How many things can you think of that have nasty side effects? Medicines. Technologies. Political policies. Even just things we’ve said or done to people we know.
How many times have you been thrust into a role or responsibility you weren’t ready for? How many times have you expected someone else to do something they weren’t […]

(For my students/parents, this past week’s lesson was all about my recent conference experience. I’ve been sending the below message out by email to a number of other people, and it seemed worth sharing more broadly, so that’s all I’m doing here in the newsletter this month!)
Earlier this week, I returned from the annual Simply […]

I thought a nice way to bring the year to a close would be with some stuff that would be both enlightening and fun. Trust me, read on, you’re going to want to see this…!
In life, we can sometimes feel silly doing certain things that are asked of us. That’s certainly true in piano lessons, […]

With the year winding down, some recent happenings made me think it would be a good idea to share some very simple accompaniment versions of some holiday songs.
About a week ago, Simply Music announced a newly revamped version of their

Occasionally, and almost certainly more often rather than less, it’s helpful to remind ourselves of just what it is we can get out of learning to play the piano. The benefits are truly profound, and far more than what we may often think about. Keeping them in mind helps us keep our eye on the […]

The Summer comes to a close, along with its vacations and other scheduling chaos that can make piano progress a bit erratic for many students. We’ve just completed a week of repertoire reviews, looking for the parts of your songs that may need a bit of work in order to strengthen the repertoire. As many […]

Last week, on Thursday, September 3, we held our first Piano Potluck, and it was happy success.
What the heck is a piano potluck!? The potluck part is easy. Everyone brought a dish, and we enjoyed some tasty food together. For the piano part, I had a keyboard set up, and throughout the potluck a number […]

Here are some references and new developments that will hopefully help make it much easier for you to use the Lesson Line to get as much as possible out of your lessons.
The content of the Lesson Line is just as much a part of your lessons as anything delivered in studio, providing important advice to […]

Though you will only finish an individual Level or Special Program once in a while, that very fact makes each program’s Evaluation Form all the more important. While your teacher helps assess your progress at each lesson, those occasional Evaluation Forms are a key opportunity to assess your teacher’s progress. Your honest feedback is extremely […]

As your repertoire grows, keeping all your songs alive takes more work. In addition to the practice habits that can help your playing stay in great shape, there are some things you can do with the actual Playlist itself to make it simpler to manage.
Color the Lines
How many times have you checked off the song […]