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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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15 Favorite Christmas Gifts for Piano Teachers and a bonus Christmas gift for piano students

15 Favorite Christmas Gifts for Piano Teachers

Do you draw a blank when friends and family ask, “What do you want for Christmas?” or “Do you have a list of Christmas gifts for piano teachers you could share?” I am here with links and how I use these gifts in my studio. Take making a list off of your list with these 15 tested piano studio tools and Christmas gifts for piano teachers in every price range.
My 3 Favorite Piano Sight-Reading Resources to Use in Piano Lessons

My 3 Favorite Piano Sight-Reading Resources to Use in Piano Lessons

It’s challenging to find piano sight-reading resources that appeal to students and address the need for rhythmic accuracy from the onset. To ensure students are developing their sense of pulse, it’s best to practice sight-reading during the piano lesson. Here are 3 of my favorite piano sight-reading resources.
3 Easy Ways to Engage Your Teenage Piano Students During the Holiday Season - Piano Teaching Tips

3 Easy Ways to Engage Your Teenage Piano Students During the Holiday Season

During this busy Christmas season, you may find that your teenage piano students are losing interest. Here are three ways to keep them musically engaged. With just a little planning on your part, you’ll have your teens smiling and happy to come to their lessons, satisfying both teacher and student!
Bundle of 4 Awesome Christmas Music Worksheets and Activities

Bundle of 4 Awesome Christmas Music Worksheets and Activities

Looking for engaging ways to help your students learn rhythms, notes, music symbols, dynamics, and much more during the winter months? Did you know that students can learn all of this through colouring? Read on to discover multiple ways to use these adorable Christmas music worksheets this holiday season!
A Deep Dive into Sonatina in F Major by Beethoven

A Deep Dive into Sonatina in F Major by Beethoven

When approaching any piece of intermediate historical repertoire, I always ask myself how can I help my students navigate the challenges of simply playing this piece in their first few weeks of practice. Sonatina in F Major by Beethoven is truly playable by a mid-intermediate student and can prepare a student for his easiest Sonatas, such as Op.49, No.2. Join me as I take a deep dive into this lovely and accessible Sonatina by Beethoven.
3 Spectacular Piano Newsletter Templates That Will Set Your Studio Apart

3 Spectacular Piano Newsletter Templates That Will Set Your Studio Apart

Want to improve your piano studio communication with parents? Instead of sending them yet another standard email that is just like all the rest, use one of these three amazing, professional, editable piano newsletter templates. Your efforts to stand out will be noticed and your announcements will be read!
Taking the time to intentionally train students to read music intervals more quickly will help narrow the gap between their playing and reading ability.

3 Quick and Easy Ways to Train Music Intervals During Piano Lessons

Piano students who master intervallic reading are better equipped to be able to start seeing the score in terms of note groupings, rather than reading one note to the next. Here are some ideas on how to intentionally fit training music intervals into a busy 30-minute piano lesson.
3 Easy Ways to Advertise Your Piano Studio Without Using the Internet

3 Easy Ways to Advertise Your Piano Studio Without Using the Internet

Looking for easy ways to advertise and market your piano studio without having to spend one more minute in front of your computer? Try these 3 easy advertising tips to keep your studio enrollment (and your back!) healthy!
The Perfect Keyboard Geography Game for Beginner Piano Lessons

The Perfect Keyboard Geography Game for Beginner Piano Lessons

The Piano Keys Spelling Bee Game is the perfect keyboard geography game for preschool and kindergarten piano students! The skills needed to play the game are exactly what students in this age range are working on in school.
3 Easy Ways to Use Printable Games in Online Piano Lessons by Melody Payne

3 Easy Ways to Use Printable Games in Online Piano Lessons

Raise your hand if your students love playing games in piano lessons as much as mine do! Playing games in in-person piano lessons is very easy. All we have to do is grab the game from the shelf and play. But what about our online students? How can we continue to play our students’ favorite games in online piano lessons? How can we infuse more fun and interaction into online piano lessons? It’s much easier than you might think! Keep reading to learn 3 easy ways to use printable games in online piano lessons.
The Best One-Stop Shop Educational Resource for Halloween Games and Activities for Piano Teachers

The Best One-Stop Shop Educational Resource for Halloween Games and Activities for Piano Teachers

This bundle has all the Halloween games and activities a piano teacher needs for a wildly successful Halloween season in the piano studio. Whether you are looking for Halloween activities for piano lessons, or looking for games to round out a two-hour performance workshop, this bundle contains hours of educational fun.
Bundle of 10 Exciting Music Card Games for Beginning Students and Beyond!

Bundle of 10 Exciting Music Card Games for Beginning Students and Beyond!

Looking for useful activities to do during your music camp, group classes, music classroom setting, or even during a private piano lesson?  Kids get so excited when you pull out a game, and they are sure to love the cute and colourful themes in this HUGE bundle of ten I Have, Who Has? music card games.

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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