I recently said goodbye to my piano.
I’ve been setting money aside for many years in hopes of someday upgrading my piano, and this year is finally the year. So, over the past few months, I’ve been visiting various piano stores to play lots of instruments and get a better sense of what’s out there.
Continue reading “An Ode and Goodbye to My Piano”
Just a quick invitation to consider joining me and my colleague-friend, Amy Chaplin, at the Reach and Rise Virtual Conference taking place July 29-31, 2026. Amy and I will be presenting a session on Thursday the 30th at 10am Central. Our session is titled: Notion: The Everything App You Didn’t Know You Needed.
If you’ve read my past blog posts about Notion and have been curious to learn more about how Amy and I both use Notion as music professionals, this might be the perfect opportunity! Plus, Elizabeth Gutierrez, the organizer of this conference, has a variety of great sessions and speakers lined up for this event, as you’ll see on the event schedule:
Topics covered include: reading, technique, musicality, artistry, expression, performing, parent communication, and studio management with tools like Notion and Canva. Replay recordings are provided in the event that you can’t watch all the sessions live.
Early bird pricing ends Monday, July 6. View the schedule and register now HERE. (Full disclosure: This is an affiliate link — thanks for supporting my work!)
At the end of the school year, we piano teachers often find ourselves saying goodbye to graduating seniors — students who may have spent years growing up in our studios.
In a recent email newsletter (P.S.: If you aren’t already on my email list, sign up here — I’ll send you blog post updates, along with a monthly newsletter with a personal note and other highlights), I shared about the final lessons I recently had with two students. I described a few things I did to make those last lessons feel special.
That email resonated with several readers, who wrote back to share what they have done for their own graduating students. I loved reading their ideas, and asked permission to pass a few of them along here.
Some of these ideas are simple, while others could become part of a recital or studio celebration. Either way, they give us a way to celebrate the time we’ve shared and mark the end of a student’s years in the studio.
Continue reading “9 Meaningful Ways to Celebrate Graduating Piano Students”
Last week, I hosted my 2026 Retreat at Piano Manor — a three-day event for growth-minded piano teachers. I feel so grateful to have been able to organize, host, and lead this event for teachers! Here are some highlights from our time together, June 8-10, 2026.
Continue reading “Highlights from my 2026 Retreat at Piano Manor”
Earlier this month, eight of my students participated in auditions through the National Guild of Piano Teachers for the first time — and so did I, as their teacher. Despite more than twenty years of piano teaching, this was my first experience with Guild. After a few months of learning the syllabus, handling the admin work, and watching my students perform, I came away with a lot to share. I’m glad I took the plunge. In this article, I’ll share what I learned as well as what I see to be the pros and cons of the Guild program.
Continue reading “A Seasoned Piano Teacher’s First Experience with Piano Guild Auditions”My spring studio recital took place a couple of weeks ago. Our recital venue was the church where I am employed as the church pianist and director of music. They have a lovely Yamaha DU1 that was purchased about a year ago.
I’m pleased to share that Alfred Music has published one of my latest compositions! I am honored to be among about 15 new composers Alfred recently recruited to add new pieces to their Signature Series Solos.
Continue reading “My First Publication with Alfred Music”Exciting news – I’ve just added TWO new color options for the cover of my Musician’s Practice Planner. The new colors are orange and purple, making a total of five color options now available.
A teacher recently sent me a message: “It’s working wonders with my daughter!!!”
Coincidently, I can echo the exact same sentiment. Two months ago, I started using my Musician’s Practice Planner with my own 6-year-old daughter. She is really motivated by marking those checkmarks when we do our piano practice every morning before school.
Continue reading “NEW colors available for my Musician’s Practice Planner”Hello readers,
Today, I thought I’d pass along information about a few professional development opportunities offered by the Gordon Institute for Music Learning (GIML) this summer. Taking my first Professional Development Levels Course (PDLC) through GIML back in 2016 was pivotal in setting me on a course to continue to studying music learning more deeply and applying Gordon’s work to my practice as a piano teacher. Since then, I’ve taken three other PDLCs. I highly recommend them.
Below are details about three offerings this summer (2026) of GIML’s Piano Level 1 PDLC.
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Dates (in person): July 6-10
Dates (Online Theory): May 17- June 28
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Dates (in person): June 29-July 3
Dates (Online Theory): May 10-June 21
Kammermusiksaal Ehrenbreitstein (Koblenz, Germany)
Dates (in person): July 20-July 24
Dates (Online Theory): May 17- June 28
For more complete details as well as information about GIML’s other 2026 PDLC offerings (choral, early childhood music, elementary general, etc.), click here. For more details about what is covered in GIML’s PDLC Piano Level 1, please visit GIML’s website here.
My tips:
Related:
Professional development has a way of reigniting your teaching like nothing else. I hope you have something great for yourself on the horizon!
If you teach piano or music and love hands-on rhythm activities, this one’s for you. I’m excited to share a free printable for the Rhythm Rotation Game — a fun, structured activity to help students explore macrobeats, microbeats, divisions, and improvised rhythm. Continue reading to download the free printable and view a two example videos.
Continue reading “Rhythm Rotation Game (Free Printable)”
Hello there,
I’m writing today with an announcement and personal invitation. My 2026 piano teacher retreat — the sixth since I founded it in 2017 — will take place in June, and I would love to have you there.
Retreat at Piano Manor
Monday–Wednesday, June 8–10, 2026
We’ll be gathering in southeast Michigan for three days of musicianship-focused learning, great conversation, and real retreat vibes — a beautiful historic house with themed guest rooms, a pool, and delicious homemade meals.
This retreat is open to any piano teacher who wants to come. Whether you’ve been reading my blog for years or just found me recently, whether you teach beginners or advanced students, whether you’ve been teaching for a few years or many — wherever you are in your teaching journey, you are welcome here.
If there’s even a small part of you that’s curious, I’d encourage you to mark these dates on your calendar and then take a look here for general retreat information.
Want me to keep you in the loop?
I share the most detailed retreat information — theme reveal, room options, and reminders — through a separate email list. If you’d like updates sent directly to you starting next week, you’re welcome to join here.
Thanks for considering my retreat!
Joy
If you’ve ever attended one of my group classes for my piano students, you know that I like to start with a short ice breaker activity. Often, it’s as simple as asking each student to state their name and their favorite color/animal/book/ice cream flavor.
I think ice breakers are useful for getting people connected. And the best teaching — and the best music-making — happens when people feel connected to one another.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been experimenting and testing out a new ice breaker activity with my groups — and I’m so excited to finally share it as a new resource in my shop: a printable conversation starter game called Tuned In.
Continue reading “Introducing “Tuned In” — A Conversation Card Game for Musicians”Your Cart is Empty
