Teaching Pop
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Teach music confidently without the stress

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Integrating Pop Piano Teaching into Your Studio

by Tim Topham

If you’ve been following my writing for any length of time, you will be aware that I’m passionate about helping students learn the music they want to learn. Part of that approach will naturally involve pop music because it’s the kind of music that 9/10 students are listening to at the moment. Students often want ... Integrating Pop Piano Teaching into Your Studio

05/01/2017 Read more

How to Teach a Pop Song with No Music [Repertoire Rap #3]

by Tim Topham

Hi again, everyone. It’s Tim Topham here with another Facebook live repertoire rap. These are my overviews of some of the stuff that I’m doing with my students in regard to music that they want to learn and some of the best books that are out there that I’m finding. As you come on the ... How to Teach a Pop Song with No Music [Repertoire Rap #3]

03/09/2017 Read more

Pop Piano Resources

by Tim Topham

I've decided to start a new list of resources which can help teachers who are approaching pop music in their lessons. This list will automatically update as new posts about pop are posted. Enjoy! If you're interested in my 8-part How to Teach Pop Music course called "PianoFlix", then head over to TopMusicPro and sign up ... Pop Piano Resources

04/20/2016 Read more

The 10 Commandments of Teaching Pop

by Tim Topham

Want to know the 10 rules that I always follow when teaching pop music to today’s students? I’ve called the list my 10 Commandments of Teaching Pop and you can find it below.   The 10 Commandments of Teaching Pop Ask them what they want to learn. The first and most important commandment! Make sure you ask ... The 10 Commandments of Teaching Pop

01/18/2016 Read more

Don’t Just Play It: Teach and Compose It with Tim, Leila & Bradley [Pop Webinar]

by Tim Topham

 Times they are a-changin! Are you finding that more and more of your students (and their parents) are looking for a more contemporary focus in their piano lessons? Are you struggling to maintain and build your studio numbers in an area with lots of teachers doing much the same thing as each other? Are you ... Don’t Just Play It: Teach and Compose It with Tim, Leila & Bradley [Pop Webinar]

12/18/2015 Read more

My new go-to piano sheet music resource: Noviscore

by Tim Topham

Do you sometimes find it hard to source good-quality arrangements of piano sheet music (especially pop) that your students actually enjoy playing, that actually sound good and that are fun to teach?

10/29/2015 Read more
 

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Teaching Classical Piano by Teaching Pop Piano

by Rebecca Langley

I’m really happy to have Rebecca Langley write for the blog this week. Rebecca’s article about making connections in music goes right to the core of what effective piano pedagogy is all about and the timing couldn’t be better: my podcast with Paul Harris (Mr. Making Connections in Music Himself!) goes live this Sunday and picks-up exactly the ... Teaching Classical Piano by Teaching Pop Piano

07/23/2015 Read more

How to Build Essential Musicianship with Pop Songs Students Love

by Doug Hanvey

In your quest to help students travel the path of piano mastery, have you ever considered teaching them how to play a lead sheet? Teaching students how to play lead sheets – melody and chord symbols – of popular songs is the hot new trend in piano studios these days. It’s easy enough to find ... How to Build Essential Musicianship with Pop Songs Students Love

06/19/2015 Read more

Top 10 Pop Songs for Piano Students

by Tim Topham

If you’ve decided to embrace teaching pop in your studio in the last few years, well done! (If you haven’t, then keep reading as I’m determined to get you thinking more about how this can impact your studio positively starting right now). There are myriad pedagogical benefits of working with students on pop music, including keeping ... Top 10 Pop Songs for Piano Students

06/09/2015 Read more

How Do I Find Out What Pop Music to Teach?

by Tim Topham

If you're teaching in a 21st Century piano studio (and I hope you are!), you're hopefully open to teaching pop music. Perhaps this is a new area of teaching for you, or perhaps you've always taught pop music and reading from lead sheets.    Whatever your situation, I'm really glad that you've decided to take ... How Do I Find Out What Pop Music to Teach?

04/24/2015 Read more

Piano Teaching Q&A: Piano Pop Music | The Teaching Studio

by Tim Topham

What do you actually think about letting your students play pop music? When I was researching my PianoFlix Teaching Pop course, I came across this article from The Teaching Studio Blog by Jenny Bay. It is one teacher’s response to a question that I get asked all the time: “Why teach pop?” and it is a response that resonates ... Piano Teaching Q&A: Piano Pop Music | The Teaching Studio

02/10/2015 Read more

Easy pop music arrangements that actually sound good!

by Tim Topham

Finding easy pop music arrangements can be tough! There’s been a fair bit of discussion over at the PianoFlix discussion threads regarding how hard it is to find pop music arrangements that are not only playable by beginners, but actually sound like the real versions. This is one of the hardest things about introducing pop music into your ... Easy pop music arrangements that actually sound good!

12/23/2014 Read more