Pop piano teaching doesn’t have to be something you do just for fun, or just because your student begs you. It can actually have real value for your students in so many ways.

The approach I advocate for teaching pop music might feel a bit foreign: focusing on chords, simplifying music and teaching rhythm by ear, but it doesn’t have to be scary. Even if you’ve never played a pop piece or you don’t have a clue what’s on the radio right now, you can still teach this way.

Anna Fagan is an Inner Circle member who has had great success with one of my resources, the Top 10 Pop Songs download. She’s on the podcast today to share how she brings pop piano teaching into her studio and the benefits for her students.

Transcript

If you’d like to download a PDF transcript of this episode, please click below.

In this episode, you’ll learn

• How to know which songs will be popular with students
• What to do when a student brings in something that’s too hard
• How to simplify pop music with students
• How one teacher has put pop piano teaching into action
• The best approach for learning pop piano rhythms
• How you can bring pop piano teaching into your classical studio

Links Mentioned

• Top 10 Pop Songs for Piano Students
• Free Webinars
• Yamaha Notestar

Today’s Sponsor

My Music Staff is studio management made easy – our web-based software helps you manage the core aspects of your private music teaching business. Whether you are a single teacher or part of a multi-teacher studio team, our affordable software is a perfect fit and designed to help your business achieve success.

My Music Staff can do everything your private music studio needs. It helps you centrally manage your website, student contact information, schedule, invoicing and more.

Visit our website (www.mymusicstaff.com) to start your FREE 30-day trial today and experience all of the features that My Music Staff has to offer. No credit card is required to start your trial and there is no obligation to subscribe.

Get $100 off Annual Inner Circle Membership

As a valued podcast listener, you’re eligible for a $100 discount on an annual Inner Circle Membership. This discount lasts for as long as you’re a member and whatever price you sign up for today is the price you’ll pay as long as you remain a member. Copy this coupon code to use when you see the “Coupon Code” box:  PIANOPODCAST.

Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine. Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run. Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons! If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons on the left of the page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes or on my Facebook page. Reviews are extremely helpful when it comes to show’s ranking and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally. Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live.

What do you like about pop piano teaching?

How has teaching pop music benefitted your studio? What’s been your biggest challenge?