New to Color In My Piano? This page is a great place to start! Below is a listing of some of the most popular posts from the archives.
A Little More About Joy
- Tour of My Teaching Studio | View some pictures of my studio set-up.
- My Piano Purchase | The story of my purchase of my Kawai 5’7”.
- A Peek into the Incentive Program Prize Box | One of the ways I motivate my students.
- Celebrating Two Years! | The two-year blog anniversary post that includes a history of the ColorInMyPiano blog.
Teaching Tips
- Rethinking the Student’s First Lesson | Ideas for how to give a student’s first piano lesson.
- 9 Tips for Teaching Piano to Young Ages | Some tips for teaching students age 6 and under.
- Tips for a Successful First Recital | Some ideas to help with planning a student recital.
- Developing a Good Sense of Rhythm | The three components to developing a good sense of rhythm in our students.
- 9 Ideas for Motivating Piano Students | Every student is different – here’s some ideas for finding out how to motivate your students.
- What Motivates Musicians & Music Students? | A more in-depth discussion of motivation and how it works.
- Teaching Music Theory: Our Responsibility | Why piano teachers should always include a theory component.
- Analogies for Finger/Hand Shape | Teachers share creative ideas for getting students to curve their fingers!
- Introducing Students to New Pieces | A checklist of ideas for introducing a new piece.
- Teaching Tip: Engaging the Emotions | Increase learning by engaging your student’s emotions.
- Music + Imagination | Musings about inspiration, imagination, and engagement with music.
- 6 Ways to Stay Connected to Parents | Ideas for keeping the lines of communication open.
- Determining Tuition Rates for Piano Teaching | Some advice to consider when setting rates.
- Over 20 Musical Spins on Favorite Games | Make games like Candyland or Jenga into music games!
- Thoughts on the Teaching Philosophy | Why you should write a teaching philosophy, and some ideas to get you started!
- 6 Ways for Teachers to Stay Current | Teachers are never done learning!
- Being a Member of MTNA or other Professional Organizations | Why you should consider joining MTNA.
Blogging
- So You Want To Start A Blog? | Thinking about starting your own blog? This article is for you!
- Tips for Making Your Blog Reader-Friendly | Part 1 of a series about improving your blog’s appearance.
- More About the Logistics of Setting Up A Blog | This article goes more in-depth about the logistics of getting a blog set-up.
Studio Business
- Humidity and My Piano | Use a hygrometer to check the humidity levels to help keep your piano in tune.
- What to Include in your Studio Policies | What to include, and what not to include? Check it out.
- My Thoughts on Practice Requirements | Rethinking the timed practice requirement.
- Incentive Programs | My thoughts on incentive programs, plus some ideas to get you started in creating your own.
- Teaching Music Theory: Our Responsibility | Thoughts on why and how to include theory in the private lesson setting.
- 30 Theme Ideas for Music Studio Events | Check out these fun theme ideas for music studio events.
Technology
- A Closer Look at MuseScore: Free Music Notation Software | In this highly-popular post, I test-drive and give a review of the MuseScore software.
- Free Website Builder: Weebly.com | In this post, I highly recommend using this site for creating your own studio website if you don’t have one already. The best part about Weebly.com? It’s free!
Recitals
- Benefits of Holding A Piano Studio Recital | a list of reasons why to hold a piano recital for your students to participate in!
- Checklist for Planning Student Recitals | This handy post gives a “to-do” checklist for planning a studio recital — very appropriate as the we approach the spring recital season!
- What to Say at Student Recitals | Have an upcoming student recital, but are unsure of what to say to in front of all those faces? Check out this post for ideas.
- 30 Theme Ideas for Music Studio Events | Ideas for adding a fun twist to the traditional student recital!
- Practice Performing | Ideas to get students mentally prepared before a performance.
- Thoughts on Memorization: A Skill Integral to Piano Playing? | A discussion about the value of teaching memorization.
- 12 Tips for Memorizing Piano Music | Some tips and ideas for memorizing piano music.
- Dealing with Performance Anxiety | Tips and ideas for coping with performance anxiety — both before and during a performance.
Don’t forget to visit the Printables page to see all the free resources you can download and enjoy. :)
