This post first had its home on my substack, At Home with Classical Piano, which is where I write regularly now. Come join me there, or subscribe to my newsletter to stay in the loop and get posts delivered straight to your inbox!

Whether you are a piano teacher looking for music for your students, or a pianist looking for something new to study or play for an upcoming performance, there are a growing number of resources for free music on the Internet. Generally, “free” music falls under the auspices of what is in the public domain - music that is out of copyright because it meets your country’s requirements for X years past the publication date. However, there are some generous folks who have made their arrangements for beginner-intermediate students available for free download. Below are some of my favorite resources:

Chrissy Ricker has a number of pre-reading and elementary arrangements, as well as a few intermediate selections on her Free Stuff page. You’ll also find quite a few teaching resources on the page as well! (And if you would like to support her work financially, check out her music on PopMusicPlus which has fabulous arrangements of popular songs at every level.)

Gilbert DeBenedetti generously offers his arrangements of classical music and folk tunes, as well as some original tunes, on his site, G major theory. Browse by level.

Making Music Fun is a wonderful place to find music history resources. Did you know you can also download their free sheet music arrangements? Browse by classical, patriotic, Christian, jazz, Christmas, celtic, or nursery rhyme categories, or find by level (1-5).

And, of course, everyone should know of the Petrucci Music Library, where you can find a huge assortment of classical music in the public domain. Search by composer, nationality, time period, or instrument difficulty (Piano levels are ordered by the RCM levelling system, which generally starts at year 2-3 of piano study. No pre-reading music here.).

Choral pianists and conductors in search of choral-only music can check out the Choral Wiki, where you can search by voice part. If you’re looking to strengthen your open score sightreading skills, this could be a great resource for you.

Recently, I took advantage of several of these websites as I am preparing summer music for my students. I always like to have something a little out of our “norm” for the summer to keep things fun!

What is your go-to resource for sheet music? Do you take advantage of any of these free resources, pay for a monthly subscription for access, or write your own? Let me know in the comments.

From treble clef paperclips and music-themed ornaments to beautifully illustrated children’s books and resource books to use in your teaching, to a magnetic iPhone tripod and a Bluetooth pedal page turner that will make your life a little easier, you are sure to find something to love!

Check out my Substack for 15 of my favorite books, gadgets, and teaching tools for pianists - including gift ideas for piano students!

"Tell me about what you just played. Did you include the dynamics?"

"I don't know."

Have you had a similar exchange in your studio? This is all too common with my students. They play for me; I make some comments, praising them for what they did well and addressing one or two things that need work; and then they try again. Then they look to me for my approval. 

But I don't want them to always look to me; I want them to notice if they have accomplished what they set out to do. I want them to listen.

My goal in piano teaching is to create independent learners. I want my students to play well technically and express themselves musically, but I also want them to eventually be able to learn music on their own. In order to do this, I will need to spend a number of years with them building up their technical, musical, and reading skills. I also need to teach them to listen.

How is this accomplished?

When students first come to us, their movements are often crude and unrefined, and they are so intent on pushing the keys that they forget to listen. But that doesn't mean they can't be taught! This is why we begin teaching them how to count, drawing their attention to when notes move higher or lower - aurally and visually and kinesthetically. It is why we teach dynamics and the difference between staccato and legato playing. As they grow, we talk about phrasing and making the music sound like a conversation, or a story. We introduce concepts like rubato.

We  need to teach students to pay attention to what they are doing at the piano.

One thing we can do to help our students begin listening to themselves is to have them play through a piece once, working out movements and fingerings, and then ask them to play it a second time with dynamics (or articulation, or whatever it is you want them to attend to). The physical won't always be isolated in practice, but it is often this way when we approach a new piece.

We can't toss out body mechanics. Students still need to move their fingers, control the force of their arm weight, and so on. And so much of their work in learning to play the piano is focused on controlling their movements. But as they work out technical difficulties, they ought also attend to the sound.

I remember learning in this fashion for many years - practicing to master playing the instrument with each new piece I was given - and then my teacher would start asking me to "add expression."

As pianists, our goal should always be to play musically. The movements our bodies make are just a means to an end. If we, or our students, can play all of the correct notes but lack any shaping of the phrase, articulation, dynamics, or rubato, what are we doing?

I like to tell my students that the piano is a musical instrument, not a computer! 

Pressing the right keys doesn't make music. Shaping the sound with the way we move, breathing between phrases, listening to how notes rise and fall, and making adjustments to the tempo and dynamics does!

Here are some things we can do to train our students to listen so that they can become musicians at the keyboard, not merely piano "players":

1. Demonstrate what we want them to do. Have the student sit in your "teacher chair" while you play. Talk about what you are doing. Then, have the student try to imitate your playing. Praise their efforts. Discuss how they can manipulate their movements to achieve a certain sound.

2. Record the student and play it back to them. Tell them what to listen for. When students are physically removed from making the sound, they can listen more intently.

3. Play recordings of other pianists, either audio or video, for your students and encourage them to listen for a specific thing each time.

As students mature and become more self-aware (and better listeners), they will develop the ability to play more musically. Their desire to make music will grow, and they will begin self-correcting their mistakes and adjusting their movements to create the kind of sound they want to hear. 

As you welcome students to lessons this week, consider how you can encourage them to be better listeners as they play!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

1. Duets are fun! As one of my young beginners said once, “It sounds better when we play together.” A duet can help the simplest beginning song sound like “real music,” and even our youngest students need to experience making beautiful music!  I love mixing things up once in awhile and starting a lesson by playing a duet with a student. 
2.  
3. Here are some reasons why playing duets with our students can be really beneficial:

• Duets are one way to teach steady beat. We can clap, count, march, and tap until we are blue in the face (and sometimes we do!), and still we have students who need more practice with this concept. Duets are one tool we can use to help keep the beat as our students play, and as we play together more often, the experience can help our students start to internalize a steady pulse.
• Duets strengthen the teacher-student bond. We all want to connect with our students, to form a relationship of trust and respect so that the teaching-learning exchange is profitable and enjoyable. When we sit beside our students and play duets, we create a shared experience where for a moment we are musicians together.
• Duets are a great way to practice sightreading. Some students will naturally read every piece of music they can get their hands on. Others need a little encouragement. Find pieces that are a level or two below the student’s playing level, and read them together as a duet at a moderate tempo. Help the student be successful by previewing the score together, discussing where there might be unexpected rhythms, leaps, or key changes. Then, set the tempo and play!

If you are using a method book series like Faber and Faber, Alfred, or Bastien, you will find teacher duets written in the lesson book for many of the student’s songs. These are great to play with beginners after the student has mastered playing their part.

For students who have been taking lessons for a few years, Margaret Goldston has some fun elementary level duets that are great for sightreading. Try “Duets for Bear Lovers,” “Duets for Cat Lovers,” or “Duets for Dog Lovers.” (I just learned that she also has three books of “Duets for Christmas Lovers!”) Goldston’s books feature primo and secondo parts of equal difficulty, and it can be fun to take turns playing each part with your students.

You might also try Helen Marlais’ “In Recital Series” of duet books published by Alfred Music. 

A fun book for intermediate and advanced students is The Rodgers and Hammerstein Piano Duet Book arranged by Walter Pels and David Carr Glover. (You may have to find this one as a used copy!) Depending on your student’s sightreading ability, you may prefer to assign pieces in this book for the student to study at home before playing together.

At the advanced level, students may enjoy Faure’s Dolly Suite, Dvorzak’s Slavic Dances, Compton’s C.S. (Chopsticks) Theme and Variations, or any of a number of wonderful pieces for four hands.

What are some of your favorite duets to play with students? Let me know in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

I was teaching out of one of the Faber Piano Adventure books the other day and came across “Whirling Leaves,” which I have taught many times before. Something about seeing it again reminded me of my first time trying to teach it to a student, and the ensuing struggles to master the rhythm. 

The piece is not that difficult: a left-hand accompaniment pattern that repeats, beginning by itself and then gradually bringing in a simple right-hand melody over the top. But inevitably kids get the counting wrong the first time they read it, and by doing so they establish a [bad] habit of playing the incorrect rhythm every single time. 

An experienced teacher knows this about this particular piece and will “frontload” the student with information to make the first reading a success: Play the piece for the student so he can learn how it is supposed to sound; count and clap the rhythm together; have the student write in the beats; practice playing just the left hand and counting aloud until the rhythm is mastered. But a beginning teacher does not always anticipate what challenges a particular curriculum/piece of music might present, especially to a student who lacks the background knowledge needed to be successful. Further, a beginning teacher often has limited strategies for addressing challenges as they come up.

Are you aware of the different stages of teaching we go through, the normal path of growth and development for a teacher? When I went through my teacher training to become a certified public-school teacher, I learned that there are three stages every new teacher goes through (whether new to the profession or new to a particular grade level or curriculum):

1. Teaching with a focus on me – How do I get through the day? What am I supposed to be doing? What are others thinking about me?
2. Teaching with a focus on the curriculum – What am I teaching? How can I adequately explain what needs to be taught?
3. Teaching with a focus on the child – What does the child need? Is my instruction reaching him? What does she understand, and where is she still struggling? How can I adapt to meet his learning needs?

Each stage can take a year or so to move through, through no fault of the teacher. It is just how things tend to work! 

Which of the above stages do you most identify with currently? 

If you’re at #1: Be encouraged, knowing that all of us start at this stage! Rather than feeling self-conscious about your teaching, be assured that you have something to offer. Be willing to learn from your mistakes. As you approach each lesson, review what the student already knows and build on that foundation. If things aren’t working, don’t be afraid to stay with a piece for a few weeks, or even to review old pieces to solidify concepts. Try different things. Reach out to a colleague if you’re not sure what to try. Know that as time goes on, you will refine your teaching and hone your skillset.

If you’re at #2: You’re starting to think more strategically about content. Lean into this time! Research best practices in teaching. Take a pedagogy class, listen to podcasts, follow a blogger. Choose a method and stick with it; learn its strengths and weaknesses and supplement where you need to. Although not strictly related to pedagogy, you might find some helpful resources in my article on Professional Development for Pianists.

If you are at #3: You’re comfortable with your teaching materials (method, anthologies, technique) and ready to really consider how to address specific needs of students. Be intentional about finding music that both highlights their strengths and challenges them to grow. At least once a year, reflect on where each student has been and where you would like them to go. Check in with parents to give and receive feedback on lessons and practice. Experiment with different ways of explaining the same concept. Join a good piano teacher group on Facebook and participate in the discussions, use the search function within the group to explore specific topics, and be open to learning new ways to teach effectively. Some well-moderated groups include Professional Piano Teachers, The Art of Piano Pedagogy, and Piano Teacher Central.

Wherever you are at in your teaching journey, I hope you are enjoying the process of discovery and growth – both in your students and in yourself! I don’t think any of us ever “arrive,” but we can definitely refine our skillset and become better communicators and educators if we are willing to commit to a lifetime of learning!

I am offering a mini-course this fall on When the Method Book is Not Enough, all about evaluating the curriculum you're using and how it fits your particular students' needs. We will discuss ways to supplement your current method books or transition out of them altogether. My goal is to give you a better understanding of what method books can and cannot accomplish as well as an assortment of tools and resources to curate the best books for motivating and engaging your students. If this topic interests you, click here!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Playing games in the piano studio is a great way to introduce and review concepts, change the pace of a lesson, and have fun around music! 

I especially like working games into lessons with my younger beginner students: playing with animal erasers, getting off the bench and onto the floor, and sometimes introducing a wee bit of competition! (Watch this with your young ones, though - often a cooperative game will be a better choice for preschoolers.)

Some of the concepts beginners need help with are:

• Left and right
• Finger numbers
• Musical alphabet
• Names of the keys on the keyboard

Left and Right

First, establish how a student will tell their right hand from their left. Sometimes we refer to a student's hand as “the hand you write with” or “the hand you throw a ball with.” I like to have students put their hands in the air in front of them, facing out, and form an “L” in each hand using their thumbs and pointer fingers. Only the left hand will form a proper “L” for “left.”

Play a simple Simon Says game, where you call out directions and the student puts their left hand on their ear, or their right hand pats their shoulder, or their left hand touches their shoe, etc.

Finger Numbers

Do a simple “finger warm-up” where the student puts his hands in the air in front of him, and then you call out fingers to wiggle: “Wiggle your ones” (thumbs), “wiggle your twos,” and so forth.

Trace the student's hands on a piece of paper. Toss a pom pom, cotton ball, or penny on the paper, trying to land on a finger. Ask the student to name the hand (left/right) and the finger number that the object landed on. If you'd like, have the student label the finger number with a pencil. Continue playing until all fingers have been labelled.

Musical Alphabet

Students can practice their musical alphabet forwards and backwards with this simple train game! Additionally, they can practice finding “what comes next” and “what comes before” when given two consecutive letters of the alphabet.

Names of Keys on the Keyboard

Animal Rescue and Race is a set of two beginner piano games that teach keyboard geography and direction.

In Animal Race to the Top, students construct a paper keyboard on the floor and then choose letter cards to race animals from bottom (left) to the top (right) of the paper keyboard. 

In Animal Rescue, animals are running loose in the zoo! Students must draw a letter card and put the animals back in their proper “cages” by finding the corresponding keys on the keyboard.

Of course, you can play both of these games right at the piano, too! But if your students are anything like mine, they will enjoy an opportunity to jump off the bench and play a game on the floor for a few minutes at the end of their lesson. (Maybe you will, too!)

Penguin Piano is an extension of this activity. I like to use it as a take-home assignment that follows our games of Animal Rescue and Race. Students can take home one worksheet to cut and paste, or they can take home two sheets and race a parent or a sibling to form a proper keyboard with labelled keys.

You can find these last 3 games in my shop, as well as other resources for teaching piano! All come with a studio license, so you can print as many copies as you need for your students.

What are some of your favorite games for beginning piano students? Let me know in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Do you ever wonder what other teachers do in their lessons? I do! 

I thought it would be fun to share what a beginner piano lesson looks like in my studio for kids ages 6-9. For this age group, I tend to start with either the Faber Piano Adventures series or the Alfred Premier series. Both methods are pretty similar with plenty of explanation to guide non-musical parents in helping their children at home. They start with off-staff notation on black keys and then move to C major 5-finger positions. I use the Lesson Book, Performance Book, and Theory Book.

Each lesson starts with a brief conversation. I greet the student, ask how their week is going, and then we chat briefly about how school is going, what new book they are reading, how my dog Jasper is today, or anything else they want to tell me! 

Then I ask them to play their assigned songs from the week before. Usually students have mastered these simple songs, and they receive a sticker in their book and an “X” on their Piano-opoly board. Often I will choose one of their songs to play the suggested duet accompaniment with, and we play together. (This is a wonderful way to help students prepare for performances - playing through music without stopping - and to practice a steady beat. And, it's fun!)

We then move to the next song in their book and I teach any new concepts as well as how to play the song. We will go through 2-4 songs together, depending on how quickly the student grasps the new information. I want to be confident that they have the information they need to go home and practice the music without me!  

At this point, if I notice the student needs more practice on a concept, or simply another piece or two to play at the same “level,” I will pull out the Performance book and teach and assign a song or two from it. My beginners don't play in formal recitals, but we do prepare for informal performances for peers at our quarterly group lessons. They may play a piece from the Performance Book or from their Lesson Book at these meetings. Essentially, I use the Performance Book as another resource to reinforce concepts from the Lesson Book. We may or may not cover all the music in that book.

The last 5 minutes is dedicated to music theory. We talk through the theory concept in the book and I may even have the student begin the exercise to make sure he understands how to do it, and then I assign the corresponding pages to the Lesson Book for their take-home assignment.

That's it! Our 30-minute lessons fly by, the students know what to expect, and we are able to go at a nice pace in this manner. Sometimes I will supplement with a game from my shop or something that I have found online, either because we have covered the music that I want to in the lesson in a shorter amount of time, or I'm finding that the student needs more practice with a concept. Or sometimes, I just want to mix it up and start a lesson off with a game because it's fun!

What do your beginner lessons look like? Let me know in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

How many times have you set your piano lesson schedule and explained how missed lessons work, only to have a parent come to you asking for something other than what you offer? For example, perhaps you teach from 3-7pm Monday-Thursday, but a parent asks if you can teach at 7:30pm…or if you can teach their child on Fridays? 

Does this give you pause? Do you hesitate in a scenario like this and end up giving in because you could use the money or you want others to see you as gracious and flexible? I have been there! But it is not a good place to be. Going outside of the parameters you have set for your piano studio can cause regret and end up causing resentment. There’s a better way!

Having a good studio policy in place can prevent many such discussions - and more - but you must be clear about what you offer and then stick to your policy. 

What is a studio policy?

Simply, a studio policy is a document that states what taking piano lessons with you looks like, from which days and hours you teach to how you handle missed lessons to how you handle payment. It also gives information about your expectations for practice and lesson attendance. And it explains what you teach and why you structure the lessons the way you do.

How do I create a studio policy?

You can start by writing a 1–2 page document stating what you offer and what your expectations are. A good studio policy will include the following elements:

1. Your philosophy of teaching (how and why you teach)
2. Who you teach 
3. When and where you teach
4. What kinds of lessons you offer
5. How you accept payment
6. How you handle missed lessons
7. What your expectations for students (and parents) are during lessons and in at-home practice

I introduce my studio policy to everyone who interviews to be part of my studio. After the interview, a printed copy goes home with the parent along with a copy of my studio calendar and a contract for payment. In order to secure lessons with me, the contract must come back signed by both parent and student, indicating that they agree to my policy and terms for payment. (An additional printed copy of the policy and studio calendar go in each student’s binder. Learn more about how I use binders here!)

Having a clear policy in place shows parents that you are a professional and have parameters around how you run your business. After the initial expectations are stated, the policy becomes a tool that you can refer back to when questions come up concerning payment, missed lessons, practicing, and so forth. When you are asked to make an exception, you are free to be flexible, but you are also free to gently but firmly refer back to the policy with “No, I’m not able to do such-and-such; instead, this is what I offer.” 

Having a good policy in place and the determination to hold fast to the expectations you set for the studio can resolve many potential conflicts and help you focus your time and energy on teaching!

What are some boundaries you have set in your studio policy that have been helpful in your studio? Let me know in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

I had so much fun putting this Composer Kit together! The life of Domenico Scarlatti is fascinating - his encounters with royalty, his different stylistic periods, his infamous duel with George Frederick Handel in Rome…and his experiments at the keyboard offer much fodder for discussion and exploration in student compositions!

Scarlatti wrote 555 keyboard sonatas, although not in the sonata-allegro form that we are familiar with in the Classical era. His sonatas are often in two parts, and include techniques like imitation, counterpoint, fast repeated notes, and crossing hands. He also plays with Baroque dance form and fiery dance rhythms from Spain, definitely a “Renaissance man”!

Students will love engaging in a Tic-Tac-Toe duel of organs and harpsichords, creating copycat fugues in a fun group game at the piano, and trying their hand at composition in the style of Scarlatti.

The Scarlatti Kit, like all of the Composer Kits in my shop, contains a 1-page biography (one sheet at the intermediate level, and one for younger readers), two games suitable for playing student-teacher or in a group setting, a playlist with suggestions of what to listen for, and a composition activity (one for beginners and one for intermediates).

I use these kits in group lessons once a quarter, but the materials are also great for composer study within private lessons, in homeschool co-op music classes, or as an independent take-home activity.

Find the Scarlatti kit here!

For more Composer Kits and a free resource, check out this link!

“…he really enjoyed the lead sheets at Christmas time. I also appreciate your positivity and the excellent piece curation you do.” - Piano parent

Choosing music for our piano students can sometimes be a difficult task! The variety of method books available to piano teachers gives us no lack of options, but if we are not devoted to one method or another (or we realize a student needs something more/different), finding just the right music that suits the interests and abilities of our students can feel daunting.

I have by no means perfected the process, but thought I would give you a glimpse of what I am using this year in my studio:

For beginners (ages 5-8) - Faber Piano Adventures or Alfred Premier. These methods are pretty similar, starting the student on black keys with off-staff notation before introducing landmark notes and the grand staff. I like them because I have been using them for years, the pages aren't too cluttered, and the directions are simple enough for non-musical parents to understand and assist their children with at home. I use the Lesson book, Theory book, and Performance book in each method for the first two years. I also use the Faber supplemental books for Christmas and summer (Jazz/Blues, Rock and Roll, Disney). In year three, I add a Faber Piano Literature book as we begin to transition into “real” literature.

For beginners (pre-teen/teen) - Supersonics, Wunderkeys Pop Staff Piano, or Alfred Older Beginner. This age group generally needs easy wins and music that sounds appealing right away. They are motivated by cool-sounding or familiar music, but still need to build proper technique and reading skills. I like Supersonics and Wunderkeys Pop Staff Piano for the “cool” factor and steady progression of skills. The Alfred method is solid, but in my opinion less appealing for modern kids as the songs tend to be folk songs. (Alfred, we need an update!) For theory, I am trying out Mark Sarnecki's Elementary Music Theory books this year. I love the clean layout of the pages and the fact that he incorporates music history into the lessons. I also love Worship at the Keys by Donna Gielow McFarland for this age. A lot of my students come wanting to learn how to play in a worship band at church, and Donna's book is a wonderful introduction to reading chord charts and lead sheets; she incorporates a number of modern songs!

For early intermediate - RCM (Royal Conservatory of Music) Etudes books, Faber Piano Literature books, Mark Sarnecki's Essential Music Theory books, Diversions 1 and 2 by Juan Cabeza, various supplemental literature. My “core” for my early intermediates is an Etude book, a Piano Literature book, and a Theory book. We also follow the RCM technique charts for learning scales and chords. I add to that depending on the students' interests and skills that need addressing. For instance, I have one student who is fabulous at rhythms and loves Celtic music. He is working through the Diversions books (each piece a “quick win” and a chance to analyze patterns and work on transposing on sight), a Celtic book, and a fun Mario book. Another pair of students works very slowly through their core books (practicing isn't consistent), so we don't do much beyond that other than adding Christmas music in Nov/Dec. Another student loves Classical music and we've been supplementing with some of Frank Lynes' sonatinas and other music found on IMSLP.org. 

The older intermediate and advanced students that I have taught generally have been transfer students and have come with repertoire they want to work on. Often it is above their reading level, and I supplement with easier pieces and scales and chords work to improve their sightreading and technique.

It is important for students who are intermediate level to have music at their reading level (learn in 1 day), a little above their reading level (learn in 1 week), and then a stretch goal (learn in a month+). They need to be able to play music for pleasure (those quick wins!) as well as be challenged to practice to achieve a long-range goal. And if we can find music that accomplishes both things and that the student enjoys working on, we can spend more of our time enjoying the teaching and learning process and less time coaxing students to practice things that are uninteresting or too difficult for them to see much short-term progress.

How do you choose music in your studio? Do you have methods/publishers/composers that you find yourself turning to again and again? Let me know in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Part of my studio prep for fall is assembling Piano Binders for my new students and updating the binders of returning students. I grew up with a binder as a student myself, and in my studio I have tweaked the process a little to fit my teaching style. 

As part of their tuition, my piano students receive books and materials that I purchase for their lessons, including these binders. I use a 1-inch white, 3-ring binder with plastic cover so I can customize the cover. Here's what goes inside:

Piano-opoly - My simple practice incentive game board slides into the plastic pocket on the outside of the binder and students can see at a glance how close they are to earning a prize!

Zippered pouch - I like these from Amazon, with a see-through mesh pocket and two zippered compartments. We use these for flashcards and small game pieces that I send home for practice.

Piano Practice Tracker - This is the student's assignment sheet. I designed it myself (there are several color variations, and you can get it for free in my shop!). If you print it double-sided and upside-down, you can punch it to put in the binder, and then use the back of it without re-punching the sheet by just flipping it over! Each week during the student's lesson, I fill out their practice plan, and it is their job to check the sheet each day to see what they are to work on, and put an “X” or write in the time on each day that they've practiced.

Studio Calendar - This goes in a plastic page protector and includes all the dates for lessons and breaks during the year.

Studio Policy - No excuses! I put this in a plastic page protector as well. It includes lesson information, practice tips, tuition and payment info, and my missed lesson policy. Parents receive an updated version via email at the beginning of each school year as well.

Syllabus - This is either a skills checklist based on beginning method books for my young students, or the RCM levelled checklists that you can find for free in my shop.

Technique - Printed scale and arpeggio charts with fingerings.

Music - Any sheet music that I give out during the school year goes here.

Composition - Student compositions that are assigned during the year during our group lessons (using materials from my Composer Kits) or private lessons.

Scales/Chords/Key Signatures - These are 3 separate tabs, but are meant to hold papers detailing how major and minor scales, chords, and key signatures are put together.

Music History - Students collect composer biographies (from my Composer Kits) and they live here.

The Piano Binders serve as a growing library of musical information for students as well as a place to house their assignments. The binders grow with the students and are a physical reminder of the hard work they put into practicing and music study, forming a portfolio of sorts that celebrates their achievements!

Do you use binders in your studio? I'd love to hear what you do with yours! Tell me in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Do you make time for composer study in your piano studio? 

Lesson time seems to always be at a premium. How does one fit repertoire study, technique, music theory, sightreading, and ear training into a 30- or 45-minute lesson, let alone music history?! If you are like me, you spend most of your time teaching repertoire, taking a few minutes out for technique and a few more for theory, and the rest happens “if there is extra time.” That is why most of my discussions about specific composers, their lives, and their music, happen in my group lesson settings rather than in private lessons.

Composer Study in Community

Every 6 weeks or so my piano students come to a group lesson with 3-5 other students for a community-building time of music theory games, informal performances, and in-depth composer study. We enjoy being together as a group, and the 60-minute timeframe allows for discussions of a composer's life and music. (Lest you think I conduct these discussions like a college lecture, let me assure you that our time together is quite lively and we switch activities every 10-15 minutes!)

Coming up with Resources

I used to cobble together resources I found on the internet, choosing composers I thought students might have some background knowledge of or whose music they were starting to encounter in their lessons. But recently I decided to organize my thoughts a little better and plan ahead for the school year so that when group lessons come around, the planning is already done! 

Introducing…the Composer Kit!

For each composer we study this year, we will be reading a short biography; listening to selected works from a pre-formed playlist; composing using a musical technique that that composer used; and playing games that reinforce music theory concepts, new vocabulary, composer trivia, memory techniques, and more! 

I am really excited about introducing my students to a variety of composers in this way. The materials in each kit are highly interactive and designed specifically for multi-age, multi-level (beginner and intermediate) groups. And because students are learning through play, they are much more apt to remember the information and start seeing these composers as “real” people rather than figures in a museum or history book. As they play around with different composition techniques, they will start to see what is possible in the realm of composing…and will start to identify concepts in their own repertoire study.

Designed for Multi-age, Multi-level Groups

The student worksheets are levelled, so beginners and intermediate have their own pages to work on with individually tailored assignments; however, the concepts are linked, so everyone will feel like they are “on the same page”! The worksheets fit nicely into a 3-ring binder, so students can collect a biography for each composer, followed by an example of their composing technique.

Easy Prep, Planning is Done For You!

The teacher's guide shows a suggested timeline and lesson plan for the activities with ideas for extending learning. The games are low- to no-prep and can be reused in the piano studio.

It feels great to have my group lessons planned out for the year, with all the materials in one place and ready to go! You can learn more about Composer Kits here!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Are you considering adding homeschoolers to your piano studio? For the past several years I have worked to attract homeschoolers to my studio in an effort to concentrate my teaching time to the hours when my own girls are in school. (I wrote more about that here.) Here are some of the pros and cons I have experienced in my work with homeschooling families:

Note: Of course, every family is different and it is impossible to say that all homeschooling families you encounter will function this way; however, these are some general things I have found to be true.

Pros:

🎵 Homeschool families are purposeful about their children's education and want music lessons to be a part of a well-rounded education. Because of this, they will often schedule practice time into their homeschool day, just as they do schoolwork. (Yay for consistent practice time!)

🎵 Homeschool families have time available during the day for lessons, potentially expanding your teaching hours.

🎵 Homeschool families often have multiple children, and younger siblings will often follow in their older siblings' footsteps by taking piano lessons.

Cons:

🚸 Because homeschool families control their own schedules, they may take multiple weeks off at a time, or even a month's vacation.

🚸 Homeschool families are not bound to the public school calendar. If you also teach children that attend public school, this means that holiday breaks can happen at different times.

In my experience, the Pros greatly outweigh the Cons, which I find mostly have to do with scheduling. I love building relationships with families and teaching multiple siblings, getting the bulk of my teaching done weekday mornings, and having the support of parents. 

Regarding the Cons, I believe that if you are clear on your studio offerings - including how many lessons you offer each month/semester/year, what your make-up policy is, and how payment happens - you can navigate the scheduling hiccups with ease. (At any rate, it is miles easier than trying to work around after-school sports and drama schedules!) 

I offer my homeschooling families the same tuition package that I offer my public school kids: weekly private lessons and quarterly group lessons. I love introducing my students to each other and watching them form relationships during our group lessons, and consider the community-building just as important as the musical knowledge they gain during these times. (Find out more about how to run successful group lessons here!)

Let me know if you have any questions in the Comment section below!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

As piano teachers, we often choose to teach private lessons because we like the one-on-one relationship with our students. We typically teach out of our homes and have introverted personalities, enjoying the freedom to teach a block of lessons and then take a break to re-charge. This is my preferred approach 😊; however, there are also times when we want to build community in our studio, giving our students opportunities to perform for each other and get to know other pianists “like them.” This can take the form of recitals, holiday or end-of-term piano parties, summer piano camps, monthly workshops, or quarterly group lessons. But what is a teacher to do who isn’t comfortable managing groups of students?

In my late twenties I transitioned from being a private piano teacher to teaching first grade in a public school. While I had worked in Vacation Bible Schools for years and even ran an after-school program at a YMCA for grade-school students, managing kids in a more formal learning environment required me to have an even better grasp on management strategies. Here are some tried-and-true tips that I learned during my teacher training that can help you lead a successful camp/workshop/group lesson, whether you have a group of 4 or 30 students:

Keep your rules short and memorable: Be kind and have fun. 

Explain your rules: Be kind means that we will listen when others are talking, be respectful in what we say, etc.

Explain the consequences for unwanted behavior:

1. Verbal warning
2. [Short] time-out away from activity or must sit with the teacher
3. Talk with parent at the end of camp

Have a plan for getting students’ attention when it gets loud. Choose one of the following or make up your own: 

1. I clap a rhythm and you clap it back; 
2. I say, “Campers, attention please!” and you put your hands in the air and look at me; 
3. I say, “Give me five” and you respond with eyes on me, ears listening, mouth quiet, hands to yourself, heart ready to learn.

Yelling over students’ voices is never effective. If you have verbal instructions, wait until there is a drop in the noise level, and then take advantage of it by calling students to attention. If there is no drop, try recruiting students one at a time by saying “If you hear me, clap once,” then, “If you hear me, clap twice.”

It is best to practice your call-to-attention before you need it, so do it often in the “honeymoon” phase of the first day. Make it a game to see who listens first!

Befriend your tricky kids. You know the ones – the kids who, if given the chance, will act out and pull your whole group quickly into chaos. Know their names, make a point to connect with them early in the day, and keep them close. Assign them a job that gives them positive attention. 

My best management strategy is to get ahead of disruptive behavior by befriending kids, setting clear expectations, and having a plan in place for bringing the group back to attention. With a little forethought and consistent follow-through, you can have a successful and enjoyable time with groups of students!

Need a plan for a 60-minute group lesson? Check out my free Group Lesson Planning template below:

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

This summer I ran two piano camps for my students and any interested friends/siblings/potential students. One was Joy Morin's “So You Want to be a Composer?” and the other was her “Music of the World” camp. Both curriculums are fantastic and served my two groups of students well.

I've written about the composer camp elsewhere, but in brief, I ran this camp with six 6-12 year-olds: two current piano students of mine, two students who take Suzuki violin lessons, and two former campers with some beginning knowledge of music and the piano. Since it was a smaller group, I was able to give individualized attention to students as they worked on their own compositions. The curriculum definitely requires kids to have the ability to listen and discuss music in a focused manner, although it has plenty of variety to keep everyone engaged and having fun!

The second camp I ran was Joy's “Music of the World,” and this was with an entirely different group of students! I hosted 11 kids for this one, more on the younger side (several 6-year-olds) and in their beginning years of piano. This was a very craft-heavy camp, as each day we cut and pasted facts and illustrations related to each country into a “lapbook” that the students could take home. Kids also had the opportunity to make an instrument each day.

Because I knew I had a younger group (and a lot of siblings!), I researched some outdoor games to supplement with. We ended up playing an egg-and-spoon game for our visit to Australia, throwing pennies into a frog's mouth during our time in Peru, kicking hacky sacks on the day we visited China, and playing mancala (with egg cartons and beans!) when we went to Ghana.

Many of the campers from both weeks had attended my Piano Camps for beginners last year, and they were thrilled to be back for more.

If you're looking for a ready-made camp curriculum for your students, check out these camps by Joy:

So You Want to Be a Composer?

Music of the World

And my camps designed for beginner students with 0-2 years of piano:

The Great Music Race

Musical Secret Agent

What other camps have you hosted in the past? If you have a curriculum to recommend, leave a link in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Let's talk about Group Lessons! I'm not talking about regular weekly piano lessons with a group of students; rather, a once-a-month or once-a-quarter get-together with your private piano students where students perform for each other, play games to reinforce music theory concepts, and learn about a topic in music history like a composer. In my piano studio, we call them “Piano Parties”!

Group lesson “Piano Parties” are an essential part of my piano studio offerings. So much of piano study is done in isolation that we forget there are others “just like us” who are learning and pushing through challenges at the piano bench! It is important for students of all ages to experience music in community with others, to hear others play, and to collaborate in fun musical experiences. My group lessons serve to form community among the students, provide for more in-depth teaching time and reinforcement of music theory and history concepts, offer a welcoming space for informal performances, and give me time every 4-6 weeks to offer make-ups or work on admin/lesson prep. 

Two big questions always come up: “How do you structure your Group Lessons?” and, “How do you schedule your Group Lessons?”

STRUCTURE

My Group Lessons always follow a simple format: an opening game, student performances, learning about a composer, and closing games. I have a collection of music theory games that are accessible to beginner and intermediate students of different ages and are easy to incorporate in a mixed group setting. I've put together a free Group Lesson template (click HERE to get yours!) of my schedule, along with a resource list of over a dozen music theory games and suggestions for composer-focused activities that you can use to help guide your planning.

SCHEDULE

It can be tricky to schedule private students for a group lesson. The way I accomplish this is by publishing a calendar of my private and group lesson weeks for my piano families, and releasing it in the spring so that families can plan for them. Group lessons take place during my normal private lesson days and times and are in lieu of the students' private lessons for that week. So, for example, if I teach half-hour private lessons on Saturdays from 8:30am-12:30pm, I will schedule an hour group lesson on a Saturday from 9:00-10:00am. This overlaps the normal time of some of my private students, and isn't too far off from the remaining students' lesson times. I schedule the same way for my weekday lessons.

There are always families who have a conflict on some week or other, and they may opt to come to a different group lesson day that particular week, or if that doesn't work, they miss the lesson altogether. In the latter case, I will send home the activities/worksheets from the group lesson for them to complete on their own. 

Because I operate my studio on a tuition model, group lessons are bundled into my studio offerings for the year and are subject to the same “no make-up” policy as that of my private lessons. 

I hope this helps you think about how you can make group lessons a part of your piano studio and takes some of the guesswork out of planning a fun and productive time with your students!

Click HERE to get your free Group Lesson template!

Let me know if you have any questions in the Comment section below!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

For my piano studio, students have the option of taking 6 weeks of lessons in the summer in addition to, or instead of, attending a Piano Camp. Because we work so hard during the year, and because there are often areas in which students can use a bit of review, I like using the summer to “go sideways.” 

If you are unfamiliar with the term, going sideways means learning music at the same level that a student is at, intentionally staying there in order to solidify concepts. This can happen at any time during the school year when it seems a student isn’t fully mastering a piece before it feels like it’s time to move on. Summer, with its laid-back feel, is a great opportunity to “take a break” from your regular piano lesson plan and review concepts through games and new music.

If you use method books, you will find that the pacing is just right for some students, but far too slow or even too fast for other students. This is one reason you will find a lot of “supplemental” books at one level – so that a student can continue to work on the same rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic concepts to achieve mastery before learning something new. 

BEGINNER STUDENTS 

For my beginner students who need sideways practice this summer, we will be working through a same-level method book. Since we are using Faber Piano Adventures, this will likely be a Rock ‘n’ Roll, Jazz and Blues, or Disney book! 

We will also be playing games to reinforce finding the landmark keys of treble G, middle C, and bass F on the piano, and recognizing stepwise direction on the staff (up/down, left/right), as well as reviewing the rhythmic names and values of notes and rests. These are common challenges for beginners, and developmentally appropriate for them as they are learning similar concepts in literacy at school (recognizing letters and phonemes and sight words, reading left to right, and developing fluency in reading combinations of words). 

Animal Rescue and Race is a great way to teach and review keyboard geography 

Rhythm Playing Cards are fun to use when learning rhythm symbols and their values

INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS 

Intermediate students may study method books during the school year or work through the myriads of piano literature available for them. Summer lessons might look like working on duet literature, practicing sightreading skills with fun music a level or two below their current level, or focusing on music in certain keys to reinforce reading in a key signature and correct scale and arpeggio fingering. Alternatively, students might like to try out a specific genre, exploring jazz, gospel, pop, or celtic music.

I also like to introduce my intermediate students to lead sheets. This is a fun way to teach harmony and chord inversions, and to give students an opportunity to experiment with improvisation and transposition.

Rodgers and Hammerstein Piano Duet Book is one of my favorites to work on with students!

Chrissy Ricker has a variety of free resources in all of these areas 

ADVANCED STUDENTS 

Advanced students often have competing interests, full schedules during the school year, and even a work schedule to navigate. Summer can be a good time to explore a genre they are interested in, have fun sightreading duets together, or listen to a variety of music by one (or several) composers to help narrow down choices for study in the new school year. 

Check out IMSLP for classical music in the public domain that you can download and print, and for recordings. Search by composer, time period, instrument, and level ("instrument difficulty")!

What do you do differently in summer lessons? Let me know in the comments below!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

Inspired by nature

To be played on a Watercolor Xylophone

Body percussion - a hit with the kids!

Hard work on one main composition all week

I inputted each student's week-long composition into music software (MuseScore is free online!) and printed it out so they could take home their very own “published” composition!

We put on a brief Composer's Showcase at the end of the last day, where each student chose to perform one of their pieces for their parents and siblings. We also viewed a slideshow of all the fun activities and hard work everyone engaged in this week.

Thanks, Joy, for putting together such a fun and rewarding camp!

For more on Piano Camps, check out these blog posts:

So You Want to Be a Composer? (Joy's camp)

What Does a Piano Camp Look Like? (free webinar)

The Great Music Race Piano Camp for Beginners

The Musical Secret Agent Camp for Beginners

Are you running a camp this summer? Let me know in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

I am always looking for ways to cut costs, and designing my own t-shirts for my Summer Music Camps is one way I can do that! 

Last year, I held two different camps for my beginner piano students and new recruits (The Great Music Race and MSA: Musical Secret Agent) and I designed a t-shirt for each specific camp. I was thrilled with the results (you can see them in my shop - click here and scroll down to Piano Merch). 

However, this year, I decided to try something a little simpler. I am holding two new camps, and instead of trying to produce a separate t-shirt for each one, I decided to go with a design that works for both. I think it turned out pretty well!

I made the design as a 300 dpi PNG file as well as a SVG file, so it can be used as an iron-on transfer or with a cutting machine. Iron-on transfer sheets can be purchased from any office supply store or online, and you print the design on them from your personal printer! (Be sure to choose “light” if you're printing on a light-colored shirt and “dark” if you're printing on a dark-colored shirt.)

Blank t-shirts can be purchased from a local craft store, like Michael's, or online, in a variety of colors and sizes. You can even buy them in bulk at a discounted price. I like to purchase youth shirts for my campers and a few adult sizes for myself and my teenage helpers!

Get the design for your DIY Summer Music Camp t-shirts in my shop.

Do you find yourself using your own “stock phrases” during piano lessons or creating new ones on the spot? This week any one of my students might have heard one of these from me:

“If you play it right this time, you can level up.” - spoken to a teenaged boy who likes to play video games. He was struggling with focus and accuracy and needed incentive to pay attention.

“Use your dinosaur arms.” - to a beginner using a collapsed wrist and generating a weak sound. We talked about using the whole arm to play the sound.

“This piece is ‘learn on your own.'" - begun as a way to assign students another piece to work on during the week when we ran out of lesson time, this is becoming a more usual directive. Students love the challenge of learning an at-level piece on their own, and it gives me valuable insight into what they are able to learn independently.

“And then the old man has a mood change.” - suggested to a cello student as we rehearsed a piece together requiring a character change between sections

What kinds of things do you find yourself saying to students during lessons? Let me know in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

As a piano teacher, you are continually assessing your students' progress: 

• What do they already know? 
• What skills are they working on? 
• Where do they need to go next? 

(If you don't yet have a tool in place to monitor progress, check out my free lesson planning article and template!) 

Taking time to periodically review big picture goals and reflect on where students are in relation to your goals is an important part of the teaching process. But sometimes you need another perspective. How are things really going in their daily at-home practice? Are there struggles (musical, motivational, or otherwise) that you are not aware of? Does the music interest your students or do they wish they could move on to more/less challenging, faster/slower, more classical/jazzier music? You may pick up on some things, but it can be helpful to hear more specifically from home.

Midway through the school year I reach out to parents to ask how they think piano lessons are going. I send an email asking for their feedback on a one-page form to be returned at the next lesson or scanned and emailed back to me. Of course, when parents drop off or pick up their children from lessons, or if they sit in and listen - these are moments when we can have a brief discussion about what their child recently accomplished or what my goals are for the coming week. But giving them a document to fill out is a nice, more formal, way to offer parents an opportunity to reflect on how their child is doing. Having to actually turn something in causes them to stop and think about what really is happening at home with practice, and they appreciate being invited to share their opinion on what is going on. Of course, you have to be open to criticism and willing to reflect on your own teaching practices and expectations if this is to be a productive exercise! But I encourage you to do it.

Parents have a unique perspective on their children's progress. They are the ones who live with your student, enforce (or don't enforce) practice, pay for your lessons, and know the child in ways that you do not. Their comments can help you see what is happening “behind the scenes” and give you insight on what you might do to help improve or continue to encourage progress. 

You're welcome to use the same feedback form that I use! You can find it here.

Be open to accepting feedback from others. It is easy to get defensive and think our way is best, but the mark of a good teacher is the flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of students - and this requires a willingness to hear from others and evaluate what we are doing in light of their comments. You don't have to change everything because someone else doesn't like what you are doing, but you can consider changing or adapting things if another approach might be more successful for a particular student.

What are some other ways that you reflect on your teaching? Do you have another way to elicit parent feedback that is working for you? Let me know in the comments!

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.

The MSA: Musical Secret Agent Piano Camp was one of the highlights of my summer last year. It is similar in format to The Great Music Race, which incorporates Student Workbooks, card games, and outdoor fun, but with the addition of cup rhythms and several new activities. I created both camps to give my beginner students a fun way to review musical concepts and to attract new students to my studio. (I also deliberately re-used the Printables from The Great Music Race to save me time on printing and laminating! You can, too!*)

Day One started with photos and fingerprints of our “Musical Secret Agents” and a test of their observation skills in the student workbooks.

We then discussed some ground rules so that everyone could enjoy a week being safe, being kind, and having fun! 

The Secret Agents were then introduced to the “suspects” (Half Note Henry, Professor Half Rest, Quarter Note Corky, Cornelius Quarter Note, and the Aimless Eighth Note Twins) so they could learn to identify them if and when they showed up at camp.

Mornings were spent learning new concepts, working in workbooks, playing card games, and refining our Cup Rhythm skills. Each student became a “music spy” as they learned to quickly identify note names, rhythmic patterns, and new-to-them music vocabulary.

After a brief snack break, we practiced steady beat and reading simple melodies using Boomwhackers and colored water jars.

We couldn’t do summer camp without summer water games, so we ended our days outside with lots of fun and laughter!

We celebrated with a video montage of our week and ice cream treats! Can’t wait to do it again!

The M.S.A. Musical Secret Agent Piano Camp is now available for purchase in my shop!

*If you are interested in running both camps, you will enjoy a discount when you purchase one full camp and the other as an extension pack. See more info in the product descriptions. Contact me for any questions.

I debuted The Great Music Race last summer with current students and a lot of new-to-my-studio kids with two goals in mind: 1) Provide a fun camp for my beginners to review musical concepts, and 2) Attract new students to my studio by giving them a fun introduction to the piano. The camp was a success on both fronts, and kids left asking if there would be another camp the following year!

We began each day with an easy-entry workbook page, something kids without any musical knowledge could fill out without much trouble, but which would provide an introduction to musical symbols and concepts with a fun coloring, copying, or matching activity.

On the first day, we took pictures with my instant-film camera and had the kids “fingerprinted” as their “entry ticket” or initiation into The Great Music Race.

After workbooks, we would have a brief lesson on a musical concept, like keyboard geography, note names, steady beat, etc, and then the kids would play card games with a buddy to practice.

We practiced the concept of steady beat and reading simple rhythms using Boomwhackers!

After an hour we took a short snack break. The kids brought their own non-messy snack from home, and if the weather was sunny, we took it outside.

We played a lot of running and water games to practice our musical knowledge.

Campers earned star stickers each time they completed a workbook page or their team won a game.

We ended each day with a review game or time back at the table finishing up workbook pages.

After saying goodbye, I would clean up and quickly prep for the next day, gathering supplies in a shoebox in the order in which we would use them.

We all had a blast learning and playing together! I can’t wait to do it again this year!

The Great Music Race is now available for purchase in my shop!

What is a Piano Camp? Have you ever run one? Are you thinking you’d like to?

Piano Camp is much like any other day camp you might be familiar with – a Vacation Bible School, YMCA day camp, or musical theater camp. It is a group of kids coming together to have fun while learning! 

Piano Camp is an immersion in musical concepts related to the piano using fun games and activities. It could take the form of a half-day Saturday camp, a month-long one-hour-a-week camp, or a half day week-long camp. However you structure it, Piano Camp is a fun change from private lessons, an opportunity for kids to make music together in community, and a great way to teach and review music theory and history!

You can create your own materials or use ready-made curriculum. You may plan for existing piano students or decide to use the camp as a recruiting tool for new students. It may take the place of your private lessons in the summer, or you may use it to supplement your teaching.

Let me share how I run Piano Camps and then give you additional resources that will help you decide how you would like to tailor your camp(s)!

My student goals for Piano Camps are for students to 1) Have fun; 2) Review and solidify theory concepts; and 3) Be inspired to continue practicing. 

My personal goals for Piano Camps are to 1) Enjoy a lighter summer schedule; 2) Maintain a steady summer income; and 3) Have fun teaching my students in a different format.

I like to run a four-day camp, two hours each day, with teenage student helpers (most recently, my own kids!). Two hours is a nice duration – just long enough for a variety of activities and not so long as to have down time where the kids get bored and into trouble!

I like to have a variety of large and small motor activities (running/movement versus card games and workbooks), a teaching element, and clear opening and closing routines. Games and activities should be accessible to a range of ages and abilities, and there should be a “fun” factor that makes it feel more like camp than school!

Since I like to run camps in June, teach private lessons in July, and take the month of August off, I start talking about my summer plans in March with current piano students. I send out a survey to determine who is available and when, and open summer registration in April. I spend the next few months spreading the word, registering campers, and gathering the necessary materials. 

As you think about what your Piano Camp might look like, you will want to answer a few questions: Where and when do I want to hold a camp? What age range of students do I want to invite, and how many? What are my goals for the camp? How much do I want to charge? 

One good place to start thinking about these things is Jennifer Foxx’s Summer Camps Q&A (https://musiceducatorresources.com/2023/05/19/summer-camps-qa-music-teacher-tip-37/).

Another place is at my free 35-minute webinar on How to Run a Piano Camp being held Friday, March 7^th, at 10am PST on Zoom. I will give an overview of what a camp might look like, share some planning resources, offer time for questions, and give you options of pre-made camps available for purchase. Register here to save your spot!

Running a Piano Camp is a great way to generate excitement around learning music and boosting interest in piano lessons. I hope you’ll give it a try!

Missed the webinar? Contact me to get on the waiting list for the next one!
 

Need a ready-made piano camp for your beginner students? I have two in my shop! Check out The Great Music Race and MSA: Musical Secret Agent.

For all but my youngest students, I have begun working through the technique drills as laid out in the Royal Conservatory of Music syllabus. If you are not familiar with it, RCM is a Canadian program of music study and assessment. The program provides a full curriculum graded from beginner to advanced, even up to collegiate and teacher certification levels. Students can follow the program as outlined by purchasing the curriculum and preparing for the assessments, or teachers can use the syllabus to guide their teaching in a systematic way. I have chosen to do the latter this year, and most of my students have begun working on the technical exercises of scales, chords, and arpeggios. They will also work through the theory books, and I will choose repertoire that aligns with their technical and theory work but that is individualized based on my goals for them as a teacher and their interests as students. In this way, we will be able to work systematically through a logical progression of learning, with the flexibility of choosing music that we love!

When I was studying in junior high and high school, I went through a similar program of study and assessment called the Arizona Study Program, which is still in use today. I “graduated” from the program by completing the final level, and as a result was fully prepared to enter college as a Piano Performance major. (In fact, I was so thoroughly prepared, that my first year of music theory was review!) Even for students who do not plan to major in music, a systemized program of study is helpful because it allows for the student to build upon the knowledge they already have. We do this very naturally in general education, teaching counting before addition, addition before multiplication, and so on; and it makes sense to do so in music as well.

The RCM syllabi are free for anyone to download and use as a resource. As well, you can sign up for a free teacher account and have access to a whole library of video resources to help you in your teaching. 

If you choose, you can also have your students evaluated in theory knowledge and in musical performance, for a fee. For my studio, I will leave it up to parents to decide whether or not they want their children to be assessed in this way. It can be a helpful way to gauge progress, and to receive feedback from other teachers. 

To keep track of my students’ progress in the technical skills this year, I have made checklists to keep in their binders. Since I have students only in the beginning few levels, I have charts for 2022 RCM Piano Levels Prep A through Level 2. You are free to print them for your own use. If you do plan on having your students participate in the RCM assessments, make sure to double-check my checklists against their requirements. I have worked diligently to make sure they are aligned, but it is possible there may be errors.) Please contact me if you have any questions, or would like me to get in touch with you when I have completed the more advanced levels.

(Note: If you would like a demonstration of the technical exercises for a particular level, there are a number of videos on YouTube that contain all of the required exercises in real time.)

Keep up with my writing by subscribing to At Home with Classical Piano on Substack.