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”
I’m proud to say that tomorrow my blog celebrates 17 years! Thank you, readers, for being here.
To celebrate, I’m running my annual sale. Use promo code 17YEARS to get 20% off any of the digital items in my shop here. Good through March 31, 2026.
A colleague recently asked me to lead a series of group classes for her students while she was away for a month. Her goal: keep them engaged with their piano pieces and hopefully practicing in her absence.
While I have a variety of activities and games I draw upon when working with my own students, it proved an interesting challenge to consider what to do with a group of students whom I’d never met. I wanted to come up with activities that would be enjoyable while also musically meaningful.
Continue reading “How I Planned Guest Group Classes for Students I’d Never Met”
Hi friends,
Quick reminder about Amy and my upcoming live online workshop, Organize Your Life With Notion. If you have been meaning to join us, the early bird discount ends after February 15.
If your lesson notes, links, recital plans, and to-dos are spread across email, paper, Google Drive, and random sticky notes, Notion can pull it into one place.
Organize Your Life With Notion (live online workshop)
Fridays: February 27, March 6, and March 13
Time: 12:30 – 2:30 pm Eastern
Use code NOTION60 by February 15 to take $60 off your registration.
This workshop is for piano teachers and music professionals who want a simple, flexible system for keeping studio and life details in one place. We will guide you step-by-step, live, and you will have time to build alongside us.
By the end, you will be able to set up a workspace you can use for things like:
You will also get access to a library of free Notion page templates Amy and I handmade for music professionals, so you can copy what you need and customize quickly instead of starting from scratch.
Learn more and sign up here.
Hope to see you there,
Joy
Welcoming a new student into your piano studio always feels special. A new inquiry lands in your inbox, you meet a bright-eyed beginner or an eager returning student, and suddenly you’re about to embark on a musical journey together. Exciting, right?
But between that initial spark of interest and the first official lesson, there’s an administrative process to navigate. And if you’re anything like me, you want every family to feel welcomed, informed, and excited about the journey ahead.
That’s where having an onboarding system makes all the difference. With clear steps to follow, things are less likely to fall through the cracks. You can focus less on remembering administrative details and more on what matters most — connecting with your new students and planning how you’ll help them grow as a musicians.
In this article, I’ll walk you through my simple six-step process for onboarding new piano students. Whether you’re looking to refine your current system or build one from scratch, I hope you’ll find some ideas you can adapt for your own studio.
PS: In this article, I will touch on how Notion — a free “everything app” I think everyone should know about — has become a one-stop organizational system for piano studio operations and most other aspects of my life, both personal and professional. It’s been a game-changer for managing all the moving parts of running a music studio! Intrigued? Learn more here about the next offering of Organize Your Life With Notion, a 3-part online workshop for music professionals offered by Amy Chaplin and myself.
Continue reading “How I Onboard New Piano Students”
When I relocated my piano studio after grad school, a colleague gave me advice that shaped my entire business model: charge via a flat monthly fee. At first, I wasn’t sure how it would work. But after hearing out my colleague and implementing it, I found it improved multiple aspects of my studio I hadn’t expected one change to address.
That same system has served me well for years, and I’ve watched other teachers adopt it with similar results. If you’ve been curious about flat monthly fees but weren’t sure where to start, this guide is for you.
In this article, I’ll make the case for flat monthly fees, explain how the system works, and show you exactly how to calculate your rate. You’ll also find answers to common questions that may arise.
Continue reading “Why Piano Teachers Should Charge a Flat Monthly Fee for Lessons (And How to Calculate It)”
Hello piano teachers,
I’m pleased to share that Amy Chaplin and I are giving a FREE, 30-minute webinar on Tuesday, February 10 at 12:30pm Eastern Time. It’s called “What Notion Can Do For You.” During the session, we will share exactly that: what Notion — a popular “everything” app that I think everyone should know about — can do for you as a music professional! You’ll also learn more about our upcoming online workshop “Organize Your Life With Notion,” taking place February 27, March 6, and March 13. Attend the webinar live and stay until the end for a special giveaway.
Register for the FREE webinar here. A replay video will be sent out to registrants afterwards.
Check out my past articles about Notion below:
PS: Have you been waiting for this next offering of our online workshop and are ready to register? Registration is open, and early bird rates are going on now. Reserve your spot now here.
Hello, readers!
Just a quick post today. I recently gave a podcast appearance on the Piano Pantry Podcast hosted by my colleague and friend, Amy Chaplin. You might enjoy our friendly, personal chat about my teaching journey, blog, retreats, self-published resources, Notion workshops, and more. Especially if you are new around here, you might enjoy getting to know me a bit better!
If you’d like to listen, click here to visit Amy’s podcast page. Then, click the appropriate button there to read the transcript or listen on your podcast platform of choice.
Dear readers,
From my family to yours, here’s wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year! I consider it a pleasure and honor to get to write and publish about piano teaching (my favorite topic!) here on my blog, and I’m grateful for your interest and connection. I’m looking forward to continuing this joyful work in 2026 and beyond!
Thanks for being here.
Joy
Have you ever held a themed recital with your piano students? Whether you’re planning your very first studio event or your fiftieth, adding a creative theme can transform a standard recital into something unique. Themes can add an extra spark of excitement, inspire your students, and help families create lasting memories.
This guide presents over 50 recital theme options — each with suggested titles, visual concepts, and keyword inspiration to help you search for related repertoire. Whether you’re exploring themes for the first time or expanding your existing approach, you’ll find ideas that range from seasonal celebrations to musical periods, from geographical journeys to creative activities.
Continue reading “The Ultimate Guide to Piano Recital Themes: 50+ Creative Ideas for Teachers”Your Cart is Empty
