Blog

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It’s funny—I was telling my students this past week, “You know how we don’t really have Thanksgiving music like we have Christmas music?!” (I was giving them a challenge to rewrite the Lyrics to Jingle Bells in homage to Thanksgiving, thanks to Christina Whitlock’s suggestion on this episode.)

I was chuckling inside as I said that, though, because I conjured up a list of some really fun Thanksgiving songs in my custom Thanksgiving playlist.

Songs like “Sweet Potato Pie” by Ray Charles, “Let’s Turkey Trot” by Little Eva, “Carvin’ the Bird” by Charlie Parker, and more. So fun!

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Teacher-friend Anna Haugen recently shared with me a resource she and her students enjoyed. It’s a series of improvisation prompts from Wynn-Anne Rossi. Check out the whole playlist called “One Minute Creations” on YouTube.

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Talking Turkey: A Holiday Special (podcast episode from The Daily podcast)

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Joy put together a nice blog post featuring collections of Christmas music she enjoys playing during the holidays.

Two of the books she mentioned have been favorites of mine as well: Christmas at the Keyboard by Mark Hayes. (Find it here: Sheet Music Plus Hardcopy, Digital) and Chris Rice’s The Living Room sessions, which is no longer in print is available digitally at MusicNotes.com.

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One book I read this year and really enjoyed (thanks to the suggestion of Ashley Danyew) was Unreasonable Hospitality.

The author – Will Guidara was recently featured along with his wife Christina Tosi on Adam Grant’s Rethinking podcast. What a fun conversation!

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I’ve always done my best to include some form of exercise in my regular routine. Yes, there are ups and downs in execution during various seasons, but one thing I’ve always lived by is variety. My three staples are walking, pilates, and weight lifting. In the summertime, I also bike.

During the winter months, I enjoy doing a “walking” video once a week. Here’s the YouTube Channel I’ve been using: Kat Gates-Buettner.

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Creatives and Copyright: What Every Musician and Music Teacher Needs to Know (Ashley Danyew)

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I just made a pot of hidden veggie chicken soup from The Modern Nonna. I’m not a big chicken and noodles person and this was the perfect substitute. I wasn’t drawn to the recipe because I’m averse to vegetables in chunks – I just like how the base of this soup is robust with the pureed vegetables. I chop the chicken very finely when cooked before adding it back into the pot and use pearl couscous instead of potatoes. We had it for lunch one day, and then I put the rest in containers in the freezer in anticipation for a day when we are under the weather.

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How to Create the Best Audio for Online Piano Lessons (Melody Payne)

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This is an intriguing idea! Not for me per se, but if you were a crafty person, it might be fun for you!

Junk Journaling Joy: How to Make Junk Journals Unique to You (Stampington & Company)

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A menu of foods we might lose forever (Ted Talks Daily)

It’s the end of the year, so the new Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Reporting deadline is coming up quickly! Find details here from Music Studio Startup as well as Music Teachers National Association.

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I would be remiss if I didn’t start this week’s Friday Finds with the most recent news shocking our community: The End of Finale.

While Finale was a leader in the industry for decades, I can understand the reasoning behind the decision. Several years ago, after doing a monthly subscription with Noteflight for years, I was considering whether I wanted to continue with Noteflight or move to Dorico or Finale. Between the latter two options, I would have chosen Dorico. My needs were minimal, however, so when Noteflight opened an option for a lifetime license, I jumped on board.

Natalie Weber has already written a helpful blog post on making her transition to Dorico.

Last year, it was Tonara, and now Finale. It makes me wonder… what will be the big shocker at the start of the 2025 school year?

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10+ Exciting Google AI Music Experiments for Music Teachers (Katrina Proctor | Midnight Music)

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My Go-To Plan for First Piano Lessons (Ashley Danyew)

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We are big-time into the whole “Chili Crisp” phase that’s been around the internet in recent months. So much so that I went searching for ideas on what to do with it besides just Chili Crisp Fried Eggs and came across this Miso-Parmesan Pasta with Chili Crisp. We liked it! There are a couple of ingredients you might have to track down, but if you enjoy the crisp and a little heat, you’ll like this.

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The New National Music Standards (Eric Bluestine | The Ways Children Learn Music)

I agree with what Eric has to say. The updates are disappointing overall.

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People Are Just Finding Out About the Major Difference Between PYREX and pyrex (We Had No Idea!) (Kiersten Hickman | the Kitchn)

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Podcast Episode: The Science of Motivating Your Kids (And Any Young Adult) (The Art of Manliness)

From the description:

If you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or manager who lives, loves, and works with tweens, teens, and 20s-somethings, you know that young people sometimes act in seemingly head-scratching ways, that you don’t always feel like you’re being listened to, and that it can be frustrating to try to guide them in acting towards positive ends.

The source of these challenges is often chalked up to the underdeveloped brains and hormones that tweens through young twenty-somethings possess. But my guest would say that what’s more to blame is the ineffective way mentors often approach young adults.

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Piano Practice Assignment Sheet Roundup (Colourful Keys)

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10 Safety Protocols for the Independent Music Teacher (Jennifer Foxx | Music Educator Resources)

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6 Genius Organizing Tools for Music Teachers (Pianosaurus Rex)

P.S. One that she mentions is Notion! Organize Your Life With Notion, a 2-day workshop hosted by myself and Joy Morin, will be held September 20-21. Get more details here.

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We have new neighbors next door that are building a small organic farm business. I’m in heaven! Every Friday or Saturday, I pop over there and grab a half dozen in-season veggies and other goodies like homemade wheat sourdough bread, local honey, and high-quality pork products.

I recently snatched a bunch of golden beets. We don’t eat them a lot, but definitely enjoy them. Here’s two of my go-to ways to use them:

After roasting them wrapped individually in foil in the oven for 30-45 minutes (depending on the size) and then cooling, I pull off the skin. Then chop large diced in salads or thick slice on top of burgers.

You don’t have to have recipes for either of those but here are a couple if that’s what you like:

Chopped Salad with Grilled Chicken (What’s Gabby Cooking)

Sliced on top of grilled burgers (Food 52)

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Bulletproof Solutions for Make-Up Lessons (Rebekah Maxner)

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How to curate your own life (Yen Lin Kong | TEDx)

“Art is all around us, and all it takes is an open mind and an observant and appreciative eye to connect the dots.”