effective piano teaching
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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

Top 3 Most Innovative Rhythm Teaching Resources

by Tim Topham

Teaching rhythm to students can be a challenging experience. Some students just seem to get it, some students really struggle to even feel or keep a steady pulse. Some students are great at copying rhythms, others like to work it out for themselves. Some understand rhythm best when it's explained metrically, others like to think ... Top 3 Most Innovative Rhythm Teaching Resources

08/22/2014 Read more

Motivating teens with PianoMaestro

by Tim Topham

How do you motivate teen beginners? We all know that video games are pretty popular with teens, particularly boys. So trying to convince them to do their piano practice when there are far more fun things to be doing online can be a real challenge. Enter PianoMaestro – a really handy app that basically turns learning ... Motivating teens with PianoMaestro

08/03/2014 Read more

From Pixels to Paper | eBook review – All about music reading software

by Tim Topham

Everything you need to know but were afraid to ask about using technology to read/access/create music! I have to admit that I wasn’t sure that I could learn much more about using technology to view sheet music – it’s something I’ve done with my iPad for years. I’ve blogged about it, I’ve taught others how to do ... From Pixels to Paper | eBook review – All about music reading software

07/11/2014 Read more

Quick Video: Making Scales Fun with DecideNow!

by Tim Topham

Spin the wheel! I’ve recently been having fun with my students using a nifty little app called DecideNow. I posted about it a while ago on my Facebook page, but thought a quick little 2-minute video might be the best way to explain how I actually use it in my studio. Have fun with it and let me ... Quick Video: Making Scales Fun with DecideNow!

06/12/2014 Read more
 

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HookTheory – hands down THE BEST new resource for music teachers

by Tim Topham

What I’m about to share with you is one of the coolest and most useful things I’ve found on the internet for music teaching. Ever. No, it’s not an app, and no, I’m not being paid to write about it. It’s just really unique…and brilliant. If you’re a music teacher and you’d like to teach ... HookTheory – hands down THE BEST new resource for music teachers

05/17/2014 Read more

The Real Reason Teens Are Quitting Your Studio – Part 2

by Tim Topham

Why write about teens? I decided to write a short series about teaching teens because there seems to be a lot of teachers out there for whom teaching teens is becoming a bit of a struggle. You might have read their posts on piano teaching groups, wondering aloud why teenagers don’t want to have lessons ... The Real Reason Teens Are Quitting Your Studio – Part 2

03/29/2014 Read more

“Coffee with Ray” – a remarkable new piano teaching textbook/novella by Nick Ambrosino

by Tim Topham

A piano teaching textbook that reads like a novel! I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Nick Ambrosino’s new book: Coffee with Ray. The title certainly caught my attention (“coffee” tends to have that effect!) but how could a book about having coffee with someone called Ray possibly help me with ... “Coffee with Ray” – a remarkable new piano teaching textbook/novella by Nick Ambrosino

03/23/2014 Read more

The Real Reason Teens are Quitting Your Studio – Part 1

by Tim Topham

Is it just me or is it getting harder to keep teenagers interested in piano these days? No one has any time, every after-school minute is jam-packed with activities, and despite the costs and logistics of piano lessons, practice always takes a back seat to everything else that’s going on. But, is that the real ... The Real Reason Teens are Quitting Your Studio – Part 1

03/13/2014 Read more

Impressions Suite – Jennifer Eklund | Sheet Music for Teens

by Tim Topham

Looking for great piano music at a low price with no copy restrictions? Jennifer Eklund of PianoPronto.com is a busy composer, teacher, presenter and author, well known in America for her Piano Pronto method books. Towards the end of last year, she released a number of new books of solo piano music suited to adults ... Impressions Suite – Jennifer Eklund | Sheet Music for Teens

02/20/2014 Read more

How to set up and use playlists for students on YouTube

by Tim Topham

There’s no time to waste! Has the start of your year with a student ever gone something like this? Teacher: “OK, it’s time to choose your new pieces for the year” Student: “Great” Teacher: “So these are the options for your exam List A piece” (plays 4 – 5 options) Teacher: “So, do you like ... How to set up and use playlists for students on YouTube

02/18/2014 Read more