In today’s episode, Spanish pianist and teacher Juan Cabeza shares how his traditional classical training led him on a journey to redefine piano education through creativity. From discovering the power of pattern-based teaching and improvisation to building a vibrant community of teachers in Madrid, Juan offers a fresh perspective on holistic music learning. He discusses the value of ensemble playing, the inspiration behind his Piano Train Trips series, and the process of creating his online course, Piano Patterns in Harmony. Whether you're looking to rethink your teaching or bring more creativity into your studio, this conversation is packed with insight and inspiration.

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Today’s Guest

Juan Cabeza is a pianist, pedagogue and composer. He teaches private and group piano students at his studio, in Madrid, where he specializes in students in the elementary and intermediate stages of study. As a result of his research in piano pedagogy, Juan created a blog, megustaelpiano.com. Here he expresses his ideas about teaching and learning piano, provides teaching resources, and suggests interesting piano repertoire. Juan Cabeza is the author of Piano Train Trips, Miniatures and the two Diversions books published by Piano Safari. He has translated into Spanish the Piano Safari Method and Create First by Forrest Kinney. He has also created the online improvisation course Piano Patterns in Harmony, which has been recently nominated for The Art of Piano Education Awards 2025.

About Rachel Ehring

Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.

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