Creative Piano Teaching Podcast

Thanks for reading TC233: How TopMusicPro transformed my online piano lessons with Kara Hess from Top Music Co. You can transform into the piano teacher you’ve always wanted to be – full of confidence and armed with knowledge from experts in the field – just like what Kara Hess, one of our TopMusic Pro members, did.  In this episode, I’ve invited Kara who wrote a beautiful email to us about the transitions and […] The post TC233: How TopMusicPro transformed my online piano lessons with Kara Hess appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC232: TopMusicPro 5 Year Birthday Special from Top Music Co.   I can’t believe it’s been five years since we started this community and it’s been such an amazing journey that we’ve all enjoyed. In today’s birthday special solo episode, we’re going to unpack our journey – the genesis of the community, what’s been happening in the membership, and what you can look forward to […] The post TC232: TopMusicPro 5 Year Birthday Special appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC231: Trust that your impact on students is not futile with Christina Whitlock from Top Music Co. There is nothing more fulfilling as a teacher than knowing that you’ve made an impact on your students’ lives. In this episode with guest Christina Whitlock, we dive deep into how to assess what piano study means to your students, how they feel, and what influence you possess as their teacher. Plus we delve into […] The post TC231: Trust that your impact on students is not futile with Christina Whitlock appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC230: How students with exceptionalities help us grow as teachers from Top Music Co. Teaching students with exceptionalities has a deeper effect on us than just the satisfaction and happiness of making the student learn. Dr Erin Parkes is the founder of the Lotus Centre for Special Music Education. It’s a charitable organisation committed to providing access to music education for people with exceptionalities. She joins us in this […] The post TC230: How students with exceptionalities help us grow as teachers appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC229: Exploring Styles through Improv with Christopher Norton from Top Music Co. Composer Christopher Norton joins us to talk about exploring improv and how it relates to his compositional writing. We take a look at his latest writing, and how teachers can explore improv styles through his special accompaniments. Christopher is a prolific composer, a coach for private teachers, and gives masterclasses all over the world. His […] The post TC229: Exploring Styles through Improv with Christopher Norton appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC228: The 10 Musts for Music Teacher Badassery with Elisa Janson Jones from Top Music Co. Take your teaching to the next level with productivity hacks and music teacher badassery tips with Elisa Janson Jones. Elisa specializes in helping music educators build, manage, and grow thriving school music programs, and have long and happy careers. She joins us today to talk about how you can prevent burnout, be happier, and become […] The post TC228: The 10 Musts for Music Teacher Badassery with Elisa Janson Jones appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC227: Hunters and Collectors’ trumpeter Jack Howard from Top Music Co. Keen to learn about the experiences of Hunters and Collectors band member, Jack Howard? We’ll you’re in for a treat because I’ve invited Jack to share his story with us. Jack is such an accomplished musician – from touring the world with Midnight Oil as their multi-instrumentalist to releasing his own critically acclaimed records since […] The post TC227: Hunters and Collectors’ trumpeter Jack Howard appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC226: What is 4 Chord Composing All About? (archives) from Top Music Co. So many students can play well – but how many can write and compose? Do your piano students know essentials like 4 Chord Composing? Get them started easily with this simple composing framework. Learning the essentials of chord progressions can lead students to a better understanding of music. It can also give them the skills […] The post TC226: What is 4 Chord Composing All About? (archives) appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC225: What to say to parents when their child is about to quit piano with Anita Collins (archives) from Top Music Co. When families and students think of quitting, they’re often making short-term decisions to reduce busy activities or budgets. It’s all too often that piano lessons will be easily nominated as something to drop out of! So what can we teachers say when faced with a conversation with a student who is about to quit piano […] The post TC225: What to say to parents when their child is about to quit piano with Anita Collins (archives) appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC224: Helping Students Cope with Performance Anxiety with Noa Kageyama (archives) from Top Music Co. Today, we’re taking an investigative look at the psychology behind performance anxiety, what creates it, and the things you can do leading up to a performance in order to perform more freely. Dr. Noa Kageyama, a leading performance psychologist and faculty member at The Juilliard School, joins us to talk about the factors that create […] The post TC224: Helping Students Cope with Performance Anxiety with Noa Kageyama (archives) appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC223: Is “Practice” killing your studio business? with Danny Thompson (archives) from Top Music Co. Practice and music lessons: they go hand in hand. But what if your students are quietly quitting over it? Danny Thompson unpacks this hot topic on this show today from our archives. Find out why Danny’s approach from the beginning is not about emphasizing practice and what he says to new families instead to get […] The post TC223: Is “Practice” killing your studio business? with Danny Thompson (archives) appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC222: How Teaching Beginners with No Books Revolutionised Georgina’s studio (archives) from Top Music Co. Find out what results this teacher discovered when she set aside standard method book options and started students with a no-books beginner approach instead, in this favourite show from our archives. When I published the No Book Beginners framework I hoped it would give teachers the confidence to teach more creatively, and that’s exactly what […] The post TC222: How Teaching Beginners with No Books Revolutionised Georgina’s studio (archives) appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC221: From the archives – Best of Nick Ambrosino from Top Music Co. In this favourite episode from our archives, author Nick Ambrosino joins us to talk about how to reframe your teaching viewpoint to experience more joy and less burnout. As teachers, we want to see motivated students pursuing their goals with an ownership attitude — but how do you make the switch? Listen to Nick’s powerful […] The post TC221: From the archives – Best of Nick Ambrosino appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC220: Jazz Perspectives with Composer Kerin Bailey from Top Music Co. In today’s episode, we’re speaking with one of Australia’s most-loved composers, Kerin Bailey. Kerin shares his musical background, influence of jazz music, and thoughts about effective ways to teach jazz skills and chord progressions to students. We’ll also hear Kerin demonstrate on the piano from his improv system for teaching, and give you some takeaways […] The post TC220: Jazz Perspectives with Composer Kerin Bailey appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC219: Pro Piano Skills for Teen Students with Carol Matz from Top Music Co. Carol Matz joins us on the show today to talk about Pro Piano skills and specifically why older and teen students need and want them. Her Interactive Piano method helps your students learn how to “strum” chords, play along with lead sheets, and develop real-world musicianship skills like composing or improvising. If you’re looking to […] The post TC219: Pro Piano Skills for Teen Students with Carol Matz appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC218: Emotive Repertoire for Teens and Adults from Movies & New Age from Top Music Co. In this episode, find 20+ emotive teen piano repertoire picks that appeal to older or adult students, complete with play-through demos. Teen and adult students require extra repertoire planning, because you’re not often teaching from a method book, but finding specific pieces that appeal to their unique tastes. They often gravitate toward darker, moodier, rich, […] The post TC218: Emotive Repertoire for Teens and Adults from Movies & New Age appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC217: Penelope Roskell’s Top Tips for a Healthy Technique from Top Music Co. Learn about success tips for teaching a beautifully healthy technique for all students. Today, we’ve invited the UK’s foremost specialist in technique, Penelope Roskell, to talk about playing freely, utilising whole body/whole person teaching approaches. On the podcast today, Penelope talks about her book, The Complete Pianist: from Healthy Technique to Natural Artistry. Her book […] The post TC217: Penelope Roskell’s Top Tips for a Healthy Technique appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC216: Teaching Gamified Sight Reading with Percussionist Nathan Petitpas from Top Music Co. In today’s episode, we unpack Nathan Petitpas’ sight-reading resource called Dots and Beams. Nathan is a percussionist, drummer, composer and music educator based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Understand how this versatile resource works and how different it is from the rest. Nathan shows us how we can use this in our lessons by putting me […] The post TC216: Teaching Gamified Sight Reading with Percussionist Nathan Petitpas appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC215: Research-backed insights on piano student retention with Karen Gerelus from Top Music Co. Research-backed insights on piano student retention with Karen Gerelus 100 students will start piano lessons this year and 98 will quit before they reach proficiency. Learn the reasons why students quit piano and how to help! This episode features guest Karen Gerelus speaking on research-based insights about piano student retention. Transcript of the show about […] The post TC215: Research-backed insights on piano student retention with Karen Gerelus appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC213: Becoming the CEO Teacher with Kayse Morris from Top Music Co. Changing your mindset can increase your teaching income tenfold. This is the story that Kayse Morris of the CEO Teacher shares with us on the podcast. Kayse is a former classroom teacher turned entrepreneur who turned her life around by selling her teaching resources. Today, she is a passionate entrepreneur eager to help teachers sell […] The post TC213: Becoming the CEO Teacher with Kayse Morris appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.