It can be hard to get piano students excited about playing scales. They can be messy, confusing and complicated. But, once they start making sense, most piano students take off with their piano playing. Sight reading skills, technique, understanding of music theory and many more musical skills all start coming together when students master scales. As a piano teacher, playing scales can get … [Read more...] about 5 Ways To Learn Piano Scales
Practice Tips
What Do The Piano Pedals Do?
A common first question from new piano students is, “What do the pedals do?” The pedal on the right clearly changes the sound of the piano, but the other pedals might not seem to sound very different. Let's learn about the purpose of the pedals, starting with the pedal on the right. Sustain Pedal The sustain pedal, also called the damper pedal, is the pedal you will use the most at the … [Read more...] about What Do The Piano Pedals Do?
Free Monster-Themed Piano Assignment Book
Assignment books have become a staple part of my piano studio. Each year, I create and print a new assignment book for my students to use all year long. If you're looking for an assignment book to use with your students, I want to invite you to subscribe to my email list and I'll send you a free reproducible copy of my monster-themed assignment book. Just click here to subscribe and … [Read more...] about Free Monster-Themed Piano Assignment Book
5 Reasons To Learn Tons Of Black Key Piano Songs
Most piano methods start out with students playing only the black keys of the piano. However, after a brief introduction to playing on the black keys, it's common to head over to the white keys and spend the next several years playing only white keys. This kind of makes sense since the key of C with no sharps or flats is the most common starting point on the piano. But, there are a lot of … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons To Learn Tons Of Black Key Piano Songs
5 Tricks For Mastering White Piano Key Names
As I observe my piano student of all ages learning to play the piano, I’ve noticed that it’s very common to have trouble remembering the names of the white piano keys. Both children and adults can have difficulty remembering which piano key is which. It’s not that it’s hard to name the white piano keys. Even the youngest students can keep track of A-B-C-D-E-F-G. But rather, when you’re immersed … [Read more...] about 5 Tricks For Mastering White Piano Key Names
Piano Posture and Injury Prevention
Piano-related injuries are no joke! Most non-pianists might laugh at the idea of someone getting hurt while sitting at a piano. But, if you've spent any significant time at a piano, you know how quickly you can start to feel pain, tension or discomfort. As someone who deals with chronic pain from posture-related issues, I'm a firm believer in finding ways to help our bodies stay healthy and … [Read more...] about Piano Posture and Injury Prevention