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CPTP075: The 5 Myths of Improvisation with Bradley Sowash

by Mauro Dalu

Bradley is a fantastic improviser and has inspired many piano teachers to bring creativity into their piano teaching studios. Through this experience, he has found these 5 myths of improvisation stop many classically trained pianists from getting started with jazz or improv. When we allow ourselves to believe these myths, we’re closing ourselves and our ... CPTP075: The 5 Myths of Improvisation with Bradley Sowash

02/14/2017 Read more

CPTP086: Top 5 Pop Piano Teaching Hacks with Coen Modder

by Mauro Dalu

Playing classical music didn’t really appeal to Coen when he was a kid – so he started forging his own path. He found his way into piano playing through pop music and now teaches his students using the vocabulary of chords as the foundation. Coen is passionate about pop piano teaching. He treats teaching music ... CPTP086: Top 5 Pop Piano Teaching Hacks with Coen Modder

05/03/2017 Read more

CPTP088: 15,390 Pop Songs and Counting: The Hooktheory Story

by Mauro Dalu

Hooktheory is a truly innovative site. It looks at harmony from a completely different perspective than traditional music theory. This is what happens when you bring together three engineers with a shared passion for music. By analysing the underlying chord progressions of thousands of pop songs – these guys are not simply learning what makes for a ... CPTP088: 15,390 Pop Songs and Counting: The Hooktheory Story

05/17/2017 Read more

CPTP089: Carol Matz on Piano Teaching and Arranging

by Mauro Dalu

Carol Matz is well known in the piano teaching community for her Famous and Fun series, and more recently for her Interactive Piano Method. She’s also an experienced piano teacher herself and she knows what works when it comes to great pedagogical arrangements. But Carol is also on the podcast to talk about the other ... CPTP089: Carol Matz on Piano Teaching and Arranging

05/24/2017 Read more

CPTP107: How to Simplify and Teach a Pop Song by Ear

by Mauro Dalu

When it comes to teaching pop, sometimes the best approach is to learn it aurally. Working out a pop song by ear gives you more opportunities to teach your students theory, and creates a much more musical experience. In this episode I take you through step-by-step how you can teach your students a pop song ... CPTP107: How to Simplify and Teach a Pop Song by Ear

10/03/2017 Read more

CPTP110: Why Every Student Should Know Happy Birthday with Lucinda Mackworth-Young

by Mauro Dalu

Lucinda was trained in a traditional classical system, but when she realised that she couldn’t even play Happy Birthday at a party (without sheet music) she felt a little cheated. Why couldn’t she do something so simple after all these years of study? She wished that someone who had these playing by ear skills would write ... CPTP110: Why Every Student Should Know Happy Birthday with Lucinda Mackworth-Young

10/24/2017 Read more
 

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CPTP127: Jon Schmidt from The Piano Guys

by Mauro Dalu

Jon Schmidt is none other than the “piano guy” from The Piano Guys. He is a pianist, composer, piano teacher, and author, and I’m delighted to have him join me on the podcast for this episode. The Piano Guys are known for their incredible pop and classical arrangements. In 2016 they passed 1 billion views on YouTube ... CPTP127: Jon Schmidt from The Piano Guys

05/16/2018 Read more

CPTP138: What is 4 Chord Composing All About?

by Mauro Dalu

Playing simple 4 chord progressions can open up so many possibilities for students. It can lead them to a better understanding of music and it can give them the skills they need to recover from a mistake in a performance or accompany a singer. One of my favourite activities for piano lessons is chord composing. ... CPTP138: What is 4 Chord Composing All About?

09/05/2018 Read more

CPTP144: [Case Study] Pop Piano Teaching in Action with Anna Fagan

by Mauro Dalu

Pop piano teaching doesn’t have to be something you do just for fun, or just because your student begs you. It can actually have real value for your students in so many ways. The approach I advocate for teaching pop music might feel a bit foreign: focusing on chords, simplifying music and teaching rhythm by ... CPTP144: [Case Study] Pop Piano Teaching in Action with Anna Fagan

10/23/2018 Read more

CPTP149: How the 5DPP revolutionised one teacher’s studio with Lisa Kiernan

by Mauro Dalu

Last December Nicola Cantan and I ran something we called the 5 Day Piano Pivot or “5DPP” for short. This free challenge was designed to help piano teachers really think through and plan the future of their piano studio. Too often as self-employed piano teachers we can get stuck in the weeds of the teaching, ... CPTP149: How the 5DPP revolutionised one teacher’s studio with Lisa Kiernan

11/28/2018 Read more

CPTP171: How to Teach Piano Songwriting with Lisa Donovan Lukas

by Mauro Dalu

Have you thought about incorporating songwriting into your students’ piano lessons but just don’t know how or where to start?  Lisa Donovan Lukas, author of The Young Musician’s guide to Songwriting shares valuable lessons from her book on her process to encourage both teachers and students to use their creativity and explore songwriting. Aside from ... CPTP171: How to Teach Piano Songwriting with Lisa Donovan Lukas

10/01/2019 Read more

TC189: 5 Tips for Teaching Piano to Teens

by Mauro Dalu

What does it take to become the go-to piano teacher for teenagers? In this episode, I’m giving you my 5 tips for teaching piano to teens. Most of my tips are actually relevant to teaching students of other ages, too – including adults. I cover strategies you can use to approach teaching piano to teens ... TC189: 5 Tips for Teaching Piano to Teens

05/08/2020 Read more

TC190: Inspiring and Motivating Teens with Jerald Simon

by Mauro Dalu

Learn about inspiring and motivating teen piano students in this podcast episode. Jerald Simon of Music Motivation joins us in a rebroadcast of one of our favourite shows from last year. One of the interesting points Jerald shares in this conversation is a story about one of his students coming in for a lesson and ... TC190: Inspiring and Motivating Teens with Jerald Simon

05/15/2020 Read more

TC198: Broadway Composer Andrew Gerle on the Art of Songwriting

by Mauro Dalu

In this episode, we’ll meet Broadway composer Andrew Gerle and learn about the art of songwriting, sight reading and auditioning successfully. Andrew is an award-winning composer and lyricist, music director, and author who came from a classical background. His love for theatre has brought him to work on dozens of Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional and touring ... TC198: Broadway Composer Andrew Gerle on the Art of Songwriting

07/10/2020 Read more

TC199: How Rock Out Loud Outperforms Zoom for Music Lessons Online

by Mauro Dalu

Today we’re taking a look at Rock Out Loud Live, which is well-positioned to take over Zoom’s market share for online music lessons. We’ll meet Mike Grande, the founder of Rock Out Loud Live, and hear why he’s created this new teaching platform, niched specifically for musicians and just released in July 2020. In this ... TC199: How Rock Out Loud Outperforms Zoom for Music Lessons Online

07/17/2020 Read more

TC200: Jacob Collier Talks Music and Education

by Mauro Dalu

Jacob Collier, the 4-time Grammy award-winning young music legend from London, joins us today on a very special episode, no. 200 on the TopCast show. 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 ... TC200: Jacob Collier Talks Music and Education

07/24/2020 Read more

TC201: Unpacking our new TopMusicPro Lite and Evolution tiers

by Mauro Dalu

We all learn best when the best minds all come together, ask questions, support each other, share ideas. And that’s what having and being part of a membership like TopMusicPro is all about.  Not every teacher has the same plans and goals. But regardless of where you are in your teaching journey, we can support ... TC201: Unpacking our new TopMusicPro Lite and Evolution tiers

07/31/2020 Read more

TC212 Is Tonaly the Ultimate App for Chord Progressions?

by Mauro Dalu

With Tonaly app, our latest favourite theory/composition tool, we found a better way to teach and have fun using chord progressions in music lessons. (Ever had trouble explaining and using the circle of fifths easily with students? Us, too!) Christian Hengst, the Tonaly app developer and a bass player himself, joins us on the podcast ... TC212 Is Tonaly the Ultimate App for Chord Progressions?

10/16/2020 Read more

TC219: Pro Piano Skills for Teen Students with Carol Matz

by Mauro Dalu

Carol Matz joins us on the show today to talk about Pro Piano skills and specifically why older and teen students need and want them. Her Interactive Piano method helps your students learn how to “strum” chords, play along with lead sheets, and develop real-world musicianship skills like composing or improvising. If you’re looking to ... TC219: Pro Piano Skills for Teen Students with Carol Matz

12/04/2020 Read more

TC226: What is 4 Chord Composing All About? (archives)

by Mauro Dalu

So many students can play well – but how many can write and compose? Do your piano students know essentials like 4 Chord Composing? Get them started easily with this simple composing framework. Learning the essentials of chord progressions can lead students to a better understanding of music. It can also give them the skills ... TC226: What is 4 Chord Composing All About? (archives)

01/29/2021 Read more

TC238: Member Spotlight: Roslyn Walters on Creative Composition

by Mauro Dalu

In this episode, I’m bringing on one of our TopMusicPro members, Roslyn Walters, to talk about how she is using ideas, lessons and strategies from TopMusicPro in her own teaching. We specifically focus on how she ingeniously integrated our Creativity Kickstarter lessons to teach and explore creative composition and improvisation to her students. Roslyn has ... TC238: Member Spotlight: Roslyn Walters on Creative Composition

04/23/2021 Read more

TC241: YouTube Masterclass with Carlos Pacheco

by Mauro Dalu

Have you ever wondered whether YouTube could be a powerful marketing channel for your studio or business? If you are an aspiring content creator or are already creating videos for YouTube, you should definitely tune in to this YouTube masterclass episode. Carlos Pacheco, our YouTube channel manager, joins me to tackle the questions you have ... TC241: YouTube Masterclass with Carlos Pacheco

05/14/2021 Read more

TC242: Understanding Dyslexia: How Teaching Language Relates to Teaching Music with Becki Laurent

by Mauro Dalu

Did you know that 1 in 5 people in the USA have dyslexia? So, if you’ve got 20 students, the odds are pretty high that at least four are dyslexic. Therefore, understanding dyslexia is an important tool to have. In today’s episode, Becki Laurent joins us to talk about how we can better reach our ... TC242: Understanding Dyslexia: How Teaching Language Relates to Teaching Music with Becki Laurent

05/21/2021 Read more

TC243: Quick Bites: Unpacking Evolution Innovations with Tim Topham

by Mauro Dalu

Are you one of those teachers who want to expand their business while not trading time for money anymore? You can do it with a little bit of imagination and a lot of help from TopMusicPro Evolution. In this episode, Tim unpacks Evolution Innovation from inspiration he has found in some of our current Evolution ... TC243: Quick Bites: Unpacking Evolution Innovations with Tim Topham

05/28/2021 Read more

TC244: Supporting your local community with Mike Grande

by Mauro Dalu

We’ve got a return guest today, Mike Grande, who actually came on the show about a year ago right at the start of the pandemic.  We’re doing a catch up on what he’s been up to, how he handled the closure of his half a million dollar school in New York 5 months after it ... TC244: Supporting your local community with Mike Grande

06/04/2021 Read more