teacher resourses

By Julia Kossuth I am SO excited to try out a new (at least new for us) tool for students this upcoming year! I've recently discovered www.JoyTunes.com, a free resource to piano teachers with their registration. The creators have offered two fantastic iPad applications that I think will greatly enhance my students' musicality, sight reading, and enjoyment of piano lessons both at the studio and at...

Read More

happy faceOne of the things that I think is so important as a music teacher, is to understand the end goal of the majority of our students. Most parents don’t enroll their students in lessons because they think they have the next Mozart on their hands (though you may end up having a few concert pianists in your bunch!) — they enroll them in lessons for the many benefits of learning a musical instrument, not the least of which is a richer and fuller life.

Keeping this in mind, it is important to inspire our students and help foster a love and appreciation for music. In order to do this, it’s vital to create a positive studio atmosphere. While you may have students who dread practicing (don’t we all?!), we want them to look forward to their time in the studio and be proud of what they accomplished.

I am a wee bit late in the game of updating my music lessons so that they feel as if we are actually in the 21st century and not the 20th. I only recently started using Apps in my lessons, and wow, I can't believe I waited so long! I wanted to share with you my current fave, "Piano Notes Fun."  It's only $1.99 and that...

Read More

By Marc Powell Examinations for music students are becoming more popular each year. These tests can be great to build confidence and give structure for students in their studies. ABRSM, Trinity Guildhall, Piano Guild, NFMC are all examples of organizations who provide assessments for all levels of study. These examinations are also helpful for college bound students, especially those thinking of pursuing a degree in music. The...

Read More

By Julia Kossuth Often in playing the piano, it is so easy to drift into less-than-healthy habits of playing and posture. Especially with my older students, I try to help them think through and mentally engage with what their body is doing while they play beyond just getting the music learned. The first thing I remind my students to do is to make sure their bench is...

Read More