All Keyed Up

Artina McCain discusses the overlap of being a concert pianist and a piano teacher. Topics discussed include demonstrating for students, selecting repertoire as a means of self-expression, Artina's African American Folk Songs Collection, physical wellness and muscle activation techniques, working with college students, and how to build a performance career while working as a teacher.

Erin Parkes, Founder and Executive Director of the Lotus Centre for Special Music Education and the Lotus Centre Institute, speaks about teaching piano to students with ADHD. Topics discussed include defining ADHD, executive functions, movement activities, floor pianos, putty, metronomes, multi-sensory learning, empathetic versus punitive reactions to disruptive behaviors, lesson planning, encouraging productive practicing, undiagnosed students, and adults with ADHD.

Takenya Battle discusses studio management. In the first 10 minutes of the interview, we spoke about Takenya's amazing life story! The remainder of the interview is focused on Takenya's recommendations for using digital smart tools to make their studio management and teaching more efficient. Topics discussed include alternatives to Zoom such as muzie.live, musico.io, digital library programs such as OnSong and Symphony Pro, streamlining payment collection with programs such as MyMusicStaff and Fons, the drawbacks of makeup lessons, website/social media optimization tips, and her group coaching program Key of Easy.

Daniel McFarlane discusses some of the core features of his method book series, Supersonics: melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic elements that help make songs catchy, pop music influences, composition activities, and the upcoming Primer series. Daniel also offers advice for anyone interested in creating their own method book.

Tony Parlapiano, creator of popMATICS, offers his thoughts on a successful approach to teaching pop music in piano lessons. Topics discussed include sequences leading up to teaching chords, identifying chords by numbers as opposed to letters, chord diagrams, how to adapt to student requests, methods of teaching pop songs by ear, and pencil and paper writing vs. digital notation programs.

Yukimi Song, Eric Hunter, and Clara Zhang, members of The Piano Pod Podcast, discuss the future of piano teaching, a topic heavily addressed on their podcast. Topics discussed include Twitch, Youtube, social media networking, multi-style and interdisciplinary teaching approaches, learning by rote, and neurodiversity.

Niloufar Nourbakhsh discusses her multifaceted career, which spans the gamut from being an internationally renowned composer, pianist, and teacher to wide-ranging advocacy for social change. Topics discussed include the connections between politics and music, the Zohra Orchestra (Afghanistan's first all-female orchestra), teaching composition vs. teaching piano, the New York Philharmonic Very Young Composers Program, music education in Iran, and the Iranian Female Composers Association. In the interview, Niloufar recommends several Iranian women composers who write fantastic piano music: Aftab Darvishi, Negin Zomorodi, Nina Barzegar, Homa Samiei, and Anoush Moazzeni.

Christopher Norton, internationally renowned composer, reflects on his compositional style. He discusses composing melodies, rhythmic groove, writing across styles while still maintaining a compositional identify, and approaches to articulation. He also offers advice for teachers who use his pieces in their studios and gives us some sneak peaks of currently unpublished works. Sheet music excerpts and publication information for the music presented on this episode can be found here.

Katie Wardrobe, Melbourne-based music technology trainer and founder of Midnight Music, discusses some of her recommendations of great tech programs for piano piano teachers. Many of the resources discussed are included in her 2021/2022 Free Music Tech Resource Guide. Some specific resources mentioned in the interview include Groovepizza, forScore, Ecamm, Canva for Education, Google Slides, and the Arkon mount/tripod.

Brenden Lowe, Founder of Jazz Piano School and host of the Jazz Piano School podcast, discusses jazz piano pedagogy and theory. Topics discussed include teaching chord voicings, approaches to soloing, chord extensions, chord-scale theory, rhythmic feel and groove, and Brenden's current business consultation offerings.