Beginners
blog posts

Teach music confidently without the stress

10 Tips on Engaging Preschool Music Students through Movement

by Megan Desmarais

Teaching Preschool Music Students Read right to the end to find out details for this week’s free live webinar on how to thrive teaching troubling toddlers! Preschoolers are a popular demographic to reach within a piano studio these days. The under five crowd is a delightful group to work with. They’re fun, curious and energetic. ... 10 Tips on Engaging Preschool Music Students through Movement

04/24/2018 Read more

How to Teach Chord Progressions to Beginners – Video Tutorial

by Tim Topham

Teaching Chord Progressions To start the year off with a bang, I’ve been teaching most of my students about chord progressions and how easy they are to construct. For my junior kids and those who like pop music, I tend to stay away from music reading for at least a week to get everyone having fun ... How to Teach Chord Progressions to Beginners – Video Tutorial

02/19/2018 Read more

Product Review: The Musicolor Method

by Carol Koczo

Welcome to another product review on staging.topmusic.co. If you’re interested in learning more about some of the products our community is using, why not check out these links? The Piano Mastery Course Collabra Music – Finally a Way to Track Students’ Practice The Musicolor Method Most piano teachers use piano method books as a source ... Product Review: The Musicolor Method

01/15/2018 Read more

How to Find Your Perfect Piano Teaching Method

by Megan Desmarais

When you first start teaching music, one of the hardest things is deciding what your piano teaching method is going to be. What kind of teacher will you be? How will you inspire your students? These are all questions to consider before your first student walks into your sparkly new piano studio.  To give us ... How to Find Your Perfect Piano Teaching Method

11/07/2017 Read more

Cool Late Beginner Music Part 2 [RR#5]

by Tim Topham

Good morning everyone, or good evening if you’re over in the states or Europe. Tim Topham here again for my fortnightly Repertoire Rap-Up. So, what I do in these sessions if you haven’t seen one of these before is, just go through a whole lot of cool music I’ve found recently, that kids are really ... Cool Late Beginner Music Part 2 [RR#5]

04/19/2017 Read more

Fun Late Beginner Piano Music [RR#4]

by Tim Topham

Fun Late Beginner Piano Music [RR#4] Tim Topham: It’s Tim Topham here and I’m really excited today to show you some of my recent finds and the things that I’ve been using over the last few years for late beginner students. These are the kids that have done their primer method book, they may have ... Fun Late Beginner Piano Music [RR#4]

03/28/2017 Read more
 

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How to Teach Beginner Piano Students [No Book Beginners]

by Tim Topham

What is the best way to teach beginner piano students and to inspire, engage and motivate them in their first lesson? Is it through opening a method book and teaching students how to read middle C? Or, is it through: Exploring the piano Creating musical stories Playing games Playing by ear Transposing Harmonising, and Improvising? If ... How to Teach Beginner Piano Students [No Book Beginners]

03/26/2017 Read more

Why I Teach Beginner Piano Students Without a Method Book

by Tim Topham

Teaching young beginners effectively is one of the most important jobs in music education. But how often do we assess our own strategies for teaching beginner piano versus continuing to teach the way we’ve always taught (or, worse still, the way we ourselves were taught)? In this article, I’m going to explain why you should ditch the method ... Why I Teach Beginner Piano Students Without a Method Book

03/22/2017 Read more

Teaching Beginner Piano and Planning a Curriculum

by Tim Topham

This month's theme is all about teaching beginner piano in a more fun and creative way and planning lessons for maximum impact without relying on exam boards or other set curricula. I'll be releasing my "No Book Beginners" course to help you engage your students in creative, musical activities before they ever open a method book and we'll explore ideas for lesson planning and sequencing at all levels. Can't wait!

03/02/2017 Read more

Fun First Piano Lesson: 12 Bar Blues [videos and lesson plans]

by Tim Topham

The first piano lesson of the year is a great time to do something different with your students. And I don’t mean just choosing a new piece of music. I mean scrapping the music altogether and getting off the page. It’s easier to do than you might think and kids love it. Want to know ... Fun First Piano Lesson: 12 Bar Blues [videos and lesson plans]

01/24/2017 Read more

How to Build an Early Childhood Music Program from Scratch

by Paul Myatt

A plethora of research confirms why we, as music educators, should educate little ones. In 2015, a University of Queensland study found when a young child is engaged in music making with an adult (usually a parent), he or she benefits in the areas of attention regulation, acquisition of positive social skills as well as ... How to Build an Early Childhood Music Program from Scratch

11/16/2016 Read more

Early Childhood Music Teaching

by Tim Topham

Teaching early childhood music requires a different approach to usual piano lessons and, for many teachers, unless you've been trained in this area, working out the best way to teach really young students can be a huge challenge. So this month on the blog and podcast, we're focussing on teaching the youngest students, from around age 0 - 8 years, exploring how to give them the best educational outcomes and set them up for a life of music-making. Ready to learn more?

10/05/2016 Read more