TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast: Recent Episodes

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Supporting Creative Music Teaching

Thanks for reading 346: Using Instagram and Facebook to Find Music Students with Lauren Kelly from TopMusic.co.

In today’s fun and exciting episode, we have the pleasure of chatting with the incredible Lauren Kelly, the renowned piano teacher behind Piano Lessons Vancouver. With students achieving remarkable success both locally and globally, Lauren’s teaching style strikes the perfect balance between seriousness and fun, boasting an incredible 100% student retention rate. But she’s not ... 346: Using Instagram and Facebook to Find Music Students with Lauren Kelly

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Thanks for reading 345: Could Offering Apprenticeships to Your Students Grow Your Music Studio? Chat with Member Ella Luhtasaari from TopMusic.co.

In today’s show, we explore an innovative concept that could grow your music studio into a hub of both learning and mentorship. I’m excited to have the pleasure of chatting with TMP Member Ella Luhtasaari, an accomplished collaborative pianist and educator based in Canberra. With over 20 years of private teaching under her belt, Ella’s ... 345: Could Offering Apprenticeships to Your Students Grow Your Music Studio? Chat with Member Ella Luhtasaari

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Thanks for reading 344: The Music Teachers’ Ultimate Guide to Gamifying Your Music Lessons (Workshop Replay) from TopMusic.co.

In this final episode of the podcast takeover of the Piano Games Gurus, we’re sharing with you the replay of our workshop, The Ultimate Guide to Gamifying Your Music Lessons. In this workshop, we dive into the world of music education through gamification and delved into a variety of topics surrounding the fusion of games ... 344: The Music Teachers’ Ultimate Guide to Gamifying Your Music Lessons (Workshop Replay)

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Thanks for reading 343: In-The-Moment Teaching: Quick and Easy Piano Games for Spontaneous Student Engagement from TopMusic.co.

Welcome to the second series of the podcast takeover of the Piano Game Gurus, Tara Wright and Georgina Wilson. In today’s show, our topic is “in-the-moment teaching” where spontaneity meets engagement in piano lessons. Join Tara and Georgina as they dive into a world of quick and easy piano games designed to captivate and inspire ... 343: In-The-Moment Teaching: Quick and Easy Piano Games for Spontaneous Student Engagement

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Thanks for reading 342: Playful Learning: Why You Should Use Music Games During Music Lessons from TopMusic.co.

In this exciting episode, we delve into the world of music education through music games and playful learning. And in today’s show, we’re shaking things up a bit with a podcast takeover of the Piano Game Gurus themselves, Tara Wright and Georgina Wilson. They’ve taken over the reins of the podcast today to talk about ... 342: Playful Learning: Why You Should Use Music Games During Music Lessons

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Thanks for reading 341: Janna Williamson and Nicola Cantan on Integrated Music Teaching from TopMusic.co.

Welcome back to another exciting episode. I just got back in town after an exhilarating trip to the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in Chicago and had a blast meeting many of the podcast listeners and some of our members, attending captivating workshops, and sharing conversations over coffee. In today’s show, we continue the exploration ... 341: Janna Williamson and Nicola Cantan on Integrated Music Teaching

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Thanks for reading 340: Remixing the Music Lesson – Live from NCKP 2023! from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, we have a special treat for you. We’re bringing you my 25-minute presentation from the NCKP 2023 Conference in Chicago. While we’re not broadcasting live, I’m thrilled to share my speech, titled “Remixing the Music Lesson: How Integrated Music Teaching Can Connect with the TikTok Generation.” The NCKP conference holds a special ... 340: Remixing the Music Lesson – Live from NCKP 2023!

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Thanks for reading 339: Sneak Peak – My New Book! from TopMusic.co.

Welcome to this exciting sneak peek into my new and upcoming book, No Book Beginners. In this episode, I share the inspiration behind the book and how a transformative experience at the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy (NCKP) led me on a path to revolutionize my teaching approach. As I dove into research and experimented ... 339: Sneak Peak – My New Book!

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Thanks for reading 338: Dr Anita Collins on the Research Behind Integrated Music Teaching from TopMusic.co.

Welcome back to another episode of our podcast where we unpack the research behind integrated music teaching with our returning guest Dr Anita Collins. As I delved deeper into the power of integration in music learning, I realized the significance of backing this approach with solid research and evidence. That’s why I turned to the ... 338: Dr Anita Collins on the Research Behind Integrated Music Teaching

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Thanks for reading 337: PRESTO vs IMT – Tim Unpacks How They Work Together from TopMusic.co.

In this highly informative and insightful episode, we unpack how the PRESTO Framework and the Integrated Music Teaching Framework work together. As I’ve received numerous inquiries from teachers and even my own team members, we address the question of how PRESTO aligns with the IMT framework. Our discussion encompasses the essence of integrated music teaching, ... 337: PRESTO vs IMT – Tim Unpacks How They Work Together

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Thanks for reading 336: Veteran Val Explores the PRESTO Framework from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, we dive into the inspiring journey of Val as she explores the transformative power of the PRESTO Framework. In this unique storytelling episode, we follow Val, an experienced piano teacher, as she embarks on a path of self-discovery and growth. Val realised and found herself feeling out of touch with her students ... 336: Veteran Val Explores the PRESTO Framework

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Thanks for reading 335: Newbie Nora Explores the PRESTO Framework from TopMusic.co.

In this special episode, we delve into the captivating journey of Newbie Nora as she explores the transformative power of the PRESTO Framework. Nora, a passionate piano teacher, took a leap of faith, leaving her job at a shoe store to pursue her dream of teaching piano full-time. However, she encountered discouraging comments from those ... 335: Newbie Nora Explores the PRESTO Framework

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Thanks for reading 334: The New Platform for Listing Your Music Teaching Studio with Forte Lessons from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, we have a special interview with the people behind Forte Lessons. Joining us today is Hunter McGranahan, who aims to empower more people to embrace their musical potential, and Mark Murtagh, a seasoned advisor to renowned music institutions. Together, they delve into the world of Forte Lessons, unveiling its innovative features and ... 334: The New Platform for Listing Your Music Teaching Studio with Forte Lessons

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Thanks for reading 333: TopMusic Certification Update from TopMusic.co.

Welcome to a very special episode of our podcast. In this episode, we are excited to introduce our highly-anticipated and brand new 12-week cohort-based TopMusic Certification Program. Join us as we delve and explore the unique benefits and opportunities it offers. Discover the driving force behind the development of this certification program and learn more ... 333: TopMusic Certification Update

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Thanks for reading 332: Introducing the PRESTO Framework from TopMusic.co.

In this episode, we are excited to introduce you to the PRESTO Framework, a powerful tool designed to guide you towards studio management success. We delve into the challenges that TopMusic has consistently faced in accommodating teachers with diverse experiences, backgrounds, and goals. Get ready for valuable insights and actionable steps tailored for independent studio ... 332: Introducing the PRESTO Framework

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Thanks for reading 331: 3 Things I’d Like to Change Right Now (3-Way Podcast Swap) from TopMusic.co.

Welcome to a special three-way podcast swap episode. In today’s show, we’re featuring Christina Whitlock of Beyond Measure Podcast. We embark on a unique journey where each of us shares our three things we’d like to change right now. We kick off the conversation with Christina giving us a glimpse into her captivating podcast, Beyond ... 331: 3 Things I’d Like to Change Right Now (3-Way Podcast Swap)

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Thanks for reading 330: Playing by Ear From Lesson One with Joseph Hoffman from TopMusic.co.

In this exciting episode of our podcast, we have the privilege of sitting down with Joseph Hoffman, founder of Hoffman Academy and the mastermind behind the groundbreaking Hoffman Method for Piano. With his online piano lessons captivating over 200,000 students across 115 countries, Joseph has revolutionized piano education worldwide. We delve into what sets his ... 330: Playing by Ear From Lesson One with Joseph Hoffman

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Thanks for reading 329: How to Encourage Students to Accompany Themselves While Singing with John Henny from TopMusic.co.

In today’s podcast episode, join us as we chat with John Henny, a renowned vocal coach with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Learn about his techniques in maintaining vocal health, improving sound quality, and extending a singer’s range without limitation. Discover the difference between vocal teaching and vocal coaching and why ... 329: How to Encourage Students to Accompany Themselves While Singing with John Henny

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Thanks for reading 328: 9 Reasons to Teach Lead Sheets in Piano Lessons (Replay) from TopMusic.co.

Join me in today’s podcast episode as I share my passionate thoughts on the importance of teaching lead sheet playing to our piano students. I’m excited to feature a fantastic clip from one of our TopMusicPro courses with Forrest Kinney. Discover how teaching lead sheets can make your students more versatile pianists and help them ... 328: 9 Reasons to Teach Lead Sheets in Piano Lessons (Replay)

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Thanks for reading 327: How to Teach Chord Charts and Lead Sheets with Susan Deas (Replay) from TopMusic.co.

Are you looking to inspire lifelong passion for music in your piano students? In this replay episode, Susan Deas explores the benefits of teaching lead sheets and shares the results of her survey, where 90% of teachers found lead sheet playing to be a valuable skill. If you’re looking for a practical, step-by-step guide to ... 327: How to Teach Chord Charts and Lead Sheets with Susan Deas (Replay)

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Thanks for reading 326: How to Play and Teach Lead Sheets with Confidence from TopMusic.co.

Get ready to dive into the exciting world of chords, creativity, and lead sheets as we share with you a replay of a dynamic live webinar that I ran with the incredible Forrest Kinney back in 2018. Discover the significance of lead sheet playing and how to teach it to your students with practical tips, ... 326: How to Play and Teach Lead Sheets with Confidence

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Thanks for reading 325: How to Structure 15/30/30 Group Lessons with Lynnette Barney from TopMusic.co.

Our guest today, Lynnette Barney, is the owner of Creative Keys Studio and has been a music educator for over 20 years. She joins us to share some insights into her teaching style, with overlapping group lessons and how it works in her studio. She talked about how she approached the idea of teaching group ... 325: How to Structure 15/30/30 Group Lessons with Lynnette Barney

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Thanks for reading 324: A Brand New Early Years Music Teaching Program that ROCKS! from TopMusic.co.

Today’s podcast episode is a great opportunity to hear more about Steven Armstrong and Brock Stannard-Brown of the Advantage Music Academy and their music teaching program. We started with a brief overview of the how their music academy started, the music teaching programs that they offer and what sets it apart from other programs. Steve ... 324: A Brand New Early Years Music Teaching Program that ROCKS!

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Thanks for reading 323: A Done-For-You Group Teaching Curriculum with Paul Myatt and Gillian Erskine from TopMusic.co.

Have you been thinking about transitioning to group teaching from one-on-one lessons? We think you should. In this podcast, Paul Myatt and Gillian Erskine of Piano Teaching Success shares a done-for-you group teaching curriculum that will help music teachers get started in group teaching and how they can use it in their own studio. They ... 323: A Done-For-You Group Teaching Curriculum with Paul Myatt and Gillian Erskine

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Thanks for reading 322: The Two Biggest Problems With Group Lessons and How to Solve Them with Greg Genter and Daniel Patterson from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode with Daniel Patterson and Greg Genter, two leading experts in group lessons in the music industry, we talk about their approach to group lessons and how they’ve used their years of experience as musicians to help them grow their businesses. Greg and Daniel started working together after both had significant experience teaching ... 322: The Two Biggest Problems With Group Lessons and How to Solve Them with Greg Genter and Daniel Patterson

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Thanks for reading 321: Supercharge Your Grade 1 Piano Students (Live Workshop) from TopMusic.co.

How do you know if your student is ready for Grade 1 piano exam? In this episode, we’re sharing our live workshop with our amazing guests, Sharon Mark-Teggart and Dr Sally Cathcart from the Curious Piano Teachers. Have a listen to our guests as they provide an in depth view of the traditional approach to ... 321: Supercharge Your Grade 1 Piano Students (Live Workshop)

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Thanks for reading 320: Performance Anxiety – Helping Students Cope with the Bulletproof Musician (Replay) from TopMusic.co.

Most piano teachers encourage their students to perform as regularly as possible, but how many of us give our students strategies for coping with performance anxiety? In this replay episode with Dr Noa Kageyama aka the Bulletproof Musician, find out why teaching performing skills should be a part of your piano teaching. We’ve all seen ... 320: Performance Anxiety – Helping Students Cope with the Bulletproof Musician (Replay)

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Thanks for reading 319: How to Track Student Progression Without Piano Exams with Serena Mak from TopMusic.co.

Today’s podcast episode focuses on Serena Mak’s TEDx Talk, “Exposing Music Exams and the Distinction Delusion.” Serena is a passionate piano teacher for 18 years, managing her own private studio and volunteering regularly at her local church as a pianist and vocalist. She shares with us the catalyst that changed her mindset about piano exams ... 319: How to Track Student Progression Without Piano Exams with Serena Mak

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Thanks for reading 318: Innovative Scale Practice Ideas for Piano Teachers with Nicola Cantan from TopMusic.co.

As musicians, understanding scales is an important part of our study, but it can also be a struggle for some students. In today’s episode, our guest Nicola Cantan from Vibrant Music Teaching answers a lot of questions and concerns when teaching scales, starting by looking at the value of learning scales, how improvising can change ... 318: Innovative Scale Practice Ideas for Piano Teachers with Nicola Cantan

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Thanks for reading 317: Top 5 Tips for Sight Reading Success with Rebecca Stewart from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, sight reading specialist Rebecca Stewart joins Tim and shared with us her top five tips for sight reading (with really cool names). Rebecca has authored and published Sight Reading Secrets, which has now nine books in the series. She also founded Imagination Regeneration to give rural students meaningful learning opportunities at no ... 317: Top 5 Tips for Sight Reading Success with Rebecca Stewart

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Thanks for reading 316: Blitzing Sight Reading and Aural Tests with Samantha Coates from TopMusic.co.

In today’s replay episode, internationally regarded piano pedagogue and presenter Samantha Coates joins Tim to blitz through sight reading and aural tests. Sam is the creator and publisher of BlitzBooks, the music education series that has brought laughter and creativity to music theory, sight-reading, and piano repertoire. Learn how to improve your aural skills and ... 316: Blitzing Sight Reading and Aural Tests with Samantha Coates

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Thanks for reading 315: Replay – Is Classical Music Dying? A Chat with Benjamin Zander from TopMusic.co.

In this replay episode of the Integrated Music Teaching Podcast, world-renowned conductor Benjamin Zander of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra joins Tim to discuss the direction of classical music and the influence of this in the music teaching industry. He shares about speaking at Ted Talks, with anecdotes of Boston Philharmonic Symphony musicians and students of ... 315: Replay – Is Classical Music Dying? A Chat with Benjamin Zander

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Thanks for reading 314: Replay – Research-Backed Insights on Piano Student Retention with Karen Gerelus from TopMusic.co.

In today’s replay episode, we’re having a chat with Karen Gerelus about her research on piano student retention. We discussed the key factors on why students are quitting and some techniques to keep them engaged. We also talked about what motivates kids externally at the start and how the intrinsic motivation will take over. Karen ... 314: Replay – Research-Backed Insights on Piano Student Retention with Karen Gerelus

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Thanks for reading 313: Replay – Jacob Collier Talks Music and Education from TopMusic.co.

Today’s episode is another special and favourite episode from the archives with the 4-time Grammy award-winning young music legend from London, Jacob Collier. Hailing from North London and playing seven different instruments, including distinctive vocals, Jacob’s sense of harmony and tonality is evident in his signature style. He records all of his albums from his ... 313: Replay – Jacob Collier Talks Music and Education

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Thanks for reading 312: Replay – How Teaching Beginners with No Books has Revolutionised Georgina’s Studio from TopMusic.co.

Will teaching beginner with no books really click with your piano students? In this replay episode of the Integrated Music Teaching Podcast, our guest is Georgina Jordan who’s a piano teacher in the UK who’ve had a very traditional music education and was struggling to add creativity into her lessons. She shares her story with ... 312: Replay – How Teaching Beginners with No Books has Revolutionised Georgina’s Studio

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Thanks for reading 311: Replay – Jon Schmidt from The Piano Guys from TopMusic.co.

Our episode today is actually a favourite episode from the archives where we’re going to be sharing with you one of our earlier episodes way back in 2018 with none other than the piano guy from The Piano Guys, Jon Schmidt. In this interview, Jon gives us the inside scoop of his awesome YouTube videos, ... 311: Replay – Jon Schmidt from The Piano Guys

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Thanks for reading 310: The Narrow Key Piano Crusade with Linda Gould and Rhonda Boyle from TopMusic.co.

The movement of pianos with narrow keys has been around for years, but many are not knowledgeable about it. So in this episode today, I’ve invited Rhonda Boyle and Linda Gould to talk more about the narrow key piano movement, how it works, how it started, and where it is now in the process. Guest ... 310: The Narrow Key Piano Crusade with Linda Gould and Rhonda Boyle

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Thanks for reading 309: Building a Brand New Primer Method with Daniel McFarlane from TopMusic.co.

What is it like to build a brand new primer method? In this episode, I have a very special guest, Daniel McFarlane, who was my first ever guest when I started the podcast way back in 2015. Daniel is known for the Supersonics Piano Method, which he has grown over the years. He’s going to ... 309: Building a Brand New Primer Method with Daniel McFarlane

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Thanks for reading 308: From Exhausted to Excited – How Group Teaching has Given Christina Whitlock Her Time Back from TopMusic.co.

We are talking all about transitioning to group teaching today with Christina Whitlock, the Beyond Measure Podcast host and TopMusicPro member. Christina just recently started her move to this new way of teaching and we’re going to hear all about her fresh and raw excitement on how she’s going with this change. If you’re thinking ... 308: From Exhausted to Excited – How Group Teaching has Given Christina Whitlock Her Time Back

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Thanks for reading 307: TopMusicPro Member Spotlight – How We Saved Rachel from Quitting Teaching Forever from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, we’re having another TopMusicPro member spotlight. And our guest for today’s podcast is Rachel Davis, owner of Three Sisters Music Studio. It’s been a long road for Rachel, who is now running a very successful studio. The journey has not been easy. In fact, she almost quit teaching altogether six months ago. ... 307: TopMusicPro Member Spotlight – How We Saved Rachel from Quitting Teaching Forever

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Thanks for reading 306: What YOU think about Integrated Music Teaching Model from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, I’m going share some of the feedback that we’ve been getting from all of you about the Integrated Music Teaching model that we’ve been sharing from episode number 300. I am also going to share integrated music teaching ideas from Mike Grande on rhythm and Dr. Anita Collins on Just in Time ... 306: What YOU think about Integrated Music Teaching Model

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Thanks for reading 305: How to Teach Songwriting to Music Students with Simon Rushby from TopMusic.co.

Today, we’re going to unpack our brand new, 9-module course, The Complete Guide to Songwriting, and meet the creator and instructor, Simon Rushby. He has written songs that have charted for artists in Europe and Asia. His compositions have been used worldwide for TV shows and commercials. As a performer, Simon remains busy as a ... 305: How to Teach Songwriting to Music Students with Simon Rushby

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Thanks for reading 304: Building the Certificate of Integrated Music Teaching with Kimberly Swanson from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, Kimberly Swanson will join us to discuss all about how we’ve been building the Certificate of Integrated Music Teaching over the last six to nine months. We’ll be going over the big picture view of why we’ve created this certification and how it fits into a larger educational framework. And finally, we’re ... 304: Building the Certificate of Integrated Music Teaching with Kimberly Swanson

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Thanks for reading 303: Integrated Music Teaching in Action from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, we continue to talk about the Integrated Music Teaching method. We are going to let you hear some integrations in actual lessons that I’ve taught. I thought this would be really instructive for those of you who are still wondering how this actually looks and sounds in a lesson. How to teach ... 303: Integrated Music Teaching in Action

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Thanks for reading 303: Integrated Music Teaching in Action from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, we continue to talk about the Integrated Music Teaching method. We are going to let you hear some integrations in actual lessons that I’ve taught. I thought this would be really instructive for those of you who are still wondering how this actually looks and sounds in a lesson. How to teach ... 303: Integrated Music Teaching in Action

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Thanks for reading 302: 3 Steps to Teaching an Integrated Music Lesson from TopMusic.co.

In today’s episode, we’re going to unpack the 3-step process on how to teach an integrated music lesson in your studio. Integrated music teaching is based on expanding and deepening your students’ connection to repertoire, so this 3-step process is all based around the repertoire that the student is already learning. Have a listen as ... 302: 3 Steps to Teaching an Integrated Music Lesson

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Thanks for reading 301: The 3 Pillars of Integrated Music Teaching from TopMusic.co.

Our exploration on integrated music teaching starts with an overview of the three pillars, which will provide the foundation for you to successfully use this approach in your own teaching. We will explore student first or student-centered teaching, multimodal assessment and questions that build curiosity. And we will look at ways that you can implement ... 301: The 3 Pillars of Integrated Music Teaching

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Thanks for reading 300: Integrated Music Teaching from TopMusic.co.

I can’t believe it’s been 300 episodes since I started this podcast! Looking back at the first episode until this one, so much has changed for the better. I’m thrilled to be sharing two announcements on today’s podcast, which is a culmination of all these years of learning and growing as a music educator, and ... 300: Integrated Music Teaching

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Thanks for reading TC299: Ever Thought of Selling Your Studio? A Chat with Jeff Homer from Ensemble Music Schools from TopMusic.co.

Have you ever thought of selling your studio in the future? In today’s episode, we’re having a chat with Jeff Homer, the founder of Ensemble Music Schools. Jeff shares with us what Ensemble Music Schools is all about, his background and how he got into this type of niche. He also shares his thoughts on ... TC299: Ever Thought of Selling Your Studio? A Chat with Jeff Homer from Ensemble Music Schools

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Thanks for reading TC298: How Multi-Level Group Teaching Works with Dorla Aparicio from TopMusic.co.

In this episode, my guest Dorla Aparicio discusses the benefits of multi-level group teaching. She shares with us how she introduced it into her piano studio and what steps were involved. She talks about how to approach it with students and her methods for keeping students engaged despite their age and skill level. Dorla also ... TC298: How Multi-Level Group Teaching Works with Dorla Aparicio

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Thanks for reading TC297: Embracing Special Needs Teaching with Selena Pistoresi (August 2020) from TopMusic.co.

Today’s special episode is a rebroadcast of TopCast Episode 204. Listen in as Selena Pistoresi joins us and we unpack an often misunderstood area of teaching – special needs teaching from the viewpoint of respecting neurodiversity and presuming the competence of students. Selena is going to share practical, ready-to-implement strategies that you can adopt to ... TC297: Embracing Special Needs Teaching with Selena Pistoresi (August 2020)

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Thanks for reading TC297: Embracing Special Needs Teaching with Selena Pistoresi (August 2020) from TopMusic.co.

Today’s special episode is a rebroadcast of TopCast Episode 204. Listen in as Selena Pistoresi joins us and we unpack an often misunderstood area of teaching – special needs teaching from the viewpoint of respecting neurodiversity and presuming the competence of students. Selena is going to share practical, ready-to-implement strategies that you can adopt to ... TC297: Embracing Special Needs Teaching with Selena Pistoresi (August 2020)

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Thanks for reading TC296: How to Find Music Instructors During this Employment Shortage with Dave Simon from TopMusic.co.

Teacher recruitment is one of the most challenging aspects of running a music school. And with the current employment shortage, music school owners are really finding it hard to look for quality teachers. In this episode, Dave Simon presents a revolutionary idea that can potentially solve this problem for your studio. His in-depth discussion on ... TC296: How to Find Music Instructors During this Employment Shortage with Dave Simon

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Thanks for reading TC296: How to Find Music Instructors During this Employment Shortage with Dave Simon from TopMusic.co.

Teacher recruitment is one of the most challenging aspects of running a music school. And with the current employment shortage, music school owners are really finding it hard to look for quality teachers. In this episode, Dave Simon presents a revolutionary idea that can potentially solve this problem for your studio. His in-depth discussion on ... TC296: How to Find Music Instructors During this Employment Shortage with Dave Simon

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Thanks for reading TC295: All About Synesthesia with TopMusicPro Member Kelly Jenkins from TopMusic.co.

My guest, TopMusicPro member Kelly Jenkins, is a music educator, stage musical writer and arranger, owner of a hybrid studio just outside Boston, and a synesthete. In this episode, were going to talk about the wonders of synesthesia. We’ll unpack what it really is, how to spot it in our students if they have it ... TC295: All About Synesthesia with TopMusicPro Member Kelly Jenkins

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Thanks for reading TC295: All About Synesthesia with TopMusicPro Member Kelly Jenkins from TopMusic.co.

My guest, TopMusicPro member Kelly Jenkins, is a music educator, stage musical writer and arranger, owner of a hybrid studio just outside Boston, and a synesthete. In this episode, were going to talk about the wonders of synesthesia. We’ll unpack what it really is, how to spot it in our students if they have it ... TC295: All About Synesthesia with TopMusicPro Member Kelly Jenkins

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Thanks for reading TC294: Group Teaching QnA with Marie Lee, Melanie Bowes and Dorla Aparicio from TopMusic.co.

For teachers looking for an alternative way to teach piano to students such as group teaching, this episode is for you! We are joined by three amazing guests, Marie Lee, Melanie Bowes, and Dorla Aparicio, who will be sharing their experiences on running group piano classes. Have a listen to our three guests as they ... TC294: Group Teaching QnA with Marie Lee, Melanie Bowes and Dorla Aparicio

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Thanks for reading TC293: How to Build Partnerships Between Music Organisations with Emily Dollman from TopMusic.co.

I’m so happy to have Emily Dollman on the podcast today and we’re talking all about how to build partnerships between music organisations. Emily is the head of music education and pedagogy at the elder Conservatorium of Music at the University of Adelaide. She is also the artistic director of the open Music Academy, which ... TC293: How to Build Partnerships Between Music Organisations with Emily Dollman

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Thanks for reading TC292: What is No Book Beginners? from TopMusic.co.

Teach your students without a method book in their first 10 lessons with my No Book Beginners Framework, which we’ll be unpacking in today’s episode. Many of you will have heard about it, I’m sure some of you have used it in your studio. I will run through everything you need to know about No ... TC292: What is No Book Beginners?

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Thanks for reading TC291: UME Piano Exams with Michelle Madder from TopMusic.co.

We’re all about the exam game. Today’s episode is all about the Universal Music Exam program, which is founded by Michelle Madder. We’ll be unpacking everything you need to know about UME piano exams program, from what it is, to how it works, and when and why you’d want to check it out. Guest Links ... TC291: UME Piano Exams with Michelle Madder

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Thanks for reading TC290: Tim’s Top Productivity Hacks in 10 Minutes from TopMusic.co.

Do you have a million things going on but have trouble working on and accomplishing them all? Are you feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, and behind in life and business? Then this episode is for YOU. In this episode, I’m going to share my top productivity hacks and tips for having a productive mindset. I’m by no ... TC290: Tim’s Top Productivity Hacks in 10 Minutes

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Thanks for reading TC289: How to Find Music Students Fast for Your Studio with Carly Walton from TopMusic.co.

You are not alone – I know how challenging the search for new students can be! So to help you out with this, I teamed up with the amazing Carly Walton from Teach Music Online to put together our ultimate Find Music Students Fast Checklist. And that’s what we’re going to be talking about today. ... TC289: How to Find Music Students Fast for Your Studio with Carly Walton

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Thanks for reading #014: Creative Ways to Keep Your Students Engaged in Both Online & Offline Learning with Vanessa Munns from TopMusic.co.

In this episode, I’ve invited Vanessa Munns to share her tips and tricks to keep your students engaged in learning music both offline and online. Vanessa practices whole body learning and uses creative tools to make learning fun and exciting for students. Today, you’re going to learn what she actually did to increase her business ... #014: Creative Ways to Keep Your Students Engaged in Both Online & Offline Learning with Vanessa Munns

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Thanks for reading TC288: Connections Thru Chords – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 5 from Top Music Co.

We’re now in day 5 of our Hesitant to Hero Challenge Series on the podcast and today’s topic is all about connections through chords. By helping students see the connections between old and new music, we can unlock huge potentials in our students and deepen their understanding as well. Today, we are going to demonstrate ... TC288: Connections Thru Chords – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 5

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Thanks for reading TC287: Hook, Line and Sinker – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 4 from Top Music Co.

We’re now in day 4 of our Hesitant to Hero Challenge series on the podcast and today’s topic is all about hook, line and sinker. The idea is to teach your students classical and pop hooks and riffs. We’ll be talking about how giving students modern pop hooks to play can build their identity as ... TC287: Hook, Line and Sinker – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 4

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Thanks for reading TC286: Repertoire Remix – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 3 from Top Music Co.

We’re now in day 3 of our Hesitant to Hero Challenge Series on the podcast and today’s topic is all about Repertoire Remix. What is repertoire remix and how can it spark creativity in your students? In this episode, we unpack the three levels of creativity in music, how remixing works, and some piece examples ... TC286: Repertoire Remix – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 3

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Thanks for reading TC285: Lead Sheets in Lesson 1 – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 2 from Top Music Co.

Day two of our Hesitant to Hero Challenge is called Lead Sheets in Lesson 1. It’s all about how you, as a teacher, can teach students about harmony and base some really simple ideas right from when they’re first starting to read their right-hand pieces. You’ll see and hear how the process of teaching this ... TC285: Lead Sheets in Lesson 1 – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 2

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Thanks for reading TC284: Chord Quick Wins – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 1 from Top Music Co.

If you’re looking for something completely new to teach to your students or different ways of practicing and building skills for your students, then the Hesitant to Hero Challenge is for you. In just a few days, you’ll have the strategies and skills you need to engage your students. We’ll give you proven methods that ... TC284: Chord Quick Wins – Hesitant to Hero Challenge Day 1

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Thanks for reading TC283: The Magic of Pushing Outside Your Comfort Zone with Jason Sifford from Top Music Co.

Are you looking for inspiration or push to get you outside of your comfort zone? Well, you’re in luck because in this episode, Jason Sifford shares his inspiring musical journey from childhood to eventually going into academia and quickly leaving to move to a different state to start his career anew. He took a chance ... TC283: The Magic of Pushing Outside Your Comfort Zone with Jason Sifford

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Thanks for reading TC282: Invitation to a TopMusic Power Hour from Top Music Co.

What are you currently struggling with as a music teacher right now? With hundreds, even thousands, of available websites and information available to us with the click of a button, it’s so easy to say that it isn’t lack of information but rather, a lack of motivation, focus, and accountability to get things done. In ... TC282: Invitation to a TopMusic Power Hour

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Thanks for reading #008: The Secret Sauce to Magical Learning Experiences For Your Students with Rob Spampinato from Top Music Co.

While Rob Spampinato has a background in music and education, it wasn’t until recently that he wrote his first book. His new book, This Book Shreds, is the result of years of experience as a teacher and musician that inspired him to share his story and secrets to creating magical learning experiences for students with others. ... #008: The Secret Sauce to Magical Learning Experiences For Your Students with Rob Spampinato

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Thanks for reading TC281: What’s the Secret to Building a Life-long Connection to Music? from Top Music Co.

What’s the secret to building a life-long connection to music? In today’s episode, we’re sharing the presentation that I gave at Nicola Cantan’s Teacher Turboboost event this year titled “Why playing with others helped me play for life.” We’re going to unpack one of the key factors, I believe, that contributes to students forming a ... TC281: What’s the Secret to Building a Life-long Connection to Music?

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Thanks for reading TC280: Introducing the TopMusicGuitar Podcast with Michael Gumley from Top Music Co.

Michael Gumley, Head of Guitar at TopMusicPro, is joining us once again on the podcast to talk about the newly launched TopMusicGuitar Podcast he’s hosting. In his podcast, Michael interviews awesome guitar teachers doing awesome things in the music education space to share their expertise and knowledge to help you in our own teaching and ... TC280: Introducing the TopMusicGuitar Podcast with Michael Gumley

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Thanks for reading TC279: How to Take a Break and Really Unplug from Top Music Co.

Running a studio isn’t easy and because you work so hard, you definitely deserve to go on that dream holiday you’ve been wanting for so long. When it’s finally time to take one, you want to be able to relax and let go of all the worries that come with running a business. But it ... TC279: How to Take a Break and Really Unplug

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Thanks for reading TC278: The Interview That Made Me Cry with Glory St. Germain from Top Music Co.

I was so honoured to be interviewed by Glory St. Germain for her book The Power Of Why: Why 29 Musicians Climbed to Superstar. And that’s what I’m going to share with you in this episode. What we talked about in this interview later became a chapter in her book called Notes from Miss Mac. ... TC278: The Interview That Made Me Cry with Glory St. Germain

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Thanks for reading TC277: Our Top 10 Courses Inside the TopMusicPro Academy from Top Music Co.

Achieving ongoing success as a music teacher is all about having the right tools at your disposal. TopMusicPro offers you access to courses, workshops, lesson plans, and resources so you can provide your students with the very best in music education. To help you find the most valuable courses for your teaching needs, I’ve listed ... TC277: Our Top 10 Courses Inside the TopMusicPro Academy

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Thanks for reading TC276: Using Facebook Groups and Social Media to Find New Students with Benjamin Nguyen from Top Music Co.

In this episode, our guest Benjamin Nguyen is going to help us understand why social media is a fantastic way to nurture your community and encourage new student sign ups. It’s definitely one of the fastest ways to grow your studio because it has become embedded in our social culture so much that it’s increasingly ... TC276: Using Facebook Groups and Social Media to Find New Students with Benjamin Nguyen

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Thanks for reading TC275: Teaching Expression in Intermediate Historical Repertoire with Janna Williamson from Top Music Co.

Teach your young students the magic of music by unlocking their expression. In today’s episode, we give you a sneak peek into one of Janna Williamson’s workshops inside the TopMusicPro membership where she explores the world of expression in repertoire. Janna is our historical repertoire expert inside the membership and she gives us tips and ... TC275: Teaching Expression in Intermediate Historical Repertoire with Janna Williamson

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Thanks for reading TC274: Is It Time to Double Your Rates? Chat with Eric Branner of Fons from Top Music Co.

In this episode, Eric Branner of Fons will give us details on how you can create a plan to double your rates and grow your studio while enjoying teaching. The ideas he shares will help you think about different ways to renew your business and feel more confident about it. We also dive into how ... TC274: Is It Time to Double Your Rates? Chat with Eric Branner of Fons

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Thanks for reading TC273: What is a TopMusic Teacher? from Top Music Co.

If you’re listening to this podcast, then you’ve probably accepted the calling to become a music teacher. But let me ask you, what does it really mean to be a TopMusic teacher? In this episode, we’re going to demystify what it means – we talk about who you are, why you’re here, why a TopMusic ... TC273: What is a TopMusic Teacher?

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Thanks for reading TC272: Online Music Education Trends with Owen Grover of TrueFire Studios from Top Music Co.

Do you use online platforms in your music studio? In this episode, I’ve invited Owen Grover, CEO of TrueFire Studios, to talk about trends in online music education. Education technology is going to stay and will also evolve in so many ways. Given that, we should now think of how we, as music educators, use ... TC272: Online Music Education Trends with Owen Grover of TrueFire Studios

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Thanks for reading TC271: Turboboost Your Teaching with Nicola Cantan from Top Music Co.

Today’s episode is all about Nicola Cantan’s Teacher Turboboost Retreat. We’re going to be sharing exactly what’s happening and how it’s different from every other online summit, retreat, or conference you’ve attended. If you’re tired of coming home from events with only a notebook full of notes and no actions taken, this 5-day retreat is ... TC271: Turboboost Your Teaching with Nicola Cantan

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Thanks for reading TC270: Tim Gets a Piano Lesson on Chopin and Scarlatti from Fred Karpoff from Top Music Co.

Fred Karpoff and I have known each other for years. And I’ve always wanted to explore having him teach me because he has some different approaches to what I was taught in regard to technique, rotation, and thumb under. And today, we’re going to finally make that happen! In this episode, you’re going to ... TC270: Tim Gets a Piano Lesson on Chopin and Scarlatti from Fred Karpoff

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Thanks for reading TC269: How to Sell Your Teaching Materials Online from Top Music Co.

As a music teacher, you probably have some awesome teaching materials of your own. And we know that sometimes, it’s hard for us to build a strategy to create and sell those resources. In this episode of the TopCast, we share ideas on how you can earn more money and free up time for yourself ... TC269: How to Sell Your Teaching Materials Online

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Thanks for reading TC268: Can PracticeSpace Motivate Your Students to Practice? with Robert Miller and Chris Mallett from Top Music Co.

Do you find yourself dealing with the perennial problem of students not practising? In this episode, music teachers and business owners, Christopher Mallett and Robert Miller, will share one gamification app that can help get your students to practice more effectively and more often. Using decades worth of teaching experience, the duo designed and founded ... TC268: Can PracticeSpace Motivate Your Students to Practice? with Robert Miller and Chris Mallett

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Thanks for reading TC267: What’s Your Studio Success Path for Teaching Music? from Top Music Co.

Where do you want to bring your teaching studio in 2022? What are your goals and the steps you are taking to reach it? You might be thinking that you’re too busy to think about all of this. But I’m here to tell you that in as little as 10 minutes of learning per day, ... TC267: What’s Your Studio Success Path for Teaching Music?

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Thanks for reading TC266: Is classical music dying? A chat with Benjamin Zander from Top Music Co.

How will future generations experience and value classical music? In this episode, world-renowned conductor Benjamin Zander of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra joins Tim to discuss the direction of classical music and the influence of the music teaching industry. He shares about speaking at Ted Talks, with anecdotes of Boston Philharmonic Symphony musicians and students of ... TC266: Is classical music dying? A chat with Benjamin Zander

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Thanks for reading TC265: How Music can Change a Grieving Heart with Leila Viss from Top Music Co.

Our good friend Leila Viss, known to many of you as an inspirational piano teacher and speaker, joins us to talk about overcoming grief through music. She shares her personal walk through this topic and how music helped her to process and heal. Leila also presents insights about how the body always keeps the score ... TC265: How Music can Change a Grieving Heart with Leila Viss

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Thanks for reading TC264: When your role as a teacher is threatened from Top Music Co.

As a teacher, it is so inevitable to get that one student who makes you rethink your role as a teacher – students who like teaching themselves on YouTube, doing rote learning, and who are just really out of the box. I’ve had that experience. And I know many teachers see this in their studios ... TC264: When your role as a teacher is threatened

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Thanks for reading TC263: Building Trust and Connection with All Our Students with Gloria Tham-Haines from Top Music Co.

Music brings out our student’s creativity and expressive potential. But when students experience frustration or trauma or stress, we often encounter different responses. What is the role that music teachers play in this situation? And how do we make ourselves aware of our actions? Stress and trauma can affect our students which then affects us ... TC263: Building Trust and Connection with All Our Students with Gloria Tham-Haines

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Thanks for reading TC262: TopMusicGuitar Unearthed with Tim and Michael from Top Music Co.

We are so excited to share the latest and biggest update at topmusic.co for 2021 – the launch of TopMusicGuitar. In this episode, Michael Gumley, Head of TopMusicGuitar, and I will be talking about how the membership and program can help teachers of all ages and stages become better at managing their teaching and business. ... TC262: TopMusicGuitar Unearthed with Tim and Michael

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Thanks for reading TC261: Managing Individual Learning in Group Lessons with Melanie Bowes from Top Music Co.

In this episode, Nicola Cantan takes over the podcast to introduce us to Melanie Bowes and the wonderful world of group teaching. Melanie has such an interesting perspective on group teaching. If you are absolutely sure that you never want to do group teaching, we encourage you to listen anyway. There’s definitely something here for ... TC261: Managing Individual Learning in Group Lessons with Melanie Bowes

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Thanks for reading TC260: How to Make Exams a Positive Experience with the Music Teacher’s Board from Top Music Co.

We all know the dread that can come with exams. Today, guests Mark and Nav from Music Teachers Board in the UK explain a potential way to make exams positive and a more pleasant experience for students. Mark and Nav break down the options that come with exams through MTB using technology, examiner training, and ... TC260: How to Make Exams a Positive Experience with the Music Teacher’s Board

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Thanks for reading TC259: Developing innovative music teaching with Noteflight & John Mlynczak from Top Music Co.

In this episode, we are going to talk about one of my favorite online music notation softwares, Noteflight, with John Mylnczak. We’re going to unpack the Noteflight and SoundCheck softwares – its benefits, features, and how it can you can use it in your own studio. If you are looking for a music notation app ... TC259: Developing innovative music teaching with Noteflight & John Mlynczak

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Thanks for reading TC258: Composer Spotlight with Kevin Olson from Top Music Co.

We’re joined this week by none other than one of the best-loved jazz educational composers today, Kevin Olson. Kevin brings a fresh perspective about composing the styles and sounds that inspire our students. He draws inspiration from Schumann to Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock in his compositions, which are frequently top choices for students since ... TC258: Composer Spotlight with Kevin Olson

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Thanks for reading TC257: How to save your sanity creating weekly lesson plans with Rosemarie Penner from Top Music Co.

Creating weekly lesson plans can be stressful during lessons, and can eat up your valuable planning time, too. Rosemarie Penner of The Unfinished Lesson shares how you can win back your time with making successful lesson plans for your students. She also shares some of the ways to manage online lesson plans, how to engage ... TC257: How to save your sanity creating weekly lesson plans with Rosemarie Penner

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Thanks for reading TC256: Part Three: 7 Key Areas of Geometric Playing with Michael Gumley from Top Music Co.

Learn about the common guitar teacher mistakes, why most guitar teachers and guitar methods get things wrong, gamification ideas for guitars, important mindset shifts for guitar teachers and music teachers, and so much more. In the final episode of our three-part podcast series with our TopMusicPro Guitar head, Michael Gumley, we talk specifically about guitar ... TC256: Part Three: 7 Key Areas of Geometric Playing with Michael Gumley

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Thanks for reading TC255: Part Two: Teaching Guitar with the 80/20 Pareto Principle with Michael Gumley from Top Music Co.

This episode is part two of a three-part podcast series with our TopMusicPro Guitar head, Michael Gumley. Michael has shared tons of wisdom in this episode on teaching students, setting goals, getting engagement, managing money and so much more. In fact, our conversation had so much goodness that I had to listen to it a ... TC255: Part Two: Teaching Guitar with the 80/20 Pareto Principle with Michael Gumley

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Thanks for reading TC254: Part One: Forming an Identity as a Musician with Michael Gumley from Top Music Co.

Unpack a whole lot of tips, bust some myths, and engage and motivate students with Michael Gumley and I in this three part podcast series. Micael is the owner and head teacher at Melbourne Guitar Academy and head of the soon-to-launch TopMusicPro Guitar Program. Today we’re going to unpack his own story, how he came ... TC254: Part One: Forming an Identity as a Musician with Michael Gumley

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Thanks for reading TC253: What it’s like to run an online only studio with Jaime Gibson from Top Music Co.

Transitioning to an online-only studio has been a challenge for most teachers but my guest, Jaime Gibson, took this challenge to a whole new level by opening up his online studio to international students. Gibson Online Music School, formed in 2020, currently has students in six countries and across most states of Australia. His teaching ... TC253: What it’s like to run an online only studio with Jaime Gibson

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Thanks for reading TC252: Saving Hours of Your Time Through Newzik with Paul Leverger from Top Music Co.

Do you use your computer, laptop, tablet or phone to access your sheet music for practice, performance or teaching? If you do or are considering doing so, this episode is definitely for you. Paul Leverger of Newzik will give us an in-depth overview of the app they’ve created and how it can help you as ... TC252: Saving Hours of Your Time Through Newzik with Paul Leverger

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Thanks for reading TC251: From Elementary Music Teacher to Teacher Mentor with Jessica Peresta from Top Music Co.

Have you ever had the intention to do something with your career and life shifts that completely? Jessica has that story! As very qualified teacher, she intended to return to the classroom but she pivoted and now she mentors other teachers. In this episode, Jessica shares how she grew her business from knowing nothing about ... TC251: From Elementary Music Teacher to Teacher Mentor with Jessica Peresta

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Thanks for reading TC250: Creative Piano Mashups with Rebecca Singerman-Knight from Top Music Co.

With COVID and lockdown, a lot of teachers and students have been faced with the challenge of learning online. Teachers, especially, have had to think of ways to make online lessons more fun and engaging. In this episode, Rebecca Singerman-Knight, shares how she did this through her Lockdown Mashups activity with her students which has ... TC250: Creative Piano Mashups with Rebecca Singerman-Knight

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Thanks for reading TC249: The Art of Communication with Ben Kapilow from Top Music Co.

As a piano teacher or podcast host, it is so important for you to be able to connect and communicate with your students and audience effectively. But this doesn’t come naturally for all of us. This broadcast originally aired on the Ben Kapilow All Keyed Up podcast, shared with permission. Ben and Tim discuss tips ... TC249: The Art of Communication with Ben Kapilow

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Thanks for reading TC248: Building community with piano parents and other teachers with Shelly Davis from Top Music Co.

The encouragement of piano parents to their children plays a huge part in their growth as a student. But, as piano teachers, we also have a role to play in collaborating and connecting with parents and other teachers to help our students succeed. In this episode, Shelly Davis shares the lessons she has learned over ... TC248: Building community with piano parents and other teachers with Shelly Davis

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Thanks for reading TC247: It’s Just a Job! with Rachel King from Top Music Co.

Have you ever felt that sense of dread or burnout over teaching? Well, today’s member spotlight really shines a light on this feeling that we all have from time to time. Rachel King had these negative feelings for quite a while but, thankfully, found a way out of it which is what she shares in ... TC247: It’s Just a Job! with Rachel King

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Thanks for reading TC246: Why ALL students need to sing with Nikki Loney from The Full Voice Podcast from Top Music Co.

Have you ever considered implementing singing in each of your lessons? Or is it already a part of your teaching routine? There is so much benefit to be gained from this exercise and this is what Nikki Loney and I are going to talk about today. Nikki is the owner of The Full Voice, The ... TC246: Why ALL students need to sing with Nikki Loney from The Full Voice Podcast

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Thanks for reading TC245: Are Recitals the Best Way to Assess Students? with Tom Donald from Top Music Co.

Have you ever wondered whether recitals and forcing kids to perform on stage is really the best way to assess their growth in their music learning? For the longest time, recitals have been teachers’ go-to but as time and technology have changed music and lessons, so have these assessments. In this episode, Tom Donald shares ... TC245: Are Recitals the Best Way to Assess Students? with Tom Donald

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Thanks for reading TC244: Supporting your local community with Mike Grande from Top Music Co.

We’ve got a return guest today, Mike Grande, who actually came on the show about a year ago right at the start of the pandemic. We’re doing a catch up on what he’s been up to, how he handled the closure of his half a million dollar school in New York 5 months after it ... TC244: Supporting your local community with Mike Grande

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Thanks for reading TC243: Quick bites: Unpacking Evolution innovations with Tim Topham from Top Music Co.

Are you one of those teachers who want to expand their business while not trading time for money anymore? You can do it with a little bit of imagination and a lot of help from TopMusicPro Evolution. In this episode, Tim unpacks Evolution Innovation from inspiration he has found in some of our current Evolution ... TC243: Quick bites: Unpacking Evolution innovations with Tim Topham

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Thanks for reading TC242: Understanding Dyslexia: How teaching language relates to teaching music with Becki Laurent from Top Music Co.

Did you know that 1 in 5 people in the USA have dyslexia? So, if you’ve got 20 students, the odds are pretty high that at least four are dyslexic. Therefore, understanding dyslexia is an important tool to have. In today’s episode, Becki Laurent joins us to talk about how we can better reach our ... TC242: Understanding Dyslexia: How teaching language relates to teaching music with Becki Laurent

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Thanks for reading TC241: YouTube Masterclass with Carlos Pacheco from Top Music Co.

Have you ever wondered whether YouTube could be a powerful marketing channel for your studio or business? If you are an aspiring content creator or are already creating videos for YouTube, you should definitely tune in to this YouTube masterclass episode. Carlos Pacheco, our YouTube channel manager, joins me to tackle the questions you have ... TC241: YouTube Masterclass with Carlos Pacheco

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Thanks for reading TC240: Overcoming the Challenges of Becoming a Great Piano Teacher with Emily Laney from Top Music Co.

Join guest host Sarah Buckley and guest Emily Laney today for a chat today which includes stories and real examples of finding your best teaching studio fit. They’re going to unpack how you can define and work with your current studio, challenges and all, and mold it into a unique best-fit for both yourself and ... TC240: Overcoming the Challenges of Becoming a Great Piano Teacher with Emily Laney

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Thanks for reading TC239: Hiding Your Musical Veggies with Composer Karen Marshall from Top Music Co.

In this episode, Karen Marshall shares her story of returning to studying and teaching music after succeeding in a career in marketing and public relations. Well-loved as a composer and best-selling author, Karen has also trained extensively in the area of special needs.  In addition to learning about her teaching journey, we discuss Karen’s compositions, some of ... TC239: Hiding Your Musical Veggies with Composer Karen Marshall

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Thanks for reading TC238: Member Spotlight: Roslyn Walters on Creative Composition from Top Music Co.

In this episode, I’m bringing on one of our TopMusicPro members, Roslyn Walters, to talk about how she is using ideas, lessons and strategies from TopMusicPro in her own teaching. We specifically focus on how she ingeniously integrated our Creativity Kickstarter lessons to teach and explore creative composition and improvisation to her students. Roslyn has ... TC238: Member Spotlight: Roslyn Walters on Creative Composition

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Thanks for reading TC237: Solving Makeup Lessons Once and for All with Laura and Dave from LessonMate from Top Music Co.

Have you ever been frustrated about makeup lessons? There are a variety of ways teachers handle makeup lessons from not offering them at all to having to take extra hours planning them. Laura and Dave have solved make-up lessons once and for all! Today, my guests Dave and Laura of LessonMate will give you strategies ... TC237: Solving Makeup Lessons Once and for All with Laura and Dave from LessonMate

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Thanks for reading TC236: Using an App to Augment Your Students’ Learning with Dan Harvey from Top Music Co.

Have you ever dreamt of having your own app that can help with your own teaching and relationship deepening with students and parents? In this episode, we unpack the wonders of augmenting your teaching through apps with Dan Harvey, the Co-Founder and Chief Relationship Officer at Passion.io. Passion.io is a drag and drop, no-code app ... TC236: Using an App to Augment Your Students’ Learning with Dan Harvey

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Thanks for reading TC235: “What’s your secret project?” with Angela Myles Beeching from Top Music Co.

Have you ever wondered if you’re fulfilling your true life’s purpose? Or are you one of those who have been discouraged to pursue their goals because of the lack of courage and fear of failure? In this episode, Angela Myles Beeching helps us navigate these thoughts and feelings to set you on the right course. ... TC235: “What’s your secret project?” with Angela Myles Beeching

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Thanks for reading TC234: Turning the pedagogy of music on its head with Will Baily from Top Music Co.

Will Baily turns the pedagogy of music on its head by pivoting to recreational music-making philosophies and student-led learning, from a very classical approach to teaching and it has made an incredible impact on him and his students. Our guest today, Will Baily, is a piano teacher and composer. His publications include the “Way Cool” ... TC234: Turning the pedagogy of music on its head with Will Baily

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Thanks for reading TC233: How TopMusicPro transformed my online piano lessons with Kara Hess from Top Music Co.

You can transform into the piano teacher you’ve always wanted to be – full of confidence and armed with knowledge from experts in the field – just like what Kara Hess, one of our TopMusic Pro members, did. In this episode, I’ve invited Kara who wrote a beautiful email to us about the transitions and ... TC233: How TopMusicPro transformed my online piano lessons with Kara Hess

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Thanks for reading TC232: TopMusicPro 5 Year Birthday Special from Top Music Co.

I can’t believe it’s been five years since we started this community and it’s been such an amazing journey that we’ve all enjoyed. In today’s birthday special solo episode, we’re going to unpack our journey – the genesis of the community, what’s been happening in the membership, and what you can look forward to ... TC232: TopMusicPro 5 Year Birthday Special

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Thanks for reading TC231: Trust that your impact on students is not futile with Christina Whitlock from Top Music Co.

There is nothing more fulfilling as a teacher than knowing that you’ve made an impact on your students’ lives. In this episode with guest Christina Whitlock, we dive deep into how to assess what piano study means to your students, how they feel, and what influence you possess as their teacher. Plus we delve into ... TC231: Trust that your impact on students is not futile with Christina Whitlock

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Thanks for reading TC230: How students with exceptionalities help us grow as teachers from Top Music Co.

Teaching students with exceptionalities has a deeper effect on us than just the satisfaction and happiness of making the student learn. Dr Erin Parkes is the founder of the Lotus Centre for Special Music Education. It’s a charitable organisation committed to providing access to music education for people with exceptionalities. She joins us in this ... TC230: How students with exceptionalities help us grow as teachers

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Thanks for reading TC229: Exploring Styles through Improv with Christopher Norton from Top Music Co.

Composer Christopher Norton joins us to talk about exploring improv and how it relates to his compositional writing. We take a look at his latest writing, and how teachers can explore improv styles through his special accompaniments. Christopher is a prolific composer, a coach for private teachers, and gives masterclasses all over the world. His ... TC229: Exploring Styles through Improv with Christopher Norton

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Thanks for reading TC228: The 10 Musts for Music Teacher Badassery with Elisa Janson Jones from Top Music Co.

Take your teaching to the next level with productivity hacks and music teacher badassery tips with Elisa Janson Jones. Elisa specializes in helping music educators build, manage, and grow thriving school music programs, and have long and happy careers. She joins us today to talk about how you can prevent burnout, be happier, and become ... TC228: The 10 Musts for Music Teacher Badassery with Elisa Janson Jones

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Thanks for reading TC227: Hunters and Collectors’ trumpeter Jack Howard from Top Music Co.

Keen to learn about the experiences of Hunters and Collectors band member, Jack Howard? We’ll you’re in for a treat because I’ve invited Jack to share his story with us. Jack is such an accomplished musician – from touring the world with Midnight Oil as their multi-instrumentalist to releasing his own critically acclaimed records since ... TC227: Hunters and Collectors’ trumpeter Jack Howard

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Thanks for reading TC226: What is 4 Chord Composing All About? (archives) from Top Music Co.

So many students can play well – but how many can write and compose? Do your piano students know essentials like 4 Chord Composing? Get them started easily with this simple composing framework. Learning the essentials of chord progressions can lead students to a better understanding of music. It can also give them the skills ... TC226: What is 4 Chord Composing All About? (archives)

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Thanks for reading TC225: What to say to parents when their child is about to quit piano with Anita Collins (archives) from Top Music Co.

When families and students think of quitting, they’re often making short-term decisions to reduce busy activities or budgets. It’s all too often that piano lessons will be easily nominated as something to drop out of! So what can we teachers say when faced with a conversation with a student who is about to quit piano ... TC225: What to say to parents when their child is about to quit piano with Anita Collins (archives)

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Thanks for reading TC224: Helping Students Cope with Performance Anxiety with Noa Kageyama (archives) from Top Music Co.

Today, we’re taking an investigative look at the psychology behind performance anxiety, what creates it, and the things you can do leading up to a performance in order to perform more freely. Dr Noa Kageyama, a leading performance psychologist and faculty member at The Juilliard School, joins us to talk about the factors that create ... TC224: Helping Students Cope with Performance Anxiety with Noa Kageyama (archives)

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Thanks for reading TC223: Is “Practice” killing your studio business? with Danny Thompson (archives) from Top Music Co.

Practice and music lessons: they go hand in hand. But what if your students are quietly quitting over it? Danny Thompson unpacks this hot topic on this show today from our archives. Find out why Danny’s approach from the beginning is not about emphasizing practice and what he says to new families instead to get ... TC223: Is “Practice” killing your studio business? with Danny Thompson (archives)

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Thanks for reading TC222: How Teaching Beginners with No Books Revolutionised Georgina’s studio (archives) from Top Music Co.

Find out what results this teacher discovered when she set aside standard method book options and started students with a no-books beginner approach instead, in this favourite show from our archives. When I published the No Book Beginners framework I hoped it would give teachers the confidence to teach more creatively, and that’s exactly what ... TC222: How Teaching Beginners with No Books Revolutionised Georgina’s studio (archives)

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Thanks for reading TC221: From the archives – Best of Nick Ambrosino from Top Music Co.

In this favourite episode from our archives, author Nick Ambrosino joins us to talk about how to reframe your teaching viewpoint to experience more joy and less burnout. As teachers, we want to see motivated students pursuing their goals with an ownership attitude — but how do you make the switch? Listen to Nick’s powerful ... TC221: From the archives – Best of Nick Ambrosino

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Thanks for reading TC220: Jazz Perspectives with Composer Kerin Bailey from Top Music Co.

In today’s episode, we’re speaking with one of Australia’s most-loved composers, Kerin Bailey. Kerin shares his musical background, influence of jazz music, and thoughts about effective ways to teach jazz skills and chord progressions to students. We’ll also hear Kerin demonstrate on the piano from his improv system for teaching, and give you some takeaways ... TC220: Jazz Perspectives with Composer Kerin Bailey

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Thanks for reading TC219: Pro Piano Skills for Teen Students with Carol Matz from Top Music Co.

Carol Matz joins us on the show today to talk about Pro Piano skills and specifically why older and teen students need and want them. Her Interactive Piano method helps your students learn how to “strum” chords, play along with lead sheets, and develop real-world musicianship skills like composing or improvising. If you’re looking to ... TC219: Pro Piano Skills for Teen Students with Carol Matz

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Thanks for reading TC218: Emotive Repertoire for Teens and Adults from Movies & New Age from Top Music Co.

In this episode, find 20+ emotive teen piano repertoire picks that appeal to older or adult students, complete with play-through demos. Teen and adult students require extra repertoire planning, because you’re not often teaching from a method book, but finding specific pieces that appeal to their unique tastes. They often gravitate toward darker, moodier, rich, ... TC218: Emotive Repertoire for Teens and Adults from Movies & New Age

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Thanks for reading TC217: Penelope Roskell’s Top Tips for a Healthy Technique from Top Music Co.

Learn about success tips for teaching a beautifully healthy technique for all students. Today, we’ve invited the UK’s foremost specialist in technique, Penelope Roskell, to talk about playing freely, utilising whole body/whole person teaching approaches. On the podcast today, Penelope talks about her book, The Complete Pianist: from Healthy Technique to Natural Artistry. Her book ... TC217: Penelope Roskell’s Top Tips for a Healthy Technique

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Thanks for reading TC216: Teaching Gamified Sight Reading with Percussionist Nathan Petitpas from Top Music Co.

In today’s episode, we unpack Nathan Petitpas’ sight-reading resource called Dots and Beams. Nathan is a percussionist, drummer, composer and music educator based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Understand how this versatile resource works and how different it is from the rest. Nathan shows us how we can use this in our lessons by putting me ... TC216: Teaching Gamified Sight Reading with Percussionist Nathan Petitpas

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Thanks for reading TC215: Research-backed insights on piano student retention with Karen Gerelus from Top Music Co.

Research-backed insights on piano student retention with Karen Gerelus 100 students will start piano lessons this year and 98 will quit before they reach proficiency. Learn the reasons why students quit piano and how to help! This episode features guest Karen Gerelus speaking on research-based insights about piano student retention. Transcript of the show about ... TC215: Research-backed insights on piano student retention with Karen Gerelus

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Thanks for reading TC214: The 5 Myths of Improvisation with Bradley Sowash from Top Music Co.

This episode on improvisation myths features guest Bradley Sowash. It originally aired in 2017. If called on to improvise on the spot, do you feel out of your element? Learn about the five most common myths and roadblocks that hold musicians back from creative playing and improvising. Bradley helps us sort out the incorrect assumptions ... TC214: The 5 Myths of Improvisation with Bradley Sowash

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Thanks for reading TC213: Becoming the CEO Teacher with Kayse Morris from Top Music Co.

Changing your mindset can increase your teaching income tenfold. This is the story that Kayse Morris of the CEO Teacher shares with us on the podcast. Kayse is a former classroom teacher turned entrepreneur who turned her life around by selling her teaching resources. Today, she is a passionate entrepreneur eager to help teachers sell ... TC213: Becoming the CEO Teacher with Kayse Morris

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Thanks for reading TC212: Is Tonaly the Ultimate App for Chord Progressions? from Top Music Co.

With Tonaly app, our latest favourite theory/composition tool, we found a better way to teach and have fun using chord progressions in music lessons. (Ever had trouble explaining and using the circle of fifths easily with students? Us, too!) Christian Hengst, the Tonaly app developer and a bass player himself, joins us on the podcast ... TC212: Is Tonaly the Ultimate App for Chord Progressions?

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Thanks for reading TC211: The 3-step strategy to successful 30 minute piano lessons with Julie Duda from Top Music Co.

Learn how to plan 30 minute piano lessons that are excellent but also seriously fun! Give your students the inspiration and motivation they need, which will also improve retention in your studio. In our conversation, Julie Duda unpacks her three-point strategy to keep students engaged in lessons both in-person and online. Julie also talks about ... TC211: The 3-step strategy to successful 30 minute piano lessons with Julie Duda

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Thanks for reading TC210: Daniel Patterson on why studio marketing matters at any stage from Top Music Co.

In this episode, you’ll learn how studio marketing tips can help your studio quality at any stage, even if your spots are already all filled. Daniel Patterson, one of the top thinkers about music studio marketing, joins us talk about better marketing tips for music teachers. His focus is on understanding the mindset and needs ... TC210: Daniel Patterson on why studio marketing matters at any stage

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Thanks for reading TC209: Christopher Oill teaches Tim composing LIVE from Top Music Co.

In this episode, you’ll learn a functional framework on how to teach composing with your students, including a free printable handout to walk you through the creative process. Our good friend Christopher Oill joins us to teach composing using his unique five-step compositional process. And, in this show, he runs me through the whole process ... TC209: Christopher Oill teaches Tim composing LIVE

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Thanks for reading TC208: Amy Jorgensen’s pivot to a total Virtual Piano Academy from Top Music Co.

In true entrepreneurial form, when life handed Amy a change of plans with career, she catapulted forward to open a dream venture: a virtual piano academy. Amy Bastow Jorgensen joins us on the TopCast today to talk all about her new startup platform where she’s serving students online with remarkable results, all while freeing up ... TC208: Amy Jorgensen’s pivot to a total Virtual Piano Academy

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Thanks for reading TC207: Rote Teaching Queen Paula Dreyer on Composition from Top Music Co.

Rote composition queen Paula Dreyer joins us on the TopCast

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Thanks for reading TC206: Introducing the TopMusicMarketplace from Top Music Co.

TopMusicMarketplace connects teachers who create to wider shopping audiences.

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Thanks for reading TC205: [Case Study] Growing Your First 30 Students in 6 Months from Top Music Co.

Mary created a full studio in under six months. Hear how she did it!

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Thanks for reading TC204: Embracing Special Needs Teaching with Selena Pistoresi from Top Music Co.

Hear tips and get equipped for special needs teaching with Selena Pistoresi

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Thanks for reading TC203: Piano Pivot Live Mid-Year Results from Top Music Co.

It’s so inspiring to see that in just seven months after holding the Piano Pivot Live Conference, we have seen remarkable results from our participants. Improved teaching techniques, professionalised businesses and student number growth are just some of changes that Caeli Hinkler and Elise Jeffrey have seen in their studios. And they’re going to share ... TC203: Piano Pivot Live Mid-Year Results

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Thanks for reading TC202: Making Music Theory Fun Online with Sproutbeat from Top Music Co.

Teaching music theory online just got a burst of fun and colour from Sproutbeat, a digital theory app. Our guests today are Eik Mar and James Laughlin, founders of Sproutbeat, which has full-colour digital theory worksheets and games you can use on a tablet for teaching – without any printing or storing messy papers! Whether ... TC202: Making Music Theory Fun Online with Sproutbeat

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Thanks for reading TC201: Unpacking Our New TopMusicPro Lite and Evolution Tiers from Top Music Co.

We all learn best when the best minds all come together, ask questions, support each other, share ideas. And that’s what having and being part of a membership like TopMusicPro is all about. Not every teacher has the same plans and goals. But regardless of where you are in your teaching journey, we can support ... TC201: Unpacking Our New TopMusicPro Lite and Evolution Tiers

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Thanks for reading TC200: Jacob Collier Talks Music and Education from Top Music Co.

Jacob Collier, the 4-time Grammy award-winning young music legend from London, joins us today on a very special episode, no. 200 on the TopCast show. Hailing from North London and playing seven different instruments, including distinctive vocals, Jacob’s sense of harmony and tonality is evident in his signature style. He records all of his albums ... TC200: Jacob Collier Talks Music and Education

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Thanks for reading TC199: How Rock Out Loud Outperforms Zoom for Music Lessons Online from Top Music Co.

Today we’re taking a look at Rock Out Loud Live, which is well-positioned to take over Zoom’s market share for online music lessons. We’ll meet Mike Grande, the founder of Rock Out Loud Live, and hear why he’s created this new teaching platform, niched specifically for musicians and just released in July 2020. In this ... TC199: How Rock Out Loud Outperforms Zoom for Music Lessons Online

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Thanks for reading TC198: Broadway Composer Andrew Gerle on the Art of Songwriting from Top Music Co.

In this episode, we’ll meet Broadway composer Andrew Gerle and learn about the art of songwriting, sight reading and auditioning successfully. Andrew is an award-winning composer and lyricist, music director, and author who came from a classical background. His love for theatre has brought him to work on dozens of Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional and touring ... TC198: Broadway Composer Andrew Gerle on the Art of Songwriting

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Thanks for reading TC197: The Truth About Family Life and Piano Teaching with Rosemarie Penner Part 2 from Top Music Co.

This episode is the second part of my conversation with Rosemarie Penner on balancing family life and piano teaching. Rosemarie unpacks her top tips for time-saving technology in studio management. Plus, she’s also giving us a rundown of the apps she can’t live without! If you are a teacher treading in the world of online ... TC197: The Truth About Family Life and Piano Teaching with Rosemarie Penner Part 2

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Thanks for reading TC196: The Truth About Family Life and Piano Teaching with Rosemarie Penner Part 1 from Top Music Co.

Does teaching leave you depleted (and rather guilty when you're too tired to parent after work?) Learn how to balance family life and piano teaching.

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Thanks for reading TC195: How Tonara Motivates Students with Beth Horton from Top Music Co.

In this episode, we’ll learn how Tonara motivates students. Beth Horton, Creative Education Specialist at Tonara, talks to us about her favourite features and benefits of the platform that you can take advantage of. She also shares tips on how to use Tonara in your own studio to get you back more time without sacrificing ... TC195: How Tonara Motivates Students with Beth Horton

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Thanks for reading TC194: Hone Piano Technique at tonebase, the Masterclass.com for Music Teachers with Ben Laude from Top Music Co.

Today we'll explore learning piano technique at tonebase from the top musical minds.

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Thanks for reading TC193: Leading a Performing Arts School Through COVID-19 and Beyond with Jeff Davison from Top Music Co.

Jeff Davison talks about leading a Bedford, NH performing arts school through Covid-19 and beyond.

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Thanks for reading TC192: The Flute Coach’s Non-Teaching Dream Studio from Top Music Co.

Hear one Australian mom’s story about creating a non-teaching dream studio for flute lessons, where she runs the business while balancing a busy family schedule and PhD studies. Christie Gallen, aka The Flute Coach, has founded a successful online flute lessons business without doing the teaching herself, freeing up her time to study for an ... TC192: The Flute Coach’s Non-Teaching Dream Studio

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Thanks for reading TC191: Jennifer Foxx on Online Summer Camp Programs from Top Music Co.

In some parts of the world, seasonal camps season is upon us, but what does it look like running online summer music camps? Jennifer Foxx, a Top Music Pro expert teacher and owner of Music Educator Resources, talks to us about running great online summer camps for your piano students. If you’ve never thought about ... TC191: Jennifer Foxx on Online Summer Camp Programs

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Thanks for reading TC190: Inspiring and Motivating Teens with Jerald Simon from Top Music Co.

Learn about inspiring and motivating teen students from the teacher who saved 100 students from quitting piano for good - Jerald Simon.

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Thanks for reading TC189: 5 Tips for Teaching Piano to Teens from Top Music Co.

What does it take to become the go-to piano teacher for teenagers? In this episode, I’m giving you my 5 tips for teaching piano to teens. Most of my tips are actually relevant to teaching students of other ages, too – including adults. I cover strategies you can use to approach teaching piano to teens ... TC189: 5 Tips for Teaching Piano to Teens

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Thanks for reading TC188: Inspiring Students with Interest-Based Learning with Tony Parlapiano from Top Music Co.

Learn about the high-retention method Tony Parlapiano developed using interest-based learning and popMATICS

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Thanks for reading TC187: Noa Kageyama and Rob Knopper on Maximizing Results with Online Lessons from Top Music Co.

Are you a piano teacher and tech newbie trying to figure out how to maximize your results with online lessons? In this episode, I’m sharing audio from a webinar I conducted with Dr Noa Kageyama A.K.A. The Bulletproof Musician and Rob Knopper from the MET Opera Orchestra. You’ll get heaps of ideas to help you ... TC187: Noa Kageyama and Rob Knopper on Maximizing Results with Online Lessons

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Thanks for reading TC186: How Carly Walton Teaches Online While Travelling the World from Top Music Co.

Learn about how Carly Walton teaches online while travelling the world, without missing any lessons!

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Thanks for reading TC185: Look Inside Stephen Hughes’ Virtual Piano Studio from Top Music Co.

Online teaching expert Stephen Hughes shows us inside his virtual piano studio

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Thanks for reading TC184: Dr Anita Collins on the Neuroscience of Music Lessons and the Brain from Top Music Co.

Learn why the brains of musicians are 30% denser and more connected, due to the high cognitive load of creating music. In this podcast episode, we’ll hear from leading neuroscience educator Dr Anita Collins on music lessons and the brain. Dr Collins’ work is based on neuroscience data and research findings. She explains how the ... TC184: Dr Anita Collins on the Neuroscience of Music Lessons and the Brain

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Thanks for reading TC183: How To Attract Your Dream Students Through Instagram with Ruth Power from Top Music Co.

Learn how to attract your dream students using Instagram with Ruth Power from Piano Pivot Live conference

The post TC183: How To Attract Your Dream Students Through Instagram with Ruth Power appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading TC182: Helping ALL Piano Students Achieve Greatness with Nicola Cantan from Top Music Co.

By improving inclusivity, we are helping our piano students achieve greatness. In this episode, learn how to differentiate your teaching so that each and every one of your students can find success. Nicola Cantan is a piano teacher, author, blogger and creator of imaginative and engaging teaching resources. She loves getting piano students learning through ... TC182: Helping ALL Piano Students Achieve Greatness with Nicola Cantan

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Thanks for reading TC181: Inside Philip Johnston’s $100m Dream Music Teaching Empire from Top Music Co.

If you had $100m to spend on designing, constructing and fitting out a dream music teaching empire, what would it look like? Philip Johnston is one of music education’s best-known writers and lateral thinkers, pianist, and composer. Aside from being a musical genius, Philip also holds black belts in three different martial arts and runs ... TC181: Inside Philip Johnston’s $100m Dream Music Teaching Empire

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Thanks for reading CPTP Bonus Episode with Philip Johnston from Top Music Co.

Here’s a special bonus episode to end the podcast season. Special guest Philip Johnston discusses a thought experiment to kickstart your thinking. Here’s a special bonus episode to end the podcast season. Special guest Philip Johnston discusses a thought experiment to kickstart your thinking.

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Thanks for reading CPTP180: Melody Bober in Conversation from Top Music Co.

Do you compose your own music? Do you explore music composition with your students? Composers truly bring me in awe with their work and I am so honored to be interviewing a very well-known artist who I’ve wanted to have on the show forever. I thought it would be fun to end Season 3 of ... CPTP180: Melody Bober in Conversation

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Thanks for reading CPTP179: Finding Flow and Conquering Performance Anxiety with Siskind and Chiu from Top Music Co.

How do you help yourself or your students deal with performance anxiety? It’s one of the things many teachers and students go through whether it be just in front of 1 person or a whole stadium. It can really be nerve-racking! Today’s episode is all about the challenges of performance. Further, we can help our ... CPTP179: Finding Flow and Conquering Performance Anxiety with Siskind and Chiu

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Thanks for reading CPTP178: Running Music Camps and Holiday Workshops in Australia [Case Study] from Top Music Co.

Are you open to the idea of exploring the world of music camps and holiday workshops in your area? Do you want to know what it takes to set these up? My guest today, Sofie Arhontoulis, has been a piano teacher in South Australia since 1994, teaching in schools and in her private studio, Saili ... CPTP178: Running Music Camps and Holiday Workshops in Australia [Case Study]

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Thanks for reading CPTP177: Are You Fit 4 Piano? Rae de Lisle Unpacks her Interactive Technique Book from Top Music Co.

What approach do you use when teaching technique to your students? Are you familiar with the techniques you should teach? My guest today, Rae de Lisle, is the author of Fit 4 Piano eBook, Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Auckland, and one of New Zealand’s foremost piano pedagogues. Her teaching has produced ... CPTP177: Are You Fit 4 Piano? Rae de Lisle Unpacks her Interactive Technique Book

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Thanks for reading CPTP176: A Fireside Chat with Marvin Blickenstaff from Top Music Co.

What approach do you use in teaching your students, especially beginners? My guest on this podcast episode, Marvin Blickenstaff, is one of the most well-known and well-loved teachers in the US. He is a teacher, lecturer, performer and publisher with numerous honours and awards under his belt. His extensive background in piano as well as ... CPTP176: A Fireside Chat with Marvin Blickenstaff

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Thanks for reading CPTP175: Top 10 Reasons to Book Your Piano Pivot Live Ticket NOW from Top Music Co.

Transcript If you’d like to download a PDF transcript of this episode, please click below. Have you booked your ticket to the Piano Pivot Live yet? In this episode, I shared the top 10 reasons you need to book your conference tickets now. Apart from discussing major event details, I also talked about some of ... CPTP175: Top 10 Reasons to Book Your Piano Pivot Live Ticket NOW

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Thanks for reading CPTP174: How a 16 year old Teacher is Building an Online Empire with Alexa Madison from Top Music Co.

What can you learn from a 16-year old piano teacher about teaching, blogging, marketing, composing, selling and running a studio with 30 students? My guest today is 16-year old Alexa Madison who is a young piano teacher and budding composer moving her way up in piano teaching and business. She has successfully built a business ... CPTP174: How a 16 year old Teacher is Building an Online Empire with Alexa Madison

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Thanks for reading CPTP173: MTNA President Martha Hilley on 49 Years of Teaching and Mentoring the Next Generation from Top Music Co.

How did your journey to music education start and where is it now? Are you engaging yourself in conferences, associations, and getting certifications that can support and build you up as a professional music educator? My guest today has had over 49 years of teaching in music education and has definitely made a mark in ... CPTP173: MTNA President Martha Hilley on 49 Years of Teaching and Mentoring the Next Generation

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Thanks for reading CPTP172: Getting value from professional development with Amy Comparetto from Top Music Co.

Have you ever considered joining a membership, attending a conference, getting coaching or studying further to expand your skill set and knowledge as a piano teacher but too worried about the cost of investment? My guest today is Inner Circle member, Amy Comparetto. She shares her experience on how she invests in her professional development ... CPTP172: Getting value from professional development with Amy Comparetto

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Thanks for reading CPTP171: How to Teach Piano Songwriting with Lisa Donovan Lukas [FREE DOWNLOAD] from Top Music Co.

Have you thought about incorporating songwriting into your students’ piano lessons but just don’t know how or where to start? Lisa Donovan Lukas, author of The Young Musician’s guide to Songwriting shares valuable lessons from her book on her process to encourage both teachers and students to use their creativity and explore songwriting. Aside from ... CPTP171: How to Teach Piano Songwriting with Lisa Donovan Lukas [FREE DOWNLOAD]

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Thanks for reading CPTP170: How one teacher makes $100,000+ teaching online with Brent Vaartstra from Top Music Co.

Have you ever wished you could get into teaching online? Not just Skype or Facetime lessons but actually with passive income streams that mean you’re not trading time for money? That’s exactly what Brent Vaartstra has done and now he helps other musicians and music teachers do the same. Brent started out with a simple ... CPTP170: How one teacher makes $100,000+ teaching online with Brent Vaartstra

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Thanks for reading CPTP169: A chat with Musiclock creator Perttu Pölönen from Top Music Co.

MusiClock is one of my favourite apps. I use it in my lessons to make scales more interesting and to provide backing tracks for improvisations. I’m delighted to have its creator on the show today, Perttu Pölönen. Not only has Perttu created this fantastic app (at only 24!) he’s also working on a whole method ... CPTP169: A chat with Musiclock creator Perttu Pölönen

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Thanks for reading CPTP168: The Ultimate Piano Teaching Conference: Piano Pivot Live 2020 from Top Music Co.

Have you ever been to a piano teaching conference and loved every single minute of it? Chances are, although you probably learned some great tips and met some awesome people, there was a bit of room for improvement. I’m putting on my first piano teaching conference in January 2020 in Melbourne and there a few ... CPTP168: The Ultimate Piano Teaching Conference: Piano Pivot Live 2020

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Thanks for reading CPTP167: 100% summer retention with Music Alive and Clinton Pratt from Top Music Co.

Have you ever wanted to do something a bit different for one of your recitals? What if you could also increase summer retention rates while you’re at it? That’s exactly what Clinton Pratt has done with his Music Alive concerts. Clinton holds these unique visual media concerts at the end of every summer and students ... CPTP167: 100% summer retention with Music Alive and Clinton Pratt

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Thanks for reading CPTP166: From piano teacher to wedding pianist with Liz Craig from Top Music Co.

Have you ever thought about playing for weddings? Becoming a wedding pianist can be a great complementary income for piano teachers and a fantastic way to perform and keep up your playing chops as well as explore new music. Liz Craig has combined teaching with being a wedding pianist with great success and it now ... CPTP166: From piano teacher to wedding pianist with Liz Craig

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Thanks for reading CPTP165: Building to 2000 students a week with Jonny Wilson from Top Music Co.

Have you ever thought about building a music academy? Something on a large scale rather than just working as a solo teacher from home? Building a music academy with 2000 students a week is never going to be an easy road, but my guest today, Jonny Wilson, would tell you that it’s worth it. Listen ... CPTP165: Building to 2000 students a week with Jonny Wilson

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Thanks for reading CPTP164: Meet my Student Tim (and his dad) from Top Music Co.

I get questions and requests from time-to-time to hear from my students. What do they think of my creative teaching style? What’s it really like to learn from me? In this episode, you’ll hear from one of my actual students, Tim. Find out why he has 2 piano teachers and what his dad thinks about ... CPTP164: Meet my Student Tim (and his dad)

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Thanks for reading CPTP163: Christopher Oill interviews ME! from Top Music Co.

This podcast episode is quite different. In fact, it’s pretty unique as Christopher Oill has asked to come on the show to interview me. In the interview, Christopher dives into what my business looks like today and how I got started. We also spoke about piano teaching trends, how to put ideas from the podcast ... CPTP163: Christopher Oill interviews ME!

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Thanks for reading CPTP162: Powerful Strategies for Teaching Lead Sheets [FREE DOWNLOAD] from Top Music Co.

I believe strongly in the power of teaching lead sheets in our piano lessons. Lead sheets can help students understand music better and make them more “all-rounder” pianists who can adapt to different musical contexts. On the show today, I’m sharing some of my thoughts about why we should teach lead sheet playing to our ... CPTP162: Powerful Strategies for Teaching Lead Sheets [FREE DOWNLOAD]

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Thanks for reading CPTP161: Intelligent Music Teaching with Professor Robert Duke from Top Music Co.

Bob Duke is the author of Intelligent Music Teaching, The Habits of Musicianship, and Brain Briefs. He is also the director of the Center for Music Learning and speaks regularly at conferences all over the world. I had the pleasure of watching Bob give a teaching demonstration in Adelaide a couple of years ago and ... CPTP161: Intelligent Music Teaching with Professor Robert Duke

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Thanks for reading CPTP160: Balancing rote repertoire and sight reading with Samantha Coates from Top Music Co.

Rote repertoire has been gaining popularity in recent years. Piano teachers are realising the value of teaching by rote alongside reading in order to teach technique and allow students (especially beginners) to explore more of the piano. Samantha Coates has created a fabulous resource that combines rote repertoire with reading to create truly holistic music ... CPTP160: Balancing rote repertoire and sight reading with Samantha Coates

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Thanks for reading CPTP159: Inspiring and Motivating Teens with Jerald Simon from Top Music Co.

Do you have trouble motivating teens in your piano studio? I think we’ve all found this difficult from time-to-time. My guest today is an expert at reaching teen students and connecting to them with the music they love. Jerald Simon has composed a whole series of pieces designed to inspire students that are especially great ... CPTP159: Inspiring and Motivating Teens with Jerald Simon

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Thanks for reading CPTP158: [Case Study] How to 3X Your Piano Teaching Income with Eric Rinehart from Top Music Co.

Eric Rinehart is a young piano teacher who is seriously going places. Eric is an Inner Circle member I’ve been following his journey for some time now and I knew I had to get him on the show to talk about his amazing studio growth and how he his tripled his piano teaching income. If ... CPTP158: [Case Study] How to 3X Your Piano Teaching Income with Eric Rinehart

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Thanks for reading CPTP157: How to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Your Piano Studio from Top Music Co.

“I have so much free time, I don’t know what to do with it!”…said no piano teacher, ever. We could all use more time to spend with family, planning for our studio or practising the piano ourselves. If you have a never-ending to-do list it might be time to hire a virtual assistant to take ... CPTP157: How to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Your Piano Studio

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Thanks for reading CPTP156: Forrest Kinney on Pattern Based Improvisation from Top Music Co.

You’re in for a treat. Forrest Kinney is coming back on the podcast to talk about pattern based improvisation. Forrest Kinney is a strong advocate for getting all beginner piano students to improvise. His books Pattern Play and Create First help teachers to just that through the use of simple patterns that make improvisation accessible to everyone. ... CPTP156: Forrest Kinney on Pattern Based Improvisation

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Thanks for reading CPTP155: 10 Ways to Fit Music Teaching Games into Your Lessons with Nicola Cantan from Top Music Co.

This episode of the podcast is a little bit different. My podcast producer, Nicola Cantan, has taken over the show today to give us 10 strategies for finding more time for music teaching games in our lessons. If you don’t know Nicola, she’s the writer behind the Colourful Keys blog and the creator of the ... CPTP155: 10 Ways to Fit Music Teaching Games into Your Lessons with Nicola Cantan

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Thanks for reading CPTP154: Your legal questions answered with Richard Chapo from Top Music Co.

Legal questions can make piano teachers’ heads hurt…but we need to consider the legal issues associated with our business and make sure we’re covered. My guest today, Richard Chapo, is here to answer all our legal questions. Of course, Richard can’t give specific legal advice but in this episode, he does give straight-forward and practical ... CPTP154: Your legal questions answered with Richard Chapo

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Thanks for reading CPTP153: Recital and Event Ideas to Build Community with Linda Poelzer from Top Music Co.

Linda Poelzer is an Inner Circle member who never stands still. Her studio is so creative it makes my head spin and she’s here today to share some of her fantastic studio event ideas. She runs a thriving studio in Canada and from piano olympics, to a name that tune gameshow, to a Christmas coffee house her ... CPTP153: Recital and Event Ideas to Build Community with Linda Poelzer

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Thanks for reading CPTP152: A Musicolor Method for Preschoolers with Andrew Ingkavit from Top Music Co.

When Andrew Ingkavit’s son wanted to learn piano at age 3, no teacher was willing to take him. This started him on his quest to find a way to teach his son and eventually lead to the creation of the Musicolor method for preschoolers and other beginners. Listen in to learn how Andrew integrates colours ... CPTP152: A Musicolor Method for Preschoolers with Andrew Ingkavit

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Thanks for reading CPTP151: Motivating Music Theory with Glory St. Germain from Top Music Co.

Glory St. Germain is the creator of Ultimate Music Theory, a Registered Music Teacher, sought-after clinician and a Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner (NLP). She is really passionate about taking the “blah” out of music theory teaching. If you thinking that music theory has to be boring and dry – you need to listen to this show. Glory gave us so ... CPTP151: Motivating Music Theory with Glory St. Germain

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Thanks for reading CPTP150: Global Piano Teaching Expert Roundup 2018 from Top Music Co.

This is a very special episode. For the 150th episode of the podcast, I’ve gathered together 6 expert teachers from my Inner Circle for a roundtable discussion about the future of piano teaching. We had a fantastic discussion that spanned the areas of improvisation, teaching reading, performances and much more. It was truly inspiring for me personally, ... CPTP150: Global Piano Teaching Expert Roundup 2018

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Thanks for reading CPTP149: How the 5DPP revolutionised one teacher’s studio with Lisa Kiernan from Top Music Co.

Last December Nicola Cantan and I ran something we called the 5 Day Piano Pivot or “5DPP” for short. This free challenge was designed to help piano teachers really think through and plan the future of their piano studio. Too often as self-employed piano teachers we can get stuck in the weeds of the teaching, ... CPTP149: How the 5DPP revolutionised one teacher’s studio with Lisa Kiernan

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Thanks for reading CPTP148: How to lease your first studio space with Sophia Hardesty from Top Music Co.

Leasing your first studio space is an exciting step to take for your business. But many piano teachers are held back because they’re not sure where to look or what the process will be like. My guest today has been through it all. Sophia Hardesty has grown her studio from one room up to 7 ... CPTP148: How to lease your first studio space with Sophia Hardesty

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Thanks for reading CPTP147: How Teaching Beginners with No Books has Revolutionised Georgina’s Studio from Top Music Co.

When I published the No Book Beginners framework I hoped it would give teachers the confidence to teach more creatively, and that’s exactly what it’s done for Georgina Jordan. Georgina is a piano teacher in the UK who had a very traditional music education and was struggling to add creativity into her lessons. She joined ... CPTP147: How Teaching Beginners with No Books has Revolutionised Georgina’s Studio

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Thanks for reading CPTP146: “Behind the Studio” with Amber Harnisch from Top Music Co.

I love hearing how teachers are getting on in their studios, and what new ideas they’re trying out. Amber Harnisch is definitely an inspiring example to follow. She has diversified her studio over the past few years to include a mixture of pair, overlapping and one-on-one lessons. This has revolutionised her teaching and led to more ... CPTP146: “Behind the Studio” with Amber Harnisch

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Thanks for reading CPTP145: Dealing with loss in the studio setting from Top Music Co.

My guest today has dealt with more than her fair share of loss, both personally, and seeing her students experience loss. She’s on the podcast today to share how she has worked through this and help teachers who are in similar situations. I know this is not an easy topic. This wasn’t an easy interview ... CPTP145: Dealing with loss in the studio setting

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Thanks for reading CPTP144: [Case Study] Pop Piano Teaching in Action with Anna Fagan from Top Music Co.

Pop piano teaching doesn’t have to be something you do just for fun, or just because your student begs you. It can actually have real value for your students in so many ways. The approach I advocate for teaching pop music might feel a bit foreign: focusing on chords, simplifying music and teaching rhythm by ... CPTP144: [Case Study] Pop Piano Teaching in Action with Anna Fagan

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Thanks for reading CPTP143: Being the Worship Music Pianist – Tips and Tools from Top Music Co.

Becoming a worship music pianist means shifting mindsets a bit. You’re not always going to be the lead player, sometimes you’re going to need to take a supporting role. You’re also going to need to read lead sheets…and to get better at listening to other musicians. Whether you’re interested in being a worship music pianist ... CPTP143: Being the Worship Music Pianist – Tips and Tools

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Thanks for reading CPTP142: The challenges of teaching a blind piano student with Anastasia Buettner-Moore from Top Music Co.

Have you ever been asked to teach a blind piano student? What did you say? It’s tempting to say no – not because we don’t want to teach them – but because we feel unprepared. But there is no degree in teaching piano to the visually impaired (that I know of) and if we don’t ... CPTP142: The challenges of teaching a blind piano student with Anastasia Buettner-Moore

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Thanks for reading CPTP141: Playing by Ear with Ruth Power from Top Music Co.

Playing by ear is an area of piano that can intimidate some teachers. If you’ve never done it yourself, it can be hard to know where to start when it comes to teaching students these skills. On the other hand, teaching songs to students by ear is often the quickest route to getting them sounding ... CPTP141: Playing by Ear with Ruth Power

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Thanks for reading CPTP140: Getting Teen Beginners Fired-Up with Jennifer Eklund from Top Music Co.

Some teachers really find teen beginners a bit of a struggle. These students come to us from a very different place than our younger kiddos and often with pretty unreal expectations of how fast they’re going to progress. But these were some of Jennifer Eklund’s favourite students to teach. She’s on the podcast today to ... CPTP140: Getting Teen Beginners Fired-Up with Jennifer Eklund

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Thanks for reading CPTP139: How to Teach on YouTube and Skype with Josh Wright from Top Music Co.

Teaching online could open up so many opportunities for you to work different hours, make more money and reach students you couldn’t otherwise. Whether you want to teach on YouTube, Skype or Facetime my guest today can definitely give you some great tips. Josh Wright has been taught by an amazing pedigree of teachers and ... CPTP139: How to Teach on YouTube and Skype with Josh Wright

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Thanks for reading CPTP138: What is 4 Chord Composing All About? from Top Music Co.

Playing simple 4 chord progressions can open up so many possibilities for students. It can lead them to a better understanding of music and it can give them the skills they need to recover from a mistake in a performance or accompany a singer. One of my favourite activities for piano lessons is chord composing. ... CPTP138: What is 4 Chord Composing All About?

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Thanks for reading CPTP137: Randy Faber on a New American Piano Technique from Top Music Co.

I sincerely doubt Randy Faber needs any introduction to most piano teachers. He is one of the creators of the extremely popular Piano Adventures method books, and regularly speaks on pedagogy and performs across the world. I’m delighted to have Randy on the podcast today to share his thoughts on piano technique. His experience working ... CPTP137: Randy Faber on a New American Piano Technique

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Thanks for reading CPTP136: [Case Study] How to hire your first piano teacher from Top Music Co.

The thought of how to hire your first piano teacher can be a daunting one…but exciting at the same time. When you have too many students, a waiting list or new enquiries coming in frequently – it might be a good idea to start thinking about how to capitalise on this opportunity. Anastasia Buettner-Moore has ... CPTP136: [Case Study] How to hire your first piano teacher

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Thanks for reading CPTP135: How to use Instagram to Market Your Studio with Dawn Ivers from Top Music Co.

Instagram is a unique social media platform. It’s all images, with no links…and it can be confusing to know how we can use Instagram to market our studios effectively. Is Instagram just for building our community, or can we use it to attract new students? What are the best images to post and where can ... CPTP135: How to use Instagram to Market Your Studio with Dawn Ivers

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Thanks for reading CPTP134: Continuing Professional Development with the Curious Piano Teachers from Top Music Co.

Sally Cathcart and Sharon Mark-Teggart are curious. And they want to spread that curiosity to other piano teachers around the world. They’re big believers in professional development and they deliver content to help teachers improve in their membership site and regular online workshops. They’re just about the launch a new session of their comprehensive course ... CPTP134: Continuing Professional Development with the Curious Piano Teachers

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Thanks for reading CPTP133: How to motivate and help students practice with Aaron Garner from Top Music Co.

Aaron Garner used to be like many teachers, frustrated by sitting in lessons correcting note errors in his students’ pieces all day. That is, until he found a way to help students practice better. Aaron brought together the magic of backing tracks and technology to create a comprehensive practice solution for students: Piano Marvel. This ... CPTP133: How to motivate and help students practice with Aaron Garner

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Thanks for reading CPTP132: Launching a New Business on the Side with Janna Carlson from Top Music Co.

Not all piano teachers want to teach piano full-time. If you’ve ever thought of starting a new business in a related (or completely different) area to your studio – then today’s episode will provide great inspiration for you. There’s nothing wrong with loving piano teaching…but not loving the idea of doing it 50 hours a ... CPTP132: Launching a New Business on the Side with Janna Carlson

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Thanks for reading CPTP131: Piano Teaching Unthinkables with Philip Johnston from Top Music Co.

Philip Johnston brings a fresh take to music teaching ideas and preconceptions. The piano teaching unthinkables we discuss in this episode may be controversial, but even if you disagree they provide fantastic food for thought. In today’s show we bring video game thinking into the piano studio, abolish long-held beliefs about piano practice and throw ... CPTP131: Piano Teaching Unthinkables with Philip Johnston

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Thanks for reading CPTP130: Funnels and Facebook Ads for Piano Teachers with Danny Thompson from Top Music Co.

Facebook ads can be a little tricky for piano teachers. I know many teachers who have accidentally spent too much without any tangible result. But they can also be extremely powerful if used the right way. Danny Thompson is back on the show today for part 3 of our business masterclass, and this time we’re ... CPTP130: Funnels and Facebook Ads for Piano Teachers with Danny Thompson

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Thanks for reading CPTP129: Why “Practice” might be killing your studio business with Danny Thompson from Top Music Co.

Is the way we approach practice in our studios all wrong? Are our practice expectations unrealistic or counterproductive? Danny Thompson and I will unpack this idea of taking practice and homework out of the equation and focusing instead on inspiring our students and growing their love of music. Could this be a useful experiment in ... CPTP129: Why “Practice” might be killing your studio business with Danny Thompson

The post CPTP129: Why “Practice” might be killing your studio business with Danny Thompson appeared first on Top Music Co - Supporting Creative Music Teaching.

Thanks for reading CPTP128: Creating Your Piano Studio Brand with Danny Thompson from Top Music Co.

What is a studio brand, is it the same as your logo or letterhead? And what’s the point of understanding your studio brand anyway? Knowing how people perceive you and how you want to be seen in the community is an important part of gaining clarity in your marketing and business. Danny Thompson is on ... CPTP128: Creating Your Piano Studio Brand with Danny Thompson

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Thanks for reading CPTP127: Jon Schmidt from The Piano Guys from Top Music Co.

Jon Schmidt is none other than the “piano guy” from The Piano Guys. He is a pianist, composer, piano teacher, and author, and I’m delighted to have him join me on the podcast for this episode. The Piano Guys are known for their incredible pop and classical arrangements. In 2016 they passed 1 billion views on YouTube ... CPTP127: Jon Schmidt from The Piano Guys

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Thanks for reading CPTP126: Taking Care of Business with Todd Whaley from Top Music Co.

There’s a global shift among piano teachers to start taking their studios more seriously. Many teachers are now taking care of their businesses and no longer see this as just a “hobby” or a side job. This is a profession. And with that comes all the trappings a small business needs like invoices, expense tracking, ... CPTP126: Taking Care of Business with Todd Whaley

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Thanks for reading CPTP125: 25 Years of Composing and Arranging with Phillip Keveren from Top Music Co.

Phillip Keveren has created some of my favourite arrangements for piano. All of his pieces are beautiful, pianistic and playable. As he points out in the interview, you don’t want a student doesn’t want to be working on a pop arrangement for 6 months, and his work makes these pieces students want to play accessible to ... CPTP125: 25 Years of Composing and Arranging with Phillip Keveren

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Thanks for reading CPTP124: The Motivation Equation with Samantha Coates (Part 3) from Top Music Co.

This is the third and final part in our wonderful series on piano student motivation with Samanatha Coates. (Listen to part 1 here or part 2 here if you missed them.) Samantha shares a great quote in this episode: “It is not your job to motivate students. It is your job to create the environment ... CPTP124: The Motivation Equation with Samantha Coates (Part 3)

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Thanks for reading CPTP123: The Motivation Equation with Samantha Coates (Part 2) from Top Music Co.

Motivation and practice are the biggest keys to our students’ success at the piano. That’s why I’m so thrilled to welcome back Samantha Coates for part two of our three-part series on student motivation. (Listen to part 1 here if you missed it.) In today’s show, Samantha is talking us through the parents’ role in ... CPTP123: The Motivation Equation with Samantha Coates (Part 2)

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Thanks for reading CPTP122: The Motivation Equation with Samantha Coates (Part 1) from Top Music Co.

Motivating students to practice is a big topic for piano teachers. In fact, it’s probably the biggest one. Tackling this area is no small undertaking, and I’m delighted to welcome Samantha Coates to the podcast to talk us through it. In this three-part series Samantha is unpacking motivation and parent education, and what leads to ... CPTP122: The Motivation Equation with Samantha Coates (Part 1)

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Thanks for reading CPTP121: The Digital versus Acoustic Divide from Top Music Co.

Where do you stand on the digital versus acoustic issue? Do you encourage your students to get acoustic pianos or are you more open to high quality digitals? While I think good acoustic pianos are fantastic for students to have at home, a lot of the time digital pianos are actually the better option. When ... CPTP121: The Digital versus Acoustic Divide

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Thanks for reading CPTP120: 5 Simple tips to improve your piano studio website from Top Music Co.

It’s my absolute pleasure to have one of my Inner Circle members on the podcast today. Janna Carlson is not only a fantastic piano teacher, she’s also launching a business to help other teachers with their piano studio website. Since switching to group teaching, Janna has seen first-hand the power of an effective site. Her ... CPTP120: 5 Simple tips to improve your piano studio website

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Thanks for reading CPTP119: Con Brio Online Examinations with Peter Wang from Top Music Co.

Having built a successful music studio, Peter Wang wasn’t done. Now, he and his colleagues are trying to make their mark on the music exam world with Con Brio exams. They’ve set about addressing some of the common concerns teachers have with traditional exam systems. Con Brio exams can be applied for at any time, ... CPTP119: Con Brio Online Examinations with Peter Wang

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Thanks for reading CPTP118: The “Crisis in Creativity” with Kevin Olson from Top Music Co.

Kevin Olson is a natural composer. He started composing at a very young age and creativity seemed inevitable to him. Now, he wants to encourage that in the next generation. Apart from inspiring our students with wonderful motivating repertoire, Kevin also has some fantastic words of wisdom when it comes to including creativity in our ... CPTP118: The “Crisis in Creativity” with Kevin Olson

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Thanks for reading CPTP117: Creating Preschool Music Programs that Rock with Dave Simon from Top Music Co.

Have you ever thought about bringing rock bands into your teaching studio? Many teachers would be interested in this kind of ensemble playing experience, and the positive introduction it provides to music. But few would think of bringing this to preschool students. Getting preschoolers into rock bands might sound like something that would need a ... CPTP117: Creating Preschool Music Programs that Rock with Dave Simon

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Thanks for reading CPTP116: What’s Coming in 2018 for the Podcast, Blog and Inner Circle from Top Music Co.

2017 has been an amazing year and I’ve so enjoyed sharing piano teaching ideas and inspiration with you on the podcast. We’ve covered everything from lead sheets to best business practices, and the feedback from all of you has been fantastic. Take a moment with me to look back over this year, and sneak a ... CPTP116: What’s Coming in 2018 for the Podcast, Blog and Inner Circle

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Thanks for reading CPTP115: Are you an Imposter Piano Teacher? from Top Music Co.

Do you ever feel imposter syndrome? This is the feeling of being a “fake”. Feeling like others around you in your profession have more skills, more knowledge or even secrets that you don’t know about. Many new piano teachers, or even ones with years of experience, can feel a bit insecure in their own teaching abilities. ... CPTP115: Are you an Imposter Piano Teacher?

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Thanks for reading CPTP114: Piano Pivot: How to Gain Clarity, Avoid Overwhelm and Achieve Success in 2018 from Top Music Co.

Do you want to find success in 2018? No matter what that word “success” means to you – you’re going to need to clear the decks first. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed by all the amazing stuff out there, you’re not alone. I hear from teachers all the time who find themselves spinning in ... CPTP114: Piano Pivot: How to Gain Clarity, Avoid Overwhelm and Achieve Success in 2018

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Thanks for reading CPTP113: Planning for New Piano Teachers: from Policies to Performances from Top Music Co.

Proper planning for new piano teachers (and more experienced ones) can save time, headaches and money. When you think things out in advance you can avoid falling into the traps that many new piano teachers do. Nicola Cantan is back on the podcast today to share tips on planning for new piano teachers. We cover ... CPTP113: Planning for New Piano Teachers: from Policies to Performances

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Thanks for reading CPTP112: Having a Mission and Planning Lessons Effectively with Leila Viss from Top Music Co.

Planning lessons effectively is definitely an art, not a science. There are many things to balance and the actual lesson might look quite different in the end – but with experience it does get easier. Leila Viss is not only a fantastic piano teacher, but she’s also helping to shape future piano teachers at the La ... CPTP112: Having a Mission and Planning Lessons Effectively with Leila Viss

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Thanks for reading CPTP111: The Life of a New Piano Teacher with Joe Harkins from Top Music Co.

Joe Harkins is a new piano teacher who came to piano teaching (like many of us do) from a mixed background of playing and performing. He got inspired to return to further pedagogy studies when he saw the gaps in his own knowledge, and joined the La Mont Piano Prepatory Program. For a brand new piano ... CPTP111: The Life of a New Piano Teacher with Joe Harkins

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Thanks for reading CPTP110: Why Every Student Should Know Happy Birthday with Lucinda Mackworth-Young from Top Music Co.

Lucinda was trained in a traditional classical system, but when she realised that she couldn’t even play Happy Birthday at a party (without sheet music) she felt a little cheated. Why couldn’t she do something so simple after all these years of study? She wished that someone who had these playing by ear skills would write ... CPTP110: Why Every Student Should Know Happy Birthday with Lucinda Mackworth-Young

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Thanks for reading CPTP109: What is Solfa and How Does it Help Students with Christopher Sutton from Top Music Co.

Depending on where you got your musical start, solfa might be an integral part of your musicianship – or it might be a foreign language. If you didn’t learn solfa growing up or never felt like you had a”good ear” it can be intimidating to launch into solfa exercises in your teaching. It’s tempting to ... CPTP109: What is Solfa and How Does it Help Students with Christopher Sutton

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Thanks for reading CPTP108: Ear Training That’s Actually Fun with Kristin Jensen from Top Music Co.

Ear training can be dull. But it definitely doesn’t have to be. Kirstin Jensen is here to tell us about some super fun and effective aural activities you can do with your students in just a few minutes of lesson time. These ideas will even get your youngest most wiggly students excited to work ... CPTP108: Ear Training That’s Actually Fun with Kristin Jensen

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Thanks for reading CPTP107: How to Simplify and Teach a Pop Song by Ear from Top Music Co.

When it comes to teaching pop, sometimes the best approach is to learn it aurally. Working out a pop song by ear gives you more opportunities to teach your students theory, and creates a much more musical experience. In this episode I take you through step-by-step how you can teach your students a pop song ... CPTP107: How to Simplify and Teach a Pop Song by Ear

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Thanks for reading CPTP106: The Power of Keyboard Ensembles with Susan Ogilvy from Top Music Co.

For piano students, working in keyboard ensembles is fantastic for so many reasons. They teach kids about rhythm, phrasing, working as a team, and so much more. When you’re playing with another musician – you have to actually listen. This is so valuable for young pianists and such a rare opportunity. All young pianists should be ... CPTP106: The Power of Keyboard Ensembles with Susan Ogilvy

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Thanks for reading CPTP105: Building a Group Teaching Studio with Debra Perez from Top Music Co.

Debra Perez has helped teachers around the world to make the switch to a group teaching studio. She knows all the ins and outs of parent education, marketing and the best set up for your group piano lessons. Listen to this episode and you’ll learn why changing to a group teaching studio is getting such ... CPTP105: Building a Group Teaching Studio with Debra Perez

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Thanks for reading CPTP104: Forrest Kinney on the 4 Arts of Music from Top Music Co.

Forrest Kinney and I have a lot in common. We both believe that modern classical music eduction is missing a step when it comes to teaching the creative arts. Somewhere along the way improvising, composing and arranging got cut out of the equation – and we’re fighting to get them back into piano studios around ... CPTP104: Forrest Kinney on the 4 Arts of Music

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Thanks for reading CPTP103: A Chat with Mayron Cole, Pioneer of Group Teaching from Top Music Co.

When Mayron Cole started teaching piano in groups, no one was doing it. She made up her own activities, learnt as she went, and gradually created her own curriculum which is now used in piano studios all over the world. Mayron is here today to share her wisdom from 38 years of group teaching. From ... CPTP103: A Chat with Mayron Cole, Pioneer of Group Teaching

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Thanks for reading CPTP102: Teaching and Exploring Modes in the Piano Studio from Top Music Co.

When it comes to teaching modes, teachers can come across all sorts of stumbling blocks. For one thing, they may not have the in-depth knowledge they feel they need – or they may just be unsure of where modes fit in the piano curriculum. I get questions about modes all the time from teachers. How ... CPTP102: Teaching and Exploring Modes in the Piano Studio

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Thanks for reading CPTP101: 100th Episode Special: Our Favourite Conversations From the Last 2 Years (Part 2) from Top Music Co.

Did you become a piano teacher because you LOVE music, but now struggle to handle the business side of things? Or perhaps you’re in a little bit of a teaching rut and need to find a way out? Well then today’s episode is for you. This is the second part of our 100th episode celebration ... CPTP101: 100th Episode Special: Our Favourite Conversations From the Last 2 Years (Part 2)

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Thanks for reading CPTP100: 100th Episode Special: Our Favourite Conversations From the Last 2 Years (Part 1) from Top Music Co.

It’s the 100th episode of the podcast! To celebrate we’ve put together a two part special with the best clips from the past 99 conversations about creativity, business and teaching transformations. If you follow the blog and podcast, you’ll know that creativity in piano lessons is one of my great passions. That’s why I’ve dedicated ... CPTP100: 100th Episode Special: Our Favourite Conversations From the Last 2 Years (Part 1)

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Thanks for reading CPTP099: How Pamela Wedgwood Inspires her Piano Students from Top Music Co.

Pamela Wedgwood first started composing because her students wanted to learn pop…and yet they weren’t always ready to play the full pop music they wanted to. So she started experimenting to create music that would inspire them to practice. She now has all sorts of publications including the popular Jazzin’ About and Upgrade! series which ... CPTP099: How Pamela Wedgwood Inspires her Piano Students

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Thanks for reading CPTP098: A Sneak-Peak Inside an Inner Circle Monthly Mastermind from Top Music Co.

One of the fantastic benefits that my Inner Circle members get access to is the opportunity to take part in a live mastermind call once a month. In these video calls we focus on hot topics for piano teachers, and members can ask questions of myself and our guest experts. These calls are so valuable ... CPTP098: A Sneak-Peak Inside an Inner Circle Monthly Mastermind

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Thanks for reading CPTP097 – Meet the Musician Behind my Favourite App: iReal Pro from Top Music Co.

Massimo Biolcati is the creator of my favourite app of all time, iReal Pro. This app is the best tool I’ve found for creating a band experience to practice pop and jazz music on the piano. Something that I believe very strongly should be included in more music teaching studios. When Massimo started the app ... CPTP097 – Meet the Musician Behind my Favourite App: iReal Pro

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Thanks for reading CPTP096: Tech Games for Rhythm and Composition with Katie Wardrobe from Top Music Co.

Katie Wardrobe is the ultimate guide to have when it comes to music teaching technology. She helps teachers all over the world to incorporate technology into their teaching with workshops, online training and tons of awesome resources. Explore these games for rhythm teaching and get started using them simply and easily in solo and group ... CPTP096: Tech Games for Rhythm and Composition with Katie Wardrobe

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Thanks for reading CPTP095: How to Build a Piano Studio Website from Scratch with Nicola Cantan from Top Music Co.

Building a studio website might seem overwhelming at first. There is so much jargon to wade through and so many questions to answer…What’s a host? What platform should you use? What pages do you need? Never fear. To kick off tech month on the podcast, I’m talking to Nicola Cantan today all about studio websites. ... CPTP095: How to Build a Piano Studio Website from Scratch with Nicola Cantan

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Thanks for reading CPTP094: The $100,000 Piano Teacher with Kristin Yost from Top Music Co.

Kristin Yost has always had a keen mind for the business side of piano teaching. As you might know from her book, she became a $100,000 piano teacher – but she didn’t stop there! She went on to open her own music school, The Centre for Musical Minds, and throughout her journey she has always found ... CPTP094: The $100,000 Piano Teacher with Kristin Yost

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Thanks for reading CPTP093: How to Nurture and Retain Piano Students on Autopilot with Chantelle Duffield from Top Music Co.

If you can retain piano students in your studio over the long term, your business will be more efficient. You won’t need to keep scrambling for new students if your existing ones stick around. The key to great student retention rates is nurturing your relationships with the students and their parents. Chantelle Duffield is a master at ... CPTP093: How to Nurture and Retain Piano Students on Autopilot with Chantelle Duffield

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Thanks for reading CPTP092: Big Picture Studio Planning with the Music Mentor Group from Top Music Co.

The Music Mentor Group (AKA Debra Perez, Robyn Harris, Kathy Rabago and Natalia Huang) draw upon their diverse wealth of experience to help teachers succeed in business. This is studio planning with a difference. The difference being that instead of getting caught up in the small things, we’re going to look at the big picture today. ... CPTP092: Big Picture Studio Planning with the Music Mentor Group

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Thanks for reading CPTP091: From Blog to Business – Coaching Call with Rosemarie Penner from Top Music Co.

This podcast is a little bit different. Today’s show is a coaching call with one of my members, Rosemarie Penner. Rosemarie is a travelling piano teacher from Canada who has been blogging for a while. She wants to know how to take her site from blog to business. How can she monetise? What should she be ... CPTP091: From Blog to Business – Coaching Call with Rosemarie Penner

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Thanks for reading CPTP090: How to Grow Your Studio Like a Pro with Daniel Patterson from Top Music Co.

When Daniel Patterson’s studio wasn’t magically full three months after graduating college, he realised he had a thing or two to learn about marketing. So he set about finding out everything he could about advertising and growing a music studio. Daniel now shares what he learnt with other teachers on his blog. If you’re looking ... CPTP090: How to Grow Your Studio Like a Pro with Daniel Patterson

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Thanks for reading CPTP089 – Carol Matz on Piano Teaching and Arranging from Top Music Co.

Carol Matz is well known in the piano teaching community for her Famous and Fun series, and more recently for her Interactive Piano Method. She’s also an experienced piano teacher herself and she knows what works when it comes to great pedagogical arrangements. But Carol is also on the podcast to talk about the other ... CPTP089 – Carol Matz on Piano Teaching and Arranging

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Thanks for reading CPTP088: 15,390 Pop Songs and Counting: The Hooktheory Story from Top Music Co.

Hooktheory is a truly innovative site. It looks at harmony from a completely different perspective than traditional music theory. This is what happens when you bring together three engineers with a shared passion for music. By analysing the underlying chord progressions of thousands of pop songs – these guys are not simply learning what makes for a ... CPTP088: 15,390 Pop Songs and Counting: The Hooktheory Story

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Thanks for reading CPTP087: Top 6 Myths of Teaching Pop Piano from Top Music Co.

When it comes to teaching pop piano, I’ve heard it all. Teachers cite these six barriers for getting into pop teaching time and again. But today I’m going to bust these myths. I get why you might be reluctant to branch into this area. Especially if you’ve bought into any of these preconceptions about teaching ... CPTP087: Top 6 Myths of Teaching Pop Piano

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Thanks for reading CPTP086: Top 5 Pop Piano Teaching Hacks with Coen Modder from Top Music Co.

Playing classical music didn’t really appeal to Coen when he was a kid – so he started forging his own path. He found his way into piano playing through pop music and now teaches his students using the vocabulary of chords as the foundation. Coen is passionate about pop piano teaching. He treats teaching music ... CPTP086: Top 5 Pop Piano Teaching Hacks with Coen Modder

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Thanks for reading CPTP085: More Piano Recital Ideas with Kristin Yost from Top Music Co.

When it comes to pop piano recitals, Kristin is a pro. Kristin’s students get a well-rounded education including pop and classical repertoire, and her annual pop showcase is one of her big studio highlights each year. This episode was first broadcast in September 2015. There’s a good chance you haven’t heard it unless you followed the ... CPTP085: More Piano Recital Ideas with Kristin Yost

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Thanks for reading CPTP084: 7 Creative Tech Ideas for Recitals with Shana Kirk from Top Music Co.

If you’ve been to a conference recently, you may have met Shana Kirk at one of the booths there. Shana is an expert on music technology and its applications in the piano studio. She’s here today to share seven ways you can use tech to make your recital more creative. We’ve all been to a ... CPTP084: 7 Creative Tech Ideas for Recitals with Shana Kirk

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Thanks for reading CPTP083: What’s the Best Piano Exam Syllabus? from Top Music Co.

Exams are not for every student. There are many alternatives if you want to motivate your piano students to move forward and practice more. But if you do want to go for an exam, which one should you choose? I want to encourage you not to just pick the one you know best, or the ... CPTP083: What’s the Best Piano Exam Syllabus?

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Thanks for reading CPTP082: Trinity College Piano Exams with Barry Walmsley from Top Music Co.

Barry Walmsley grew up with the AMEB, but when he found Trinity College piano exams it was a much better fit. He started working with Trinity in 1990 and is the perfect person to give us an overview of what this exam board is all about. Trinity College piano exams have many features that make ... CPTP082: Trinity College Piano Exams with Barry Walmsley

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Thanks for reading CPTP081: 3 Steps to the Effective Teaching of any Piano Piece [Worksheet Download] from Top Music Co.

Do you ever wonder exactly how to teach piano pieces? Once students have left their beginner method books, some teachers tend to get a bit lost wondering, “What do I do now? How do I prepare my students for their new pieces without that structure?” The best thing about the creative and flexible approach to ... CPTP081: 3 Steps to the Effective Teaching of any Piano Piece [Worksheet Download]

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Thanks for reading CPTP080: Beginner Piano Teaching Games with Nicola Cantan from Top Music Co.

Playing games is one of the best ways to get young kids engaged. Whether they’re learning about music or maths, gamified learning is effective and fun. Planning piano teaching games into your lessons will mean your students learn theory concepts more quickly. Games based learning is what children are set up for! They’ll also be even more ... CPTP080: Beginner Piano Teaching Games with Nicola Cantan

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Thanks for reading CPTP079: Rote Teaching with Amy Greer from Top Music Co.

Rote teaching got a bad rap for a while. But piano teachers are starting to realise the value of teaching pieces by rote and incorporate this puzzle piece into their teaching. Teaching rote pieces alongside reading pieces provides so many benefits. Kids who learn pieces this way are better at finding patterns, using their ears and ... CPTP079: Rote Teaching with Amy Greer

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Thanks for reading CPTP078: 5 Tips for Planning a Piano Teaching Curriculum from Top Music Co.

Properly planning a piano teaching curriculum is not as simple as just following an exam syllabus or a method book series. It requires careful thought and consideration to put together the curriculum for your studio and your students. Many teachers tell me that they don’t have time to fit everything into the lesson time. Others ... CPTP078: 5 Tips for Planning a Piano Teaching Curriculum

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Thanks for reading CPTP077: How to Teach Lead Sheets and Chord Charts with Susan Deas from Top Music Co.

Teach lead sheets and your students will be more likely to be lifelong pianists. In fact, Susan Deas surveyed teachers and found that 90% thought teaching lead sheets was useful skill. Cultivating a love of music and keeping students playing was also rated as a primary focus, and most teachers thought lead sheets would help with this. ... CPTP077: How to Teach Lead Sheets and Chord Charts with Susan Deas

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Thanks for reading CPTP076: Preparing Students for their Future with Susan de Weger from Top Music Co.

It goes without saying that the world is completely different than it was in Beethoven’s time. And even Beethoven had what we would now call a portfolio career, teaching, playing and composing. So why is a performance focussed music education still the norm? Why aren’t music teachers properly preparing students for their future? Decide on your ... CPTP076: Preparing Students for their Future with Susan de Weger

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Thanks for reading CPTP075: The 5 Myths of Improvisation with Bradley Sowash from Top Music Co.

Bradley is a fantastic improviser and has inspired many piano teachers to bring creativity into their piano teaching studios. Through this experience, he has found these 5 myths of improvisation stop many classically trained pianists from getting started with jazz or improv. When we allow ourselves to believe these myths, we’re closing ourselves and our ... CPTP075: The 5 Myths of Improvisation with Bradley Sowash

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Thanks for reading CPTP074: Creative Teaching QnA with Tim Topham from Top Music Co.

Creative teaching is obviously something I’m extremely passionate about. I love teaching creative skills to my own students and helping teachers to do the same. Because of this reputation, piano teachers often come to me with their creative teaching questions. And the same ones come up again and again. So in today’s show, I’m answering ... CPTP074: Creative Teaching QnA with Tim Topham

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Thanks for reading CPTP073: 5 Reasons to Get More Creative in Your Piano Teaching in 2017 from Top Music Co.

The world is changing and the old style of piano lessons often doesn’t fly anymore. We need to find ways to get more creative so we can inspire students to stick with the piano. As Tiffany, my special “piano-quitter” guest says: “You’d be surprised at how much students know where they want to go with ... CPTP073: 5 Reasons to Get More Creative in Your Piano Teaching in 2017

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Thanks for reading TTTV072: Top 7 Most Powerful Creative Piano Teaching Episodes from Top Music Co.

So much creative piano teaching innovation has happened this year on topmusic.co, and there’s heaps of exciting things coming up in 2017. Today on the show I’m giving you a sneak peek into what’s coming up. We’re also taking a walk down memory lane with my top 7 podcast episodes from the past here. More ... TTTV072: Top 7 Most Powerful Creative Piano Teaching Episodes

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Thanks for reading TTTV071: Exploring Piano Safari with Dr Julie Knerr and Katherine Fisher from Top Music Co.

When I started to explore Piano Safari I was excited. I’ve looked at many piano methods and none made quite as much sense to me as Piano Safari does. The books include rote teaching, intervallic reading, technique and improvisation all in one method. What’s not to love? The way they approach technique is truly inspired. Julie and ... TTTV071: Exploring Piano Safari with Dr Julie Knerr and Katherine Fisher

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Thanks for reading TTTV070: Avoiding Pianistic Injury with Dr Bronwen Ackermann from Top Music Co.

How much importance do you place on technique in your studio? Chances are if you’ve experienced a pianistic injury yourself you consider your technique teaching very carefully. It can be hard to undo bad habits we get into through years of study. Playing an instrument is a physical task, but we don’t often think about ... TTTV070: Avoiding Pianistic Injury with Dr Bronwen Ackermann

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Thanks for reading TTTV069: 6 Steps to Beating Overwhelm from Top Music Co.

Do you ever feel like there’s just too much information these days? It can be difficult to know where to put your focus when life, work and the internet seems to pull you in every direction. Beating overwhelm means knowing where to put your focus and attention. You can’t possibly consume all that content – ... TTTV069: 6 Steps to Beating Overwhelm

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Thanks for reading TTTV068: The Importance of Harmony with Tom Donald from Top Music Co.

Through his own musicianship and teaching, Tom Donald gradually came to realise that something was missing. There was a disconnect between what students wanted to learn and what teachers were teaching. Students were also coming out of lessons without a true comprehension of how music works. By teaching harmony first, students get a much richer ... TTTV068: The Importance of Harmony with Tom Donald

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