This is a post I’ve been excited to write for a long time. I don’t know why exactly. I think it’s because it’s a fun and light post that doesn’t require us to revamp our piano teaching or extend our to-do list. LOL.
Whether you’re just creating your Instagram account for the first time, or if you’ve been on there since the day it launched in 2010, there are five Instagram accounts I’ve enjoyed recently you might want to consider following if you’re not already.
Before I give you my list, I wanted to let you know exactly what I was looking for in this particular list.
The Criterion
While there are many piano teachers, bloggers, etc. on Instagram, this post focuses on accounts that spark a little “fun” in the piano studio world.
They can includea little (but not too much) of:
Marketing for their website or product.
Videos of their own playing or their students playing.
They should include:
Student / studio-related photos (but not too many).
A few personal photos – keep yourself real and relatable!
A lot of fun, beautiful piano-related eye candy.
In other words, I was looking for accounts that balanced life and studio, didn’t seem focused on marketing themselves or products, and included a lot of piano beauty, fun, and even humor.
Here are my recommendations in no particular order. (Except the last one, which is definitely my favorite!)
With so many social media apps out there, many teachers are hesitant to put the time and effort into trying a new platform. Believe it or not, though, Instagram isn’t new – it’s been out for almost 10 years!
As a fellow skeptic, I want to share with you today the biggest reason why any music teacher who is running an independent music studio needs to be on Instagram.
My own personal journey to Instagram is a big part of this story, so let me start there.
Entering Instagram
In July 2015, I opened my account and posted my first photo.
Since it was August, the month for fresh produce and canning (and you all know I love food), I had a little fun posting a lot of food photos.
Then it was pretty much crickets until October 2016 – more than a year later. Eek!
Bam!!
I’m suddenly back in and using Instagram even more than Facebook.
What happened?
Inspiration finally set in from a session I attended earlier that year at the 2016 MTNA Conference in San Antonio. The session was actually put on by a friend and colleague of mine and was called The Varsity Musician’s Playbook.: Commitment-Building Strategies from Team Sports to the Studio.
I was so inspired by her session, that I asked her to write a 3-part series here on Piano Pantry.
Part 3 is where the conviction to start using Instagram again set in. Granted, it took me almost 7 months to gear up to start using Instagram again, but once I did, I haven’t looked back and there’s one big reason why.
Student-Studio Connection
Instagram is (one place) where my students go to connect. Every single one of my high school students is on Instagram as well as a few younger students.
Students can see what’s going on in the studio outside of just their lesson. Most of my students go to different schools, so it’s fun for them to see the life of their piano peer’s outside of piano studio life as well as inside our piano studio life.
They can celebrate each other’s achievements and connect with each other outside of group classes. I witness students “loving” (as it goes on Instagram) and commenting on each other’s photos as well as the studio.
I always like to imagine that if I had social media like this growing up, and I saw a photo of a fellow student who has finished a book that I was struggling through, it would have been great motivation to work hard to also complete the book.
My Instagram Focus
Instagram is such an important part of my studio that I try to keep it focused on just that – my studio. Do I share personal things? Of course. Do I share a few Piano Pantry things once in a while? Yep.
If you follow me on Instagram though, you’ll see that I am 95% focused on my students.
Can we use Instagram as a way to market our studios? Absolutely! My mindset, however, is less on “outward” marketing and more “inward” marketing. That is, developing a community within your studio which then seems to radiate outward on its own.
P.S. Just a tip that in order to actually allow outward marketing to also occur, don’t keep your Instagram account private. That is, when you create an account, don’t set it up so people have to “request” to follow you. Let it be a public account anyone can follow. You want the public to see all the wonderful things you do in your studio!
Just as continuing education is important no matter how seasoned the teacher is, so is revisiting and refreshing areas of our studios such as websites, policies, and awards every few years.
If it’s been more than 5 years since you’ve considered whether or not you could make some improvements to your year-end awards program, now is probably a good time!
For me, it’s been eight years, and I was starting to notice a few things I wasn’t happy with, so that was my clue it was time.
Today, I’ll be sharing some of my changes, which include updating the progression of awards students receive for their years of study as part of the MTNA Music Study Award program, as well as the physical trophies. I changed trophy companies, and I am very happywith the results.
I’ll also share a few details on four new awards I started giving out, including a “Master Musician” award, a “Legacy” award, and most mastered and memory pieces.
But first, if you haven’t read the original post (Studio Awards: Policies and Procedures), you might want to do that first, as it includes more in-depth details on the types of awards I give (including more details on the MTNA Music Study Award), and how to track and keep it organized from year to year.
Organizing a studio recital involves many different aspects beyond student repertoire preparation. I’m sure many of us have stories we can tell about the lessons we learned in our first few years of recital planning.
One of the first lessons I learned was to put up some kind of signage, especially when the recital is not in the same location every year.
Is it a necessity? No.
Can people eventually find their way to the recital hall or auditorium? Yes.
So why use direction signs?
If you’ve ever attended a graduation party, baby shower, or conference, I’m sure you will agree that the minute you see a sign indicating you are in the correct location, you breathe a sigh of relief.
It’s comforting not to wonder if you’re in the correct location or to search for where you’re going. Relieving this slight anxiety for your audience will make a great first impression and add a professional touch with little effort. All it takes is a few signs posted around the building where the recital is being held.
Get this Freebie
This free download includes nine different signs. They are intentionally designed in a simple, no-frills format to be used for any studio and recital. Enjoy!
Consider taking your signage a step further and purchasing a yard sign you can reuse from year to year with your studio logo that says “Recital Here” or something generic that could be used for any kind of performance(s) you organize in your studio! I’ve not done it yet myself, but I love the idea!
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Writing posts like these the last couple of years have been very enlightening, encouraging and really just a healthy exercise in gratitude in general.
The idea behind the “Piano Teacher World” recap is to take a look back at significant news, happenings, and impact in the world of independent piano teachers. The final part of this post also includes resources that have made a direct impact on my own teaching.
I tried to be as thorough as I could and will admit that the list is much smaller than it was last year. Be sure and share in the comments if there was anything you would add to the list!
For the sake of being thorough, I asked for recommendations on multiple Facebook groups and received a lot of excellent feedback on The Art of Piano Pedagogy group regarding overall trends – all of which I agree with. Let’s start with those. (If you’re interested in reading all the comments, which are much more specific, check out the full post here.)
2018 Trends
1 | Declining or leveled-off interest in iPads and apps. Better balance and understanding in the role they play in lessons.
2 | Teaching and learning piano online is becoming more and more viable and easily available.
3 | A shift in attitude and growing excitement toward rote teaching/learning.
4 | Increased curiosity and interest in Music Learning Theory and how it can impact piano teaching, not just Early Childhood Music.
5 | Continually improved quality and ease-of-availability in regards to self-published material.
6 | Rising interested in quality blogs, podcasts, and online communities.
7| Continual professionalization of the field.
8 | A renewed interest in pedagogy outside of academia.
9 | Ongoing concerns with declining membership in professional organizations such as MTNA.
A teacher friend shared this one specifically with me. She has always loved Marvin Blickenstaff’s method “Music Pathways” and Paul Sheftel’s MIDI accompaniment for the series. She says there are lots of good compositions by Lynn Freeman Olson.
THE FRANCIS CLARK CENTERis continuing to see changes as Dr. PamelaPike was named the new Editor in Chief/Chief Content Director and Dr. Andrea McAlister was appointed as the new Director of Content Curation and Senior Editor for Clavier Companion.
They also launched a Facebook group for subscribers called Piano Teach Learn.
Let’s stop for a minute and consider how many people we “follow” online. To keep it even more specific and focused, only think about those you follow who create content for piano teachers.
Can you count them all on one hand, or do you lose track after listing more than a dozen?
I stopped counting after 50. Yes, 50. I’m pretty sure my number is actually closer to 90.
Let’s crank that jaw shut – it’s not as scary as it seems!
Next to email, managing the influx of content from all our favorite blogs and websites seems to be the one area teachers struggle with the most – and for good reason. The last five years especially have seen an explosion of new content creators – I’m one of them!
Believe it or not, it is possible to follow a large number of sites online in a manageable way without it feeling overwhelming. More importantly, you can do it without clogging your email Inbox or Facebook Newsfeed with articles. Curious?
While dreading the thought of relocating all these things, I began to ponder what it would be like to have a “minimalist” studio.
If I were a brand new teacher or if I had to start all over again in a very small space, what are the items that would be “must-haves”?
Thus, this “minimalist’s list” was born. Keep in mind that we’re talking bare bones. This list does not include equipment (like a piano), office equipment like computers and printers, or pedagogical books.
I look forward to hearing some of your “must-haves” in the comments!
A Copy of Your Favorite Method Book
This is my first recommendation because it’s one of the most basic and important, in my opinion.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve either wanted to have a look at a student’s method book while lesson planning, needed a copy so I could make a video lesson for a student, or simply needed an extra copy when a student forgot their book. Whatever method you use the most, keep one extra copy on hand at all times!
Office Supply Must-Have
Post-its are kind of a “must-have” in any teacher’s world. I couldn’t go without these 1/2″ x 1 3/4″ Post-its for marking assigned pages. I like the paper ones because I can also write on them if needed instead of plastic-type tabs.
Erasable pens, markers, and colored pencils are God’s gift to teachers. I have four specific recommendations in this area.
How often have you put off purchasing a piece of equipment (whether it was technology, instrument, or office-related) that you knew would be beneficial to your workflow or teaching?
There are many reasons we make decisions to purchase (or not purchase), which are important in being a smart consumer!
Perhaps most of the time, the decision is based on financial reasons, but it may not be so much about spending the money as it is the question floating through our minds… is it REALLY necessary? Can I get by?
I’ve had quite a few items over the years that I’ve put off purchasing for these same reasons, but once I did, I regretted waiting so long. Today I’ll share five of those with you.
Life is much easier when you have technology equipment that isn’t finicky!
After using several tripods over the years and jerry-rigging setups using music stands, etc., I finally purchased this iKlip Smartphone Tripod, and wow, is it well-thought-out!
It extends to a nice 24″ height, doubles as a “selfie stick,” has a Bluetooth shutter control remote, and collapses nicely compactly.
Students are not displayed from oldest to youngest, but by how long they’ve been studying with me – moving from left to right and top to bottom.
Every photo includes the student’s picture, their first name, and the month and year they started taking piano lessons at Studio 88.
The white spaces are inspiring quotes. I could have filled them all up individually if I had included my adults, but I assumed they would want anonymity. (After one of them asked why they weren’t on the photo board, I realized next time I should just ask if I could include them rather than assume!)
Today I want to show you how you can create a photo board like this using an online design studio called Canva.
First, I want to briefly share what got me started on having a student photo board.
Who’s the Team?
One of the hottest series here on Piano Pantry is called the Varsity Musician’s Playbook. Written by a good friend of mine, the series focuses on how we can develop thriving studios and students who are deeply committed using principles from team sports.
Do you do anything special for your student’s birthdays?
I’ve always felt like recognizing student’s birthdays is something that takes little effort and yet can really show a student – and their family – that you care.
While there are various things you could do, I’m a big advocate for the simple act of sending a card via snail mail.
I mean, how many kids ever get much – if anything – in the US mail?
Very few, I’m sure.
Heck, who doesn’t love getting something besides bills and junk mail hits my mailbox? Personal cards with little hand-written notes are the best.
