The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast

384: Nicola Interviews Tim in a Fireside Chat from Piano Pivot Live


Listen Later

Welcome to this special episode, recorded live during my 2020 Piano Pivot Live event—a piano teachers’ conference unlike any other! Nicola and I dive deep into my journey from being a university student studying audio engineering to becoming a full-time music educator and entrepreneur. We explore the pivotal moments in my career, including why I returned to music after a decade, how I built my blog and courses, and what led me to coaching and organizing events. We also discuss the challenges of managing time between family, teaching, and growing a business. For anyone curious about my evolution from a regular teacher to launching successful online ventures, this episode offers a behind-the-scenes look at the highs, lows, and lessons learned along the way.
  • Tim and Nicola began an open fireside chat where audience members could ask questions.
  • Impact of Tim's first piano teacher, Ms. Mac, who was crucial to his music journey.
  • The importance of non-traditional teaching methods.
  • How to handle students who express interest in learning pop music but don’t provide specific requests.
  • Using improvisation in piano teaching.
  • Handling parental concerns on improvisation.
  • Musical mashups for beginners and teens.
  • Tim shared some business and marketing insights, particularly online marketing strategies and how they apply to music studios.
  • Why Tim returned to music after exploring other entrepreneurial ventures.
  • How he balance family, piano teaching, blogging, and other ventures.
  • His journey from teacher to entrepreneur.
  • The launch of his initial online course, which made $30,000 in revenue.
  • Tim's most valuable advice for a teacher starting their journey.

  • TopMusicPro Members' Link
    • Fireside Chat with Tim and Nicola at Piano Pivot Live

    • Today’s Sponsor
      Alfred Music, the leader in music education for over 100 years, produces educational, reference, pop, and performance materials for teachers, students, professionals, and hobbyists spanning every musical instrument, style, and difficulty level. Alfred Music is located in Colorado, with offices around the world, including Germany, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
      Since 1922, Alfred Music has been dedicated to helping people learn, teach, and play music. Alfred Music currently has over 150,000 active titles and represents a wide range of well-known publications —from methods like Alfred’s Basic Guitar, Alfred’s Basic Piano Library, Premier Piano Course, Sound Innovations, and Suzuki, to artists like Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones, to brands like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Wizard of Oz, and Billboard.
      In addition to its own titles, Alfred Music distributes products from over 150 companies, including Advance Music, Belwin, Edition Peters, The FJH Music Company Inc., Faber Music, Jamey Aebersold Jazz, and LudwigMasters Publications. Alfred Music is now also paired with MakeMusic, which is part of Peaksware Holdings, LLC portfolio of companies, to transform how music is composed, published, taught, learned, and performed by bringing together the leaders in educational music publishing and music technology.
      Visit their website at www.alfred.com.
      Exclusive Discount for Podcast Listeners
      Exclusively for TopCast listeners, go to alfred.com/podcast and use code TopMusic at checkout to save 30% on these titles and everything else on alfred.com.
      Thank you for tuning in!
      Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you.
      If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show.
      Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Mondays weekly.
      TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL
      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' PodcastBy Tim Topham

      • 4.8
      • 4.8
      • 4.8
      • 4.8
      • 4.8

      4.8

      129 ratings


      More shows like The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast

      View all
      Read-Aloud Revival ® by Sarah Mackenzie

      Read-Aloud Revival ®

      3,358 Listeners

      The Lazy Genius Podcast by Kendra, The Lazy Genius

      The Lazy Genius Podcast

      6,611 Listeners

      The Dr. Hyman Show by Dr. Mark Hyman

      The Dr. Hyman Show

      9,280 Listeners

      Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs by Andrea Miller

      Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs

      39 Listeners

      The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast | Proven and practical tips, strategies and ideas for music teachers by Nicola Cantan

      The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast | Proven and practical tips, strategies and ideas for music teachers

      58 Listeners

      The Dr Louise Newson Podcast by Dr Louise Newson

      The Dr Louise Newson Podcast

      256 Listeners

      Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning by Ashley Danyew

      Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning

      21 Listeners

      Beyond Measure: A Podcast for Piano Teachers with Christina Whitlock by Christina Whitlock

      Beyond Measure: A Podcast for Piano Teachers with Christina Whitlock

      47 Listeners

      The Art of Accomplishment by Joe Hudson and Brett Kistler

      The Art of Accomplishment

      185 Listeners

      The New Mason Jar with Cindy Rollins by Cindy Rollins

      The New Mason Jar with Cindy Rollins

      431 Listeners

      TopMusic Piano Podcast by Tim Topham

      TopMusic Piano Podcast

      9 Listeners

      Piano Inspires Podcast by Piano Inspires Podcast

      Piano Inspires Podcast

      7 Listeners

      The Piano Pantry Podcast by Amy Chaplin

      The Piano Pantry Podcast

      41 Listeners

      7-Figure Music School by Daniel Patterson & Nate Shaw

      7-Figure Music School

      40 Listeners

      The Scrappy Piano Teacher Podcast by Jaclyn Mrozek

      The Scrappy Piano Teacher Podcast

      14 Listeners