Teach Piano Today Instagram Page

Today's Guest Andrea Dow, together with her husband Trevor, are the composers, authors, and educators behind TeachPianoToday.com and WunderKeys. Their collaborative work has transformed piano education, providing teachers with imaginative resources that engage students of all ages. From quirky piano books to game-based learning materials, Andrea and Trevor's creations inspire piano teachers worldwide to bring creativity and joy into their lessons. Over the years, they have published 207 piano books, each designed to motivate students and make learning music fun. Andrea and Trevor live on Vancouver Island off the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. When not composing or creating, Andrea and Trevor balance family life with two teenage daughters, and spend most of their time at the hockey rink or track. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find...

You are not alone – I know how challenging the search for new students can be! So to help you out with this, I teamed up with the amazing Carly Walton from Teach Music Online to put together our ultimate Find Music Students Fast Checklist. And that’s what we’re going to be talking about today. We’re going to give you a quick overview of this amazing six page full-color handout so you can find and teach your dream students!

• What teachers can do right away to get more students quickly
• Most important steps to take when you have open spots to fill!
• Ideas for easy-access online marketing
• Using Facebook groups to find music students fast
• Exploring your local community and fostering local connections
• Other community-based marketing ideas
• Website tips and next-level advice
• Samples of seasonal promotion opportunities

Links Mentioned

• FREE Guide – drop your email above to get the Find Students Fast guidebook.
• Teach Music Online Website

Related: How to Find Music Students Fast For Your Studio Today’s Guest Carly Walton is a Berklee College of Music graduate, and online teacher, performer, and world traveller. She has taught music at K-8 schools and been a choral instructor for two charter schools. Carly also enjoys arranging music for piano students and choirs. Carly has been teaching music online for the last eight years and one year ago started her Teach Music Online course and coaching program. She has a passion for helping teachers overcome their fear of technology and find ways to be creative and effective as online music teachers. She has a thriving Facebook group with more than 10,000 music teachers where she hosts free training workshops and resources. Today’s Sponsor Forte is a free alternative to Zoom, optimized for music lessons with industry-leading audio quality. Forte has been used and loved by The Royal College of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Curtis Institute. It is designed to put you and your teaching style at the center of the educational experience. And the best part? It’s free forever for teachers, and it’s incredibly easy to use. Just send your personal studio link to your student, and with one click, you are teaching. No hassles, no downloads, no gimmicks. Just music. Start teaching with Forte today at fortelessons.com. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

We’re now in day 5 of our Hesitant to Hero Challenge Series on the podcast and today’s topic is all about connections through chords. By helping students see the connections between old and new music, we can unlock huge potentials in our students and deepen their understanding as well. Today, we are going to demonstrate how we connect Ace of Base to CPE Bach and Beethoven to Adele. We will also show you how to unpack the music that your students are already learning, help them analyze the chords in harmony, and then deepen their understanding of the repertoire that they're already playing. Let's jump in.

• Making connections between old and new music.
• How the chord progressions are relevant to your students learning regular pieces.
• The key question you need to ask your students.
• The benefits of making these connections.
• Discussing today’s homework.
• Sample homeworks.

• 
  

https://vimeo.com/742061083/595c52ef7d Links Mentioned TC284: Chord Quick Wins – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 1 TC285: Lead Sheets in Lesson 1 – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 2 TC286: Repertoire Remix – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 3 TC287: Hook, Line and Sinker – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 4 Member Links: Hesitant to Hero: Hook Your Students with our Top 5 No-Book Teaching Techniques Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays...

We’re now in day 4 of our Hesitant to Hero Challenge series on the podcast and today’s topic is all about hook, line and sinker. The idea is to teach your students classical and pop hooks and riffs. We’ll be talking about how giving students modern pop hooks to play can build their identity as a musician. And it’s crucial in those preteen and young teenage years. If your students keep playing music, we’ll talk about a student versus teacher-led approach to teaching popular styles, how to keep current and some famous pop hooks and riffs! It’s going to be super fun!

• The songs you need to teach your students.
• Learning two different teaching approaches.
• How to teach pop songs to kids.
• Sarah shares her experience with teaching chord progressions and making lead sheets.
• Tim gives an example of pieces and different ways to play and teach it.
• Discussing today’s homework.
• Sample homeworks.

Hook, Line and Sinker – Hesitant to Hero Challenge https://vimeo.com/742061803/881e5d7b27?share=copy Links Mentioned TC284: Chord Quick Wins – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 1 TC285: Lead Sheets in Lesson 1 – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 2 TC286: Repertoire Remix – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 3 Member Links: Hesitant to Hero: Hook Your Students with our Top 5 No-Book Teaching Techniques Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

We’re now in day 3 of our Hesitant to Hero Challenge Series on the podcast and today’s topic is all about Repertoire Remix. What is repertoire remix and how can it spark creativity in your students? In this episode, we unpack the three levels of creativity in music, how remixing works, and some piece examples that you can play with your students. We are going to build on the skills that we learned in day one and day two by getting creative with the repertoire that students are already learning.

• The three levels of creativity in music.
• Understanding how repertoire remixing works.
• How to teach repertoire remixing to your students.
• The benefits of repertoire remixing.
• Playing pieces with repeating left-hand patterns you can practice with your students.
• Discussing today’s homework.
• Q&As and tips.
• Sample homeworks.

Repertoire Remix – Hesitant to Hero Challenge https://vimeo.com/742062075/94328039c1 Links Mentioned TC284: Chord Quick Wins – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 1 TC285: Lead Sheets in Lesson 1 – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 2 Member Links: Hesitant to Hero: Hook Your Students with our Top 5 No-Book Teaching Techniques Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Day two of our Hesitant to Hero Challenge is called Lead Sheets in Lesson 1. It’s all about how you, as a teacher, can teach students about harmony and base some really simple ideas right from when they’re first starting to read their right-hand pieces. You’ll see and hear how the process of teaching this takes place and some examples of how it can be done.

• Ideas you need to share with your students in the beginning.
• Making your method book into lead sheets.
• The process of teaching harmony to your students.
• Examples of how to play chords and melodies.
• Discussing today’s homework.
• Q&As and tips.
• Sample homeworks.

https://vimeo.com/742140387/1327715260 Links Mentioned

• TC284: Chord Quick Wins – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 1
• Related: Left Hand Piano Styles & Patterns
• Related: Taking the Lead Course with Forrest Kinney

Member Links: Hesitant to Hero: Hook Your Students with our Top 5 No-Book Teaching Techniques Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.  

If you’re looking for something completely new to teach to your students or different ways of practicing and building skills for your students, then the Hesitant to Hero Challenge is for you. In just a few days, you’ll have the strategies and skills you need to engage your students. We’ll give you proven methods that will have your students practicing heaps, growing in their own practice, and playing motivation. This will allow them to build connections between core concepts and skills, which can lead to better things like sight-reading and just reading more generally. This episode will be the first day of the challenge where we’ll be tackling Chord Quick Wins.

• Our topics for the next 5 weeks.
• Why I’m passionate about this idea of teaching without the books at the start.
• Tip of the iceberg teaching.
• 3 benefits of holistic music teaching.
• Learning about common chord progressions.
• Writing your own chord progressions.
• How chord progressions will work with students.

https://vimeo.com/742116522/6218e0ce40   What challengers are saying about Chord Quick Wins – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 1: Member Links:

• Hesitant to Hero: Hook Your Students with our Top 5 No-Book Teaching Techniques
• Related: 4 Chord Composing Course

Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Are you looking for inspiration or wanting to find the magic of pushing outside your comfort zone? Well, you’re in luck because in this episode, Jason Sifford shares his inspiring musical journey from childhood to eventually going into academia and quickly leaving to move to a different state to start his career anew. He took a chance on pursuing music independently by running his own studio, and now, composing. It’s such an inspiring story that may just give you that trigger you need to motivate you in pushing outside your comfort zone and to crawl out of your shell and pursue your dreams.

• Jason shares his musical background as a child and going into his teens and early 20s.
• The story of how he started to teach at a later age, going to university, and getting his PhD.
• How he became an Associate Professor, what it means, and what he taught as an academic.
• The elements he used to teach his students piano.
• His experience on moving cities, starting from scratch, and becoming an independent teacher.
• How and when he started to make and compose music.
• Jason tells us about his newly published books and music.
• Advice for teachers who are finding themselves stuck to motivate them in pushing outside their comfort zone.

Links Mentioned

• Jason Sifford Website
• Jason Sifford Facebook

Member Links

• Guitar Hacks – The Iron Maiden Trick
• TopMusic Colouring Book

Today’s Guest Jason Sifford, NCTM is a freelance pianist, teacher, and composer with a wide range of abilities and interests. He maintains a private teaching studio in Iowa City. Jason is in-demand as an adjudicator and clinician, lecturing on such diverse topics as classical performance practice, jazz pedagogy, technical development in young pianists, composition, and music technology. As a composer, Jason focuses on writing engaging music for student pianists. He is currently a composer and clinician for the Willis Music Company/Hal Leonard and is the composer for the Footliters’ Traveling Playhouse, a children’s musical theater project of the City of Coralville, IA. Jason has served on the boards for the Iowa Music Teachers Association and the City Circle Theatre Company. He currently is a commissioner for the MTNA Certification Board and the chair of the Independent Music Teachers Committee for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

What are you currently struggling with as a music teacher right now? With hundreds, even thousands, of available websites and information available to us with the click of a button, it's so easy to say that it isn't lack of information. But rather, it is lack of motivation, focus, and accountability to get things done. In this episode, join us as we unpack how our TopMusic Power Hour can help take you out of that slump and get you groovin' back to your productive self. And find out how you can get a chance to experience a TopMusic Power Hour with us (for a limited time only)! Links Mentioned

• TopCast Episode 279: How to Take a Break and Really Unplug
• Goal Tracking Worksheet

Member Links

• Member Webinar: Partnering with Parents & Students
• Piece by Piece Masterclass with Janna Williamson: The Girl with the Flaxen Hair from Preludes Book 1 by Claude Debussy

Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

What's the secret to building a life-long connection to music? In today's episode, we're sharing the presentation that I gave at Nicola Cantan’s Teacher Turboboost event this year titled “Why playing with others helped me play for life.” We're going to unpack one of the key factors, I believe, that contributes to students forming a love and a life-long connection to music and some concrete examples of how you can apply it to your own students and studio.

• Our mission at TopMusic.
• Memories of my musical activities during my teenage years.
• One common factor in all of my musical memories.
• The challenges of performing students.
• Ideas to get people playing in groups and together.

Freebie: How to Make Music More Social for Your Students PDF Links Mentioned

• How to Plan and Run a Pop Piano Recital
• TopCast034: Building a Piano Community that Students Love with Laura Kahar

Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Michael Gumley, Head of Guitar at TopMusicPro, is joining us once again on the podcast to talk about the newly launched TopMusicGuitar Podcast he’s hosting. In his podcast, Michael interviews awesome guitar teachers doing awesome things in the music education space to share their expertise and knowledge to help you in our own teaching and business. Today, we’re going to get a sneak peek of the guests he’s had and their interesting stories and the future guests that we need to watch out for on the podcast.

• TopMusicGuitar Podcast audience.
• Michael gives us a rundown on some of the guests he’s had on the show.
• Inspirational stories of failures and successes of his podcast guests.
• Future guests on the podcast to look out for.

Links Mentioned

• Tim's AMusA Resources
• TopMusicGuitar Podcast iTunes
• TopMusicGuitar Podcast Spotify

Today’s Guest Michael Gumley is a guitar teacher and music educator from Melbourne, Australia. He’s the owner and head teacher at Melbourne Guitar Academy. He rocked his start at guitar playing at age 15 and was instantly hooked. Michael brings his passion for and love of all things guitar to each and every lesson and seeks to capture the same excitement and wonder that captivated him during his guitar journey with all of his students. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

After wrapping up the Assess, Plan & Execute series, I’m excited to be back hosting this week’s episode with our featured TopMusicSheets composer, Kai Ono. Kai is a versatile musician whose work spans classical, jazz, and popular styles, blending the academic with the intuitive. In our conversation, he shares insights into his creative process, the inspiration behind his bird-themed compositions, and how his diverse musical background influences his teaching and writing. Plus, you’ll hear him perform some of his incredible pieces and discuss how teachers can encourage creativity in their students. Get ready to be inspired by Kai’s unique approach to composition and musicianship!

• Kai shared his background in teaching, performing, and composing.
• How he learned multiple instruments to write better compositions for different ensembles.
• His love for birds and how they inspire his compositions.
• Why he has three keyboards, noting that he uses them for different performance settings.
• His childhood music education, particularly his experience with the Yamaha Music School.
• The importance of early solfège training and improvisation in developing musicianship.
• His biggest musical influences, including Debussy, Stevie Wonder, and jazz pianists like Bill Evans.
• His pedagogical approach to composition, writing music that helps students develop specific technical skills.
• How modal harmony gives him freedom in composition and improvisation.
• Kai shared his positive experience working with TopMusicSheets and how the editing process improved his work.

Links Mentioned

• Learn more about TopMusicSheets here
• Listen to TopMusicSheets Collections on SoundCloud
• Find out more about Jam Sessions Course here
• Check out TopMusicPro courses here

Guest Links Mentioned

• Kai's Instagram Page: @iamokkai
• Kai's Music at My-Melodies.com

Today's Guest Kai Ono is a composer-pianist/singer-songwriter in Queens, NY. A winner of NFMC awards for his classical writing and the ASCAP Herb Alpert Award for his jazz writing, Kai commands a musical style that sways between the cathartic and the intimate, the academic and the intuitive, the traditional and the new. His current artist project, OK KAI, innervated by his neo-soul and folk influences beyond his classical and jazz writing, is his most recent project driven by his love for the marriage of compassion and intellectualism as well as singing with random people in a circle. As an educator, Kai teaches a wide gamut of skills including composition, music theory, playing and improvising popular styles, production, songwriting, and of course classical piano. You can even ask him about his book, For the Birds, which he got published recently as his way of combining all his loves in music (and birds). Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this...

Running a studio isn't easy and because you work so hard, you definitely deserve to go on that dream holiday you've been wanting for so long. When it's finally time to take one, you want to be able to relax and let go of all the worries that come with running a business. But it can be difficult to switch off completely! You have no idea how many times I've tried doing this but ended up checking my messages and emails in the middle of a beach somewhere. Thankfully, I've learnt several ways in which I'm able to reduce distractions and really get away from it all. And that’s what I’m going to share with you in this episode - my 9-step checklist for ultimate relaxation when it’s time to take a break.

• • What you need to do with your emails so you don't end up with tons after your holiday.
  
  

• • Notifications you need to turn off before you leave.
  
  

• • How to inform and prepare your parents, students, and team about your holiday ahead of time.
  
  

• • Tips on how you can continue getting new students even when you're away.
  
  

Links Mentioned

• • Free Blues Teaching Guide
  
  

• • Michael Hyatt’s Vacation Optimiser
  
  

• • How to Unplug While You Are on Vacation
  
  

Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

I was so honoured to be interviewed by Glory St. Germain for her book The Power Of Why: Why 29 Musicians Climbed to Superstar. That’s what I’m going to share with you in this episode. What we talked about in this interview later became a chapter in her book called Notes from Miss Mac. In our conversation, I share my personal journey, the lessons I learned, the challenges I faced, and the genesis of the TopMusicPro community. I also shared how Miss Mac became such a powerful influence in all of this. 

• What got me started in the music business.
• How my lessons were made fun by my teacher, Miss Mac.
• The genesis of TopMusicPro community.
• The why behind changing Tim Topham to TopMusic.
• Challenges that we faced inside TopMusic during the COVID pandemic.
• My top three accomplishments.

Links Mentioned

• The Power Of Why: Why 29 Musicians Climbed to Superstar

Today’s Guest Glory St. Germain Founder/CEO, TEDx Speaker, International Bestselling Author of 50+ Ultimate Music Theory Books & The Power of WHY Musicians Series. Glory St. Germain ARCT RMT MYCC UMTC is the music theory expert. She has held positions in many music teacher organizations and associations. Glory's passion for teaching excellence sets a new standard of achievement in Music Theory Education in producing continuous training through her online courses, her membership for Ultimate Music Teachers, and her business coaching. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.

Achieving ongoing success as a music teacher is all about having the right tools at your disposal. TopMusicPro offers you access to courses, workshops, lesson plans, and resources so you can provide your students with the very best in music education. To help you find the most valuable courses for your teaching needs, I’ve listed down our top 10 courses inside the TopMusicPro Academy that will help you become a better teacher today. Top 10 Courses inside TopMusicPro

1. No Book Beginners
2. Taking the Lead with Forrest Kinney
3. Teaching Students with Special Needs
4. Teaching Teens and Transfer Students
5. Technique Foundations and Transformations
6. Build your Music Studio Website
7. Growing a Group Teaching Studio
8. Make More, Teach Less with Pairs, Buddies and Labs
9. Orff-Schulwerk & Whole Body Learning
10. Teaching Guitar Scales

Links Mentioned

• TopMusicSheets
• TopMusicPro popular courses

Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Fridays weekly.