The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Too often, I see well-meaning parents unknowingly limiting their child’s potential by holding onto outdated ideas of what music lessons should be.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 [email protected]

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.

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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.