New look for Piano Program + more teaching resources

New resource page for teachers

Some big changes are happening to the Piano Program website very soon! I love that many teachers are using the music theory courses, and of course I’m enjoying using it in my teaching as well.

So after taking a step back and looking at all of the work I’ve done on this website, I’ve decided that the projects I’m most proud of are the resources I’ve created for music teachers.  I’m using my music theory courses daily in my teaching, and it has changed everything from the stress level in my studio (not feeling like I have to have everything on hand for the student at all times) to freeing up valuable lesson times, to covering more teaching topics.

As a teacher, we all need flexibility.  Some of us have dedicated lab times, some of us teach group classes, and some of us are trying to cram every last bit of learning in a private lesson.

Often during my teaching this year, I’ve thought to myself – I wish I had my music theory videos and worksheets organized in a way that I could quickly bring up any concept for a student who need reinforcement.  After all, high quality tools and resources make all of us better teachers.

So I’m recreating the website to include a page that will have all of my music theory resources (videos, worksheets, and interactive exercises) included in one spot.  Everything will be searchable by category and level.  This gives my organization-happy heart a warm glow!  For example, if you need a level 5 exercise or video on key signatures, you’ll be able to find it at the click of the button.  This will help us all as teachers be able to find a resource quickly to use during lesson or lab time.

The best part?  I’ll be adding new resources on a monthly basis for all to use.

The new look and organization of the website will be unveiled July 1st.  I’ll of course send out updates to everyone with information on how to access this new page.

Does this mean I’ll change the login to my current music theory courses?  Not at all.  They will still be available as they are now for student or teacher purchase.  This will just be an additional resource for teachers to use, in a different all-in-one place.

And a huge thank you to all of the students and teachers who have been helping me by pointing out some final editing changes for the music theory worksheets.  I’ve been updating them on a regular basis and posting the new versions on the course platform.

I’m excited for the new resource page!

What I’m reading….

With school finally coming to a close, I’ve been able to sit down with some books.  Here’s what’s been on my shelf this month:

• The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver – I found myself reading this as part of my neighborhood book club, and I couldn’t put this book down!  This is one of those books where the character development is so strong, that I found myself thinking about the characters at all times of the day.  Have you ever had that happen to you?  It was almost as if the characters were visitors in my house while I was reading this book.  The young child, Turtle, is definitely one of my favorite characters from the book, as well as Taylor, with her strength and gentle determination.
• The Big Leap, by Gay Hendricks – I grabbed this book from the suggestion of a business podcast, and I’m glad I did.  It’s a non-fiction, business based/self help book.  Perhaps most interesting is the four ‘zones’ that the author describes – the zone of incompetence, the zone of competence, the zone of excellence, and the zone of genius.  It was interesting to reflect how I’ve jumped back and forth between the different zones at various times in my life, and what I still need to do on a professional level to make the leap to the zone of genius.
• Your Money or Your Life, by Vicki Robin – Is anyone else a big financial geek?  (Raises hand….)🤚 I’ve been interested in the ‘early retirement’ model that several others, including Mr. Money Mustache, promote.  This book, written about 25 years ago, was one of the first books to touch on this subject.  So many concepts are common sense – spending less than you make, for example, and tracking spending.  But for me, as a numbers person, it was interesting to think about the lifestyle changes we could make as a family to achieve the freedom of early retirement.
  

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Join me for my website building course

Create your own website from start to finish

I haven’t forgotten about those who are interested in my website building course!  The start date will be in mid June, and enrollment will open next week.  This is a 6 week course for piano teachers looking to build their own website.  I will walk you through all the steps from start to finish.  Click here for more information and to get on the email list to get notified when the course opens.