Beyond Measure: A Podcast for Piano Teachers with Christina Whitlock

Let’s face it: especially this time of year, rest is HARD for ambitious teachers. Rather than making you feel guilty for not incorporating more white space into your spring schedule, this episode encourages us to acknowledge the rest that comes - intentionally or not - and to embrace it for the benefits it brings.

The Happy Birthday song is one of the most frequent requests musicians receive, at every level of study. It also serves as a treasure trove of actionable music theory, so let’s make a pact to revisit this familiar tune in our teaching this week.

Your Anytime Piano Teacher Friend is back with the motherload of recital thoughts in today’s episode. Let’s get excited about recital possibilities!

Recitals get a bum reputation sometimes, but they hold enormous potential for happy students and happy families! Today we’re chatting about outside-the-box approaches to the start of your Studio Recital.

Today we’re talking about the importance of paying attention to The Small Stuff, because it’s oftentimes more significant than it appears.

Many of us get requests to adjudicate events throughout the year, but judges’ training is often minimal, at best. This episode seeks to help teachers approach adjudication with a healthy mindset; setting students up for the best possible experience.

For all its (countless!) benefits, music study can sometimes foster a sneaky spirit of discontentment. After all, none of us got to where we are without relentlessly chasing “the next step”. If we are truly helping students develop a lifelong desire to make music, it’s important we help them celebrate what they can do TODAY.

Asking more questions is a (nearly) fool-proof way to deepen the engagement level of your students. Let’s encourage those critical thinking skills by asking more and explaining less.

There are volumes upon volumes of research concerning the best ways to cope with performance anxiety available, but today I’m offering up three points often left out of the conversation. Cheers to feeling our feelings, but doing the tough stuff anyway!

What’s a teacher to do when we know our brain holds tight to negative feedback, while dismissing positive words much-too-quickly? Let’s figure it out together, friends.