I’ve often blogged ideas and advice for growing your studio, and in the past few years I’ve managed to triple my load of piano students. You may find it odd that this spring, I’ve actually decided to let go of my private lesson students and move solely to group lesson teaching. Yup — I’m downsizing. It was a [...]

Spring is here and the phone is ringing! As I respond to the many phone calls I have received about studying piano, I was inspired to do a little research on how to best handle the phone interview. Even though many of my first contacts come through email, I always make a phone call before [...]

A few years back, I was invited to join my local chapter of the Illinois Federation of Music Clubs. At first, I was completely intimidated. Most of the members had been teaching piano, voice, and other instruments for many years — some even longer than I’ve been alive! I was relatively new to teaching, since [...]

I am a huge believer in the power of community. How do you foster a sense of community in your studio? For me it is about providing opportunities for students to learn with each other and from each other. For parents to meet each other and have conversations that go beyond “hi, how are you”. [...]

I hate to admit this, but the truth is that sometimes I fall into a slump when it comes to running my studio. Dealing with the same administrative tasks, working with the same students, and running into the same issues from week to week can leave me a little drained from time to time, no [...]

“The best way to get started is to stop talking and start doing.” – Walt Disney Recently I attended the 2013 Music Teachers National Association annual conference, held at Disneyland Resort. Among the many highlights of the conference were master classes, concerts, young artist competitions, invigorating sessions, exhibitor showcases, and connecting with colleagues from around [...]

As a piano teacher, I have found that one of the most effective motivational tools in encouraging my students to practice is by providing them with performnce opportunities throughout the year so that they have something that they are always working toward. In the next few weeks, I’ll be assigning pieces for our end-of-the-year recital, and [...]

When it comes to running my studio, I am always looking for the next big challenge. Just when I’ve taken my business to the next level, I’m ready to tackle something new and a little bit scary. Taking a look back, here are some of the adventures I’ve experienced in the last two years: leaving [...]

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle In the November issue of Clavier’s Piano Explorer (a wonderful little magazine for piano students), there was an article on creating good practice habits. The challenge was for students to practice 100 days in a row. Students that [...]

I have been a rabid fan of yoga for almost 12 years now, and I give it a lot of credit for the improvements I have made as a musician since then. When I first began studying piano, I was a typical voice student… full of feeling, but a little challenged by the kind of [...]