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Welcome to the blog at Melody Payne – Music for a Lifetime!

From piano teaching tips to games and activities for piano lessons, sheet music, and much more, we have something just for you! 

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Piano studio goals workbook on iPad

Goals for Piano Students and Teachers: How to Set and Achieve Them

Learn how to plan, set, and achieve your goals for an organized and productive piano teaching year! Use this workbook as a piano teacher goal-setting guide, and use it with your piano students to help them set and achieve fantastic long-term and short-term goals.
Fun and Affordable Gift Ideas for Your Piano Students

Fun and Affordable Gift Ideas for Your Piano Students

Choosing gifts for your piano students can be fun and easy with this free list of over 50 gift ideas! Grab the free download and you’ll see tons of fun gift ideas that are musical, non-musical, cheap, customizable, DIY, and fun! Perfect for recitals, stocking stuffers, Christmas, birthdays, or whenever you need a special treat for your piano students!
Piano teacher and student at the piano recital

How to Plan an Amazing Piano Recital with this Free Recital Planning Guide

Is your studio recital coming up soon? Need help organizing the details (decorations, food, gifts, and awards) and planning the perfect piano recital? My free piano recital planning guide and checklists can make the process efficient, stress-free, and easy! Download the free guide and start planning the easiest piano recital you’ve ever hosted!
Colorful piano teaching resources and colored pencils on a desk

How to Get Free Ink to Print Your Piano Teaching Worksheets and Resources

Need a month of free printer ink? Of course you do! Learn how to get all the printer ink you need at a very affordable price, save time, save money, and always have enough ink to print all the wonderful piano teaching worksheets, resources, and sheet music you’ve purchased!
Piano teacher and piano student at the Christmas recital

How to Prepare for a Christmas Piano Recital

Is your piano recital coming up soon? Need help organizing the details (costume ideas, festive and easy decorations, food, student gifts, certificates & awards) and planning the perfect recital? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Learn how to throw the most amazing piano recital your studio has ever seen: fantastic performances, beautiful decorations, and the perfect programs! Visit the blog to learn more!
Spread the Word and Streamline Communication with a Studio Newsletter

Spread the Word and Streamline Communication with a Studio Newsletter

Learn how using newsletters to organize your thoughts and streamline communication with your piano studio families creates efficiency, excellent communication skills, and parents who look forward to reading newsletters. Plus, you can spread the word about openings in your studio, special events, and other important news easily!
Preschool piano student playing the piano

Tips for Teaching Preschool Piano Students

Does your piano studio include students of all ages? How about tiny little preschoolers who are full of energy, endlessly enthusiastic, and always ready for adventure? Please enjoy this article and take note of this fun collection of tips and ideas for teaching the youngest piano students.
Piano student imagining her future

Envisioning Lifetime Goals for Our Students’ Involvement in Music

“As I have been thinking about my own students and this new year, I am contemplating the long view. What lifetime goals do I envision for my students’ involvement with music.” -Dr. Steve Betts. Please enjoy this article on envisioning lifetime goals for our students’ involvement in music, and using those goals to guide our teaching.
Piano teacher and student at her senior piano recital

Building a Foundation of Mutual Trust in Piano Lessons

I am so pleased to introduce the author of this guest post, Tiffiney Harms. She is a music professor, pianist, and dear friend, and we have known one another since 2005. Wow, has it really been that long? Read on for the rest of that story, and please enjoy this thought-provoking and beautifully-written article on how we can build a foundation of mutual trust, respect, and musicality within the context of music lessons.

Welcome!

Hi! I’m Melody Payne, a pianist and piano teacher, educational resource author, a fun-loving wife to the most wonderful and talented hubby I could ask for, and a lifelong learner who loves to share. I want to make your life as a music teacher easier by writing and sharing helpful and relevant music teaching articles, and by creating educational resources with your very own students in mind. If you are a parent who wants to enroll your child in piano lessons, I’d love for us to get started building those skills that can give your child a lifetime of musical enjoyment!

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