Today's episode is a special one because for the first time on this podcast, you'll hear someone other than me talking. In fact, you'll hear 22 other voices — my students!

But first, let me back up and give you a little context.

Last year during the first few months of the pandemic, I shifted my studio online like the rest of the world. My students were in the midst of preparing for our annual end-of-year recital and I began researching ways to facilitate a meaningful online performance to share with parents, friends, and family members. I knew it would be different than normal, so I was looking for another element to add in — something we don't normally do.

A few weeks later, I was attending a webinar for piano teachers hosted by the Frances Clark Center. Anna Beth Rucker, a piano teacher, researcher, and arts administrator based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, shared a project she did with her students for their virtual recital a month before called "I Make Music Because..." She asked each student to record themselves finishing this statement and then compiled them into a video to share at the beginning of the YouTube recital playlist.

I knew this would be a special addition to our virtual recital and a great way to encourage my students to reflect on why they make music.

I loved how it turned out last year, so much so that we did it again as a studio this year. And that's what I'm going to share with you today.

For show notes, click here.

Resources mentioned:

Teaching in the Time of COVID-19: Resources for Online Instruction (Frances Clark Center)

Ep. 020 - Asking the Right Kind of Questions