Category - Friday Finds

Hold onto your hats – I have a whole lot of goodies for you this month. I’m pretty sure this is one of – if not THE biggest list I’ve ever published!

 

1

Julie Knerr shared a lovely series of photos by her mother that, in 5 images, display the steps it takes to bring a painting from a sketch to a work of art. Use these images as a synonym for your students taking pieces from just learning to polished performance.

 

2

 

Unfortunately, Teach Piano Today has discontinued its Piano Game Club! The page is still live, but you are no longer able to sign up. It was announced in an email directly to current subscribers.

Get other great game resources from:

Music Discoveries
Vibrant Music Teaching
Susan Paradis
Color in My Piano

3

I’ve been catching up on Nadia Bolz-Weber’s podcast (which is not currently active), The Confessional. One episode almost brought me to tears – Meg Lavery, Storyteller, and Teacher.

 

4

Ashley Danyew outlined 15 of her favorite supplemental collections for elementary piano students.

 

5

It’s time to give my kitchen towels a spiff up. I’m going to use this technique with Oxi Clean recommended by America’s Test Kitchen and subsequently The Kitchn.

 

6

With the turnover of the new season this week, amplify your fall time mood with my Autumn playlist on Spotify.

 

 

7

Joy Morin came up with a simple and yet brilliant incentive program for her students.

 

8

The Lazy Genius #228 – 5 Ways to Organize Your Books

Since we moved into our new house, I’ve discovered rather than keeping all my books in one location on a designated bookshelf, I love keeping them in small groups in a location that fits their theme.

For example, I keep books about having a welcoming home on the kitchen windowsill, books on Music Learning Theory next to my desk, books on learning and personal growth in the stairwell going to my studio so my students see them, and so forth.

Of course, it doesn’t help that I don’t actually have a big enough bookcase to keep all of them in one location but even so, I still love the idea of theme areas!

 

9

Natalie Weber discovered a piece that worked brilliantly as a rote piece for a student who desperately needed it. She shared it along with how she is organizing her rote repertoire both physically (and in Evernote!)

 

10

Are you interested in learning more about Music Learning Theory? Did you know I have a whole page here on Piano Pantry dedicated to MLT resources? Find a list of recommended books, a series of some of my favorite YouTube videos on the topic, podcast episodes, and more!

One resource I recently added was a podcast from Musicality Now: Mind Before Fingers with Marilyn Lowe. I thought this was one of the best I’ve heard from Marilyn.

 

11

One of my former students is an avid songwriter. Follower her on Instagram for wonderful monthly songwriting prompts!

 

12

Speaking of songwriting, our beloved Chrissy Ricker has a beautiful updated new YouTube channel!

 

13

Thanks to Clinton Pratt for sharing details on the upcoming American Eurhythmics Society Conference.

I’ll be presenting to a local association in Ohio that weekend but it looks like a great low price and students are free!

 

14

If you’ve been around here awhile, you might remember my Piano Teacher Must-Haves: A Minimalist’s List.

Another teacher has put together their own list! Aren’t they the best types of lists?!  Check out Piano Studio Must-Haves from Lassen Piano Studio.

 

15

A great little instant-read thermometer for only $12!

 

16

Congratulations to Christopher Goldston on the launch of his new website where he’s self-publishing his own compositions as well as (potentially) some unseen solos from his mother, Margaret Goldston!

 

As I was preparing this week’s list, I realized this is a topic that’s not really covered a lot in piano teacher world!

How do you welcome students into your studio? By welcome, I mean both in the sense of when a new student comes to your studio for the first time as well as in your daily welcome to weekly recurring students.

Hmmm…

This is definitely something I’ve started to think about!

 

1

I was first inspired by this topic when Joy Morin shared a printable welcome poster. Ah! What I brilliant idea!

 

2

I needed my welcome poster to say a few different things though so I created my own in Canva. Here’s how it turned out:

(Our front door doesn’t always go all the way shut – especially in the winter -and while you think you have shut it, sometimes it needs a good push. Thus, the first step. 🙂 )

At the first week of lessons, for the first time ever, I went outside and greeted students as they came into the studio for our group class. I had everyone gather outside together as others arrived and then we all went in together.

Here’s my full entryway. It’s the front door to the house and students enter and go directly down the steps to the basement. There is a bathroom just off to the right of the entryway.

I took time with the group to point out the checklist which I have in a photo frame right when they enter.

 

3

I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of nasty hand sanitizer! Lol.

In Leila Viss’s recent studio tour, one of the items she shared was a hand sanitizer she loved.

I’m a sucker for recommended products so, while it was a little expensive for my taste for hand sanitizer, I tried it out. It IS pretty amazing. 

P.S. My students still get the cheap stuff! 🙂

 

4

(Kudos to Jennifer Foxx for this idea!)

Ever since my studio moved into our new home, I started asking students to remove their shoes.

Not all students may be comfortable removing their shoes, so I decided to buy shoe covers and a small “announcement” holder to place in my entryway. That way they have a choice.

Foldable Shoe Cover Holder

Disposable Shoe Covers

 

5

Whether it’s for my students or visitors in general, there’s something nice about having a little inviting dish of candy.

Lifesaver mints are a nice one for an entryway candy dish.

 

 

 

 

Happy Friday, piano teacher friends!

As we get going into a new school term, I just wanted to quickly share about the Friday Finds series – especially if you’re new around here – so you can know what to expect. 🙂

First, my goal is that I can make your life a little easier by weeding through all the content that is out there and sharing the best of what’s worth your time and attention.

Second, I hope that you find these posts unique, refreshing, lighthearted, and fun.

Third, it’s not always just 100% about piano teaching because that’s just how I roll and as you can attest, we aren’t our profession.

Lastly, each week I focus on a specific topic. One of my most recent favorites: was #227 What’s New in Piano Teacher World. At the end of the month, I present a more random list such as today’s “Best of August.”

If you’re new, thanks for being here, and if you’re a regular reader, thanks for sticking around.

Here’s to another school year!

~Amy

 

1

Natalie recently shared a review on a really interesting online sheet music company where you can stream over 20,000 pieces of sheet music!

 

2

While the piano podcast world is starting to get a little saturated, I feel like one person I haven’t gotten to hear much on podcasts is Wendy Stevens. (Of course, I could have just missed them! LOL). Anyway, I really enjoyed hearing her chat with Leila Viss on Episode 28 of the Key Ideas Podcats.

(I’ve been playing catch-up big time on podcasts so you’re going to get quite a few in today’s list!)

 

3

I absolutely love playlists focused on popular tunes that use specific chord progressions. There are two people I found recently that have some great lists on Spotify.

Katie Wardrobe – Melbourne-based music technology trainer, consultant, blogger, and podcaster – has a list for 12-Bar Blues Progressions, 1-5-6-4, Pentatonic Melody, and more.

Robin Giebelhausen – assistant professor of music education at the University of Maryland, College Park, and MLT practitioner extraordinaire – has playlists on the I-V-vi-IV progression, and all the tonalities (Dorian, Mixolydian, etc.), and more.

 

4

How to Use Milanote as an Educator (Ashley Danyew)

She says it’s basically Evernote meets Pinterest so obviously I’m intrigued! Are you using Milanote? I would love to hear from you on how you like it. Please share in the comments or drop me a message!

 

5

You guys, this moment right now is my absolute favorite food season and it’s 100% because of tomatoes.

Lunch – dinner – lunch – dinner – lunch – dinner….every day our meals include something with tomatoes. There is nothing like a fresh August tomato – especially beefsteaks. *sigh*

Cod Sautéed in Olive Oil with Fresh Tomatoes (Simply Recipes). This is SUCH an easy and delicious fish recipe. Do it.

Frittata with Tuna and Tomatoes (Giada De Laurentiis). Such a quick cook plus healthy and delicious. Don’t skip the dollop of mascarpone on the side.

Paleo Chicken Salad with Bacon and Tomatoes (America’s Test Kitchen). I’m not after “paleo”, just a good healthy mayo-free chicken salad.

Pesto Salmon with Burst Tomatoes (The Kitchn). Admittedly, I haven’t yet tried this one, but it sounds delicious.

Tomato, Mozzarella & Pesto Panini (Food.com). While it’s on Food.com, it’s actually Ina Garten’s recipe from one of her cookbooks I have.

 

6

What is the best time to post on Instagram? It’s not just when your followers are online, it’s when there’s less competition for posts. While surprising, it makes total sense! Instagram in 2021 According to 35 Million Posts (Later.com).

 

7

My news often comes from The Newsworthy podcast. While I generally skip the Saturday special editions, I did catch and love the July 31st episode with The Grammar Girl including a little talk on using the Oxford Comma.

 

8

Training Us to Be Present for the Sacred All Around Us by Ed Cyzeweski.

 

9

A new recent podcast find is Sharon Says So. Episode 10 on How to be a good news consumer was especially interesting. Specifically, they talk about how to pay attention to what really matters and let go of what you don’t really need to know.

 

10

How to Create an Amazing Home Office (Organize Like a Pro podcast with Liz Toombs)

 

11

5 Tech Tools for Online Teaching (Teach Music Online podcast with Carly Walton)

 

12

99% Invisible podcast: Episode #453 The Book of Tasty and Healthy Food

This episode was one of the only cookbooks to exist in the Soviet Union. It was part of a radical Soviet food experiment aimed at addressing hunger in the USSR.

 

 

A few years ago, I started an end-of-year series here on Piano Pantry called  “Piano Teacher World.”

2017 – Piano Teacher World: A Year in Recap: News, Happenings, and Impact.
2018 – Piano Teacher World: A Year in Recap: 2018

The reason it fizzled out was simply that it was hard to roll out a big post like that during such a busy time of year.

After seeing several new things pop up here recently, the start of the new school year felt like another good time of year to do this kind of a post!

Cheers to those bringing us new products, tools, and resources to make our lives easier, and cheers to you, the teachers, who help make creative dreams possible!

P.S. I’m considering things “new” within the past 12 months or so.

 

1 – Membership Sites and Blogs

Tim has just introduced Top Music Guitar.

In February, Music Teacher’s National Association (MTNA) released a big new Business Resources section on their website.

Rosemarie Penner of The Unfinished Lesson has gone through an update and moved Facebook and Instagram accounts. Be sure and follow her new accounts before the end of August when the old ones close.

 

2 – Podcasts

Within a week of each other in August 2020, Leila Viss’s Key Ideas podcast and Christina Whitlock’s Beyond Measure Podcast hit the airwaves.

South Shore Piano Podcast with Jonathan Roberts – a podcast that celebrates how the arts are changing lives – launched in March 2021.

Ben Kapilow started the All Keyed Up podcast in April 2021.

 

3 – Methods

Piano Safari announced their new series for preschoolers. They are holding a webinar on August 13.

 

4 – Apps

Music Teacher’s Helper has a new owner and CEO.

Tonara is launching a big update soon if it hasn’t already been posted.

In March, Sproutbeat went through a really big update/overhaul combining their worksheets app with the Leap Games online into one location.

 

5 – Products

Last year, Joy Morin began releasing a few sheet music solos. There are currently three in her shop.

This year I launched two new products: a Happy Birthday by Ear teaching resource and a Sequenced Assignment Series for At-Home Practice with Note Rush.

Preorders are now being taken for Nicola Cantan’s Practice Pie book, designed for piano parents. At the moment, just the ebook version is available. Hardcopy preorders will be taken starting August 23.

 

 

 

1

Music Teacher’s Helper has a new owner and CEO!

 

2

Check out how Natalie is using Evernote to save all her music theory worksheets!

 

3

If you’re not recycling your batteries, maybe now is a good time to consider getting started. Check out Call2Recycle for places near you!

My husband and I keep a small plastic container in our cleaning closet that we throw old batteries in. Once that piles up, we take them into our local Lowe’s store who recycles them.  Thank you, Lowe’s!

 

4

My favorite cloth for cleaning my pianos (recommended by my piano tuner) is the Guardsman Cleaning Cloth.

It has a slightly sticky surface that grabs dirty but doesn’t leave a residue on your piano. Simply rinse the cloth and hang it to dry!

 

 

5

One of my favorite MLT-practitioners and Ukulele Songbook creators, Robin Giebelhausen, has a Spotify profile with playlists of pieces in Duple Meter, Triple Meter, and all the “modes.” What a gem and fun way to start training your ear!

 

6

Brewed Cacao…say what?”

 

7

I have a lot of podcasts that I listen to – many of which I zip in and out of (basically, love it, but don’t feel the need to catch them all).

While The Next Right Thing has become one of those (and that’s OK!), her most recent episode, 185: Why Makers Struggle to Get things Done had me nodding my head in agreement and relief (that it was a thing) like a wild woman.

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I love Ashley’s podcast episode on having students make a short video reflection on why they make music. This would be a fun little project to do at your first group class of the year! (Ashley Danyew | Field Notes on Music Learning Episode 032)

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It doesn’t matter how many times I hear Marvin Blickenstaff, I always walk away feeling like teaching is a gem and he is my grandpa holding my hand along the way. (That’s a good thing, Marvin!) 🙂 It was no less so when I listened to his podcast episode with Ben Kapilow on the Nuts and Bolts of Piano Pedagogy.

 

8

Chrissy’s 2-minute tip on using pop-its to teach technique.

 

9

My friend has been making this summer fruit salad at recent gatherings and oh my goodness, SO GOOD. The photo doesn’t show it but there are banana slices and they really add a nice creaminess. (All Recipes)

Peaches, cucumbers, and avocadoes make a really lovely salad combination as well!  (What’s Gabby Cooking)

Very few things are so tasty that I make them twice in a two-week period. Not the case with this Ground Turkey Skillet with Zucchini, Corn, Black Beans, and Tomato (Skinny Taste). I could seriously eat it twice a week right now.

 

10

Joy has a giveaway going on of Wendy Chan’s Music Escapade products. You might know my luck, I ordered Wendy’s Grand Staff board just a week before Joy posted this giveaway. Darn! Oh well, one more chance for you! Enter before August 9.

 

11

Piano Safari has released a series for preschool students!

 

12

Instagram Debuts New Safety Settings for Teenagers (NPR)

 

It’s the end of the month which means I have a nice hefty list for you. Take what you need, leave the rest, and by all means, ignore it completely if you don’t have the bandwidth.

Otherwise, I hope you can find something that intrigues you, sparks your imagination, makes life easier, or even just brings a moment of joy.

~Amy

 

1

A couple of weeks ago in our Summertime finds, I shared a Summer playlist for your listening pleasure.

Playlists are a fun little pastime for me so I was back at it again, creating a 4th of July one.

A disclaimer on the Independence Day playlist: it is not full of Patriotic marching band-type music but I will admit there might be some Country music involved (not normally my genre of choice). 🙂 Enjoy!

Eventually, I’m going to run out of playlist ideas. LOL.

 

2

Praise Students for their Effort, not their Talent (Chris Foley | The Collaborative Piano Blog)

 

3

I am absolutely loving the beautiful printable music posters that Joy shared recently. What a fun way to decorate your space! (Joy Morin | Color in My Piano)

 

4

If you follow me on Instagram, you got a peek at this recommendation earlier in the month. Oatsome Organic Coffee Creamer is my new favorite.

Some people were inquiring where to buy. While the link I just gave takes you to Amazon, I can get it at my local grocer – Walmart.

 

5

The Single Most Important Thing You Should Do On the First of Every Month (The Kitchen)

While classic bate-click marketing, it’s a pretty good recommendation. Just to make it easier for you – the article says you should clean your dishwasher filter once a month.

Let me go further. I put a reminder on my calendar the last Friday of the month to do the following things:

• Run the dishwasher through a cleaning cycle (apparently, I should also clean the filter).
• Run the coffee maker through a cleaning cycle.
• Give the kitchen sinks a good cleaning with Bar Keeper’s Friend. (Probably should do this more often but it can get away from you easily.)
• Plunk a cleaning tablet (Lemi-Shine is my favorite) into the garbage disposals. (Yes, that was plural. I have two – one in my regular sink and one in my prep sink. #spoiled)
• Wash all bedding (including mattress and pillow covers and blankets).

 

6

Musicianship Monthly: Summer Edition (Chrissy Ricker)

 

7

Juneteenth: What it is and How it is Observed (NPR)

 

8

This is the kind of article that might easily give you some warm fuzzies: Coming Home Dinners (Jenny Rosenstrach | A Cup of Jo)

 

9

For years I had and enjoyed using Jennifer Foxx’s game I Have Who Has Rhythm Clapbacks.

So, I went crazy when I saw Melody Payne also a whole series of this popular game. You can purchase them as a bundle or, as I did, just pick and choose which ones you want and purchase them individually.

 

10

A studio teacher giving out a scholarship to a graduating senior? What a wonderful idea!

 

11

A couple of podcast episode recommendations:

99% Invisible Podcast #442 Tanz Tanz Revolution: On the development of and heightened popularity of techno music in Berlin

Music Studio Startup #078 Noa Kageyama on Building a Personally Fulfilling Business

 

12

Chris Foley always has something interesting and provocative to say including his most recent thoughts on blogging. (Foley Music and Arts)

 

13

Lastly, my obligatory good recipe recommendation/finds!

Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cups (Gimme Some Oven)

These make nice bite-size snacks when you make them in mini cupcake pans!

Burger Bowls (House of Yumm)

We eat a LOT of salads in the Summer. It’s so nice having a variety to choose from and really loved the take on the Burger Bowl. It kind of feels like a taco salad but tastes like a burger without the bun!

Basic + Awesome Chicken Quinoa Salad (Pinch of Yum)

See? Another salad! LOL

The Best Rice Krispie Treats You’ll Ever Make (How to Make Cereal Treats)

We had some friends with young kids over for lunch after church one Sunday so I tried my hand for the first time with Rice Krispie Treats.

P.S. The secret ingredient that makes them the “best” is European Butter. 😉

 

Since the first day of Summer is just a little more than a week away and many of us are already on our “summer” schedule, let’s celebrate all things for this upcoming season.

Whether you gather ideas for your studio, permission to find ways to unplug and getaway, or

I hope you find a little something for yourself today.

 

1

My favorite flip-flop is the Sanuk Yoga Spree. Every summer I buy one more pair. This year I went for the Summer Yellow. My arch’s never hurt when wearing these – even if I wear them ALL DAY!

 

2

Experiencing the Seasons in Our Studios and Life (Amy Chaplin | Piano Pantry)

 

3

Let’s Get Outside! Moving Music Lessons Out of the Studio (Rosemarie Penner | MustLoveMusic.ca

 

4

Some favorite summertime recipes:

Best Peach Cobbler (Pinch of Yum)
Herbal Iced Tea (Ina Garten | Barefoot Contessa)
Summer Fruit Crostata (Ina Garten | Barefoot Contessa)
Summer Garden Pasta (Ina Garten | Barefoot Contessa)
Summer Vegetable Tacos with Queso Fresco (Williams Sonoma)

 

5

A Summer Coffeehouse Recital (Amy Chaplin | Piano Pantry)

 

6

4 Lessons I Learned from Doing Less (Michelle Cushatt)

 

7

My Summer playlist on Spotify

 

8

Several podcasts on Summer themes from Kendra Adachi, “The Lazy Genius.”

Grasping for Summer Routine podcast #112
The Summer Meal Formula podcast #164
How to Plan a Summer Day podcast #211
A Guide to Summer House Rules podcast #212

 

9

Your Questions Answered (Amy Chaplin | Piano Pantry):

Summer Lessons and Curriculum
Light but Fun Composing Activities for Summer

 

10

The Single Most Important Thing You Can Do to Simplify Your Summer (Elissa Joy Watts | Becoming Minimalist)

 

11

Summer Repertoire (Amy Chaplin | Piano Pantry)

 

12

How to Be the Ultimate Summer Host (Myka Meier | Food 52)

 

13

4 Ways to Motivate Students: Banishing the Summer Practice Blues (Amy Chaplin | Alfred Music Blog)

 

14

How to Reverse the Piano Student Summer Slide (Teach Piano Today)