All success stories

TopMusicPro Teacher Success Story: Lisa Kisselstein

I now feel like I can do this and have a sense of hope. I love the creativity, openness, and out of the box thinking that TopMusicPro fosters. It is energising! My world has opened up by meeting teachers from across the globe who face similar challenges.

Lisa’s Results

  • An in depth understanding of pedagogical techniques
  • Access to the expertise of a worldwide group of educators
  • Confidence to expand her studio
  • Better results for students of all abilities

How TopMusicPro helped Lisa build a strong business and expand her knowledge of pedagogy

  • Structured lessons and courses on musical pedagogy
  • Access to helpful teaching resources
  • Guided sessions with experts
  • A vibrant and active community of educators

What was your life like before TopMusicPro?

My name is Lisa Kisselstein, and I am from Syracuse, New York. My primary instrument is voice, but I also teach piano and the flute.

My business practices were not so sharp and it has been hard to break through that mindset for myself. I needed to get past the perspective of a mum who teaches after-school hours to bring in a little extra cash.

My studio was quiet before because I had been using mostly word of mouth. I was struggling when I came back, and I knew I could teach because I had done it this way for quite a while.

What changed for you after working with TopMusicPro?

TopMusicPro has helped me gain a greater understanding of piano pedagogy than I would have been able to obtain by myself.

I sat down for one of the webinars introducing the new course, and there was Fred Karpoff’s name. I got this big smile on my face. I finally had a chance to complete the entire technique curriculum, which is something I had never done before.

Now I have a better understanding of jumping in at the last minute and playing a piece. It is helping my students, but has also helped me be a better teacher and musician.

I have gained some confidence and realised I needed to go through a rebrand. I did that and gained a better understanding of who I am as a person and why I run my studio in the process.

I understand how I bring value as an individual and what I can bring to the table as a teacher and studio owner.

What are your favourite resources from TopMusicPro?

If I had to pick one part of TopMusicPro as my favourite it would be the Power Hours. I choose to participate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays with amazing groups of people that shift in and out.

They are hosted by Tara and Rosemarie. It has been enriching and people bring in ideas and methods that worked for them.

We get to work together, and I think that’s the biggest benefit of Power Hours. All the ideas everybody brings are amazing, and all the projects that I see coming in the future are exciting.

Is TopMusicPro worth the investment?

TopMusicPro is absolutely worth the investment. We get the TopMusicSheets at the beginning of the month, opportunities to join Power Hours and all the curriculum documents.

At first it can be overwhelming because there are so many great resources you get access to!

Would you recommend TopMusicPro?

I would highly recommend TopMusicPro to anybody, but especially to anybody like me who is struggling to get started or restarted. I think this is the best resource to get started with.

Finding a community like this is wonderful. We have the forums, the Power Hours, and you can reach out to find support at almost any hour of the day because TopMusicPro is a worldwide community.