Methods Archives - Top Music Co

by Michael McGregor

Review: Rockschool Piano Method Books 1 & 2 for beginners

by Tim Topham

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

by Tim Topham

So, have you started using my No Book Beginners (NBB) Framework to help your beginner students at the piano? If not, make sure you check it out because in today’s article, I’m going to be talking about how you can continue this creative approach as you start exploring a piano method book. While there are lots of books on ... How to Teach Creatively Using a Piano Method Book

by Tim Topham

When I started to explore Piano Safari I was excited. I’ve looked at many piano methods and none made quite as much sense to me as Piano Safari does. The books include rote teaching, intervallic reading, technique and improvisation all in one method. What’s not to love? The way they approach technique is truly inspired. Julie and ... TTTV071: Exploring Piano Safari with Dr Julie Knerr and Katherine Fisher

by Tim Topham

I believe that Music Learning Theory has been one of the most profound themes I’ve ever featured on the blog and I’m so thankful to everyone who has shared their ideas and stories around this remarkable approach to music education. It has certainly changed my thinking on music teaching. Has it changed yours? For the final post ... Music Learning Theory Wrap-Up

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

Plans & Pricing

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

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

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]

by Tim Topham

Neil Moore didn’t follow the traditional path to piano teaching. He never read music in his own piano lessons. So when he had the opportunity to teach a visually impaired student, he wondered how he could teach him the way he learned. He started to explore teaching using patterns, and gradually developed the Simply Music ... TTTV049: Simply Music with Neil Moore

by Tim Topham

In today’s podcast we’re exploring MLT (Music Learning Theory) and how it applies to piano teaching, with Marilyn Lowe. Marilyn Lowe searched for a long time for a piano method she loved. When she heard about Music Learning Theory it seemed to fill in a lot of the blanks…The only problem was there were no ... TTTV048: Exploring MLT with Marilyn Lowe

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?