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2017 in Review: Teaching Chords and Piano Pop Music

by Tim Topham

It’s that time of the year – December is upon us and everyone is looking forward to a break. Piano teachers, you’ve deserved it! All those countless hours of teaching, planning, personal development and even travelling and it’s almost time to switch off for a few weeks. To celebrate an amazing year here on staging.topmusic.co, ... 2017 in Review: Teaching Chords and Piano Pop Music

08/31/2022 Read more

How Forrest Kinney’s New Series Will Help Your Students [Product Review]

by Rebecca Singerman-Knight

Exam Express I was 14 years’ old when I passed my ABRSM Grade 8 exam. I was not a prodigy nor exceptionally talented. I was an average young pianist who worked fairly hard and had been put on a diet of “exam….festival…repeat” since the age of four. I could not play Happy Birthday. I could ... How Forrest Kinney’s New Series Will Help Your Students [Product Review]

04/17/2018 Read more

8 Simple Steps to Create a Group Piano Composition

by Wendy Brentnall-Wood

Before we wrap up our piano composition month and head into September’s theme of group teaching, why not combine the two topics? We are so privileged to welcome guest writer Wendy Brentnall-Wood to show us exactly how you can organise a group piano composition.  Wendy is a music teacher and examiner, a published author and ... 8 Simple Steps to Create a Group Piano Composition

08/30/2017 Read more

[Video Interview] Students Share How They Found Success Learning Chords and Composition

by Sean Wales

Former Students on Composition Today’s post provides you with a student perspective on learning chords and composition. Adrian and Jackson are two of Tim’s former students. They will share with you their experiences on piano composition, and why it transformed their musical education. There are a series of videos below, touching on teaching chords, incorporating ... [Video Interview] Students Share How They Found Success Learning Chords and Composition

08/28/2017 Read more

The Power of 4 Chord Composing

by Tim Topham

Introduction All month we have explored the importance of composition in the piano studio. Now, I am excited to share with you an online course which I have been spending heaps of time creating over the past months. It’s called my 4 Chord Composing course. The following post will explain why teaching chords and composition is so ... The Power of 4 Chord Composing

08/23/2017 Read more

From Improvisation to Composition: How to Nurture Your Students’ Creativity

by Andrew Bishko, Musical U

Each week I write my student’s assignments in a plain notebook. Quite frequently, as I’m leafing through a younger child’s book, I discover a string of letters, or a scrawled drawing of a staff (number of lines variable) crowded with half notes. Some of them are proud of their “compositions”, others sheepish. But usually, when ... From Improvisation to Composition: How to Nurture Your Students’ Creativity

08/21/2017 Read more
 

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How to Get Your Beginner Piano Students Composing Music

by Carol Matz

Carol Matz is well known in the piano teaching community for her Famous and Fun series, and more recently for her Interactive Piano Method. She’s also an experienced piano teacher herself and she knows what works when it comes to great arrangements. We are super excited to have her presenting today’s guest post, all about how to ... How to Get Your Beginner Piano Students Composing Music

08/14/2017 Read more

Putting Pen to Paper: Q&A with Canadian Composer Jean-Michel Blais

by Sean Wales

Jean-Michel Blais is a world renowned Canadian-French composer. You may have heard his compositions in the past on Spotify or YouTube. We have included a video of one of his pieces in this post, so be sure to have a listen! We are so lucky to have had the chance to ask Jean-Michel a few ... Putting Pen to Paper: Q&A with Canadian Composer Jean-Michel Blais

08/07/2017 Read more

Piano Composition: Encouraging Your Students to Write Music

by Tim Topham

Piano Composition Month It will be of little surprise to regular readers of this blog that composing, and it’s precursor activity, improvising, is high on my list of priorities for well-rounded music instruction. With much of the focus of music lessons today being on reading, performance and examinations, students whose lessons are based solely on ... Piano Composition: Encouraging Your Students to Write Music

08/02/2017 Read more