Category - Friday Finds

 

1

A great peak into a classroom tonal pattern exercise from Eric Bluestine, author of How Children Learn Music

 

2

3 Easy Ways to Use Printable Games in Online Piano Lessons (Melody Payne.com)

 

3

Why Do They Put Butter on Sandwiches (The Kitchn)

 

4

Interview New Piano Students: Questionnaire and Hints for Success (Rebekah Maxner)

 

5

What a great idea! – Quinoa Rice (The Woks of Life)

 

6

My First Piano Workbook: A Workbook for Young Beginners (Piano with Lauren)

 

7

Our Experience at the Lost Kitchen (The Woks of Life)

 

8

A podcast series worth bingeing: Believe in Magic (BBC)

 

9

Barbie movie’s opening music is Richard Strauss’ epic 1896 tone poem. Here’s why… (Classic FM)

 

10

A movie that will keep you on your toes: Sharp Objects (Hulu)

 

 

1

The Piano Teacher Reset with Dr. Elizabeth Davis

A virtual retreat for teachers to come and be refreshed, rejuvenated, and enjoy collaborating with fellow teachers!

 

2

After reading an article by The Kitchn on the best way to store blueberries, I was pleased to discover I was already using the best method! Who wouldn’t want berries that lasted longer?

 

3

Unconditional Teaching: A ground-breaking journey toward a new style of music teaching by Paul Harris

Already, I am considering if I should stock up on the rest of the books in his series. I loved this easy read. It’s such a simple concept, yet we often place more “conditions” on our students than we may realize.

 

4

Teaching Piano to Your Own Children (Janna Williamson)

 

5

I can’t wait to try these Cottage Cheese Pancakes from 101 Cookbooks!

They sounds similar to a high protein oat waffle I’ve made several times and love that also has cottage cheese as a base.

 

6

I 100% agree with Tim’s list of what is and is not working with teaching music lessons in 2023.

 

7

I enjoyed this conversation with singer and songwriter Audrey Assad on her story and faith journey.

 

8

Musical Storybooks for Kids (Dynamic Teaching Podcast)

I love hearing about books other teachers love! There are so many out there, I’ve tried over the years to focus on only purchasing those related to piano. If you’re interested in seeing more, check out these posts here on the Piano Pantry blog:

Building a Lending Library of Piano-Themed Children’s Books

Listening Playlists to Accompany Music-Themed Children’s Books

Music-Themed Comic Books for Your Lending Library

 

9

By the way, there are a few newer podcasts for piano teachers that have popped up in recent months:

Dynamic Music Teaching with Rachel Ehring (mentioned above)

For the piano teacher who wants to go beyond the method book.  

New Harmony with Amy Elmore

Thoughtful conversations with music teachers, striving to live in wellness and balance as business owners.

Piano Teacher Primer with Angela Toone

For piano teachers just starting out.

 

10

What is Kindle Unlimited? The Ultimate Guide (Simply Rebekah)

 

 

1

Did you know Amazon has a device trade-in program? I almost did it with my Kindle, but it was too old! Ha! It’s definitely worth looking into, though!

 

2

Quick and Easy Piano Teaching Tips for Elementary Technique – a great compilation by Davis Dorrough of Creative Piano Teacher!

 

3

New: Faber’s Adult Piano Adventures Disney Book 1!

 

4

Movie recommendation: The Woman King (Netflix)

Wow! Viola Davis and so many others are incredible in this movie! Not only does it bring to light the history of this group of women warriors, but I love seeing how community, in general, used to be such a big part of how people lived and had their being.

 

5

The Pros and Cons of Using AI Writing Tools in Your Business | Ashley Danyew (Musician & Co.)

 

6

New Technology for Music Teachers | Davis Dorrough Creative Piano Teachers)

 

7

The Humble Brilliance of Italy’s Moka Coffee Pot

I’ve wanted one of these cute little coffee makers (pictured left) for years and finally got one this past Christmas.

I love using it with an instant milk frother (pictured right) to make my special weekend lattes. It’s cheaper and more fun than a big fancy espresso machine!

Bonus: Check out this YouTube video for great tips on making an even better cup of coffee in the Moka Pot.

 

8

Difficult Piano Parent Situations: What piano teachers can learn from flight attendants | Rebekah Maxner

 

9

2023-2024 Studio Planner from Natalie Weber at Music Matters Blog

 

10

Five individual podcast episodes I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Fight over Phonics | The New York Times

The Re-Militarization of Germany | The New York Times

Exit Music (for a church) | The Bulletin

Remembering Tim Keller | The Bulletin

Mental Health: The Power of Grandmothers and Community | A Slight Change of Plans

 

 

 

1

The Science of Making and Keeping Friends (A Slight Change of Plans Podcast)

 

2

Wow – this is really thorough…

The Best Apps Every Music Teacher Should Have(Oliva Ellis and Davis Dorough | Creative Piano Teacher)

 

3

Movie recommendation! Barefoot on Netflix is so cute! My husband even enjoyed it.

The ne’er-do well son of a wealthy family enlists a young woman he meets at a psychiatric hospital to pose as his girlfriend at his brother’s wedding. (Description from Netflix?)

 

4

Guide to Contemporary Educational Composers Websites (Natalie Weber | Music Matters Blog)

 

5

How to Know When a Student Has “Finished” A Piece (Nicola Cantan | Vibrant Music Teaching)

 

6

Embrace a Lifestyle of Slowing Down in a World of Hurry Up (Michael Horner | Medium)

I love how he calls it an “art.”

 

7

How to Use Notability for Assignment Sheets in Your Studio (Ashley Danyew)

 

8

Double-Duty Music (Daniel Light)

A beautiful Late-Intermediate piece that is perfect for introducing your students to 3 against 2 polyrhythms.

 

9

Tick Tips: How to find them, how to remove them, and what to do if you’re bit (NPR)

 

10

How to (deep) Clean Your Piano (Josh Wright)

 

Happy Friday, everyone! Wow. It’s been quite a few weeks since the last Friday Finds post. I have a big stash ready to go, though, so you can look forward to one this week and next! Have a great weekend!

~Amy

 

1

New-ONLY Classical Music App from Apple Music (Violin Judy)

 

2

Broadway’s Longest-Running Musical “Phantom of the Opera” Turns Out the Lights (The Daily)

 

3

Recently, I discovered Canva has a desktop client! I’ve always loved using desktop apps for Evernote and Notion, so I’m curious to see if I’ll like using Canva more on my desktop or will stick with it on the web.

Continue reading

 

1

5 Pro Tips for Buying Music from Musicnotes.com (Chrissy Ricker)

 

2

Movie recommendation: High Strung on Amazon Prime

“When a Midwest dancer and a street-wise British musician meet in New York, they immediately clash, but there’s also an undeniable attraction. The two must navigate their differences for a competition that will change their lives forever.” (Amazon Prime description)

 

3

A teacher friend recently shared a resource for pop, movie, and video game music: Jim the Piano Guy: “Pop Songs for Piano Rookies”

 

4

A review of Technique Builders by Hazel Cobb from Joy Morin at Color in My Piano.

 

5

I like to change out my front door mats with the seasons. I tried buying a couple of different ones online, but they shipped rolled up and wouldn’t lay flat. I was on my last straw until I found this Gorilla Doormat. I love it! It lays perfectly flat and is nice and heavy-duty. This green color was a nice choice for winter.

 

6

Carefully-curated playlists on YouTube for pieces from the 2016 edition of the RCM Series (Rebekah Maxner)

 

7

Noteflight Premium Now Includes a Massive Library of Digital Content

 

8

Manipulating piano student’s hands

 

9

Maker’s Schedule vs. Manager’s Schedule (PaulGraham.com)

 

10

We got a set of stainless steel colanders for our wedding 20 years ago. They never drained well as the holes were more spread apart. I finally decided it was time to let go and get a better one. This RSVP Colander (5 qt) has been amazing!

 

1

Amazon ends its charity donation program AmazonSmile after other cost-cutting efforts. (NPR)

 

2

STOMP closes after a 29-year New York run. (NPR)

 

3

Five excellent podcast episode recommendations:

Why Your Creativity Matters with Liz Gilbert (Everything Happens)

Special Episode: The Bono Interview (The Bulletin)

The Art and Science of Gathering with Priya Parker (A Slight Change of Plans)

Andrea Yahr on Tax Prep Tips and FAQs for 2023 (Music Studio Startup)

Did Artificial Intelligence Just Get too Smart? (The Daily)

 

4

Krispy Kreme is releasing its Biscoff collection, and one of them tastes like a  cheesecake. (The Kitchn)

 

5

Speaking of Biscoff, besides just eating it by the spoonful, here are some great ways to enjoy the cookie-butter-peanut-buttery-like goodness.

Cookie Butter Muddy Buddies (Bake Me Some Sugar)

Two recipes I haven’t tried these yet, but I am intrigued!

Cookie Butter Pie (All Recipes)

Cookie Butter Blondies (The Pioneer Woman)

 

6

A new website, blog, and game membership resource: MusicGameClub.com

Get their free game, Dynamic Den, here.

 

7

Bang Bang Chicken: The Authentic Sichuan Version (The Woks of Life)

My husband and I went crazy over this recipe! It’s healthy and full of flavor! We ate it with a bit of brown rice and… oh my!

 

8

I have had a razor-sharp sore throat for almost two weeks. I’m not sick otherwise, so it’s been really strange. Besides sore throat Chloraseptic lozenges, this Spiced Hot Toddy from Williams Sonoma has been the best for soothing the pain.

 

9

Germ Alert: A Teacher’s Guide to Staying Healthy (Amy Chaplin)

 

10

Registration for the Digital Organization Series is OPEN! Meet with Amy and a small handful of other teachers via Zoom over eight consecutive Fridays (12:00-1:00 pm ET) to gain control of your digital workspace.

Amy will walk you through how to clean up, reorganize, and maintain key areas, including devices, documents, media storage, email, & more.

DATES: Jan. 27 – March 17 

SIGN UP HERE

 

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Your turn! Did you discover anything interesting or delicious this week? Share in the comments!

 

 

1

A list of favorite books read in 2021-2022 from Joy Morin.

 

2

Big News!

“Effective January 1, 2023, the FJH catalog will be exclusively distributed by Alfred Music in both print and digital forms. In addition, FJH’s educational catalogs will be exclusively available for interactive practice on MakeMusic Cloud, formerly SmartMusic, the reference online platform for music practice from MakeMusic.”

 

 

4

Piano Studio Business Claims: Home expenses, work expenses, and industry codes, oh my! (Rebekkah Maxner)

 

5

Made money online this year? You could owe more in taxes. (CBS News)

 

6

A playlist for the winter season from “moi.”

 

7

Braised Chicken Thighs with Carrots, Potatoes, and Thyme (Williams Sonoma)

This is a wonderful winter meal. You’ll want a little bread on the side to mop up the delicious braising liquid though – believe me! (P. S. I actually do not like Thyme so I much prefer the dish without!)

 

8

Strategies for Tax-Time Organization with Andrea Miller (Duet Partner Podcast)

 

9

Choosing One Word to Inspire (Jennifer Foxx | Music Educator Resources)

 

10

Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan (a lighter version of the classic)

I tend to avoid making recipes where I have to do the whole breading thing because it’s a lot of steps, messy, and I just don’t like it. This recipe was the perfect substitute for parmesan chicken because it had no breading and was easy to make when having my family over. I made spaghetti on the side and tossed in just a bit of butter. Everyone loved it!

 

11

While there have been years I’ve read mostly “knowledge-building” books, fiction is my favorite, and I’ve been trying to be much more intentional about allowing myself enjoyment.

I’m kicking this year off with a great one!

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

 

I couldn’t resist squeezing in one more goodies post before the end of 2022! I mean, who could let it sit at #254? LOL. Plus, I had a lot of Christmas fun to share with you, including a list of items I’m in charge of making for our various holiday gatherings. Let’s start there!

 

1

Pimento Cheese Spread (Gimme Some Oven)

We always provide a tray of venison summer sausage and crackers for both family gatherings. This soft cheese spread will make a nice addition to the mix. I prefer about half the amount of green onion. You could even substitute with a 1/2 t. or so of dry onion powder.

Brandied Apple Cake with Figs and Walnuts (Williams Sonoma)

I’ve made this cake one other time, and oh my…. it’s full of apples, incredibly moist, and full of flavor.

Apple, Pecan, and Blue Cheese Salad with Dried Cherries (Pioneer Woman)

When my brother texted my mom and me with who should bring what for our Christmas Day meal, my list included dessert and “Adam’s favorite salad.” I knew exactly what he meant!

 

2

While we’re talking about dinner, my friend Joy shared a beautiful and simple table centerpiece on Instagram this past month. Here’s the link she shared online on how to make one.

 

3

For your holiday entertainment – here are a couple of personal favorites.

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (The Roku Channel)

White Christmas (Netflix)

 

4

If you have any down days to binge-watch, we really enjoyed The Playlist on Netflix. It’s about the creators of Spotify.

 

5

Ukrainians sing ‘Carol of the Bells’ at Carnegie Hall, 100 years after its U.S. debut (NPR)

 

6

These are my top 10 favorite books from what I read this past year (out of around 28) in rough order from most favorite.

1. On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass
2. Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
3. The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom
4. The It Girl by Ruth Ware (my favorite of all her books)
5. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
6. Playing Nice by JP Delaney
7. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
8. The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman
9. Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin
10. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

 

8

A musical mash-up of Carol of the Bells with Pirates of the Caribbean played on Harp.

9

I especially enjoyed the last three episodes of the Key Ideas Podcast:

#61 These are a Few of My Favorite Things

#59-60 Navigating a Post-Pandemic World with Vanessa Cornett

I have to admit; I almost didn’t listen to this one because I feel past the whole “navigating a post-pandemic world” topic. That said, I really wanted to hear from Vanessa Cornett, and I am glad I did. It was 100% worth listening to both long episodes. She has beautiful insight and a special way with words. I might even go back and listen again!

 

1

A nice simple visual of different types of artificial Christmas trees.

 

2

Creating a Seamless Music Experience (Daniel Light)

In this blog post, Daniel shares a variety of creating transitions between songs in different keys for a seamless musical experience in Christmas service music. Beautiful!

 

3

In Daniel’s post, he mentions the Carpenters Christmas Portrait Album, which has a seamless musical experience. I’ve never listened to this album, so I’ve added it to my list and am really enjoying it!

Other holiday playlists that are currently on my rotation include Shadow & Light Advent from Tsh Oxenreider as part of her advent book I’m doing and my own personal Advent playlist.

 

4

Transparent sticky notes?! I knew there were transparent tabs but not large post-its like this! Thanks to teacher Rebecca Brown for sharing this on Piano Teacher Central on Facebook. Mine are already on their way!

 

5

Holiday Activities for Your December Group Classes (The Piano Pantry Podcast).

One of the items I mention is piano ensembles. The resource I’ve always used is Hal Leonard’s Christmas Piano Ensembles. This year, however, I’m excited to try out another resource – Lauren Lewandowski’s Piano Ensemble Music.

She has three Christmas ones (Jingle Bells, Jolly Old St. Nicholas, and Carol of the Bells). At the time that I’m writing this post, they’re discounted from $14.50 to $8.50 – I purchased all three!

 

6

A free source for hymn lead sheets and more.

 

7

Music Teachers Helpers Helper was the very first online music studio management software (that I was ever aware of, at least). A couple of years ago, it was bought out and is now Duet Partner.

I really enjoyed hearing the story in this interview on the Music Studio Startup Podcast with the new owner and CEO, Neylan McBaine.

 

8

“The Musical Communication Podcast” was created as an extension of the Ploger Method. In this podcast, Marianne and her producer, Karen, explore her method, music perception, and cognition as well as how we can develop fluency in our musicianship.

 

9

My husband and I really like cooking with cast iron and both enjoy following this Cast Iron Cooking group on Facebook.

 

10

Should We Measure Our Student’s Musical Growth

Interesting thoughts from Eric Bluestine, author of one of my favorite books, How Children Learn Music.