An NCKP Goody: From My Pantry to Yours

July 25, 2017
by Amy
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The National Conference for Keyboard Pedagogy starts tomorrow in Chicago. I’ll be making the 4-hour trek from my Northeast Indiana home with my friend, Joy Morin from Color in My Piano blog.

I look forward to meeting some of you and wanted to let you know I have a special treat to hand out at NCKP, but you have to ask me personally for one!

The only requirement is that you use the word “Pantry” when you ask.

Something along the lines of:

What’s in your Pantry?

or

Can I have something from your Pantry?

I have limited stock, but I’ll give you a clue that it’s something yummy and healthy. See you soon!

My 2016 Reading List

July 3, 2017
by Amy
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“I wish I had more time to read.”

Have you ever had this thought? I do—all the time. If we’re being really honest here, I’ll probably always feel this way because I love reading.

As we were closing out 2015 and about to enter 2016, I decided it was time to stop pining over this same thought.

“I wish I had more time to read.”

“I wish I had more time to read.”

“I wish I had more time to read.”

OK – time to do something! What? I had to get intentional.

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Featured on The Unfinished Lesson

July 3, 2017
by Amy
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Piano Pantry’s guest post series, The Varsity Musician’s Playbook, by my friend Christina Archer Whitlock, was recently highlighted on The Unfinished Lesson blog’s Top 8 Music Education Resources list.

If you’ve not had a chance to read this series, now is the time, with the start of the new year around the corner. It was the one conference session that made the biggest impact on my studio in the 2015-2016 school year.

The Varsity Musician’s Playbook, Part 1 – Studio Interdependence

The Varsity Musician’s Playbook, Part 2 – Studio “Locker Room”

The Varsity Musician’s Playbook, Part 3 – Community Presence

NCKP Meet-Up with Amy and Tim

June 17, 2017
by Amy
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The National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy is just around the corner. This biennial conference, which was put on by The Francis Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, is always held in Lombard, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

The 2015 event was my first NCKP experience, and I was hooked. Since I’m only a 3-4 hour drive away, I plan on attending every one from now on!

After my first Piano Pantry reader’s dinner at MTNA in Baltimore, I was excited to get the chance to offer something again at NCKP. This time, I’m honored to team up with Tim Topham, who’s making the trek all the way from Australia for this great conference.

Let me share how I first came to meet Tim.

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An Exciting Announcement

May 29, 2017
by Amy
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Almost one month ago exactly, I mentioned in my post on conducting year-end student evaluations meetings with students, that I had a BIG announcement I was making to my studio families during our one-on-one meetings this year.

Of course, many families wanted to take a guess. Most came up with: I was either pregnant, moving, or hiring an assistant.

Do you want to take a guess too before I let you in on the secret?

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Personal Teaching Tweaks

May 3, 2017
by Amy
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Recently, in an attempt to help my students take more ownership of their lessons and learning, I’ve tried tweaking a few things with my teaching style. These personal teaching tweaks are nothing major, but I thought it might be fun to share.

Ownership

As a very organized person who likes things neat and tidy, and wants to be as efficient with our short time together, I found myself doing too many things for my students.

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Don’t Skip the Foreward

April 3, 2017
by Amy
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In college, I recall one of my Bible class professors encouraging us to always read the foreward and other introductory segments of books before diving in.

There may be three different segments: the “foreward”—written by someone other than the author—explaining why readers should read the book; the “preface”—written by the author—explaining how and why the book came into being; and an “introduction”—introducing the main topics and what to expect.

Up until that point, I always skimmed over those parts.

Since then, I have tried to be intentional about taking a moment to read these opening words. Not surprisingly, I’ve found that – as is its intention – the words have not only prepared me for the book to come but have also, at times, brought more awareness of and gratitude toward the person whose “art” I am about to absorb.

When I recently purchased new sheet music, I was caught off guard by the usefulness of this practice, not just with books but with music! Taking the time to read the introductory segments of books (and music!) is a practice

My new purchase, Phillip Keveren’s 2015 Weekly Worship: 52 Hymns for a Year of Praise, had a preface written by Keveren that was touching and really resonated with me. 

All it took was one moment – one moment to stop and read the heart and intentions of another.

Don’t skip the foreward!

(I would have called this post “Don’t Skip the Introductory Segments” but it didn’t sound as catchy! LOL).

Piano Pantry Readers’ Dinner: MTNA 2017 Baltimore

February 24, 2017
by Amy
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mtna-conference-2017-logo-readers-dinner

I am SOOOOOO excited to announce that I will host my first Piano Pantry reader’s dinner meet-up at the upcoming MTNA Conference in Baltimore!

The first readers’ dinner I attended was with Natalie Weber (then Whickham) of Music Matters Blog (or maybe it was Wendy Steven’s Compose Create??). I think it was in Albuquerque because I remember being in grad school then.

It’s the perfect chance to put faces with names and get to know you a little. To ensure I have a chance to actually get to know you and chat with all who attend, I have set my own personal maximum limit. 

So…if you are interested in reserving your spot and attending the dinner, please email me ASAP.

The dinner will be held on Monday night, March 20. Details will be sent to all attendees via email.

MTNA Elections 2017: A Personal Connection

February 8, 2017
by Amy
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Are you a current member of MTNA (Music Teachers National Association)? If so, this month, we have the privilege of voting in the National Elections for the Board of Directors.

When I first joined MTNA, like many, I was guilty of not voting due to the feeling of not knowing any of the candidates. Making a decision based on a short printed bio is hard. Each one has solid credentials, and is a highly qualified and capable candidate, or else they wouldn’t be on the ballot of a national organization. It’s true.

My non-voting didn’t last for long though because I consider the ability to vote for anything a privilege and duty.

On this year’s ballot, Indiana is proud to have one of our own – someone I literally sat next to at our last state board meeting, and I hope I can give you a bit more personal insight into one of the candidates for President-Elect, Karen Thickstun.

In the photo below, Karen is second from the left, and I’m third from the left.  On a side note, can I just say I serve on the best state board ever?! I just love these people…

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