Category: Piano Technique

3 Upper Back Exercises for Piano Teachers

Piano teachers are complaining of back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain from spending hours each day teaching online piano lessons. Learn how to address these issues with three upper back exercises for piano teachers in Part Two of my interview with Dr. Stephanie Elkins, DPT.

Fix Piano Student Slouching with 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. Piano student slouching is worse than ever before. Learn how to address these issues in Part One of my interview with Dr. Stephanie Elkins, DPT.

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.

Teaching Beginning Piano Scales to Young Piano Students

Introduce your students to major and minor pentascales, chords, and arpeggios in a colorful and engaging way with this vibrant beginning piano technique book. The study of piano scales, chords, and arpeggios is extremely important to a pianist’s development. Help your students become Scales Superstars as they work their way through this valuable beginning piano scales book.

Introducing the Circle of Fifths to Your Music Students

Introduce your students to the circle of fifths in a vibrant and engaging way, and teach scales, key signatures, majors and relative minors, and more. This colorful page is especially great for visual learning styles, and is perfect for students who are being introduced to scales and key signatures. It’s also easy to use as a quick reference sheet on your iPad. The black and white version can be printed and used as a coloring sheet to keep your students on track as they learn their scales and chords. 

3 Simple Rules to Help Your Piano Students Play Musically

Increase your students’ musicality instantly and help your piano students play musically! 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.

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!

Welcome!

At MelodyPayne.com, our mission is to provide piano teaching resources, sheet music, and ideas that will help you and your piano students thrive!

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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