Hello friends,
Recently, I have received a handful of email inquiries asking for updates about my 2024 Piano Teacher Retreat. So I thought I should at least send out a quick blog post here now that the details are finally coming together!
(By the way, in case you want to learn more about my past retreats, here’s a recap post about the 2023 Piano Teacher Retreat you can check out!)
I’m pleased to announce the dates for my 2024 retreat:
Both retreat offerings will be held here in the Southeast Michigan area – just outside the wonderful town of Ann Arbor and about a 30- to 45-minute-drive from the Detroit Airport.
Every year, I choose a theme for my retreat — something I’m interested and passionate about and think would make a great topic for us to explore in large and small group discussions and activities. Here is this year’s theme:
2024 Piano Teacher Retreat Theme:
EXPLORING IMPROVISATION AND COMPOSITION IN PIANO LESSONS
Together, let’s strive to expand the role of creativity in the piano lessons we teach. During this retreat, we’ll explore ways to guide young pianists to compose their own pieces, make their own improvisational changes to existing pieces, and create new music using what they know — including rhythm patterns, tonal patterns, and/or harmonic progressions. During group discussion and activities with fellow piano teachers, you can expect to engage in important conversations about creativity and MLT (Music Learning Theory), discover composition/improvisation resources your students will enjoy, and experience the joy of creativity in a variety of forms for yourself!
If you are looking for a professional development opportunity for this summer, I hope you’ll consider my retreat. This unique, small-group getaway experience is designed in every way to rejuvenate you and your teaching.
I will be sending out the event details to my separate “retreat” email list (so that I don’t spam everyone here). If you’d like to learn more, please join with your email address HERE. I’m very excited to share the full details with you very soon!
Would love to spend time with YOU this summer!
Hello again! I so enjoy your blog and I’m thrilled to see you’re doing this kind of thing. As a student who quickly got bored with my traditional piano repertoire, I can testify that improv saved my piano “career.” After four years of taking with a lovely piano teacher who only taught the Brimhall method, I was ready to quit. Thankfully, my mother encouraged me to switch teachers to another lovely soul who taught me to improvise and to write my own music. I took from her for another nine years! This is powerful stuff and I’m thrilled to see it. Best of luck to you and all the teachers who attend!
Thanks for sharing your story, James! How neat to hear how learning to create using music saved you from quitting lessons. I agree — powerful stuff. Thanks so much for the well wishes.