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What Children Teach Us About Creativity (A Slight Change of Plans Podcast)

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If you’re still looking for a professional development event to attend this summer, consider the Music Teacher Turboboost Nicola Cantan is hosting in July. My friend Christina Whitlock and I were both invited to share as part of this event—Christina on Saturday and me on Sunday—along with lots of other great sessions put on by Nicola and her team. Hope to see you there!

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I tried the “6/10 Method,” and it’s Become My New Favorite Cleaning Method (The Kitchn)

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A couple of months ago, I checked out a game from the library to play with my BBBS lunch buddy, Eliza, called Point Salad. It was so much fun! My mom and I even played it together one evening and she loved it too. If you like the game Sushi Go, I think you’ll like this.

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Updating our Stuck Interactions (Seth Godin)

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I’m always a sucker for articles like these:

33 Things You Absolutely Need to Be Buying at Trader Joe’s (and 3 You Can Skip) (Pinch of Yum).

I shared my own Trader Joe’s shopping list here on the blog a few years ago if you want to see some of my favorites – many of which are still the same!

Of Lindsay’s list, I’m in agreement that these six are absolute must-haves:

1. Frozen Roasted Corn
2. Unexpected Cheddar Cheese
3. Fried Rice (Vegetable and Chicken)
4. Frozen Brown Rice
5. Sea Salt and Turbino Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds
6. Trail Mix Crackers

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Utilizing ForScore App Features: A Visual Guide (Piano Pantry)

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I am way behind on the whole “Rush E” wave. If you’re clueless like I was, check out the story here.

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5 Tips to Organize Music Games (So You Can Use Them!) (Music Game Club)

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Piano Studio Organization – Stationary Edition (Colouful Keys)

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It is so sad to hear of Susan Paradis’s passing. Susan was a gem in the early world of online content for piano teachers.

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In early May, a new ruling by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will go into effect, putting a cap on late credit card fees.

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I’ve gone back and forth on keeping energy/snack bars in the house and haven’t had any in a while. In preparation for last month’s ‘MTNA conference, though, I grabbed some and found a couple of new favorites!

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle LÄRABAR 

KIND Blueberry Almond Breakfast Bars

Welcome to a special edition of Friday Finds! I thought it would be fun to follow the 2024 Music Teacher National Conference in Atlanta with a list of announcements, favorite new products, and special features. (Thanks to all the teacher friends who sent me items to add to the list! You know who you are! 🙂

Let me know in the comments which item(s) you are most excited about!

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Announcing: The new CEO of Music Teachers National Association

Effective July 1, 2024, Brian Shepard has been named MTNA’s new CEO. Shepard began his career at MTNA in 2003 as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations. In 2008, he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer.

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Announcing: Faber’s Piano Adventures Exams.

There will be a free webinar on Tuesday, April 23, @ 1:00 pm EDT for those who want to “get an overview of the exam requirements, explore fun ways to prepare, and learn how to get started.

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The one piece of material I came home most excited about is a new publication from Piano Safari called Friends at Last: Tuneful Rote Pieces for the Beginning Pianist by Amy Glennon. Here’s the description from their website:

“Friends at Last: Tuneful Rote Pieces for the Beginning Pianist is a collection of ten rote pieces woven into a story about what it means to be a friend. This format is perfect for a recital performance with a narrator telling the story and a group of beginning pianists performing the pieces. It is also provides supplemental repertoire for Piano Safari Friends and Repertoire Book 1.”

Here’s a quick review I did of it on Instagram:

A little on teaching and a lot on life. Oh, and apparently, it’s a cucumber kind of week…

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The Single Best Way to Store Cucumbers (The Kitchn) 

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Obsessively Good Avocado Cucumber Salad (Smitten Kitchen)

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I posted a photo of my Cucumber Cottage Cheese Toast lunch on social media this past week, and everyone went wild. Make it now.  (Melissa Ben-Ishay)

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Registration is now open for the two-day workshop Organize Your Life With Notion (Amy Chaplin & Joy Morin)

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This a delightfully light and flavorful egg salad recipe for you to try this week. I love the swap of avocado and cottage cheese for what would traditionally be mayonnaise, and the small amount of corn and dried tomatoes gave it a nice twist!

My husband and I, though, have to eat our egg salad on some good sturdy wheat crackers. The lettuce bed doesn’t bring joy to our palette. 🙂

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