Over the Christmas break, I had a good look into my Amazon account to see what products and books you guys had been purchasing through my links, reviews and recommendations in 2015.
It turns out that there were some surprises and so I thought I’d share my first “Best Seller List” for piano teachers…thanks to all my readers.
Here are the top 5 selling books and general resources from 2015 in order of number of purchases:
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I wasn’t surprised to see Nick Ambrosino’s fantastic book, Coffee with Ray, at the top of the list as I know it’s a favourite amongst my readers (and rightly so). If you haven’t already watched the podcast I just recorded with Nick where we talk about this book and his teaching philosophies, then you can check it out here: Episode 26 Relate > Create > Educate.
I’m pleased to see that teachers are investing in decent sound systems (eg. the Logitech Speakers), however if you can go the extra distance, I still prefer the Logitech Z623 which has a much better bass and volume range. The more you use YouTube, play-along and backing track apps in your studio, the more you’ll benefit from a decent sound system.
Whatever you do, please don’t rely on your iPad speakers for backing tracks and play-along activities unless you absolutely have no other choice. The improvement in sound quality that you’ll get from spending between $100-$150 on a simple sound system is HUGE and well worth the investment, particularly given the set of Logitech speakers that I’m using are now well over 10 years old and show no signs of needing replacement in the near (or distant) future.
If you’re exploring pop backing tracks, your kids will love the immersive experience that can only come with either headphones (impractical when teaching) or a good sound system that will fill the room and, most importantly, a sub woofer that will provide some solid bass. Trust me, you’ll appreciate the difference – even for your own musical listening.
Also great to see that more and more people are saving their backs and teaching with a telescopic pointer!
Full Resources List
During last year, I started to receive more and more questions from teachers about the equipment that I use in my studio, so I put together a full list of resources so that you can access it whenever you need to.
I’ll keep this updated with new gear as I test it.
Rest assured that the resources that I share with you are things that I currently or have recently used and recommend highly. I wouldn’t want to risk my reputation on dodgy gear, so you can be assured that everything in my list has been thoroughly tested and used with my own students.
The new Resources Page lists everything from tablets, holders, mics, website hosting, website themes, scheduling apps – everything I use in my day-to-day teaching and website work.
I’ve been wondering recently whether the weight training and gym work I do each week is actually good or bad for my piano playing. I go to the gym three times a week where I generally do a 20-30 min cardio warmup followed by around 75 minutes of weight training. As those of you who ... 2015 Best Selling Piano Teaching Resources [according to our readers]
I’ve just finished reading Daniel Barenboim’s autobiography entitled “A Life in Music” and thought I’d share some of his thoughts and comments on music for my readers. Despite being an exceptional pianist, the book is actually more about his life as a conductor. At first I was a bit disappointed by this but I soon ... 2015 Best Selling Piano Teaching Resources [according to our readers]
Voyeuristic Practice?! How watching other performers can make you a better player.
by Tim Topham
I was watching a TV program last week called “Test your brain“, a series developed by National Geographic Channel which explores how the mind works. The first episode was all about memory (interesting enough for musicians), but the second episode entitled, “You won’t believe your eyes”, really got me thinking about the effect of visual ... 2015 Best Selling Piano Teaching Resources [according to our readers]
Back in the beginning of my career I used to set weekly goals for my students. I’d write them in their assignment books and at the following lesson, would go down the list, checking if they had completed their assignments. I thought that’s what it meant to be a responsible teacher… Until one day, a ... 2015 Best Selling Piano Teaching Resources [according to our readers]
Tim Topham is the founder and director of TopMusic. Tim hosts the popular TopCast show, blogs regularly at dev.topmusic.co and speaks at local and international conferences on topics such as pedagogy, business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Tim has been featured in American Music Teacher, The Piano Teacher Magazine, California Music Teacher and EPTA Piano Professional. Tim holds an MBA in Educational Leadership, BMus, DipEd and AMusA.
Hi Tim,
Thank you so much for the webinar Friday and for this email “Best Selling Piano Teaching Resources”. I LOVED the webinar, and I really A:PRECIATE this Resource list.
You answered a question I was going to ask you. I saw the little speaker on your piano. I wondered what kind it was. I need a good speaker for my studio, but I didn’t know what to buy. Thank you for all this information.
The Book “Talent is Overrated” is being recommended in a class that I expect you would never imagine. On Saturdays, I attend a “Bill’s Room” class on Futures trading. Dr. Bill lives in CA. He always recommends 2 or 3 books for traders to read. So, I sent him a copy of “Talent is Overrated.” Now, he mentions it every Saturday. A few weeks ago, there was a trader in the room from Australia who asked about the book. I typed in that you are the person from whom I learned about the book and that you live in Australia. He said he was going to order it right away!
I’m going to have fun starting on your list. I ordered the Ladybug squeezies tonight.
Thanks so your comment, Linda. What a great story! I love how things like performance anxiety, deliberate
practice and talent cross-over into all areas of life. Didn’t think about the
connection with futures trading – who would’ve known?! Have fun with the Ladybugs 🙂
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Hi Tim,
Thank you so much for the webinar Friday and for this email “Best Selling Piano Teaching Resources”. I LOVED the webinar, and I really A:PRECIATE this Resource list.
You answered a question I was going to ask you. I saw the little speaker on your piano. I wondered what kind it was. I need a good speaker for my studio, but I didn’t know what to buy. Thank you for all this information.
The Book “Talent is Overrated” is being recommended in a class that I expect you would never imagine. On Saturdays, I attend a “Bill’s Room” class on Futures trading. Dr. Bill lives in CA. He always recommends 2 or 3 books for traders to read. So, I sent him a copy of “Talent is Overrated.” Now, he mentions it every Saturday. A few weeks ago, there was a trader in the room from Australia who asked about the book. I typed in that you are the person from whom I learned about the book and that you live in Australia. He said he was going to order it right away!
I’m going to have fun starting on your list. I ordered the Ladybug squeezies tonight.
Linda
Thanks so your comment, Linda. What a great story! I love how things like performance anxiety, deliberate
practice and talent cross-over into all areas of life. Didn’t think about the
connection with futures trading – who would’ve known?! Have fun with the Ladybugs 🙂
Just pinned your “Resources Page” to be able to refer to over and over. Thanks for the comprehensive list and links for purchasing!
Great news, Marie. Do share the link to your pinterest board so that others can check it out.