Today, in episode #180 of The Piano Pantry Podcast, you’re going to experience the first ever large group Teacher Talk episode. You’ll hear short statements from more than 30 teachers who answered my prompt at my Entrepreneur Table during the 2026 MTNA Conference.
Interviewees were asked to choose 1 of 3 questions to answer:
….and it didn’t necessarily have to be related to the event.
I can’t tell you how much fun and how inspiring these interviews were. I featured them on social media in a handful of short 90-second reels and had such a great response I thought it would be fun to share them here with you as well.
I’ve done Teacher Talk conference wrap-up episodes for NCKP before — episode #164 with my roomie Joy Morin and episode #079 with my Mastermind friends Janna Williamson, Christina Whitlock, and Kate Boyd — but believe it or not, this is my first formal MTNA wrap-up. I am so pumped. I’ve listened to many of these clips multiple times and they never fail to make me smile.
I hope your teacher heart feels just as full listening to colleagues from all over share insights into their experiences, teaching, and discoveries.
By the way, if you’re new around here – whether you found me after connecting at MTNA – or via another avenue – welcome! I’m Amy Chaplin, a piano teacher from Indiana and I love sharing practical and sustainable rhythms for your teacher life.
First up are those answering question #1…tell me something awesome that happened to you today.
My name is Anamarie Sabbagh. I live in metro Detroit in a suburb called Bloomfield Hills and I’m a super dork. So, I came to this conference and I was so excited to meet people – kind of like Amy – so I made care kits for everybody – like MTNA Survival Kits and I was really nervous about handing them out, but everybody’s been so happy and so nice and they thought it was thoughtful, so I’m really happy.
Hi, I’m Michelle Markwart Deveaux and I am the founder and CEO of The Speakeasy Cooperative. And I’m from Sacramento, California and here at MTNA. Something awesome that happened to me today is I got to reconnect with the President of MTNA, Kevin Chance. Delightful man. I haven’t seen him in six years and I was. So surprised. This is my first MTNA, so that was a delight.
Hi folks. I’m Brock Chart and I’m from Lawrence, Kansas. Drove all the way up to Chicago today and I had two awesome things that happened. Uh, the first, I just saw an amazing masterclass by Catherine Rollin and she was playing, gosh, she did a solo, like her solo celebrations, like a Gershwin thing, and it was like, it was awesome though. I just really love her writing and the second awesome thing is I ran into my friend Amy today. Oh, and she’s got an awesome looking table and I’m very excited to check out the Christmas By Ear.
My name is Erin Bennett. I teach at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. And one thing that was wonderful that happened to me today is I got to watch one of my students come up with all the enthusiasm in the world report on. What he’s seen and who he’s met and what he’s heard so far at his very first MTNA conference.
My name is Ashley. I’m from Utah, and everything about this conference is awesome.
Hi, my name is Jai. So something awesome that happened to me today… So I was visiting one booth and then she saw my name tag is from Oxford, Ohio. And then she asked me, “Are you from Miami University?” I say, “Yeah!” And she was like, “Oh, I was from there too.” And then we get so excited and then she asked me, “Are you from Malaysia?” Of course I look very Asian. “Yes, I’m from Malaysia.” She said, “Oh, I used to work with a collaborator pianist, and she’s from Malaysia too.” Oh. And then she said that she got it from 2011 and was a collab piano collaborator, and I told her that, oh, I actually know this piano collab collaborator because now she’s quite a famous with people in Malaysia. And then she was like, “Oh my God, really?” And then I thought…oh, she’s about to cry, you know? And I shared more what I know about this collaborative pianist. She’s doing so well. Now she’s competition judges, and she’s married to a pianist, also a good piano teacher, good piano performer, and everything’s so good. So I feel like it’s so awesome that I could pass good news and things that I know to someone that I don’t know. So that’s so awesome. I had an awesome day.
My name is Julie Armstrong, and today I have felt very validated.
Hi, my name is Irene from West Portland, Oregon. Something awesome that happened today is I listen to Bubba Music because I’m from Indonesia, Veronica, so it’s like my heritage. Thank you.
Hi, I am Valerie and this is really cool just to be in the entrepreneur’s corner. See these brave and creative human beings. It’s a great part of the convention.
Hi, I’m Jonathan Yasuda with the Volunteer Musicians for the Arts, and I’m answering something awesome that happened to me today with Amy. Well, I think the best thing that’s happening to me today was being set up next to Amy. Right next door with the Piano Pantry. So it’s a pleasure to be here. So thanks so much, Amy.
I am Jacqueline Mrozek. I’m with the Scrappy Piano Teacher Podcast, and something awesome that happened to me today is I have a little table for my little Coda musical storybook. They are for students ages four to eight, but what I’m most excited about is I made a lot of fun buttons and people are coming to pick up my buttons. I think the most popular ones are “I played this so much better at home” and “Marked sefe from Fur Elise,” but I have a lot of other ones too. And it’s been great to meet all these fabulous people.
But, uh, my name is Sharon Muyco. Something awesome that happened to me today was, I got one of these, purple iPhone holders from Amy and it’s fabulous. And it was the last purple one – so this is famous. LOL Thank you.
So just a quick note for context on that last one. At my entrepreneur table in the exhibit hall, I was giving away free swag. They were 3-d printed treble clef phone stands and they were so cute and a huge hit.
My husband printed them for me on his plastic printer. We weren’t sure which color would be most popular but by far the purple ones were. They were actually a multicolor that had purple and black mixed together and they were really fun. We also had solid black and white. Unfortunately only 15% of the ones we brought were that color so we ran out before the end of day one. But now I know for next time!
Next up are teacher friends who opted to answer question number 2…tell me something you rock at in your teaching.
My name is Allison Weiler. I’m from Tampa, Florida, and something that I rock at in my teaching is icebreakers. I always take a minute or two to connect with my students, make sure they feel warm and welcomed, and I love it. It helps me get to know them better and it’s one of my favorite things to do.
Hi, my name is Anthony Do-Hoon Kim. I’m here with Kim and Kim Piano Academy, uh, something that we rock at in our teaching. Well, we specialize in offering programs for adult pianists for both amateur pianists and piano teachers here at the Kim and Kim Piano Academy.
Hi, my name is Becky Baker. I’m from Carmel, Indiana, and something that I rock at in my teaching I feel has been very successful is I give students composer statues instead of a trophy at the end of our spring recital. They don’t know what composer they’re gonna get. It’s super fun, it’s super exciting, and I look forward to it every year.
I’m Dr. Brandon Bascom. I live in Fresno, California, and something that I rock at in my teaching is teaching advanced students in a way that they can understand. It’s a game for me and I love to find the way that works for them, which isn’t the same for each student.
My name is Elizabeth Van Dam and, um, something that I rock at in my teaching is trying out new things and new technology. So I’ve been experimenting with using AI in my teaching for improv, and it’s been really fun and my students have really enjoyed it.
Hi, I’m Emily. I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio. Um, one thing I rock at in my teaching is getting kids to have fun play games with me and also, my sticker collection, I think is top tier.
Hi, I’m Janice Lumpkin from Horn Lake, Mississippi, and one of the things I rock at at my teaching is I have a huge duet and ensemble recital once a year, and I get to use a lot of great music. And Susan Staples Bell, who I got to meet this year, we used a lot of her music. Oh and I love Amy Chaplin!
My name is Janna Williamson. I live in the Chicago suburbs, so I’m commuting into the MTNA conference this week, and I rock at teaching intermediate historical repertoire, and I didn’t know I had that skill until finally it dawned on me that my students. Just play really well, all their Sonatina’s and things like that, which is why I started my YouTube channel in 2020 where I talk a lot about intermediate historical piano repertoire. So check it out.
Hello, my name is Karen McCullough. I’m from Seattle, Washington, and my students tell me that I rock at choosing just the right pieces for each of them. And it does take a lot of what I call “go shopping.” So I’ll play 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 pieces for them until they say, oh, I like that one. And then that’s what we work on. Because you know, there’s more piano music written than any one human person can play in a lifetime. So why not work on what we love?
Hi, I am Kay Bagwell. Just moved to Springfield, Missouri, and I’m really good at making kids feel welcome. They’re the highlight of my day. I love seeing and greeting them, and have a wonderful time in my studio.
I’m Kay Lowry and something I rock at is teaching little kids. I love them and I love to figure out ways to make their little minds. Connect to music.
Hey, my name’s Sara Campbell and I’m from West Middlesex, Pennsylvania. In the middle of Amishville and I rock at teaching teenagers how to nail their musical auditions.
Hello, I’m Sarah Shipp. I’m a piano teacher at BYU in Utah, and I’m a huge music history nerd, so I love researching all the things about the composers and their music, and then sharing it with neighbors and friends and my recitals.
I’m Whitney Hawker from Layton, Utah. I rock at teaching composing. I love to do it with students and have so much fun at it every week.
I’m Kelly Roirdan. I’m from Wisconsin. And something that I feel I really rock in my teaching is building independence in the practice process. So empowering my students to figure out how to reverse engineer from their goal and their end point to where they are now and how they wanna feel when they get to that end point so that every step of the way, they know what that practice should look like, how they should be spending their time, and there’s a constant check-in and self-assessment along the way.
Our last group of interviewees answered question #3 – tell me something cool or interesting that you discovered and I told them it did not necessarily have to be related to the event.
Hi, I am Amanda Montgomery. I’m from Greenville, South Carolina. I teach at the South Carolina Governor School for the Arts and Humanities. And something interesting that I’ve discovered during the MTNA conference is the power of storytelling, especially in teaching. I attended the Masterclass by Peter Mack, as well as the one this morning, Nancy O’Neill, Brett and both are wonderful storytellers and how impactful that was in the learning experience for the students.
My name’s Corin. I’m from Texas, and something cool or interesting that I recently discovered was in a group music history class. My students wanted to know how much a harpsichord costs today, and they found out it’s around $16,000. Then they wanted to find out about a Celesta that was about $30,000. So I discovered that I can’t afford a harp, the cord or a Celesta.
Hi, I am Debra Rambo Sinn. I’m from Post Falls, Idaho, which is close to Coeur d’Alene in Spokane, Washington. And the thing that I learned today, well actually, I spent a whole lot of money on a narrow keys piano. So instead of an octave being 6.5 inches, which is okay, but if I have to play chords for any length of time, it’s too much. And now I think I can do this all day and not have to worry. So thank you for asking.
(Sarah) Something cool and interesting I discovered today was the Clefer app. It’s up on the seventh floor. It’s this app that is like evaluating students and they’re playing, so basically you can kind of like send them home, but they get guided feedback and suggestions about how to improve their practice. I think it’s gonna be a total game changer. So that’s what I just give her today.
Hi, I’m Jason. I’m at the MTNA conference and the awesome thing that happened to me today is that I found a donut shop that’s excellent and very close, so I started the day with an excellent coffee and a donut, and it’s just made the whole day.
Hi, I am Laura Harding and I’m from Alexandria, Minnesota, and something I discovered today was a really awesome place to have brunch, the Egg Harbor Cafe just a couple blocks from here.
Hi, I’m Kate Boyd and I teach at Butler University, and I have a YouTube channel called The Piano Prof. Something interesting that I discovered, I discovered last week when I was in Louisville and I went to a. Scandinavian grocery store that they make goat cheese that has maple syrup in it, and it is so incredibly savory and sweet at the same time, and I shave it onto my salads now and I don’t know what I’m gonna do when it’s all used up. I think my heart will be broken.
Those last three — Jason, Laura, and Kate — all know me really well, so they knew I would appreciate a good food find.
In fact, any time I travel to a conference, I create a Google Map for that city and save finds like the ones Jason and Laura shared. I even make a note of who told me about it so the next time I visit that city, I can check it out if I didn’t get around to it while I was there.
And that, my friends is my contribution to a wrap-up of the 2026 MTNA National Conference in Chicago. Thanks to everyone who came by my booth and to those who took a moment to share their finds and experiences. What an awesome profession we are in!
If you missed out and are aching for some professional development, I invite you to consider attending this summer’s digital organization retreat I host in my home in Indiana. It’s much smaller-scale than a conference like this with only 3-6 people attending since run both the content part of the retreat as well as personally prepare breakfast and lunch for you every day and host you in my home.
This year’s retreat will be held August 12-15, 2026. Arrival is after 7pm on Wednesday the 12th then we have two and a half days of the event which then closes at 1:00pm on Saturday. If you would like to get on the waiting list visit PianoPantry.com/retreat. Registration will be open here in the next few weeks.
Whelp. That’s all for today. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button and leave a rating and review. You can follow me on Facebook at Piano Pantry or on Instagram at Piano Pantry Amy. Have a great week!
