Who is Amy, and What’s Piano Pantry?
I’m Amy Chaplin, an independent piano teacher based in Northeast Indiana. I started out as a middle and high school choir director, but after a few years, I realized my heart was in a different place.
It worked out because at that point, my husband accepted a three-year stint with his company overseas in Melbourne, Australia. During our Aussie adventure, I narrowed my path to two things I love most: music and cooking.
When we moved back to the US, I got a serendipitous call from Ball State University inquiring about an old application I had submitted for grad school before moving overseas. I was offered an assistantship teaching piano through a community arts school while I earned my Master’s in Piano Pedagogy and Performance and thus launched a new chapter teaching piano.
In 2016, Piano Pantry was born as a way to combine those passions.
The Organization Piece
One more thing: I’m also a total organization nerd. From streamlining files to decluttering your digital life, I love helping teachers find clarity and peace in their workspaces.
On The Piano Pantry Podcast, I often joke that I’m a cross between Ina Garten, Marie Kondo, and The Lazy Genius—for studio teachers.
So, Piano Pantry is a mix of teaching tips, organization strategies, favorite recipes, and life behind the scenes in a piano studio.
Social Media
Feel free to connect with me on social!
10 Fun Facts
1) My husband and I are both “a little country, a little city.” We love eating the gamut from hole-in-the-wall dives to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. We even call our house style “rugged elegant.”
2) Good food is my game but I love a good cold meat sandwich or Double Stuffed Oreo once in a while. (I guess this one ties to #1!)
3) We named our house. Doesn’t everyone? It’s called “Dreamy 7.”
Drew + Amy = Dreamy (you’re wondering if we’re in 6th grade here, right? LOL) + there are 7 different pitches of the roof on the house. Hence, “Dreamy 7.”
4) Animals don’t find their way easily into my heart. (Don’t hate me!)
5) I’m completely un-athletic but have always tried to maintain some kind of exercise routine. The 1980’s Buns of Steel with Greg Smithey was one of my favorite programs ever. Now, I do Pilates almost every day.
6) I can say the alphabet backward in under 5 seconds (thanks to long bus rides and a bus buddy as a kid).
7) I can be gullible.
8) I’ve had a pixie haircut most of my life – even in high school.
9) One of my pet peeves is when the person who is driving the vehicle I am in does not change the pace of the windshield wipers enough to meet the outside weather.
10) My first real job was selling Cutco knives. I hit F.S.M. status “Field Service Manager” with $25,000 in sales.
The “Formal” Bio
(Please get in touch with me directly if you are looking for my bio for a presentation.)
Amy Chaplin is a pianist, teacher, speaker, blogger, and podcaster. She loves supporting teachers on all things related to teaching, organization, productivity, and life on the Piano Pantry blog, podcast, and via her small group digital organization coaching series and retreat.
Amy has enjoyed serving the profession in various ways since 2009, including as President and Trustee of the Indiana Music Teachers Association. She has appeared on multiple podcasts for teachers, including Top Music, Beyond Measure, Vibrant Music Teaching, Music Studio Startup, Key Ideas, Teach Music Online, and more.
She holds a certification from the Gordon Institute for Music Learning Theory for piano, a Master’s in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Ball State University, and a Bachelor’s in Music Education, Choral K-12, from Huntington University.
Besides operating her independent piano studio in Northeast Indiana, Amy enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling with her husband.
