Category Archives: inspiration

Forum Q&A | New Year’s Resolutions for Piano Teachers

By joy (admin) | Published: 3 January 2012

I’ve already blogged a bit about my New Year’s Resolution.  Now it’s your turn! Our previous Q&A Forum brought about a great discussion about whether or not to lesson plan for piano lessons (and if so, how to feasibly do so even if you have a large studio).  Today, let’s start a discussion about what change you’d [...]

Also posted in Forum Q&A's, improving as a teacher, professional development, series | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Teaching Tip: Count Like a Musician!

By joy (admin) | Published: 19 October 2010

At the 2010 Michigan Music Teachers Assocation conference this weekend, our conference clinician Martha Hilley had some wise words for us that I thought I’d share here: Always be a musician, even when you are counting aloud! As she led us through some various exercises during one of the sessions, Martha Hilley encouraged us to [...]

Also posted in improving as a teacher, practicing, rhythm | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

9 Ideas for Motivating Piano Students

By joy (admin) | Published: 18 October 2010

We have all had students who are low on motivation at one point or another. It’s not always easy to keep students practicing week after week. To make matters more complicated, every student is different: something that motivates one student might not work for the next. This post contains 9 great suggestions for increasing motivation among your piano students.

Also posted in improving as a teacher, motivation, studio business | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Piano as a way to build community

By joy (admin) | Published: 8 July 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6LeEKX1mLE&NR=1″>this

Check out this fascinating news story: It’s great to see the great potential music (especially the piano) has to connect members of a community in a unique way!  This story really got me thinking: what are some ways we as teachers of music can use our skills to connect and benefit the community?  We tend [...]

Also posted in improving as a teacher, resources / links | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

SUMMARY | The June Forum: Making Your Vocation A Vacation

By joy (admin) | Published: 6 July 2010

June is over (summer is going by so quickly!!), and so is the June Forum: Making Your Vocation A Vacation topic.  Thanks for all the thought-provoking comments, all!  Here’s a summary of your comments, along with some thoughts of my own mixed in: Teach only when you want to. Don’t overdo it.  Only schedule yourself what [...]

Also posted in Forum Q&A's, improving as a teacher, motivation, series, studio business | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The June Forum: Making your Vocation a Vacation

By joy (admin) | Published: 8 June 2010

As mentioned yesterday, a new series is being introduced here at Color In My Piano: a monthly forum of sorts, where readers put their heads together a discuss various topics.  The success of this series depends on YOU, so please, type away! Without further ado, allow me to introduce the topic for the June forum: [...]

Also posted in improving as a teacher, settings: | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fun tip

By joy (admin) | Published: 28 May 2010

Today I just thought I’d share a fun little tip I learned from one of my students this week!  Yes, you read that right: she taught me.  =)  She is a young beginner student, just learning how to read music on the staff.  She informed me that she came up with a way for remembering [...]

Also posted in beginners / elementary Level, by student's level, private lessons, settings: | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

New Music Blogs on the Block

By joy (admin) | Published: 15 April 2010

This week, I recently stumbled upon some great blogs about piano teaching to add to my blogroll.  Some are new, and other have been around for a while, but they all have wonderful things to share! Jen’s Piano Studio Blog – lots of game ideas and free resources.

Also posted in improving as a teacher, resources / links | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Things I Learned from a Yeol Eum Son Masterclass

By joy (admin) | Published: 9 February 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNJdjtNxop0&feature=channel”>here

Last week, my university held a master class by Yeol Eum Son, the silver winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn competition.  I played a Chopin Etude, op.10 no.6.  She gave me a number of specific suggestions which were very helpful, but there were two general concepts I took from the experience: 1. Posture: keep your [...]

Also posted in improving as a teacher, what I'm up to | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

30 Theme Ideas for Music Studio Events

By joy (admin) | Published: 4 February 2010

Here’s a list of 30 theme ideas for music studio events!  Themes can be used as the studio theme for the school year, or for summer music camps, or for studio recitals.  If used for the studio theme for the whole year, there are a number of ways the theme can be incorporated: the incentive [...]

Also posted in group classes, improving as a teacher, incentive programs, motivation, music camps, music history, recitals / performances, settings: | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What Motivates Musicians and Music Students? – Part 2

By joy (admin) | Published: 12 November 2009

This post is Part 2 of the two-part series: What Motivates Musicians and Music Students?  Here’s a quick recap and then the conclusion of the series: This goal [creating students who can convey musical meaning] in itself is an intrinsic motivator, for even the youngest of students can appreciate the value of musical meaning and [...]

Also posted in improving as a teacher, incentive programs, motivation, practicing, settings: | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What Motivates Musicians and Music Students? – Part 1

By joy (admin) | Published: 10 November 2009

I found an interesting post over at the Third-Stream Music Education blog.  It includes a link to a fascinating video of Dan Pink’s presentation about motivation in the business world (be sure to watch the whole thing!).  The post at the Third-Stream Music Ed blog makes some interesting connections between ways of motivating employees and ways of [...]

Also posted in improving as a teacher, incentive programs, motivation, practicing, resources / links, settings: | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment
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