Hi Friends! It’s McKenzie 😊 I spend a lot of time talking about teaching, but haven’t taken the time to introduce myself yet… so some spark notes on myself: 🎵I grew up in a musical family… I only have one brother, but the house was always loud because we each play 3 instruments.🎵I love reading, …
The Rubik’s Cube and Your Teaching Schedule This Fall
As I was looking ahead to my teaching schedule this fall (think a Rubik’s cube, a headache, and lots of emails), I noticed an opportunity to cut an evening out of my schedule. Everyone certainly has their preferences when it comes to their teaching schedule. I, for one, am not a huge fan of teaching …
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Your Littlest Piano Ninjas
My youngest student is currently 3 years old, and right now we are focusing on counting, finger independence, and music appreciation. I also have 4 and 5 year old students working right alongside the rest of my students (I really do teach age 3-93 😉 ). And although some teachers refuse to teach little ones …
Book of the Month: July 2021
In The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto, Mitch Albom chooses Music to narrate the life of Frankie Presto. We begin by finding ourselves at Frankie's funeral, his death surrounded by mystery and intrigue. As the book transitions between funeral-goers and their stories of knowing Frankie to Music's telling of Frankie's life, the reader gets an …
Kinesthetic Learning Meets Ear Training
Kinesthetic learning meets ear training in today’s free printable! I recently saw an old picture my mom had taken of me from high school. In it I was reading a book. But I wasn’t sitting on a chair, in the grass, or on my bed. I was walking around my house in circles while I …
When music meets real life … July’s Roundup
If you've been around the blog recently, you've likely noticed that I have committed to taking hold of as many touchpoints with my students and their families as is possible - and as makes sense. Too much communication, and everyone gets frazzled and annoyed. Too little, and the same is likely to happen. So I …
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Ninja Note Flashcards
This past weekend turned out with beautiful weather for the Fourth of July here in Ohio, and I took every opportunity to enjoy it! A weekend of biking, hiking, kayaking, and swimming later, I woke up today sore and feeling worn out. Thankfully in that I-really-enjoyed-it-all kind of way, but nevertheless worn. My neighbors probably …
Book of the Month: June 2021
On any given day, it’s easier to deal with what’s at hand rather than have a larger-than-self attitude. Today’s problems often either consume us or shut us down. But in a world where the everyday, mundane, and overwhelming seem like all there is, reading can offer us a fresh glance at the bigger picture. So …
Free Piano Ninja Game to Kick Off the Summer
Are you using the Piano Ninja Challenge with your students this summer? The only thing better than the challenge itself is having lots of fun extras to keep the theme going 🙂 We'll be keeping our ninja theme going all summer, but today I'm sharing a fun and engaging kinesthetic game along with a banner …
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Will your studio be crawling with piano ninjas this summer?
What will teaching look like for you this summer? It may be unusual, but my studio does not follow the school calendar. In part because I teach students from several different school districts, and it would be near impossible. But even more than that, it is my desire that my studio families view piano lessons …
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