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Young piano student enjoying playing the piano

Cultivating Motivated Students in the Piano Studio

How to motivate students—the age-old dilemma. It’s wonderful to have internally motivated students. They come to lessons prepared and enthusiastically soak up every morsel of teacher wisdom you can offer. But what about the other students? The ones with little to no weekly progress and an ambivalence that can make you want to stand on your head just to get their attention. Or what about a student who started strong but fell into a rut and now seems disinterested? How can we motivate our students to want to practice, study, and persevere in piano studies so they obtain a lifetime of enjoyment?

Show Multiple Camera Views Simultaneously with OBS During Online Piano Lessons

In a recent post, I showed you how to set up an overhead camera to enhance your online teaching setup by giving you the ability to show your students an overhead view of your piano keys. This week, I interviewed Ian Belloso to demonstrate how to show your students multiple camera views at once with free software called OBS. Read the brief summary, then watch our entire conversation and Ian’s demonstrations of OBS in the video.
Woman with aching neck

Prevent “Tech Neck” And Poor Posture In Piano Students And Teachers Tip 4: Lower Back

Piano teachers are complaining of back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain from spending hours each day teaching online piano lessons. We’re twisting at the waist, sitting partially turned towards the screen, and we’re exhibiting overall poor piano posture. Our students are developing round shoulders and a hunched back from time spent on devices. Learn how to address these issues in Part 4 of my interview with Dr. Stephanie Elkins, DPT.
Woman sitting on couch with laptop, aching neck

Prevent “Tech Neck” And Poor Posture In Piano Students And Teachers Tip 3: Chest Stretches

Piano teachers are complaining of back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain from spending hours each day teaching online piano lessons. We’re twisting at the waist, sitting partially turned towards the screen, and we’re exhibiting overall poor piano posture. Our students are developing round shoulders and a hunched back from time spent on devices. Learn how to address these issues in Part 3 of my interview with Dr. Stephanie Elkins, DPT.

Prevent “Tech Neck” And Poor Posture In Piano Students And Teachers Tip 2: Upper Back Exercises

Piano teachers are complaining of back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain from spending hours each day teaching online piano lessons. We’re twisting at the waist, sitting partially turned towards the screen, and we’re exhibiting overall poor piano posture. Our students are developing round shoulders and a hunched back from time spent on devices. Learn how to address these issues in Part Two of my interview with Dr. Stephanie Elkins, DPT.
Woman with aching neck sitting on couch with computer

Prevent “Tech Neck” and Poor Posture in Piano Students and Teachers Tip 1: Chin Tucks

Piano teachers are complaining of back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain from spending hours each day teaching online piano lessons. We’re twisting at the waist, sitting partially turned towards the screen, and we’re exhibiting overall poor piano posture. Our students are developing round shoulders and a hunched back from time spent on devices. Learn how to address these issues in Part One of my interview with Dr. Stephanie Elkins, DPT.
How to teach Schubert's Waltz in B Minor

A Deep Dive into Schubert’s Waltz in B Minor

Teachers – what is your superpower? My piano teacher superpower seems to be teaching intermediate historical repertoire in a way that allows my students to play expressively. I love getting my students engaged with works by the great masters, including one of my all-time favorites, Franz Schubert, whose Waltz in B minor, D.145 / Op.18, No.6 will be discussed here.
8 steps to take your piano recital outdoors

Take Your Piano Recital Outdoors: A Simple 8-Step Guide

Andrea West is a piano teacher, graphic designer, and marketing director who recently held an outside piano recital on her front porch! Rather than canceling her recital due to Covid concerns, she thought outside the box to create a fun and memorable experience for her piano families. Please enjoy Andrea’s article on eight simple steps for hosting an outdoor piano recital.
How to organize and host an online piano workshop

How to Organize and Host an Online Piano Workshop

Jennifer Bowman is a composer and piano teacher who organized a fully-online piano workshop with composer Christopher Norton. In this article, Jennifer shares how she arranged this highly successful online event for her piano studio in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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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