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A Holistic Approach to Reading Music

by Andrew Bishko, Musical U

An expert guest post from Musical U’s Andrew Bishko looking at reading music.  Reading Music How did you learn to talk? What, no book?! Yet all too often, music education starts with reading music rather than playing music. And speaking of reading, how did you learn to read? Simply by looking at letters on a page?

05/28/2018 Read more

10 Tips on Engaging Preschool Music Students through Movement

by Megan Desmarais

Teaching Preschool Music Students Read right to the end to find out details for this week’s free live webinar on how to thrive teaching troubling toddlers! Preschoolers are a popular demographic to reach within a piano studio these days. The under five crowd is a delightful group to work with. They’re fun, curious and energetic.

04/24/2018 Read more

How to Teach Chord Progressions to Beginners – Video Tutorial

by Tim Topham

Teaching Chord Progressions To start the year off with a bang, I’ve been teaching most of my students about chord progressions and how easy they are to construct.

02/19/2018 Read more

Product Review: The Musicolor Method

by Carol Koczo

Welcome to another product review on topmusic.co. If you’re interested in learning more about some of the products our community is using, why not check out these links?

01/15/2018 Read more

How to Find Your Perfect Piano Teaching Method

by Megan Desmarais

When you first start teaching music, one of the hardest things is deciding what your piano teaching method is going to be. What kind of teacher will you be? How will you inspire your students? These are all questions to consider before your first student walks into your sparkly new piano studio.

11/07/2017 Read more

Cool Late Beginner Music Part 2 [RR#5]

by Tim Topham

Good morning everyone, or good evening if you’re over in the states or Europe. Tim Topham here again for my fortnightly Repertoire Rap-Up.

04/19/2017 Read more
 

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Fun Late Beginner Piano Music [RR#4]

by Tim Topham

Fun Late Beginner Piano Music [RR#4] Tim Topham: It’s Tim Topham here and I’m really excited today to show you some of my recent finds and the things that I’ve been using over the last few years for late beginner students.

03/28/2017 Read more

How to Teach Beginner Piano Students [No Book Beginners]

by Tim Topham

    What is the best way to teach beginner piano students and to inspire, engage and motivate them in their first lesson? Is it through opening a method book and teaching students how to read middle C?

03/26/2017 Read more

Why I Teach Beginner Piano Students Without a Method Book

by Tim Topham

Teaching young beginners effectively is one of the most critical jobs in music education.  But how often do you assess your strategies for when you teach beginner piano versus continuing to teach the way you’ve always taught (or, worse still, the way you yourself were taught)?

03/22/2017 Read more

Teaching Beginner Piano and Planning a Curriculum

by Tim Topham

This month's theme is all about teaching beginner piano in a more fun and creative way and planning lessons for maximum impact without relying on exam boards or other set curricula. I'll be releasing my "No Book Beginners" course to help you engage your students in creative, musical activities before they ever open a method book and we'll explore ideas for lesson planning and sequencing at all levels. Can't wait!

03/02/2017 Read more

Fun First Piano Lesson: 12 Bar Blues [videos and lesson plans]

by Tim Topham

The first piano lesson of the year is a great time to do something different with your students. And I don’t mean just choosing a new piece of music. I mean scrapping the music altogether and getting off the page. It’s easier to do than you might think and kids love it.

01/24/2017 Read more

How to Build an Early Childhood Music Program from Scratch

by Paul Myatt

A plethora of research confirms why we, as music educators, should educate little ones.

11/16/2016 Read more