Welcome "All Keyed Up" listeners!
It was such a treat to visit with Ben on his podcast, “All Keyed Up”. He and I have a similar mission: we want to help teachers and parents and students make the most of their piano lessons.
We are here to serve you and give you the support and encouragement you deserve.
Throughout our conversation, Ben and I discussed many topics that are important for good communication with piano parents. If you would like to listen further, here are a few Piano Parent Podcast episodes you might enjoy.
Ben mentioned this episode in particular. PPP228 covers the topic of parents writing in letter names in the music. We, as teachers, know that is not the best strategy but unless we inform our piano parents, they won’t know how to avoid this temptation.
One of the most iconic pieces parents hope their children will learn to play is Beethoven’s Fur Elise. PPP190 offers some interesting facts about this lovely piano solo.
PPP190: Ten Things You Should Know About Beethoven’s Fur Elise
In PPP126, I took some cues from James Clear’s book, “Atomic Habits” to help parents and students learn how to build a better piano practicing habit.
A major part of communication is listening. Dorothy Yan shares three different types of listening in episode PPP201. In this episode, she also shares an inspiring story about a brick layer which teaches us the importance of perspective in everything we do.
PPP201: This is a Crucial Time to Talk About Listening with Dorothy Yan
Even if your piano student has had an off week (or an off month!) there is still value in studying the piano.
PPP188: The Value of Piano Study (especially during a pandemic)
I mentioned this book to Ben and you might be interested in it as well.
Jane Magrath’s “The Pianist’s Guide to Standard Teaching and Performance Literature” is a wonderful resource that will show parents, in a tangible way, that certain pieces might take a little longer to achieve than others.
Thanks again, Ben, for inviting me on your show. You are a great host and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. I’m a subscriber and one of your biggest fans!