Piano Teaching Tips

Category: Piano Teaching Tips

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?
Little girl enjoying playing the piano

How to Teach Keyboard Geography to Beginning Piano Students

Teaching keyboard geography to young piano students is one of my favorite parts of teaching beginners! Showing them an easy way to remember the piano keys opens up a brand new world to them, and I’m happy to play a role in that learning process. Please enjoy this free piano pedagogy workshop on how I teach the piano keys to beginning piano students.
Piano student who doesn't want to practice

How to Help the Piano Student Who Doesn’t Practice

Do you teach students who don’t practice? In this article, we’ll define the student who doesn’t practice, list reasons why this piano student doesn’t practice, and discuss specific things we can do to help the student become an excellent and motivated practicer. There’s even a list of things you can start doing in your lessons today to motivate and encourage your students and help them learn how to practice!
iPad and coffee on a desk with a plant

Eliminate Filler Words from Your Piano Teaching Vocabulary in 6 Easy Steps

We use them to verbalize our hesitations. We use them because we’re thinking, or we’re not sure what to say next. We use them as a way to let people know we’re still speaking. We use them because maybe we’re not feeling confident about what we want to say. What are they? Filler words. Learn how to eliminate them from your vocabulary and become a clearer and more succinct communicator and teacher.
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.
List of 150 Ways to Say "Good" in Piano Lessons

150 Ways to Say “Good” in Piano Lessons

My toolbox for complimenting my students was not “very good”, and I was stuck in a rut with my boring and repetitive praise and encouragement words, all of which incorporated the same not-so-creative word: “Good”. Download the free list of 150+ complimentary words and phrases, and before you know it, your piano teaching vocabulary will be bursting at the seams with imaginative and creative ways to say “good job”. Your piano students will love it!
5 Tips for Engaging Young Piano Students During Online Lessons

5 Tips for Engaging Young Piano Students During Online Lessons

During this global crisis, piano teachers everywhere have been challenged to pivot and adjust to teaching music lessons online. The COVID-19 pandemic has truly been an unprecedented time for embracing technology to the fullest! With trial and error, my little pianists and I have found some creative ways to keep piano lessons fun while online. I hope you’ll enjoy trying these ideas with your students!
How to Use PDF Worksheets on Your iPad During Online Piano Lessons

An Easy Way to Make PDF Worksheets Digital for Online Piano Lessons

Looking for an easy way to make PDF worksheets into a digital resource for your students to use during online piano lessons, or as homework? Here’s a quick and simple way to make that happen using your iPad and the GoodNotes app. Click here to watch the tutorial video to learn how!
Piano practice kit

What to Include in a Piano Practice Kit for Online Piano Lessons

Learn how to create the perfect piano practice kit for your students who are taking online piano lessons. They’ll have all the supplies they need, and precious lesson time will be regained from students searching for a pencil!

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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