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My Word of the Year #onelittleword: CULTIVATE

Do you choose a word of the year to guide your goals or attitude for the year? To reflect on as you move through the decision-making process? To inspire your thoughts, attitudes, and ideas through the year, to help you maintain focus, and to shape your mindset? I love choosing a word each year to help me be intentional in my life and business. Keep reading to see how #onelittleword can guide you too!
Bowl of Roasted Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, & Carrot Soup and fresh bread

Roasted Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, & Carrot Soup

This is a delicious & easy soup recipe that is perfect for busy piano teachers to prepare early in the day or over the weekend. The flavors get better and more yummy each day, and it is fantastic reheated. Butternut squash, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, and garlic. Perfect recipe for busy piano teachers who want to prep the soup ahead and enjoy for a lovely autumn or winter dinner.
Piano with autumn leaves and pumpkins

Host the Best Ever “Happy Fall, Y’all!” Costume Recital

Is your studio 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 “Happy Fall, Y’all!” piano recital your studio has ever seen: fantastic performances, fun games, delightful costumes, and the perfect programs!
Cute piano student holding a basketball and wearing basketball dribble glasses

Basketball Dribble Specs in Piano Lessons? Yes Please!

When students are sight-reading, why should they learn to keep their eyes up and on the page and not on their fingers or the piano keys? There are a lot of reasons, but one of my favorites is that it increases fluency in reading music. Visit the blog to learn how use basketball dribble glasses to help kids and beginners of all ages learn to sight-read with greater accuracy and confidence, and try this fun piano teaching idea in your own studio!
Little girl performing on stage in a piano recital

Three Simple Rules for A Magical, Musical, Moving Piano Performance

Increase your students’ musicality instantly! If your students follow these 3 rules, they will be on their way to learning how to create magical, musical, moving performances every time they play the piano. Recital performances will improve, lessons will be more fun, and home practice will be much more motivating! Check out these piano teaching tips and help your students, even young beginners, learn how to play musically from the very first piano lesson.
Two sweet girls playing piano together

Accompanying 101: 10 Tips for Beginning Accompanists

Here are ten tips for beginning accompanists that my piano students have used when playing for a choir, singers, or soloist, and hopefully your young accompanists will find them useful for accompanying vocalists and instrumentalists as well. If your students follow these helpful tips, they’ll accompany their first gig like a pro!
Frramed word art gift for piano student

Create Quick & Easy Word Art Gifts for Your Students

Creating quick, easy, and affordable DIY word art gifts for your piano students isn’t a new idea, but the idea keeps popping up because it’s terrific! Follow my step-by-step tutorial and you’ll learn how to make printable, beautiful, and affordable gifts for your piano students in no time!
Piano teacher and student at the piano recital

How to Create Gorgeous Photo Backdrops for Piano Recitals

There are so many different kinds of decorations that you can use as backdrops for your recital photos, how are you supposed to know what to choose? Click here to learn what kind of photo backdrops I’m currently hooked on in my studio, how to make decorating a breeze, and how to host the most beautiful piano recital your studio has ever seen with these gorgeous backdrops for piano recitals!
Piano student with googly eye dice

Googly Eye Dice Tutorial and Piano Teaching Tips

Have you noticed that dice and googly eyes seem to be incredibly popular right now in teaching circles? I’ve seen several great blog posts using one or the other lately! Here’s a really easy tutorial, plus piano teaching tips, to show you how to combine the two into a fabulous teaching tool and make your own googly eye dice! They’re perfect for any classroom, the elementary music room, piano lessons, and more!
iMac computer sitting on a desk

Professional Email Signatures for Your Piano Teaching Business

Add professionalism and style to your piano teaching business email accounts by learning to create free & professional email signatures with Canva & WiseStamp! Follow the tutorial and you’ll learn how to elevate the professionalism of your piano studio communications with custom, beautifully designed email signatures that are truly unique and totally you!
Emojis floating above a laptop

How to Use Emojis On Your Mac

We all use emojis on our phones, and now you can learn how to use emojis in any document or social media site when using your Mac! It’s super easy to use keyboard shortcuts to add those fun little smiley faces anywhere by following the simple steps in this free tutorial 😁👍🏻 Piano students love them when you add them to their assignment sheets too! ❤️🎵🎹
Font with and without swashes

How to Use Advanced Font Features in Keynote for Mac

Make the fonts on your social media images, blog images, and other online pictures pop by using advanced font features in Keynote for Mac! Create stunning Instagram overlays, design beautiful cover images for your shop, create unique images for your blog posts, design professional piano recital programs, and take them to the next level with this simple idea!

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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