It's that time of year when our lives are busy and we just want our studios to keep ticking without added pressure. Looking at my calendar I realize I only have 3 weeks of lessons before our Christmas break begins. In that time, my students will perform at our annual Music Against Hunger performance, I …
Category: Holiday
Looking for Easter Basket Fillers With a Longer Shelf Life?
Spring is in the air, and Easter is just around the corner! And whether or not you view Easter as a big holiday with gifts, music, and celebration, this holiday is an opportunity waiting to be taken hold of when it comes to encouraging a musical home environment 🙂 Easter baskets and chocolate bunnies are …
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Black History Month in the Music Studio
Welcome to February! The month where all things love, winter (snow seems to fall a bit extra in Cleveland), and Black History month converge! While I strive to incorporate Valentine’s Day and weather-related activities in with my student’s learning, February presents a unique opportunity to celebrate artists and music styles in a very specific and …
Cupid’s Note Reading
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and Cupid is doing some target practice around my studio 🙂 This year I've committed to popping in quick and easy note reading practice every moment possible during lessons. Typically, keeping it short makes it that much more palatable for those students who typically squirm when note reading …
Can Santa Deliver Gifts AND Good Practice Habits?
Christmas music is in full swing, and the excitement is tangible around my studio 🙂 Now that it's December, we've had a few snowflakes, and there are sparkling Christmas lights hung everywhere, I have joined my student’s excitement in hearing the carols coming out of my studio (key word being December, not November). But sometimes …
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Integrating Music Into a Season of Frenzy
The holiday season is in full swing, and because of this my husband and I took a close look at our calendar yesterday. We are blessed with families we love to be around, a church we are active in, and jobs we are grateful for and want to give our attention to. The closer look …
Spot It!: Nutcracker Edition
Tis the season where we often feel frantic. Holidays, events, performances, family ... and suddenly I feel tired just sitting here! Studio life can feel just as frantic - especially if your students will be performing. But providing fun and engaging holiday-related activities will add the push you and your students need to get to …
What’s November really about?
It's November! And around my studio, that means the Christmas music makes its first appearance. Everyone has their own philosophy on when Christmas music should begin. Because I'm a musician and I understand the idea of practice, I dutifully hand it out after Halloween. But my piano teacher ears can't handle Jingle Bells much before …
It’s Not Too Late!
This past week knocked me flat down. I went from a mild cold and enough energy for online teaching to a very bad cold where I couldn't even teach online due to lack of sleep and voice. This week's main activity of choice was sitting on the couch and sleeping or reading, and coincidentally enough, …
Resource Roundup: October 2021
If your schedule is anything like mine has been lately, you want to walk into October with your teaching materials as planned as possible 🙂 Your students will be thrilled at the prospect of anything Halloween related showing up in their lessons, but it doesn't have to be complicated! Below you'll find my favorites for …
Piano Possibilities 