effective piano teaching Archives

by Tim Topham

Make teaching scales more interesting for your students with these fun ideas!

by Tim Topham

Teaching beginner piano students technique can be hard, but our four tips will help put you in good stead.

by Tim Topham

Piano exams can be a controversial topic. Some teachers see exams as the best way to teach, whereas others want to stay clear of the 'exam express'. Join us as we outline 5 pros and 5 cons of piano exams.

by Nick Ambrosino

Back in the beginning of my career I used to set weekly goals for my students. I’d write them in their assignment books and at the following lesson, would go down the list, checking if they had completed their assignments. I thought that’s what it meant to be a responsible teacher… Until one day, a ... Are you the piano coach or player?

by Tim Topham

Since the start of this year, I made a commitment to ask more questions in my teaching. And not just questions for the sake of them, but effective questions that challenge students to think. Questions that are suited to each student and give them more ownership of the lesson and their playing. As a great side benefit, ... What I’ve learnt from asking more questions in music lessons

by Sarah Buckley

Plans & Pricing

by Tim Topham

Music brings out our student’s creativity and expressive potential. But when students experience frustration or trauma or stress, we often encounter different responses. What is the role that music teachers play in this situation? How do we make ourselves aware of our actions? Stress and trauma can affect our students, which then affects us, too. ... TC263: Building Trust and Connection with All Our Students with Gloria Tham-Haines

by Tim Topham

In this episode, we are going to talk about one of my favorite online music notation softwares, Noteflight, with John Mylnczak. We’re going to unpack the Noteflight and SoundCheck softwares – its benefits, features, and how it can you can use it in your own studio. If you are looking for a music notation app ... TC259: Developing innovative music teaching with Noteflight & John Mlynczak

by Tim Topham

This episode is part two of a three-part podcast series with our TopMusicPro Guitar head, Michael Gumley. Michael has shared tons of wisdom in this episode on teaching students, setting goals, getting engagement, managing money and so much more. In fact, our conversation had so much goodness that I had to listen to it a ... TC255: Part Two: Teaching Guitar with the 80/20 Pareto Principle with Michael Gumley

by Tim Topham

Transitioning to an online-only studio has been a challenge for most teachers but my guest, Jaime Gibson, took this challenge to a whole new level by opening up his online studio to international students. Gibson Online Music School, formed in 2020, currently has students in six countries and across most states of Australia. His teaching ... TC253: What it’s like to run an online only studio with Jaime Gibson

by Tim Topham

With COVID and lockdown, a lot of teachers and students have been faced with the challenge of learning online. Teachers, especially, have had to think of ways to make online lessons more fun and engaging. In this episode, Rebecca Singerman-Knight, shares how she did this through her Lockdown Mashups activity with her students which has ... TC250: Creative Piano Mashups with Rebecca Singerman-Knight

by Tim Topham

As a piano teacher or podcast host, it is so important for you to be able to connect and communicate with your students and audience effectively. But this doesn’t come naturally for all of us. This broadcast originally aired on the Ben Kapilow All Keyed Up podcast, shared with permission. Ben and Tim discuss tips ... TC249: The Art of Communication with Ben Kapilow