teaching boys piano
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How To Teach Super Mario Bros. On Piano

by Tim Topham

Do you have students who love Super Mario and would love to learn music from the video game? We have tips to help you out!

03/13/2023 Read more

When piano class is a battle of wills with that teenage boy!

by Anita E Kohli

Today I’d like to introduce you to Anita Kohli who teaches in Mumbai, India and writes for us about a topic that readers will appreciate is very close to my own heart: teaching boys. Teenagers of either gender can be a challenge to motivate at times and Anita gives some great tips for dealing with difficult students. ... When piano class is a battle of wills with that teenage boy!

12/04/2015 Read more

Motivating teens with PianoMaestro

by Tim Topham

How do you motivate teen beginners? We all know that video games are pretty popular with teens, particularly boys. So trying to convince them to do their piano practice when there are far more fun things to be doing online can be a real challenge. Enter PianoMaestro – a really handy app that basically turns learning ... Motivating teens with PianoMaestro

08/03/2014 Read more

The Real Reason Teens Are Quitting Your Studio – Part 3: Technology

by Tim Topham

Teenagers and Technology – a match made in heaven This is the last article in a 3-part series I’ve been writing about retaining and motivating teenage piano students. This week, in the final part of the series, we’ll discuss how keeping up with technology can help you motivate and retain teenagers in your studio. The initial idea ... The Real Reason Teens Are Quitting Your Studio – Part 3: Technology

04/11/2014 Read more

The Real Reason Teens Are Quitting Your Studio – Part 2

by Tim Topham

Why write about teens? I decided to write a short series about teaching teens because there seems to be a lot of teachers out there for whom teaching teens is becoming a bit of a struggle. You might have read their posts on piano teaching groups, wondering aloud why teenagers don’t want to have lessons ... The Real Reason Teens Are Quitting Your Studio – Part 2

03/29/2014 Read more

The Real Reason Teens are Quitting Your Studio – Part 1

by Tim Topham

Is it just me or is it getting harder to keep teenagers interested in piano these days? No one has any time, every after-school minute is jam-packed with activities, and despite the costs and logistics of piano lessons, practice always takes a back seat to everything else that’s going on. But, is that the real ... The Real Reason Teens are Quitting Your Studio – Part 1

03/13/2014 Read more
 

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Piano music for boys | 15 of the best pieces by Daniel McFarlane

by Tim Topham

Piano Music for Boys Finding motivating piano music, especially for beginner and intermediate teenage boys, can be difficult. Thankfully, there are a number of composers writing really good music for this demographic around the world. I’ve already blogged about Jo Kochie and Geri Rea; today’s profile is on Brisbane-based composer/teacher Daniel McFarlane, who offers readers of staging.topmusic.co a ... Piano music for boys | 15 of the best pieces by Daniel McFarlane

11/17/2013 Read more

Teaching video: LH improv patterns for student compositions

by Tim Topham

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about teaching basic improvising, especially for their teenage and adult beginner students, so I thought I’d show you an excerpt from a lesson where I introduce left hand patterns that can form the basis for exciting student compositions. There’s a great blog called Pianofeeling that has a ... Teaching video: LH improv patterns for student compositions

09/08/2013 Read more

Piano music for boys > 10 of the best pieces by Jo Kotchie

by Tim Topham

I first met Perth-based teacher and composer Jo Kotchie at the APPC conference in 2011. In July this year, we reconnected in relation to the presentation I was giving at the APPC in Toowoomba titled “Fast and Furious: Techniques and Repertoire for Boys” which inspired this blog series. Jo has written a huge amount of music which ... Piano music for boys > 10 of the best pieces by Jo Kotchie

09/05/2013 Read more

Teaching Video: Students improvising backing tracks for scales

by Tim Topham

Most students find scale practice pretty dull. So do I. in fact, I find teaching scales pretty dull too! What’s more, starting lessons with the same old, “Well, let’s hear how your scales have gone this week”, is not likely to inspire students if it’s the same greeting every single lesson. With this in mind, ... Teaching Video: Students improvising backing tracks for scales

09/03/2013 Read more

10 of the Best Piano Pieces for Boys by… Geri Rea

by Tim Topham

This is the first in a new series of articles I’ll be writing featuring my favourite piano pieces for boys by a variety of Australian and International composers. I had the fortune to meet Geri Rea at a piano teachers’ PD day at the Convention Centre in Melbourne 2010. Geri is a talented teacher and ... 10 of the Best Piano Pieces for Boys by… Geri Rea

07/28/2013 Read more

Another great backing track app for iPad: iReal Pro

by Tim Topham

Looking for easy-to-use jazz and pop backing tracks? One of my Year 8 students recently had to play keyboard in a band for his music performance class at school. The song the band chose was Baker Street (they had a good saxophonist!) and my student’s role was to play the chords on the keyboard. As ... Another great backing track app for iPad: iReal Pro

11/02/2012 Read more