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TTTV051: Audiation in Action with Andy Mullen

by Tim Topham

This month has been Music Learning Theory month on topmusic.co and with that has come a lot of talk about audiation. But what is audiation really? What does it mean and how does it look in a teaching context? If we want students to take full ownership or musical concepts and patterns, they should be able ... TTTV051: Audiation in Action with Andy Mullen

07/30/2016 Read more

Get Your Piano Students Grooving with Bucket Drumming

by Leila Viss

I’m so excited that TopMusicPro Community Members Leila Viss, Marie Lee and Heather Nanney could come on the blog and share details about their latest resource: Bucket Drumming for Piano Teachers.  If you’ve ever asked yourself: Why do my students struggle so much with rhythm?  Then this is a resource you’re going to want to explore. Making connections with Music ... Get Your Piano Students Grooving with Bucket Drumming

07/29/2016 Read more

How Music Learning Theory Gives Meaning To What We Teach

by Andy Mullen

  Well-meaning piano teachers sit students down at the piano, and immediately take out the method book, and show their student, for example, where middle C is on the staff, and where it is on the piano…They begin with the eye, and with reading, with little, if any, attention to a student’s audiation. If we instead ... How Music Learning Theory Gives Meaning To What We Teach

07/27/2016 Read more

Feel the Beat off the Seat | Tips for Teaching Rhythm

by Barbara Grout

This week’s article comes from Music Learning Theory (MLT) teacher and presenter, Barbara Grout and is all about Tips for Teaching Rhythm. Rhythm is one of those fundamental aspects of music that many of us fail to help students understand and feel innately. If you’ve ever had a student not realise that they’ve ‘missed’ a beat in ... Feel the Beat off the Seat | Tips for Teaching Rhythm

07/20/2016 Read more

Why teaching music reading is the wrong way to teach piano [Part 2]

by Paul Myatt

In Part 2 of this series (click here for Part 1), I’m going to go into details about strategies that you can use to engage in a more multi-sensory approach to teaching including aural and music reading strategies and the importance of singing. Aural Strategies You may have some students who are very good readers. You, ... Why teaching music reading is the wrong way to teach piano [Part 2]

07/18/2016 Read more

How learning guitar made me a better piano teacher

by Tim Topham

Question: Why is learning guitar so popular? Answer: Because it’s easy to sound cool and play great music in just a couple of lessons. What can piano teachers learn from this? Can we use a guitar-teaching method and apply it to piano? The backstory Back when I was working as an outdoor education teacher on an ... How learning guitar made me a better piano teacher

07/13/2016 Read more
 

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Why teaching music reading is the wrong way to teach piano [Part 1]

by Paul Myatt

In this article, Inner Circle Expert teacher Paul Myatt will get you thinking about the order in which you are teaching music. What should come first: reading or listening/creating/singing?  As you might have guessed, there is a wealth of evidence to suggest that the best way to teach music is the same as the way we learn to speak ... Why teaching music reading is the wrong way to teach piano [Part 1]

07/11/2016 Read more

Music Learning Theory

by Tim Topham

When I first heard about Music Learning Theory and the work of Dr Edwin Gordon, a whole lot of puzzle pieces I had about music reading suddenly fitted into place. Put simply, Music Learning Theory is a research-based explanation of how we learn when we learn music. What is the best approach? How do we give students the skills they need to 'talk' the language of music before they start reading?

07/05/2016 Read more

Stop Stressing about Business – It’s Bad for Business!

by Nicola Cantan

Most piano teachers don’t become teachers because they love invoicing, scheduling and writing policies. We teach because we love music, love working with kids, and because we love being able to share our knowledge. The reality for most though is that running your own studio is the only viable way to be a piano teacher. ... Stop Stressing about Business – It’s Bad for Business!

06/20/2016 Read more

The Secret Business Strategies of a Thriving Teacher

by Daniel Patterson

I’m so pleased that Daniel Patterson from GrowYourMusicStudio has been able to provide his thoughts on the business strategies of running a piano studio this week.  I’ve been following Daniel’s work for some time. He really is a master of piano studio marketing, particularly regarding social media and the importance of Facebook.  In this article, Daniel ... The Secret Business Strategies of a Thriving Teacher

06/03/2016 Read more

What’s the best marketing strategy for piano teachers?

by Tim Topham

Have you got a Marketing Strategy? If there’s one thing with which many piano teachers struggle today, it’s keeping up with the business side of their studios. It’s what people told me on the survey at the start of the year and it’s why I’ve been focussing on business this month on the blog. Finances, ... What’s the best marketing strategy for piano teachers?

06/01/2016 Read more

Piano sheet music for adventurous students [download]

by Tim Topham

One of the great joys of having a blog is that it allows you to spread the word about the amazing music, resources, software and books that you find and use in your studio. In the case of this article, it’s all about the outstanding music of Australian composer/teacher, Geri Rea, which I’m proud to publish for the ... Piano sheet music for adventurous students [download]

05/23/2016 Read more