Friday Finds #150

Top 25 and a Giveaway!

Wow, I can’t believe we’ve hit another milestone of Friday Finds once again! It seems like just yesterday I was putting together the celebration post for #100, but that was more than a year ago!

After #100, I took the Summer of 2018 off of Friday Finds and there have been a few random weeks missed here and there which is why we are more than 50 weeks past #100.

In #100, I shared a HUGE list of the top 100 items from the first two and a half years of Friday Finds posts. That was A LOT to recap, so moving forward, celebrating in 50-week increments seemed a little more manageable!

To make it even more of the best of the best, I’ve trimmed down this week’s celebration list to the top 25 finds from the past 50 weeks. All of these items are ones that, when looking back, still stuck out to me as extra special, interesting, or things I still absolutely love.

You’re getting them in alphabetical order. At the end, you’ll find a giveaway!

 

1

40 By 40: The Final Update (Jones Design Company)

 

2

Books for the Ages: The best books to read at every age from 1 to 100 (Washington Post)

I haven’t gotten started on this one yet but it’s still on my wish list to work my way through!

3

Composition Tips With Wynn-Ann Rossi (Alfred | YouTube)

 

4

Creative Teaching Press Emoji Rewards Stickers (Amazon)

 

 

5

Design Your Rhythm of Work – Theme Days (Emily P. Freeman | The Next Right Thing Podcast)

 

6

Has Parenthood Changed My Teaching? (Elissa Milne)

 

7

How to Truly Listen With Evelyn Glennie (Musicality Podcast)

 

8

How Motherhood changed the way I teach piano: Piano Teacher Confessions (Rebekah Maxner)

 

9

Indiana school district turns unused cafeteria food into take-home meals for kids in need (CBS News)

 

10

It’s So Much More than Cooking (Zoe Fenson | The Week)

It’s true. I wish I had discovered this years ago but now that I’m a convert I will never go back!

 

11

Koobar Year-Round Holiday Stickers Variety Pack (Amazon)

 

12

Lego Piano (PianoStreet)

 

13

Make a Keyboard Puzzle (Susan Pardis)

 

14

MLT (Music Learning Theory) Basics (Robin Gielbelhausen | Youtube)

 

15

My Music Staff Review – Is This Music Studio Management Software Right for You? (Nicola Canton | Colourfulkeys.ie)

This post opened my eye to the fact that I could add a sign-up widget to my website that would connect submission/leads directly into my student waiting list. This was a game-changer!

 

16

Sanuk Women’s Yoga Joy Metallic Flip-Flop (Amazon)

Pewter is my favorite color! Next summer I plan on adding the Champagne color to my shoe collection.

 

17

Slow-Roasted Sweet Potatoes (Smitten Kitchen)

Still loving these like crazy.

18

Spotify Playlist / Worship – Easter Season (Amy Chaplin)

59 awesome Easter-season songs in one playlist!

 

19

Student-Led Conferences (Rosemarie Penner | The Unfinished Lesson)

Super interesting idea!

20

S.W. Basics Peppermint Lip Balm (Amazon)

It’s that time of year!

21

Teaching is Relentless; Be Extra (Liz Prather | Teach Like Everyone’s Listening)

 

22

This Rare Vintage Typewriter from the 1950s Lets You Type Sheet Music (My Modern Met)

 

23

This teacher has the coolest way to get her students excited to come to class and it’s amazing (Good Times.my)

Extra-special teachers.

24

What 15 Years of Classical Piano Taught Me About Discipline (and Judging Your Own Potential) (Nicholas Cole | Inc.com)

 

25

Why You Should Buy Your Parchment Paper at the Dollar Store (The Kitchn)

I finally tried the Dollar Store parchment and they’re right! I’ll never go back!

 

 

Want to Win Something?!

Now for our giveaway! In #100 I gave away an item from the big 100 list – Note Speed!

From this 150 list, I’m giving away a pack of my favorite stickers! Worth $12.99, the Koobar Year-Round Holiday Stickers are an absolute hit with students. So much so that I know I’ve included them on my Friday Finds list more than once!

The pack includes more than 400 stickers – two sheets of eight different design themes for a total of 16 sheets.

In order to enter this giveaway, you must comment on this post and answer one of these questions:

  1. What do you love best about Friday Finds?
  2. What’s the best item/article you’ve discovered via Friday Finds? (Links are welcome but not required!)

One entry per person. The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm (E.S.T.) on Thursday, October 24. Comments submitted after that time will not be entered.

The winner will be announced in Friday Finds #151.

Good luck and thanks for being a loyal Friday Finds reader!

~Amy

This giveaway has now ended. Thanks for entering, everyone! Find the winner here:


Please note that Piano Pantry is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Simply put, being an associate allows me to make a small percentage from Amazon on items to which I link at no extra cost to you.

33 Comments

  • I love the Friday Finds – thank you for doing them each week! I have enjoyed and used several things from your posts, but one I was super excited about was when you posted the treble clef bookmarks for Christmas gifts. It was totally what I needed to find! Of course I also totally love my Note Speed game that I found from you, too!

  • I’m going to answer question #1: what do I love best about Friday Finds? I love the variety! It is music, teaching, cooking, and so many other interesting things. Love it! And I’m looking forward to more.

  • I think my favorite thing is the variety of content–it’s all so interesting ! I just read the article about the black t-shirt uniform (I think it was last week’s finds) and chuckled because I wear a black v-neck t shirt and jeans everyday. I appreciate all the sources! Thank you.

  • My favorite thing is when I’ve heard about something you mention in the Friday finds. It makes me feel hip and in sync:) I love how you include cooking things too and other things that don’t have to do with piano teaching.

  • I loved this “highlight reel”, especially since a lot of these were not shares that stood out to me the first time you posted them. I kept thinking, “how did I miss that?!”. ☺️ I also ended up ordering the flip flops you shared (Amazon was offering a $5–and-something coupon so the price was extra great!).

    I’ve already told you this but one of my most favorite finds is that Good Earth Sweet and Spicy Tea. Yum!! Especially with the fall weather rolling in, it has a very special place in my beverage rotation.

    Happy 150 postings!! ❤️

    • Isn’t it funny how we overlook things one time and then the next they’re like gold?! Well done on the flip-flop coupon! I could live in those flip-flops. They have a tiny bit of arch shape which is just enough that I can go all day and my feet don’t hurt at all!

  • I love that you always include different types of content in your Friday finds. Fun stickers, a thoughtful article, a beautiful picture, something funny! Just a quick snapshot of fun things.

  • I love Friday Finds! I can’t say I have a particular favorite as I like them all but I love Note Speed as well

  • What I love about the Friday Finds series is the fun of learning about fun and interesting things you’ve curated for us — and not just piano/teaching related things, but kitchen, household, gadgets…anything!

  • I loved the article you linked to written by a man who had lost his wife to cancer, but throughout her illness she had kept her battle from her children to spare them the stress and so they could simply live a normal life. It was so touching. I read it to my family and sobbed uncontrollably. It was unforgettable and I was so glad you shared it!

  • I am pretty new to your blog, but I’m enjoying it already. This list of Friday Finds has a variety of things that really interest me, everything from cooking to posts about teaching piano to stickers. So good! Thank you

  • I am just discovering your Friday Finds and this is amazing!
    So much good inspiration here. Can I say that I am going to dig into a number of the links that you suggested? Yeah for this amazing resource! Thanks, Amy!

  • I love the idea of combining passion for cooking with passion for all-things piano, which I share with you! Amy, I love the variety and depth of the articles. Your knack for sifting through the chaff has led me to some spectacular, some interesting and some topics unknown to me, and are always a revelation. Thanks!

  • This honestly is the first time I’ve received your email including Friday Finds. How did I miss them??? So, I’m very happy to have received this list and will be referring to it often through out the year. I can tell by the titles that there are a ton of ideas that I can use. And because I have never seen your Friday Finds in the past, would you please share what Note Speed is.
    To comment on the last comment posted by Rebekah, one of the mothers of two of my students pulled me aside yesterday while her youngest was doing his Tech Time. She started to cry and told me that she had been diagnosed the week before with breast cancer. It was heart breaking to say the least since I’ve dealt with breast cancer in my family. She wanted advice on how to tell her children and I told her that I thought she should keep it from them until she knows for sure what the diagnosis is and if she has to have further treatment after her surgery. She is very close to her 3 young children and it would truly cause them much anxiety. She was relieved to hear me suggest that idea because it was what she was thinking. I also wanted to give her hope. My mother had her same type of breast cancer and surgery and has been cancer free for 13 years now. She left my studio feeling a little more positive about what lies ahead. Thank you for sharing your ideas with the piano teaching community, Amy.

    • Thank you for sharing that story, Diane! Yes, the article Rebekkah mentioned spoke exactly to your point! It’s so lovely to hear how we as teachers can touch lives beyond just twinkling fingers on the piano. I once had a mom tell me she loved coming to my studio because she felt like it was so peaceful and like she could let down and breathe. I could think of no better compliment than to hear something like that!

  • How am I just TODAY discovering these Friday finds!? I do love those stickers and am currently using them – Yay, Amazon! So…as I have yet to read through these wonderful finds, I do not have a favorite, but you can bet I will be reading through your list this weekend! Thank you!

    • No worries – there’s SO MUCH on the internet these days, things can easily be lost in the noise! LOL I’m glad to have a new reader!

  • The Friday finds are something I look forward to each week. I find so many interesting tidbits. You are great at covering such a wide range of topics. Thank you for your wonderful work, encouragement and inspiration.

  • I love Friday Finds because you get right to the point with useable stuff.
    I always find something that I can put to work right away. No nonsense or extra blabbing. Links to the goods, easy access to what I need. The past two weeks I have just left this page https://pianopantry.com/halloween-favorites-games-resources-graphics-and-more/?utm_source=Piano+Pantry&utm_campaign=64f5e651fa-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_05_31_03_41_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_20e90e3d1b-64f5e651fa-109859009
    Open in my browser so that I can just go to it everyday and grab another idea when I need it for Halloween! Talk about SERVICE!! It can’t get any handier than that!
    Yes, I love recipes and articles, but I really love having go to pages like this the best.

  • I love Friday Finds too! I love the random variety you share – everything from cooking to clothing to teaching tips and resources. I enjoy clicking over through the links and finding a neat idea to use in my teaching, or a delicious recipe to try. Thanks for taking the time to source these and for sharing them with us!

  • I always enjoy looking at your posts. I don’t always read every one, but check out several. You amaze me with your ideas. I appreciate your thoughts on prayer & spiritual things. I enjoy checking out some of the recipes. I loved your recital location idea. I love your tip on where to buy parchment paper. Keep up the good work!!

  • Amy, LOVE the Friday Finds!
    Been reading for a long time & am so glad you brought this back. Lots of great ideas … & today’s list had me saying over & over again, “Ooh! I remember that one. It was REALLY good.”
    Thanks for curating these lists each week, Amy!

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