Pedagogy
blog posts

Teach music confidently without the stress

Recent Guitar Pedagogy Creativity Repertoire Beginners Studio Business

Looking for the best piano masterclass videos?

by Tim Topham

No doubt you send your students to masterclasses and have perhaps even participated in or conducted one yourself in the past. There are many fantastic masterclass videos on YouTube which I won’t worry about listing here (just search for whatever piece you’re looking for + “masterclass”), but there is a great channel called MMF Masterclass ... Looking for the best piano masterclass videos?

09/06/2012 Read more

Is 30 minutes enough?

by Tim Topham

“Enough for what?” you might ask. If I asked how many of you find it hard to find the time to incorporate aural, theory, sight-reading, general knowledge, composition, harmony and improvisation studies into your students’ 30 minute lessons, would you put up your hand? In order to provide our students with a holistic musical education ... Is 30 minutes enough?

09/04/2012 Read more

Best digital pianos for students

by Tim Topham

What’s the best digital piano? Perhaps you say, “Just get one with weighted keys and a pedal”, or maybe you advise students to, “buy a digital piano that has a stand and three pedals that looks like a real piano”? Whatever your current level of knowledge about digital pianos, if you find it hard to ... Best digital pianos for students

07/06/2012 Read more

Preparing for Piano General Knowledge: Questions parents can ask their children.

by Tim Topham

Students need all the help they can get! Parents are probably one of the best resources for assisting students to prepare for the general knowledge section of their practical examinations. This section of the exam, also called “Musical Knowledge” (Trinity) or Viva Voce for some exam boards, is an important component of the practical examination, ... Preparing for Piano General Knowledge: Questions parents can ask their children.

06/13/2012 Read more

The Virtuoso Teacher – Paul Harris

by Tim Topham

I found this great article while reading the ABRSM’s tri-annual newsletter Libretto (free to download from their website) and found it a really encouraging article for teachers. It’s particularly encouraging for teachers like me who struggle to find enough practice time each day to become/remain virtuoso performers themselves, but who regularly spend six hours or ... The Virtuoso Teacher – Paul Harris

06/05/2012 Read more

Dorothy Taubman, Thomas Mark and practising without injury

by Tim Topham

For anyone who still believes in a high finger technique and isn’t familiar with the Taubman approach to technique: watch the following video (and the next three in the sequence). This will be the best 50 mins of YouTubing you’ll do this year! For more information, check out the Taubman Institute and Golandsky Institute websites. ... Dorothy Taubman, Thomas Mark and practising without injury

05/18/2012 Read more
 

Join the the preeminent professional development, learning and networking community for instrumental music teachers.

 
topmusic topmusic
 

Remote piano teaching: Jarrod Rachnich, MIDI, Skype

by Tim Topham

Having recently tried my own experience of Skype piano lessons with a student in America, I came across these two clips by well-known US teacher Jarrod Radnich and his high-tech system of remote piano teaching. This technology not only allows you to communicate with a remote student by video, but to also see what your ... Remote piano teaching: Jarrod Rachnich, MIDI, Skype

05/03/2012 Read more

Piano Teaching Tips: YouTube tutorials from Paul Barton

by Tim Topham

Paul Barton is a pianist and teacher I’ve been following for some time on YouTube. He is an Englishman who now lives and teaches with his wife in Thailand, of all places. I found out the following about him from his studio website: Paul Barton has a post-graduate diploma from the Royal Academy of Arts, ... Piano Teaching Tips: YouTube tutorials from Paul Barton

04/28/2012 Read more

Best iPad apps for piano teachers

by Tim Topham

Last updated: 5/4/19 Why you need iPad apps for piano teaching I’ve had an iPad now for a number of years and, like most iPad converts, I can’t think how I’d ever teach without it! It has literally revolutionised the way I do most things: store files and music,  research, read papers and magazines, watch ... Best iPad apps for piano teachers

04/27/2012 Read more

Teaching 12 Bar Blues to inspire beginners (especially boys!)

by Tim Topham

Want a quick-win in your next lesson? One of the best ways I’ve found to get kids really motivated to play piano is by working on a 12 bar blues. There is heaps you can do with this simple framework, and it works for students of all levels – whether they are beginners or have been ... Teaching 12 Bar Blues to inspire beginners (especially boys!)

04/20/2012 Read more

Helping Students Disconnect through Piano | Hamlet’s Blackberry

by Tim Topham

I’m currently holidaying in Bali and have really enjoyed reading “Hamlets Blackberry” by William Powers. This book argues how our insatiable desire to be connected and ever-attached to our “screens” (his generic term for anything digital connected to the Internet: phones, emails, computers, iPads, etc.) is actually causing far more harm and personal disconnection than ... Helping Students Disconnect through Piano | Hamlet’s Blackberry

04/09/2012 Read more

Behzod Abduraimov | Melbourne Recital Centre

by Tim Topham

Much as been said about 22-year-old Uzbekistan pianist Behzod Abduraimov since he came to prominence after winning grand prize at the 2009 London International Piano Competition, and so it was with great anticipation that I went to his recital at the Recital Centre on Tuesday 27 March, 2012. One thing was instantly clear: this guy ... Behzod Abduraimov | Melbourne Recital Centre

03/30/2012 Read more