teaching piano
blog posts

Teach music confidently without the stress

Recent Guitar Pedagogy Creativity Repertoire Beginners Studio Business

6 Mistakes I Made When I Started Teaching Piano

by Tim Topham

We’re all still learning. Even the best teachers who have been teaching piano for decades will tell you that you will never stop learning. And that’s great, because it means we’re always trying to better ourselves, even if we make mistakes along the way. I want to get personal and share the top six mistakes ... 6 Mistakes I Made When I Started Teaching Piano

05/11/2022 Read more

3 Keys to a Comprehensive Piano Lesson Plan

by Tim Topham

Piano teachers are some of the most dedicated, committed and hard-working professionals around. But are we sometimes too dedicated for our own good? I know that feelings of being overwhelmed and burnt-out are all too common. I think part of it stems from our own desire to always deliver that ‘perfect’ lesson. One that includes a little ... 3 Keys to a Comprehensive Piano Lesson Plan

03/08/2017 Read more

Teaching Beginner Piano and Planning a Curriculum

by Tim Topham

This month's theme is all about teaching beginner piano in a more fun and creative way and planning lessons for maximum impact without relying on exam boards or other set curricula. I'll be releasing my "No Book Beginners" course to help you engage your students in creative, musical activities before they ever open a method book and we'll explore ideas for lesson planning and sequencing at all levels. Can't wait!

03/02/2017 Read more

What’s the Difference Between a Chord Chart and a Lead Sheet?

by Tim Topham

Lead Sheets have a notated melody line with chord symbols written above and may include words if it’s a song. Chord Charts simply show chord symbols with no notation. If the chord chart is referencing a pop song, it will generally include lyrics as well. In both cases, it’s up to the pianist to provide the left ... What’s the Difference Between a Chord Chart and a Lead Sheet?

02/20/2017 Read more

Flipped Practice: Can YouTube encourage effective practice?

by Paul Myatt

You’ve probably all heard about the “Flipped Classroom” and “Flipped Learning”. But what about about “Flipped Practice”? Just last week one of my students who is in year 6 at school (11 years old) and about to complete his Grade 4 piano was given a chord chart for the Jazz band at school. Even though I’m ... Flipped Practice: Can YouTube encourage effective practice?

02/08/2016 Read more

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