Dr. Adam Ockelford, Teacher To Derek Paravicini, on Teaching Special Needs Piano Students

Today we’re exploring a question that Trevor and I receive almost daily… a question that weighs heavily on the minds of piano teachers and most likely plays a role in almost every piano teaching decision we make. What is the question? “How can I keep piano students from quitting?” On today’s podcast we’ll tackle this question […]

It’s tough to explain to piano students why they should care about fixing their flat-fingered playing position. But I know why I care about fixing it… Playing with flat fingers is unnecessarily hard and results in music that, quite simply put, doesn’t sound very good… which could very well result in piano students quitting lessons. […]

We’ve all had one… a piano student who stares at his hands while mostly ignoring his music. And we’ve all probably engaged in a struggle to get him to view his score as a tool (not as an enemy)… And chances are, during the struggle, you’ve covered the keys… you covered his hands… you’ve make him wear dribble […]

Most piano teachers (myself included) teach in tidy little blocks of time. And this means that if we want to increase our teaching income… we generally have to increase our teaching time. But is this a hard and fast rule? Could there a better way? Today we have a wonderful guest on the Teach Piano […]

At some point in our teaching careers we will all be faced with it…. a “two-handed” piano student suddenly becomes a “one-handed” piano student. Whether it’s a broken arm, a sprained wrist, or burned fingers… a myriad of different injuries can throw a bunch of wrenches into a typical piano lesson. So the question is… how can […]

Today we’re kicking off our Teach Piano Today Helpline podcast with a fabulous episode featuring everything you’ve always wanted to know about teaching group piano classes. And if you just thought “Oh… this is not for me, I only have one piano so I can’t teach groups…” you’ll want to hang around and have a […]

Do you teach from lead sheets?  Have you thought about doing so but aren’t sure where to start? Do you use them all the time but wonder if there is more you could be doing? Lead sheets have quickly become one of my “secret weapon” teaching tools. They provide the instant gratification teens crave, they […]

What is grit? How does being “gritty” translate into achievement and how can we teach our piano students to persevere over the long-term despite setbacks? If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions – or, if this subject piques your interest, then today’s TeachPianoToday podcast will fascinate you. Do You Have Gritty Piano Students? A few weeks […]

Piano teachers everywhere have students in their studio with complex needs.  Be it visual impairment, Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia… the spectrum of differences is wide. And piano teachers everywhere have questions about how to effectively meet the needs of these students. Advice From A True Expert In today’s Teach Piano Today podcast, we’re interviewing Dr. Adam Ockelford […]

The TeachPianoToday podcast is back and we’re delighted to post this exciting episode! Today’s guest, Rena Upitis, shares her insights on composing with young children and discusses the importance of introducing composition to young children. How many of you have had piano students bring in their very creatively-notated compositions? And did you know what to do with those sheets of […]