How good are your students at recognising intervals? Are they quick to read interval shapes? Are they quick to aurally identify intervals? Are they quick to feel interval shapes (in different keys) on the piano? Are they quick to define what an interval is by telling you that it’s “the distance between two notes”? LESSON ACTIVITY […]
I love sitting down with a piece of music, digging deep and surfacing a few hours (or days!) later with fun teaching ideas and resources. Today I want to share with you my teaching ideas for ‘A Little Fable’ – a cute little piece from Kabalevsky’s collection 30 Children’s Pieces Op.27. According to the Oxford Dictionary a […]
Can you sing the opening motif of Beethoven’s 5th symphony? Or for something a little lighter what about Karen Carpenter singing I’m On The Top Of The World or Queen strutting their stuff with Bohemian Rhapsody? Whatever you chose there’s a good chance that you sang it at the right pitch. Does that mean you […]
I love teaching piano pieces with imaginative titles or back-stories! And today we’re flying off inside an enchanted trunk (suitcase)… If you’re curious, I invite you to grab a coffee and watch this 25 minute video where I walk (or should that be fly) you through 5 teaching points for Yvonne Adair’s imaginative little piece […]
Have you ever been curious about how other piano teachers go about teaching repertoire? During my early days as a teacher I struggled to teach repertoire in colourful and creative ways. Finding ways to present pieces to students in musically meaningful ways didn’t always come easily. Ultimately, it was my observation of other teachers’ ideas […]
It’s not just what we present our piano students with, it’s how. And how much. And when. AND there are many more questions and considerations along the way. Now, we’re not suggesting that it should be a candy-rich menu without any greens! It should be good and wholesome – yet colourful and appealing too. However, […]
Are you attending a conference or exhibition soon? With the yearly Music and Drama Education Expo and Curious LIVE all taking place this week (and the MTNA conference in America not far away) there’s a good chance that you will be! Here’s a few tips to help you make the most of the days. #1 […]
Do you have weak or average students? Do you struggle when motivating these students to practice? In this week’s blog you can read how Cadenza, a free online notebook, transformed the practising habits of weak and average students by reading teacher accounts. We’re delighted that Professor Rena Upitis has written a 3-part blog series for […]
The piano teaching marketplace is bombarded with resources, designed with the aim of motivating students to practise more between lessons. However, far – far – fewer resources undergo any type of formal research to identify just how effective they are. Cadenza, a digital music tool, is one resource that HAS been subjected to formal research. […]
The enormous time and effort it takes to learn a musical instrument can be daunting for students – and especially discouraging when contrasted with our digital world, where contact is instantaneous and learning can happen so quickly. We’re delighted that Professor Rena Upitis has written a 3-part blog series for us on the topic of […]