If you’ve been around here for a while, you may already know that in recent years, my husband and I built a new house, including moving my piano studio into the basement and out of commercial space.
My husband did a lot of the work while still working a 40-hour workweek, so the bulk of the build took around three years.
Since cooking is my other mojo, I’ve wanted to share photos of the kitchen and pantry for a good two years, but it kept getting put off.
After finally capturing some good photos for our cabinet builders to display, I had no more excuses. It’s finally time for a tour!
Before
Sharing photos of the empty “before” construction space isn’t much fun considering it was new construction. What is interesting, though, is to see what we went through leading up to completion.
Since our deadline to move out of our rental house was six months before our kitchen cabinets were ready (or the upstairs being complete), we lived in an unfinished basement (my future studio space) with no carpet or kitchen.
Teaching areas can be hard places to organize. Not only do we like to keep items close at hand, but if you teach a variety of levels, the number of teaching resources can easily double.
There are games, scale books, sight-reading materials, pedal extenders, dry-erase boards, game markers, technique tools, highlighters, and much more.
The great thing about organization (like many things in life) is that there’s no right or wrong way.
What we DO need in order to make it happen, though, is:
Intention
Action
Some kind of (consistent) system
Regular upkeep
Ability to recognize when your “system” needs an update/refresh
In this post, I want to share a few different ways I have stored my own teaching games and resources over the years, as well as links to loads of other teachers’ ideas.
As you’re considering a system that works well for your space, keep these things in mind:
Make it easily accessible – Store items in a way that will help you to both use and remember what you have
Categorize – Group your items according to level, concept, game style (such as group games vs. solo games), and more.
Contain – Use a variety of storage formats, including magazine holders, containers, drawers, files, and more.
I hope this post gives you lots of fresh ideas as you freshen up your own teaching space!
After staying at my house (and sleeping in my studio space – ha!) during the MTNA 2022 conference, Janna was inspired to do a tour of her studio!
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Teacher Anna Haugen has a website called “Midlife Creative.” She recently did an artist feature post on a woman who makes incredible homemade pizza every Friday night for her family. The kind of pizza she makes is the kind of pizza of I love but don’t take enough effort to make regularly. I’m thinking it’s time for that to change…
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Jennifer Foxx hit a tender spot in my heart when she recently shared a new playlist on Spotify she’s been developing called “Feel Good Songs.” Follow her and give it a listen!
This short 5-minute video taught me some really amazing keyboard shortcuts! Even if you don’t use Evernote, many of these are applicable in other programs.
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A great post on using devices for music reading and hands-free page-turning. (Creative Piano Teacher)
Over the last few weeks, I have found myself incredibly addicted to a YouTube channel called Honeyjubu. She is a Korean woman who Vlogs about home life and food. I’ll just say there has been some serious binge-watching going on.
In the process, I also discovered a similar one called Hamimommy.
Do you have any favorite Vlog channels you follow on YouTube? Let me know in the comments!
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Thanks to Leila Viss for telling me about the “Everything Happens” podcast by Kate Bowler. Recently, I really enjoyed the episode with novelist Ann Patchett.
Oh my goodness, you have to take 5 minutes to actually read and process each of these 14 logos. So fun!
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For Easter each year, we drive 50 minutes immediately following church to an extended family pitch-in lunch for my husband’s side of the family. Due to having to pack up food prior to church and have it sit for 3 hours in our car before the meal, I always do easy things that can survive without heat or refrigeration (or be OK with a simple ice pack).
This post is part of a series called Your Questions Answered that highlights questions from readers just like you. If you have a question you would like to submit, you can do so here.
I am gearing up to launch a preschool piano class this fall and was wondering if you’d share with me how you structured your class – number of weeks, length of class, number of students, lesson plan structure, etc.
(I am currently thinking 8-week sessions, 45-minute classes, 3-4 students, ages 4-6.)
I’ve been learning a lot about MLT, audiation, and MMfP, but I feel like I’m stalling the preschool class launch because I am still so new at all of it. I have been teaching using Piano Safari, as well as several other methods for several years now, and recently ordered the new Piano Safari Friends materials. I also have several years of experience teaching the Music Together program (early childhood family music classes). However, I have felt like until I could teach as an MLT “purist,” I should wait.
Your thoughts on combining methods and doing what works for you and your students has encouraged me to consider another way without worrying about doing it “wrong.” I’d love to hear more about your experience with this age group and the bird and bolts of how you structure your classes!
Marissa L.
Hi, Marissa!
Thank you so much for your kind words about the blog post. It is SO NICE to hear directly from people impacted! So thank YOU! 🙂
As far as the preschool piano class goes, your email made me realize that the photo I shared in the blog post was perhaps deceiving! The photo I posted was from a free one-off summer class I did with our local parks department for a few years. I used that photo because I was pulling from a multitude of curriculums with those kiddos.
I have yet to run a full preschool piano class. While I offer the group class, it seems I’ve never had enough students timed just right for it to be a go. I’ve only ended up doing private preschool lessons. Here’s how I advertise my preschool lessons though:
“Lessons are paid for and attended in 8-week sessions. Students come once a week for a private lesson or group class of 2-3 students (depending on availability). Private lessons will be 30 minutes and group classes 40 minutes”
So, whether it was a private lesson or a group class, parents were only committed for a short period.
I think what you’re planning as far as length, time, and students are perfect!
As far as curriculum goes, for the most part, I now pretty well use Music Moves Keyboard Games books 100% for this age. I’ll tell you what I’ve done in the past though (as far as combining resources) that worked well for quite a while:
WunderKey’s books, finger play activities, and pattern work (their original series)
Music Moves for Piano Keyboard Games pieces (only) – this was before I really was comfortable with all the other “stuff” of music moves such as songs to sing, patterns, etc.
I didn’t necessarily use all of these at once but did combine many of them at one point.
As far as the Music Moves for Piano series goes, let me say this: just do it – don’t feel like you have to know or understand it all to try using it! Keep pressing on and learning a little more at a time.
The Keyboard Games Books are in my opinion the absolute best piano book for preschoolers out there as the songs are short, encourage exploration all over the piano, and especially support the audition of basic rhythm patterns in duple and triple meters.
It’s worth it!
Good luck and I would love to hear how things pan out!
This past week was the 2022 Music Teachers National Conference. Since it was virtual, a few teacher friends and I decided to come together so as to not miss out on one of the best aspects – spending time together. Plus, it’s easier to feel more enveloped in the virtual experience when you’re not alone and easily distracted by other life happenings.
As someone who loves to cook and host, I was quick to volunteer our home as the location. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to come together with other teacher friends. It’s practically like a spa day as you walk away feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, and newly motivated!
Call me crazy, but since I usually cook for two, I considered cooking for five for multiple meals and days as a fun opportunity. Of course, my teacher friends were happy to oblige. Meet my friends and guests:
These muffins are not only healthy but incredibly moist and delicious! Sugar free and egg free, the shocking component is 1.5 WHOLE oranges that are first boiled and then puréed.
Egg casseroles aren’t usually my thing but this simple baked egg recipe is a winner. Pepper-jack cheese is the star ingredient that adds tons of flavor without actually making it spicy. I’ve tried substituting cheddar cheese and it’s not nearly as good! Definitely go with the pepper jack. Also, the original recipe calls for 16 oz (1 lb!) of shredded cheese but I find that to be too much and 8oz to be a lovely amount.
(Pictured above). Unfortunately, Milk Street is a subscription website, but I’m sure you could google something similar! The base is noodles, ground pork, and scallions, and the sauce is simply soy sauce and sugar – so simple!
I served this alongside the Shanghai-Style Noodles, and it really is “obsessively good”. It’s best eaten fresh, so I wouldn’t recommend making it ahead of time, although you could at least mix the dressing ingredients ahead of time and then toss them with the avocado and cucumber right before eating.
A one-dish recipe full of good southwest flavor. I would suggest serving it with sour cream and taco chips on the side. We also had a very simple shredded cabbage salad with a chili-powder-based dressing
The title alludes to the fact that the dish was inspired by the old practice on dairy farms, repurposing old large milk cans for travel and camping meal preparation. All the ingredients are essentially steamed in the pot flavored by beer, bay leaf, thyme, and S&P. Don’t be tempted to double, as the recipe amount is about all you can get in a 6-7 quart Dutch oven!
My absolute favorite stir-fry. The only downside is sugar snap peas can be a little bit of a pain as they’re best if you remove the stringy portion (check out this post). Serve with rice or quinoa.
Snacks/Dessert
A one-dish recipe full of good southwest flavor. I would suggest serving it with sour cream and taco chips on the side. We also had a very simple shredded cabbage salad with a chili-powder-based dressing.
Canva is such an amazing resource and one that I have come to use almost daily. Even when I think I know a program well, I find myself always learning something new from Katie Wardrobe at Midnight Music. Check out the podcast episode #134:10+ Canva features you probably didn’t know about.
I just find this soooo touching and yes, it totally made me cry at the end!
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An excellent article from Jane MacGrath on progressing students through what she calls “black hole literature.” An excellent pairing to this article is another article and free download from Janna Williamson on how to evaluate repertoire difficulty.
We’re all a little picky on the way we teach chords and scales. Maybe this new complete scales and complete chords book will be one that works well for you!
Just a quick note here to let you know that I will be presenting a webinar, Connect and Engage: Online Professional Development Resources for the Independent Music Teacher on Wednesday, April 6th @ 10 am PT/1 pm ET.
In this webinar, we will explore the wealth of both professional development and teaching resources available to teachers as well as best practices for utilizing information without getting overwhelmed. Whether you’re a new or seasoned teacher, this will give you a wonderful snapshot into all that’s at your fingertips.
This coming Sunday, March 20, 2022, marks six years since I hit publish on the first post here on Piano Pantry, Welcome to My Studio.
It’s been a fun creative outlet for me and a great way to connect with you. I enjoy creating new teaching resources and sharing ideas as quickly as life and physical ability allow.
As a big THANK YOU for being here, we’re celebrating with a discount in the SHOP! In this post, I’ll share a few product and resource highlights from over the years followed by the discount code at the end of this post.
Here’s a fun little timeline/history of what has been brought to you over the past 6 years:
The newest resource available to you is The Piano Pantry Podcast launched in January 2022 and now has 11 published episodes. Listen to the 1-minute trailer here
Several years ago, I spent quite a bit of time hunting down little critters to accompany the technique exercise in Piano Safari. I shared my favorites in this postwhich remains the most popular on the site to date.
Doing a focus activity at the beginning of lessons has several wonderful benefits including helping students transition from their day and turn their mental and physical focus to the piano.
The format encourages the development of audiation, improvisation, and creativity skills by presenting multi-level steps/variations on playing each tune. Each song includes its own checklist so students can use and build on these sheets year after year as their skills progress.
Once again, I’m not really surprised that the second most popular product is Happy Birthday By Ear.
This 11-page teaching guide is all you and your students will need to learn (and remember how to play) this tune.
Students are guided by learning the melody, harmony, and a variety of creative variations while fostering their audition of the piece.
Birthday Discount
As a big THANK YOU for being here, we’re celebrating with a discount in the SHOP! Since the blog launched in 2016, I’m giving 16% off your entire order through March 31, 2022.
The series includes 20 dances set to Classical works from Brahms’s “Waltz in A-flat” to Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.” The movements reflect both the form and expressive quality of the music. They’re really fun, and my kids have always enjoyed them.
During COVID times, I found myself wanting to give a small assignment like this for my preschool kids to do at home. Unfortunately, the series I have is only available on DVD. So, I went searching for other options available online and quickly came across a large number of videos on YouTube.
These videos make for a fun and quick “focus activity” to use at the start of lessons or group classes for preschool or early to mid-elementary students.
You could also use them at the beginning of group lessons as you’re waiting for everyone to arrive for the class. Students can join in as they enter the studio.
Do it along to the video, or learn it yourself and have them follow you.
The series includes 20 dances set to Classical works from Brahms’s “Waltz in A-flat” to Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet.” The movements reflect both the form and expressive quality of the music. They’re really fun, and my kids have always enjoyed them.