I’m excited to announce that registration is now open for Organize Your Life With Notion, a 2-day online workshop with Joy Morin and myself!
If you’re tired of having your life scattered across multiple websites and productivity apps and would love to see everything you manage on one beautiful dashboard, this workshop is for you!
My friend Joy Morin of ColorinMyPiano.com and I have both been using Notion (an awesome productivity and note-taking app) for several years now and aren’t exaggerating when we say it has changed our lives.
We’ve become pretty passionate about all the ways we’ve utilized Notion to make our lives easier as independent teachers and now are teaming up to offer this special live shop to pass along these methods.
In this 2-day live event, we will help you build a custom, personalized digital workspace in Notion and, in turn, revolutionize the way you work in 2024. (Replays will be available for 6-months.)
You’ll get access to a starter pack of Notion page templates built by us, including things like a prospective student inquiries tracker, student curriculum notes, a studio communication calendar, a tax preparation checklist, and more.
If you would like to hear a little more from us on how Notion has impacted the way we work, join us for a Live Chat on Instagram on Monday, February 19 @ 1:15 pm Eastern.
It’s hard to believe the Piano Pantry blog has been active here on this crazy thing we call the web for almost eight years and the podcast for almost two.
If you’ve been hanging around here much at all, you likely know I love feeding people all kinds of good things (both literally and figuratively!), but, as you can imagine, it takes a lot of time and energy.
I decided it was time to take a leap and create a place for Piano Pantry fans to partner up and support the work that’s going on here.
Over on Patreon, you can choose between two levels of support:
For just $4 a month, you can become a Piano Pantry POWER Patron. Your silent partnership will help power the work that I do and will be your way of saying to me, “Thank you,” “Keep doing what you’re doing!” “I’m here for you!” even “Go buy a fancy coffee on me!”
If you want to throw a little support my way but would also love a little extra “Amy access,” you can become a Piano Pantry INSIDER for just $7 a month. My insiders will get support in one particular area in which I know most of you ALWAYS need a little extra help, and that’s with your email.
We will have a monthly Zoom power hour on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 12:00-1:00 pm ET dedicated only to managing your email Inbox. Just a side note that October’s will be held the last Wednesday due to a pre-arranged vacation.
This means that you will get all my best email coaching tips as we work together to get a grip on a major pain point in our business each month.
Not only that, but we’ll have a special 30-60 minute BONUS session on Zoom once a quarter.
Each bonus session will be different – will be voted on by patrons, and could be anything from hearing one of my presentations normally only available to teacher groups to getting a behind-the-scenes look at how I organize my kitchen and pantry, and more. The sky’s the limit! All Insider meetings will also be recorded if you can’t join in at the set times.
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.
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.
I’m honored to be stepping in at the last minute, filling in for The Hungry Musician who normally works with Paula Dreyer on the food side of this virtual conference.
Hope to see some of you there as we make fluffy omelets together this Saturday, January, 29 @ 11:00 am PST.
If you’re interested in registering for the conference, you can do so here:
The growth of MTNA’s business resources has been an important focus and implementation for current president Karen Thickstun.
One of the first projects (that I know of) was developing the Business Resources section of the MTNA website.
After Karen started her MTNA Presidency this past March, she passed the reigns on the new Email Business Digest to Beth Klingenstein.
You all likely know me well enough that piano teacher resources are the name of my game as I’ve been writing the weekly Friday Finds series since the blog started!
Thus, I have joined a team of several other teachers led by Beth to bring you this quarterly digest!
I’m working on two sections: “Resource Gems” (along with fellow teacher Jennifer Walschap), and “Technology Tips and Tools” (along with fellow teacher Jennifer Stadler)
I hope you will find these resources to be invaluable for running your own independent music studio!
If you’re not a member of MTNA, consider joining today!
This is the third post in a series about ways we can mark time by acknowledging, reflecting on, and celebrating special teaching anniversaries/milestones.
In today’s post, I will be reflecting on seven ways my teaching and studio have evolved in the past decade including what I learned along the way.
One trend that has really stuck out is having the ability (and willingness) to change and try new things. Every year I would find myself implementing little (and even sometimes big) changes as my teaching style evolved and students came and went.
I believe that the ability to adapt was key to growing my new studio to 45 students in 30 months and maintaining a waiting list ever since.
As independent teachers, we work with people, and the world changes daily. The ability to adapt is integral to a thriving studio.
As I share my specific journey, take this time to reflect on how your studio and teaching have evolved over the past years, months, or even decades.
Can you pinpoint and see changes in yourself, your teaching, and your students? How have those changes impacted you and your studio?
This past week I went to my first in-person workshop since…well, who knows when. It feels like forever, right?!
It was a workshop at Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne with Melody Bober. She did a session on practice tips, a feature session on many of her books and resources, and a masterclass.
Today I wanted to quickly let you know some of the places I’ll be this upcoming school year.
The first is the MTNA National Conference which will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota March 26-30, 2022.
I’ll be presenting a 20-minute “One-for-All” session called Reset and Refresh: Tidying Tips for Studio Teachers.
If your local or state group is still on the lookout for some unique and refreshing sessions, check out my speaking page. I only have one or two spots left for the 2021-2022 season!
With several online events happening over the course of the next month, I thought this might be a good time to highlight those along with a few useful resources on participating in professional development.
Nicola’s Turboboostevent will be from March 29th – April 2.
This 5-day event is designed to help give a refresh before gearing into the final weeks of the school term. While it’s 5 days, it will only be 3 hours a day (10 am-1 pm EST), and the guest speaker sessions are 15-minutes so they will be easy to absorb.
My session will be on the final day. It’s called:
Reset and Refresh: Tiding Tips for Studio Teachers
Enjoy a workspace that is always fresh and orderly by implementing a simple, consistent, and sustainable tidying routine. Four specific time points, a small checklist, and an incremental (but minimal) time commitment will be your steps for a well-kept studio.
Last week I was a guest speaker for one of Butler University’s Career Development and Entrepreneurship graduate classes.
Some of the things we talked about included:
The story of opening my new business and how it changed and developed over the years.
Acquiring and retaining students
Marketing and studio policies
Rates, billing, and payment options
Lesson material organization
If you are looking for someone to talk about this topic with your college class or local or state association, you can contact me here.
Feel free to also check out my speaking page that shows a list of sessions I’ve done in recent years.
Turboboost
If you haven’t heard yet, Nicola Cantan from Vibrant Music Studio is hosting an online event called “Teacher Turboboost” from March 29th – April 2.
I’m happy to be a guest speaker along with several other awesome ladies.
It’s a 5-day event designed to help give a refresh before gearing into the final weeks of the school term. Each day will have a very focused and yet broad topic such as: connect, open, explore, grown, balance.
What you will find unique about this event is that it will only be 3 hours a day (10 am-1 pm EST) and the guest speaker sessions are 15-minutes so they will be easy to absorb.
My session will be on the final day. It’s called:
Reset and Refresh: Tiding Tips for Studio Teachers
Enjoy a workspace that is always fresh and orderly by implementing a simple, consistent, and sustainable tidying routine. Four specific time points, a small checklist, and an incremental (but minimal) time commitment will be your steps for a well-kept studio.
