The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast | Proven and practical tips, strategies and ideas for music teachers

I think it’s fair to say that we all learnt a lot in 2020. Some of the biggest lessons for me last year were about listening…and Zoom was my teacher. 🙃

Every student can improve their aural memory over time. But some students come to us with a particularly weak aural memory which can present a real challenge to us as teachers. The aural memory music games in this article are simple, but they might be just the solution you need right now.

Have you ever thought about creating a piano mashup with your students? It’s easier than you think and there are so many learning opportunities.

If you're on the hunt for a new ear training exercise for your piano students, this step-by-step activity is perfect for you.

In this article, we’ll get down to the brass tacks of why and how and music teachers of all stripes should use Curwen hand signs.

When teaching piano technique to adults, make it relevant to them and avoid sounding like a schoolteacher telling them off. Here's how.

Adult beginner piano students are often held back by mental and emotional baggage. Here's how to help them banish these limiting beliefs.

Adult piano students need repertoire which sounds sophisticated but is easy enough for them to play. These are the top choices in my studio.

If you love teaching adult piano students, you should be proactively working to attract them, not leaving it up to fate. Here's how.

Despite being so small, these 3 heroic habits for music teachers can make a big difference in the balance between your work and life.

We signed up to be music teachers, not to be office-drones. But it can feel like we spend more time doing music teaching studio admin tasks than actually teaching. If you’re on the administrative burnout bandwagon, I’m here to help.

Do you dream of getting more stuff done in less time? I'm going to let you in on my secret for doing “all the things” in your piano studio...

You read about the latest piano teacher productivity idea, but does it work? is it magic? The only way to know is to experiment. Here's how.

Want to know what the average music studio teacher makes? Or what exactly they're teaching? Find out in the Vibrant Music Teaching Industry Report.

Reflecting on the past year is an important part of getting ready for a new one. Tune in to find out my top 5 questions that I believe all teachers should be asking themselves right now.

This conversation is an excerpt from one of my member Strategy Sessions. In this call, a member and I worked to uncover the issue behind her students’ reading fluency. I hope you’ll enjoy listening and that it will help you problem-solve for your own students.

Lead sheets are a vital tool for teaching other concepts and skills. But where do you find them? And once you do, how should you use them?

What approaches really work when it comes to teaching pop music to piano students? And where do we find great pop music arrangements, anyhow? We’ll dive into all that and more in this episode.

Do you teach pop music to your piano students? Why or why not? In this episode, I’ll explore the reasons I believe we should be teaching pop music in our studios so you can see if it’s right for you.

Are you collecting and analysing data in your studio? If not, you might be missing out on the important information that numbers can give you. In this episode, we’ll talk about the data you should collect in your studio and how to put it to work for you.

Have you been struggling with the idea of teaching the beginner stages of music reading online? I’m here to help! I found the idea of introducing the staff to my students through online lessons pretty overwhelming in the beginning but I’ve found what works and I’m happy to be sharing it with you on the show today.

Teaching rote or pattern pieces to piano students online has its own unique challenges. How do we make sure students remember these pieces? How do we demonstrate clearly and check their position on the piano through video calls? I’ll cover all this and more in this episode.

Teaching technique in online piano lessons requires some rethinking and creative ideas to make it work. In this episode, I’ll go through my top tips for teaching technique effectively to online piano students.

There’s one thing stressing many teachers out when it comes to online music lessons...what about when it all goes wrong?! What do we do when the internet drops out or the student has an off-day? In this episode, we’ll discuss strategies for dealing with all the technology frustrations and how to put a back-up plan in place for your online music lessons.

What teaching strategies work for online music teachers? In this episode, we’ll unpack the adjustments most teachers need to make when teaching online music lessons. We’ll also discuss some great ideas for learning from your online lessons and improving your teaching across the board.

Are your online lessons feeling a bit stale? Are you wondering if there’s a better way to engage with your students over video call? In this episode, I’ll help you figure out how to inject some fun into your online teaching with games, surprises and teaching tricks.

Do you have good systems in place for your online lessons? Are you happy with how you take notes, plan or send assignment sheets to students? We’ll look at the best planning methods in this episode so you can upgrade your systems and make your lessons run as smoothly as olive oil.

You can absolutely get started with teaching piano online simply. All you need is your computer and something to run the video call. When you’re ready to level-up, though, there are a few things you can do to make things run more smoothly and provide a fantastic experience for your students. We’ll dive into a few great options in this episode.

When it comes to your online teaching kit a few upgrades can make a huge difference. But it can be SO confusing! In this episode, I’ll break down all the microphone and camera jargon so that you can get to the bottom of what will work for you in your music studio.

Are you trying to figure out what your music teaching studio will look like this year? Whether you’ve decided to teach online or in-person, or have no idea what you’re going to do yet, I hope that these suggestions for safe and socially-distant piano studios will be helpful for you during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Are you ready for a new year of teaching? There are several things you can do to get your head and your systems set up for a new school year. In this episode, we’ll look at setting up your calendar and timetable, finding the balance in the busy seasons, and making sure your new students get off to the best possible start in your studio.

Have you ever felt like you and a student were just meandering through lessons? Everything was going sort of ok...but where was it going, exactly? In this show, I want to talk to you about what it means to be a purposeful teacher and how planning can help you achieve more and be more satisfied by your work.

Choosing repertoire that feels relevant and that our students love sounds like it would be an obvious priority for us as teachers. But, sometimes, we can get so caught up in the weeds of teaching that we forget about the music. Take a step back with me and check in to see if your studio meets this foundational criteria.

The primary goal of my studio and how I structure my curricula is all about opening doors for my students. I want them to have excellent technique and reading skills, yes, but I also want them to know about improvisation, lead sheets, composing and all genres of music so that they have a wide variety of musical paths to choose from.

Being a fun music teaching studio means a lot more than just having a smile on your face or playing games every once in a while. It can also mean your students learn faster and more thoroughly. Find out how in this episode.

Would your students describe you as “cool”? We’re diving into what it means to be a cool teacher and why your relationships with your students are so important to their progress in this episode.

Being perceived as a professional is an important part of having the respect and attention of your students and their parents. Find out the three foundational factors that can make your business more professional in this episode.

Have you thought about the experience of a new student and their parents in your studio? Do you think they would feel welcomed and validated in their decision to join right from the get-go? We’ll explore strategies to make sure they do in this episode.

If your music teaching studio is a business – and it is – then one of your primary goals should be to make a profit. To do that, you need to plan for it and put procedures in place that make your income predictable.

This episode is part of the Vibrant Music Studio 101 which will take you through 10 foundational building blocks for all great music teaching studios. Consistency is the name of the game this week. Is your studio consistent? Do you have policies and procedures and do you actually stick to them?

This episode is part of the Vibrant Music Studio 101 which will take you through 10 foundational building blocks for all great music teaching studios. In this first episode, we’re focussing on being deliberate with our businesses and taking them (and ourselves!) seriously.

This special episode celebrates our 100th episode in style by sharing some of the lessons listeners have learned over the past year. I hope you’ll tune in as we take a look at what lifelong learning means to these music teachers.

Listening skills are vital to becoming a great musician, and yet, many teachers never find time for developing them in lessons. Learn about active listening and an idea for working on it with students in this episode.

Have you made a budget for your music studio? This is an important factor if you want to manage your income better and be able to take time off without stressing in the summer. Take a listen to learn how to set up a simple budget for your studio.

We all get stressed or overwhelmed from time-to-time so it’s important to have strategies to decompress and relax quickly. Try out these ideas at the end of your next teaching day and let me know how you get on!

Developing a great relationship with your music students is vital to ensuring they follow your directions (both in the studio and at home) and have a great lesson experience that makes them stick with it long-term. Learn how to develop rapport with students of all ages in this episode.

Are you overusing praise in your music studio? Could you be providing feedback in a more neutral way instead? On this episode of the podcast, we’ll talk about how to find the balance between feedback and praise and where a neutral tone might be more useful.

Teachers do not need patience when they have true understanding and are involved in the learning process. Find out what patience can teach us and our students in this episode.

It’s important to take stock and reflect once in a while so that your studio doesn’t take on a character you didn’t design. Find out what changes I’m making to my studio for next year and how I’m implementing them in this episode.

How do you maintain control of a lesson without becoming a strict and unpleasant teacher? For me, it’s all about understanding the difference between strictness and authority. The former is unnecessary, the latter is essential.