General

  • Teaching conference
    Summer 2013 Teaching Workshops and Conferences Summer 2013 Teaching Workshops and Conferences

    Summer 2013 Teaching Workshops and Conferences

Summer 2013 Teaching Workshops and Conferences

There are some fantastic workshops and conferences available for teachers this summer! I’ll actually be speaking two times at NCKP so I hope you can make it there. Here is information on that conference as well as others. Please let me know if you know of a conference or workshop and I’ll add it to this list.

National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy

  • Dates: July […]
  • Judging Sheets
    The 4 Elements of a Great Critique The 4 Elements of a Great Critique

    The 4 Elements of a Great Critique

The 4 Elements of a Great Critique

by Marcia Vahl, NCTM

Judging opportunities may take us into judging state piano exams, contests, Piano Guild, Federation Junior Festivals, or composition contests. No matter what the event, writing a great critique starts with considering who will read it.

Consider Your Audience

A great critique starts with considering who will be reading and trying to benefit from the critique. What does the student’s teacher want to see? […]

  • Snow by @Doug8888
    Snow Days, Jury Duty, Illness…Oh My! Snow Days, Jury Duty, Illness…Oh My!

    Snow Days, Jury Duty, Illness…Oh My!

Snow Days, Jury Duty, Illness…Oh My!

We recently had two major snow storms in our area which dumped 14 inches the first time and 7 inches the second time. These storms were back to back, piling snow on snow and making my entire community a bit paranoid about driving! I could have done phone/Skype/FaceTime lessons, but because my babysitter couldn’t get here, that was not an option. I mentioned on […]

  • Tools
    Changes Underway Changes Underway

    Changes Underway

Changes Underway

This weekend, we are in the process of making some significant changes to the website that will improve performance, interactions, and all kinds of things for you all! Everything, including the store, should still be functional, but you may notice some strange formatting on the site for the next few days until we get the new changes implemented.

Thank you for your patience! I look […]

By |March 2nd, 2013|General|Comments Off
  • Hands Tapping
    Want to see a little RM2 in action? Want to see a little RM2 in action?

    Want to see a little RM2 in action?

Want to see a little RM2 in action?

Here’s a sneak peak of some of the pictures we took last Saturday while I was doing the final trial of RM2. I’m working on final edits and all kinds of final details. It will be here (more…)

  • DiscoverCard
    Fun! But neither here nor there… Fun! But neither here nor there…

    Fun! But neither here nor there…

Fun! But neither here nor there…

Sometimes it’s the little things in life…

Discover Card has made me smile many times in the last few weeks with this card. I imagine at some point, I’ll probably get inquiries about piano lessons because of this little piece of plastic.

I have had so much fun spending money lately. Maybe that’s not a good thing!

By |February 19th, 2013|General, Piano Teaching|2 Comments
  • Question mark
    Guess the Name First & Get it Free! Update on RM2 Guess the Name First & Get it Free! Update on RM2

    Guess the Name First & Get it Free! Update on RM2

Guess the Name First & Get it Free! Update on RM2

Many of you have been asking when the 2nd book of Rhythm Menagerie is coming out, so I thought I’d give you an update. If you get bored with any of this, keep reading to the end because I’m offering a free copy to the first person who can guess the name of the new book (since we can’t call it Menagerie…but […]

  • NCKP2013logo
    Guess What!  We Might Get to Meet at… Guess What!  We Might Get to Meet at…

    Guess What! We Might Get to Meet at…

Guess What! We Might Get to Meet at…

…this year’s National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy! I’m so excited to tell you that I’ve been invited to share two presentations at this year’s conference. I love to present, but more than that, I love to meet and be around teachers. I’m hoping many of you will be there. Will you please let me know if you are coming so that I […]

By |January 31st, 2013|General, Piano Teaching|Comments Off
  • Girl at piano by adwriter
    Controversial Things We Don’t Discuss: Memorizing Controversial Things We Don’t Discuss: Memorizing

    Controversial Things We Don’t Discuss: Memorizing

Controversial Things We Don’t Discuss: Memorizing

Okay, I’ve been thinking and wrestling with a controversial idea for years now and have decided that I’m just going to have to confess what I decided. Now I know that I may risk harsh criticism from some, but I’m hoping that this will simply open up a healthy discussion. So here goes:

For the last two years, I have not required my students to […]

  • frixion
    My 2013 Teaching Aid Discovery My 2013 Teaching Aid Discovery

    My 2013 Teaching Aid Discovery

My 2013 Teaching Aid Discovery

It seems like every year I discover some kind of amazing new teaching tool. Last year it was the Eggspert. The year before that it was the erasable highlighters that really work!

As you know, I am an office-supply junkie and love to browse to see what’s new. Since Frixion made such a wonderful teaching tool in […]