HELLO, FRIEND!
Pianist, teacher, podcaster, cooking enthusiast, and organization nerd — sharing teaching tips, recipes, and life behind the scenes in a piano studio.
THE BACKSTORY
I began my career as a middle and high school choir director, but after a few years I realized my heart was leading me in a different direction.
As it happened, my husband had just accepted a three-year assignment with his company in Melbourne, Australia. During our Aussie adventure, I had the space to focus on the two things I loved most: music and cooking.
When we returned to the United States, an unexpected call from Ball State University opened the door to a new chapter. Before moving overseas, I had submitted an application to graduate school.
They were now offering me an assistantship teaching piano through a community arts school while I completed a Master’s degree in Piano Pedagogy and Performance. I completed that degree and opened my piano studio, Studio 88 in Bluffton, Indiana, in 2011.
In 2016, Piano Pantry was born to bring all my passions together—a place to share what was working in my piano studio, what was coming out of my kitchen, and everything in between.
My offerings expanded when, in 2022, I started The Piano Pantry Podcast and Organize Your Digital Life coaching.
ONE MORE THING…
I often joke that I’m a cross between Ina Garten, Marie Kondo, and The Lazy Genius — for studio music teachers…but it’s true! 🙂
JUST FOR FUN
My first real job was selling Cutco knives in college. I eventually reached “Field Service Manager” status after hitting more than $25,000 in sales.
My husband and I are both “a little country, a little city.” We love everything from hole-in-the-wall diners to a really great steakhouse and call our home style “rugged elegant.”
Good food is definitely my thing, but I’ll never turn down a cold meat sandwich or a sleeve of Double Stuffed Oreos once in awhile. (A testament to fact #2!)
We actually named our house. Doesn’t everyone? LOL. It’s called “Dreamy 7” because Drew + Amy = Dreamy… very 6th-grade-inspired, I know. Plus, our roof has seven pitches.
I’m completely unathletic but have always tried to maintain some kind of workout routine. In the ’80s it was Buns of Steel with Greg Smithey. These days, it’s Pilates.
I can say the alphabet backward in under five seconds thanks to long childhood bus rides and years of practicing with my favorite bus buddy.
A LITTLE MORE FORMAL
Need a bio of Amy for a presentation she is giving? Please contact her directly for the appropriate bio for that specific application. Please do not just copy the one given here.
Amy Chaplin is a pianist, teacher, speaker, blogger, and podcaster. She loves supporting teachers on all things related to teaching, organization, productivity, and life on the Piano Pantry blog, podcast, and via her small group digital organization coaching series and retreat.
Amy has enjoyed serving the profession in various ways since 2009, including as President and Trustee of the Indiana Music Teachers Association. She has appeared on multiple podcasts for teachers, including Top Music, Beyond Measure, Vibrant Music Teaching, Music Studio Startup, Key Ideas, Teach Music Online, and more.
She is an active presenter at the local, state, and national levels with more than 40 sessions, including the MTNA National Conference (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024, 2026) and NCKP (2019, 2025).
She holds a certification from the Gordon Institute for Music Learning Theory for piano, a Master’s in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Ball State University, and a Bachelor’s in Music Education, Choral K-12, from Huntington University.
Besides operating her independent piano studio in Northeast Indiana, Amy enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling with her husband.
