MTNA (Music Teacher’s National Association) has a YouTube Channel and is posting replays of their webinars!
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Leila’s post on Wynn-Anne Rossi led me to embark on a series of clicks that landed me on J.W. Pepper’s YouTube Channel. They have a set of playlists called “The Inside Voice” with composers such as Rossi, Mark Hayes and more!
Each Friday on this blog, I will share some of my favorite finds from the past week. I absorb a lot of content in Feedly so I’m looking forward to helping you as busy teachers see what’s worth checking out! You will find anything from teaching articles, podcasts, music news, recipes, favorite pieces, and more. I promise to try to 10 items or less!
A “Superpower Piano Recital” decked out with life-size Batman and Spiderman figures taped to the inside of the piano lids?! Super fun and super awesome! In case you were wondering like me, teacher Marie Lee told me that due to lack of superhero music, most students just chose pieces from their repertoire from the year (Supersonics Piano, Piano Pronto solos, classics, and pop hits).
Each Friday on this blog, I will share some of my favorite finds from the past week. I absorb a lot of content in Feedly so I’m looking forward to helping you as busy teachers see what’s worth checking out! You will find anything from teaching articles, podcasts, music news, recipes, favorite pieces, and more. I promise to try to keep it under 10 items!
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A professional recorder player was featured on Cross-Eyed Pianist. I love it! In college, I took a January term recorder class. It was fun and totally popular with even non-music students! Up until then, I did not realize there were different sizes of recorders beyond the ones we played in grade school. Who knew it could be so beautiful?!
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Are you a Pinterest user? They’ve made a few recent changes.
Speaking of copyrighting, artists protecting their work, and media piracy online, here’s a shocking story. I’m sure you’ve heard about the new Harriet Tubman image going onto the new $20 bill. An old college friend of mine is a talented artist/graphic designer and self-employed small business owner. In June of last year he wrote about a debaclehe was going through with his Harriet Tubman image being pirated by an organization called Women on 20’s who was working a global campaign attempting to get a woman on the U.S. $20 bill(!) They are currently working on a settlement with this organization but now that this image has been chosen for the $20 bill, doesn’t this make this an even bigger issue?
Please take a minute to help bring awareness to this situation and share the postwherever you can. Let’s help get credit where credit is due!
Each Friday on this blog, I will share some of my favorite finds from the past week. I absorb a lot of content in Feedly so I’m looking forward to helping you as busy teachers see what’s worth checking out! You will find anything from teaching articles, podcasts, music news, recipes, favorite pieces, and more. I promise to try to keep it under 10 items!
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Find out how you can use Noteflight’s online notation software in your studio.
You may or may not be familiar with the Ted Talk by psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth: The Key to Success? Grit. It’s worth the 6:12 of your life to watch. Encourage your students and families to view it as well by including it in your newsletter, Facebook page, or assign during computer lab time. The producers at Freakonomics Radio talked this week with Ms. Duckworth on how grit isn’t something you’re born with but how it can be learned. Find out How to Get More Grit in Your Life, and those of your students, I might add!
Each Friday on this blog, I will share some of my favorite finds from the past week. I absorb a lot of content in Feedly so I’m looking forward to helping you as busy teachers see what’s worth checking out! You will find anything from teaching articles, podcasts, music news, recipes, favorite pieces, and more. I promise to try to keep it under 10 items!
In this information age, we can only absorb and implement so many improvements in our teaching at once so I love when I come across unique posts that aren’t about materials or better pedagogical techniques but are still pertinent to piano teachers and my first two finds are just that!
Sara Campbell over at Sara’s Music Studio shared her 2016 Piano Recital Fun Mix playlist on Spotify. I’m excited to use this playlist as pre-recital and intermission music for my upcoming recital!
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Apparently it’s “Get-to-know-Tim-Topham” week in the piano world! Hugh Sung did an interview with Tim as a part of his special podcast series on Musical Entrepreneurs, and Leila and Tim did a Google Hangout (watch on YouTube) which included a follow-up blog post. In Hugh’s podcast especially, you will get a sneak peak into how his past experiences have played into his current pedagogical philosophy and career aspirations.
Each Friday on this blog, I will share some of my favorite finds from the past week. I absorb a lot of content in Feedly so I’m looking forward to helping you as busy teachers see what’s worth checking out! You will find anything from teaching articles, podcasts, music news, recipes, favorite pieces, and more. I promise to try to keep it under 10 items!
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If you’ve never heard of the Taubman Approach, read more about how the Goldansky Institute Transforms Lives One Student at a Time posted on Clavier Companion blog.
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This past Sunday in worship, I played several of Victor Labenske’s cleverly woven arrangements in Sunday Morning Blended Worship Companion. A local band teacher attends the Lutheran Church where I play and the pieces really piqued his interest as well as he’s hoping to brush up on his playing skills! I grew up with the classic hymns and they still deeply touch my heart but I also love the power of today’s worship music. Thanks to Victor for pulling these together!
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An absolutely brilliant activity to incorporate into your recital. Teacher Swan Kiezebrink has her students and audience participate in The Recital Compliment Exchange. I can think of no better way to have your students feel pride and affirmation. This would even be a great activity to do if you hold a recital dress rehearsal. Compliments prior to the recital would certainly give students confidence for the performance.
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I made The Best Soft Granola Bars this week. I love how simple they are with only six ingredients and no baking required. The crushed pretzels definitely make them. They’re really tasty and overall pretty healthy! After cutting, I wrapped them in individual plastic sandwich baggies and threw them in the freezer. They’re easy to grab and pack for lunch.
I finally got around to ordering this adorable stuffed chipmunk to use when I teach my kiddos the famous “Charlie Chipmunk” in their very first lesson. I can’t wait to use him.
On the Science Channel website, they have clips from the TV series “Machines: How They Work” including a three-minute clip called How Do Grand Piano’s Work?
I love Lauren’s new rhythm worksheet just posted for teaching 6/8 and 3/4 time signatures.
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Elizabeth Gutierrez is doing a Periscope series beginning April 16 on Donald Waman’s “Piano Pageants” book. I purchased it awhile back after Joy Morin wrote about it in her awesome “Un-Method Books for Piano Students” post but I have yet to pull it out. I look forward to Elizabeth’s insights and hope it may entice me to use it!
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Here’s a great storage idea from Sheryl at Notable Music Studio for storing games.
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Spice dinnertime prep and your Spotify playlist with go-to pieces from line-chefs across the country. You never know what you may find!
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Marie Lee has written a smashing report on Time for Three’s appearance at MTNA. These guys have developed some big fans!
Do you ever feel you’ve gotten off your rhythm of cooking at home? Perhaps your family has had a week where you’ve had something going on every night and you’ve had to rely on a 15-year old in a drive-through… or perhaps you’ve been at a conference for the last 5 days (like a recent MTNA in San Antonio! 🙂 and haven’t touched foot in your kitchen for a week. We all have days or periods in life where we have to outsource our food. Marisa and Joy share a little on how we can get back into our happy places in the kitchen.
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One of the sessions I attended this past week was Have You Forgotten What It’s Like to be a Child? by Wendy Stevens. One way I try to remember the child in me is by what Julie Knerr would call in one of her 152 Teaching Strategies“personification.” That is, personifying their fingers, “Oh, Mr. Thumb, you’re just not cooperating today, are you? You must be really sleepy because you keep laying down!” I guarantee this elicits nothing but smiles and giggles from students. Andrea Dow shares similar thoughts in How I Use Imaginative Play to Win Over Challenging Piano Students. Don’t be afraid to be silly!
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While we’re still on the topic, one necessity for all those long conference days and really on any given day, is comfortable shoes. I was fed-up with my thin-as-a-popsicle-stick ballet flats with no support which did nothing but hurt my feet (even though they were cute, of course). I decided at the last minute I had to break down and get something that would be nicer on my feet. I found the Tami Ballet Flat by Born at Von Maur and they were totally worth the price of three pairs of cheap shoes. They have some arch support and are made of soft leather so your toes still have freedom to wiggle. They allow my feet to breathe, are simple, versatile, and comfortable. I wore them nearly every day this week.
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As I was unpacking and doing laundry, I was listening to Michael Hyatt talk about 8 lessons we can learn about leadership from the Symphony Orchestra. I love this! I especially love #3: Be visible so everyone can see you (like the conductor). Whether it’s as a leader or as a business owner, we need to make ourselves visible both online and offline.
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Coming off my session I just gave this week on the Wild West of Marketing, “marketing” had been on in my brain. Hitting spot on, Canva Design School Blog did a fun post on the ABC’s of Facebook Marketing. Each letter is a short, easy-to-read snippet on understanding Facebook a little better.
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Are you an Essentialist? Do you know how to achieve more by doing less? I’m already reading Greg McKeown’s book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.Sharon Mark-Teggart shares three strong impacts the books has already had on her as a piano teacher.
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Seth Godin comments and gives a run-down on the 5 Ted Talk’s he’s given thus far. I’m sure I have seen them all!
