About the author

Nicola Cantan

Nicola Cantan is a piano teacher, author, blogger and creator of imaginative and engaging teaching resources. Nicola's Vibrant Music Teaching Library is helping teachers all over the world to include more games and off-bench activities in their lessons, so that their students giggle their way through music theory and make faster progress. She also runs a popular blog, Colourful Keys, where she shares creative ideas and teaching strategies.

How to Use Music Theory Games to Get Real Results

by Nicola Cantan

Do you use music theory games in your lessons? If so, when do you use them? As a break when students get a bit wiggly? Or in a thought-out way with purpose? Table Of Contents: Should You Use Music Theory Games? Spoiler: the main takeaway from this blog is “yes.

07/24/2023 Read more

The Best Aural Piano Activities for Absolute Beginner Piano Students

by Nicola Cantan

Try these 6 aural piano activities and your beginner piano students will be begging for more ear training time as they listen, jump and march.

05/15/2023 Read more

4 Ways You Can Make More Money Teaching Piano in Fewer Hours

by Nicola Cantan

Make More Money Teaching Piano Are you looking to make more money for the same teaching hours? Or teaching fewer hours? Aren’t we all! In this article, I want to share 4 ideas with you that could help you do just that.

08/31/2022 Read more

Introducing TopMusicPro Lite Membership

by Nicola Cantan

Ultra-short on time? When you need pro-level tools and tips in to-go size servings, look at TopMusicPro Lite level.

06/12/2020 Read more

Amplify and Elevate New Student Practice Routines in Your Piano Studio

by Nicola Cantan

For most piano teachers, September brings a whole slew of new piano students through the doors. This is both an exciting and a super busy time in a piano teacher’s calendar. It’s also an opportunity to start fresh – to make practice happen from the get-go.

09/18/2018 Read more

How to Relieve Stress by Defining Success as a Piano Teacher

by Nicola Cantan

Defining Success How do we know when we’re successful? Who decides what success means for a piano teacher? We do. Trouble is, most of us never decide what success means to us. And if you don’t decide, if you don’t set some kind of target you’re trying to hit, you’ll never feel successful.

07/02/2018 Read more
 

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How to Build and Launch a Music Membership Website

by Nicola Cantan

Case Study with Nicola Cantan: Starting a Music Membership Website Is this right for you? So, you’re thinking you might want to start a membership site, maybe one like the Inner Circle. Cool! I think memberships or subscription based sites are absolutely fantastic business models with a lot of benefits.

05/02/2018 Read more

How to Set Up Your New Piano Studio for Sensational Success

by Nicola Cantan

Are you about to start a new piano studio? Maybe you’ve just graduated from college. Maybe you tried teaching your niece, loved it, and want to see if this career is right for you. Or perhaps you’ve been teaching for a while and have just resolved to start taking it “seriously”.

11/20/2017 Read more

How to Adapt Your Teaching for Partner Piano Lessons

by Nicola Cantan

Partner Piano Lessons When I first posted an article about teaching partner piano lessons I was surprised at the huge reaction I got from teachers. They were excited. They were intrigued. But they also had tons of questions: What’s my setup like? How long are the lessons?

09/06/2017 Read more

Composition Kickstarters: 5 Ways to Inspire Your Students to Write Music

by Nicola Cantan

Some piano students can be a bit reluctant to compose music. Perhaps they’re nervous, or feel under pressure to come up with something amazing. So much so that they just…can’t get started. When this happens – don’t give up! These cautious composers usually just need a composition kickstarter to get the ball rolling.

08/09/2017 Read more

Supercharge Your Piano Studio Organisation with Google Gadgetry

by Nicola Cantan

When it comes to piano studio organisation, there are many great options. You might be a pencil and paper type of person, you may be using Microsoft applications, or even something specifically designed for music teachers such as My Music Staff.

07/12/2017 Read more

5 Absolute Essentials of an Exceptional Piano Studio Website

by Nicola Cantan

You probably know you need a piano studio website. That’s not news to you. But what are the absolute essentials that need to go on a studio website? What takes your website from being just average to being exceptional? These are the essentials that can help you stand out from the crowd.

07/05/2017 Read more