Piano Parent Podcast: Helping Teachers, Parents, And Students Get The Most Of Their Piano Lessons.

Today, I will share three snapshots of students who have started lessons within the last year. Each student has her own unique strengths and weaknesses. While I am the same teacher for all of them, the way they receive and process information is vastly different. I am enjoying learning from all of them.

March 29 is the 88th day of the year. Happy Piano Day!! I have a few ideas of how you can celebrate this special occasion with your piano kid. Find out on today's episode.

Sometimes in the spring, I start getting a feeling of overwhelm and wish I didn't have all the responsibilities that I have. Do you feel that way? Do you ever get Spring Fever? I wonder if your piano kid feels the same way. Let's talk about Spring Fever and how to overcome it on today's show...

You may have heard about perfect pitch and learned that if you don't have it, there is a small likelihood that you will develop it at this stage in your life. Fortunately, you can develop your relative pitch at any time. The sooner you can help your piano kid hone their skill of listening and hearing relative pitch, the better. Learn how in this week's episode.

Stephen Hughes, NCTM is a professional pianist, online piano teaching specialist, and music technology trainer. His online teaching studio, Virtual Piano Studio, is a growing community of students & music teachers of all ages and skill levels, who take private instruction via Live Online Lessons. He teaches students in the U.S., China, UK, & Australia.  Stephen was teaching online long before it became a necessity in 2020. Today, he shares how parents can help their piano kids set up their home practice space for optimal online piano lessons.

Sometimes it's hard to notice improvements in your piano kid's skill and musicality. Today's episode gives you ten small things to look for to know your child is growing as a musician. Look for these signs to reassure yourself of the investment you're making for your child. Use them as a source of encouragement for them.

Recently, my husband and I took his parents to a concert. Though I was glad to spend time with them, I was not looking forward to seeing another Elvis Presley impersonator. What I experienced at the concert was something completely unexpected so I thought I'd share it with you on today's show.

I heard a new term the other day, "Learned Helplessness". According to Psychology Today, "Learned helplessness occurs when an individual continuously faces a negative, uncontrollable situation and stops trying to change their circumstances, even when they have the ability to do so. For example, a smoker may repeatedly try and fail to quit. He may grow frustrated and come to believe that nothing he does will help, and therefore he stops trying altogether. The perception that one cannot control the situation essentially elicits a passive response to the harm that is occurring."

In the style of Mike Rowe’s podcast “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s radio show “The Rest of the Story”, this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musician or song or a moment in music history. I use these musical mysteries to tell you something you might not know about someone or something that is somewhat familiar; in this case, we will learn how one young musician convinced his older and wiser teacher to try something new by singing something old.

Cameron Dennis is an amazing fusion of music and technology. While continuing to pursue graduate degrees in performance and music theory he is combining his musical knowledge with his skills in technology to create wonderful online resources for music students of any skill level. On today's show, Cameron shares his new Ear Trainer. This resource is extremely valuable to help piano kids learn to identify and notate the sounds they hear.

With such a push these days for popular music, it is refreshing to hear someone who is just as passionate about our historic musical heritage as Janna Williamson. Janna Williamson, NCTM, is a pianist, educator, and collaborator. Janna enjoys high retention in her independent piano studio in the suburbs of Chicago as well as the rewards of students who have gone on to enjoy a lifetime of music. 

RAMI BAR-NIV (RAHmee BarNEEV) is one of Israel's most acclaimed and sought-after pianists. He travels extensively and has become an international citizen, concertizing all over the world. Rami has performed on every continent with the exception of Antarctica (I suppose we'll excuse you from that one).   In addition to concertizing and lecturing, Rami also composes and has written two books. On today's show, Rami will share insights from his first book, The Art of Piano Fingering.

Merry Christmas! In this BONUS episode of the Piano Parent Podcast, you will hear my reading of Luke 2:1-20. I will also share some personal thoughts on that passage and this special time of year.

Whether you are great at setting goals or stay up well past midnight on January 1 making New Year's Resolutions, it's a good idea to make plans and have things to aim for.

In early 2020 when the pandemic first happened, Anna Fagan and her husband used the opportunity to fulfill a marriage-long dream; RVing around the country. Listen to today's show to hear how Anna has taken travel teaching to a whole new level.

Every tenth episode of the Piano Parent Podcast offers you a list of ten somethings. On today's show, I present to you a list of Ten Wintery Pieces.

A textbook definition of sight-reading would be the ability to read a piece of sheet music on the spot and to be able to play it as you're reading it. Another aspect of sight-reading is the ability to use your eyes to track the music on the page while your hands find the notes without having to look at them. On today's show, Christopher Oill talks about sight-reading - it's value and how to improve this skill.

In today's special Thanksgiving episode, piano teachers share stories of gratitude for the families in their studio.