In a recent class with three intermediate students (8th-11th grade), we compared the music of Franz Schubert and Max Richter. Schubert was a prolific Austrian composer, writing at the end of the Classical period and the beginning of the Romantic period. During his brief life, he wrote over 1,500 works. He was known for his storytelling abilities: long, singing lines, dramatic mood swings, an improvisatory style that seems to wander at times, and emotional intensity.

Max Richter is a contemporary German-born pianist and composer known for blending classical techniques with electronic, ambient, and minimalist styles. He names J.S. Bach as a key influence, and has championed the works of minimalists such as Arvo Pärt and John Cage. He drew inspiration from Schubert’s Winterreise when creating his 2010 album Infra.

In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of this studio class, sharing the repertoire I introduced to my students, the discussion questions that guided our conversation, and a composition activity that students didn’t want to end.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: Some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

Ep. 083 - Bernstein & Bill Evans: Inside My Recent Intermediate Studio Class

Ep. 077 - A New Approach to Teaching Group Classes

Schubert Piano Sonata No. 20 in A Major, D. 959: II. Andantino (Mitsuko Uchida)

Richter “Andante” from In a Landscape (Max Richter)

Schubert Impromptu No. 3 and Richter Infra 3 (Coversart)

Songs Without Words(Felix Mendelssohn)

Schubert Moments Musicaux No. 6 in A-flat Major (Alfred Brendel)

Vladimir’s Blues (Max Richter)

Max Richter Piano Works(Max Richter)

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? In this quick 25-min. call, you’ll get focused answers, creative ideas, and personalized advice for one teaching or business topic of your choice. Bring your questions for an ask-me-anything style session, and let’s brainstorm strategies together.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching, running your studio, or managing your music career? In this 60-min call, you’ll get personalized advice, creative ideas, and step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics of your choice. This session gives you the space to talk through your goals, ask questions, and get expert guidance.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses for music educators.

What does it look like to be a musician who is also an inventor—someone whose curiosity about how things work shapes the way he approaches his instrument? Pianist Josef Hofmann spent his entire career exploring that, and his story is worth knowing.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Hofmann's birth. He was a Polish-American pianist, born in 1876, and considered by many—including Sergei Rachmaninoff—to be the greatest pianist of the 20th century. And yet, despite his many musical achievements, including a fifty-year performing career, 100 compositions, commercial recordings, a signature tone, and enviable technical precision, he doesn't have the same name recognition as his contemporaries.

What do we know about him? What set him apart? And what can we learn from him as musicians and teachers today, over a century later?

In this episode, I’m sharing some of my research into Hofmann’s life, career, and contributions to our field.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: Some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

Piano Playing, with Piano Questions Answered (Josef Hofmann)

Originals (Adam Grant)

Learn Faster, Perform Better (Molly Gebrian)

Ep. 089 - The Science of Practicing: What I’m Learning From Molly Gebrian’s Book

Josef Hofmann (Mahler Foundation)

Josef Hofmann, the Pianist Inventor (Piano Street)

Josef Hofmann (Steinway & Sons)

Twice The Genius: The Music & Inventions of Józef Hofmann (Culture.pl)

Hofmann plays Berceuse (Chopin), 1938

Hofmann plays Waldstein Sonata (Beethoven), 1938

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? In this quick 25-min. call, you’ll get focused answers, creative ideas, and personalized advice for one teaching or business topic of your choice. Bring your questions for an ask-me-anything style session, and let’s brainstorm strategies together.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching, running your studio, or managing your music career? In this 60-min call, you’ll get personalized advice, creative ideas, and step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics of your choice. This session gives you the space to talk through your goals, ask questions, and get expert guidance.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses for music educators.

March in my studio means one thing: informance season. We spend 10 to 12 weeks getting ready—learning and analyzing music, practicing demonstrations, preparing to talk to the audience. And this year, I knew from the start that the theme was going to require a little more planning than usual.

If you’re new around here, I define a musical informance as an informal, informational performance that integrates education and experience. It’s an opportunity for students to share what and how they’re learning and invite parents and audience members into the music-making process.

I started hosting informances in my studio in 2024, so this is our third year. Today, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at our theme for this year, repertoire selections, and how we’re preparing for informances in the studio.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

Ep. 068 - How to Plan a Musical Informance

Ep. 069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar Eclipse

Ep. 071 - 3 Things I Learned from Hosting a Musical Informance

Ep. 081 - Celebrating Women in Music: An Inside Look at Our Studio Informances

Piano Adventures, Level 3A (Faber)

Sakura - Secondo Part (arr. Faber)

Essential Piano Technique, Level 2 (Penelope Roskell)

Duet Music by Ann Buys

Musical Informance Planning Guide

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings

At the end of January, we lost a wonderful musician, teacher, and pedagogue, Marvin Blickenstaff. You’ve probably heard me talk about Marvin on the podcast before—he had a profound impact on my teaching.

With a career spanning over six decades, Marvin dedicated himself to serving piano students and teachers worldwide. He valued deep emotional expression at the keyboard and a human connection through the music. He once said, “The only reason that music exists is to express who we are and how we feel.”

Today, I’m sharing some of the most important things I learned from Marvin and how they show up in my teaching and practice.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

The New School for Music Study

Inspired Piano Teaching (Marvin Blickenstaff)

Ep. 041 - Focus On the Music

Ep. 074 - What a First Piano Lesson Looks Like (Here’s My Lesson Plan)

Ep. 076 - 7 Things to Carry Into the New School Year

Ep. 079 - From Technique to Musical Identity: Six Things I’m Focusing on in Lessons

Ep. 084 - Recital Recap & Year-End Reflection

Learn Faster, Perform Better (Molly Gebrian)

Ep. 089 - The Science of Practicing: What I’m Learning from Molly Gebrian’s Book

A Quick Warm-Up Routine for Piano Accompanists

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings

February is Black History Month—a time to honor and celebrate the contributions of African Americans. As a music teacher, this prompts me to pause and evaluate what I’m teaching, but also why. I ask questions like:

How much diversity is present in my students’ method books and repertoire?

Which pieces should we skip due to their complicated history?

How can I make more thoughtful, informed choices about the music I put in front of my students—choices that are pedagogically sound and historically responsible?

This year, I want to focus more on the existing repertoire and the creators behind it. In this episode, I’m going to introduce you to seven Black composers of elementary and intermediate piano repertoire.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

Ep. 045 - The Blues Composition Project

“This Is What Diversity Sounds Like” by Linda Holzer (Piano Magazine)

RCM Celebration Series Preparatory A Piano Repertoire

A Collection of Florence Price’s Teaching Music, Vol. 2

3 Sketches for Little Pianists (Florence Price)

RCM Celebration Series Level 7 Piano Repertoire

Expanding the Repertoire: Music of Black Composers, Levels 1 and 2 (compiled & edited by Dr. Leah Claiborne)

Arise & Shine: Piano Music by Black Composers for Kids

2022 RCM Piano Syllabus

Five Animal Sketches (William Grant Still)

Portraits in Jazz (Valerie Capers)

Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, Vol. 1 (compiled & edited by William Chapman Nyaho)

RCM Celebration Series Level 6 Piano Repertoire

RCM Celebration Series Level 6 Piano Etudes

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings

It’s my last week of teaching for the year, and I've been reflecting on the supplemental books that have been most successful with my elementary and early intermediate students this year. The new year can be a great time to start fresh: with new repertoire, new technical routines, or new creative challenges for our students.

As we prepare for the Spring semester and look forward to lessons resuming in January, I want to share nine collections I’ve been using with my students this year. Some are etudes based on specific technical patterns, others are solo repertoire books. Most of these are available through Piano Safari, though they can be used alongside any method book.

For reference, my elementary and early intermediate students are in Piano Safari Levels 1-3 and range from 2nd-7th grade.

If you're looking to refresh your teaching materials for January or add some variety to your studio library, I hope you'll find a few gems here that spark your interest.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

Miniatures (Juan Cabeza)

Piano Safari Level 3

Through the Windowpane (Chee-Hwa Tan)

A Child’s Garden of Verses (Chee-Hwa Tan)

Diversions, Books 1 and 2 (Juan Cabeza)

Free download: 12 Variations on Diversion 12 (Juan Cabeza)

Friends at Last (Amy Glennon)

Here Comes Treble (Amy Glennon)

Audio recordings

Piano Safari Level 1

The Kitchen Suite, Op. 26 (Charles Stier)

21 Amazingly Easy Pieces (Barbara Arens)

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings

One of the things I love about teaching is that we can draw on many disciplines to make our work better—art, psychology, learning theories, and even neuroscience. Recently, I’ve been reading about what brain research can tell us about practicing and how we learn, and it’s fascinating.

Welcome back to our 2-part series on practicing.

In part 1, we talked about the art of practicing. I shared what I’m learning from Madeline Bruser’s book, The Art of Practicing, and how I’m carrying these concepts and strategies into my practice sessions and studio.

In this episode, part 2, we’ll explore Molly Gebrian’s book, Learn Faster, Perform Better. This book is all about the neuroscience of practicing: how we learn, process, and retain information. If you’ve been reading along with us in the Musician & Co. Book Club, you likely have some insights of your own, but I wanted to share what stood out to me and how it’s impacting my practicing and my teaching.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music From the Heart (Madeline Bruser)

Learn Faster, Perform Better: A Musician’s Guide to the Neuroscience of Practicing (Molly Gebrian)

Join the Musician & Co. Book Club (it’s free!)

Sign up for the Lunch & Learn: Practicing Workshop on 11/10 (it’s free!)

Well-Tempered Clavier, Volume 1 (J.S. Bach)

Ep. 038 - The Secrets of Interleaved Practice: What We Can Learn From Cognitive Science

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings

This fall, I read two books about practicing: The first is Madeline Bruser’s, The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart. The second is Molly Gebrian’s 2024 release, Learn Faster, Perform Better: A Musician's Guide to the Neuroscience of Practicing.

Art and science. Because practicing requires both.

This is part 1 of a 2-part series about practicing and what I’m learning and applying from both books.

In this episode, part 1, we’ll talk about the art of practicing. I’ll share what I’m learning from Madeline Bruser’s book and how I’m carrying these concepts and strategies into my practice sessions and studio.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music From the Heart (Madeline Bruser)

Learn Faster, Perform Better: A Musician’s Guide to the Neuroscience of Practicing (Molly Gebrian)

Join the Musician & Co. Book Club (it’s free!)

Well-Tempered Clavier, Volume 1 (J.S. Bach)

The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self (William Westney)

Ep. 060 - How Do We Approach Mistakes in Music Teaching & Learning?

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts.

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings.

It was about this time last year when I got a panicked email from a parent: “Jack broke his left wrist this week. What does this mean for piano? He’s in a cast.”

Has this ever happened to you? Some parents may assume that lessons need to be paused during this time. I mean, they can’t play with only one hand… or can they?

The answer is yes, and there’s more and more one-handed repertoire available. With a broken foot, we can focus on repertoire that doesn’t use the pedal, or they can learn to pedal with their left foot for a few weeks.

But more importantly, what I want to convey to parents (and students) is that playing is only one facet of musicianship. There are so many other things we do in lessons, so many other skills we’re working to develop. It reminds me of something Frances Clark once said, “Teach the student first, the music second, and the piano third.”

Today, I’m sharing a list of nine lesson activities you can do with a broken arm. Some of these are specific to piano, but some are relevant no matter what instrument you teach. I hope the next time you find yourself in a situation like this, you’ll have just what you need to continue learning and making music together.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

Sight-Reading and Rhythm Every Day (Helen Marlais)

Rhythm Keeper, Vol. 1 (Samantha Steitz & Steve Aho)

Ep. 059 - 7 Ways to Practice Rhythm

Ep. 026 - My Favorite Aural Skills Games + Activities

Ep. 085 - Everyone Can Improvise

Ep. 083 - Bernstein and Bill Evans

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings

Learning to play the piano isn’t just about learning repertoire pieces. It’s about developing a set of keyboard skills that lets you make music anywhere, with anyone, in any style. Technique, performance, and sight-reading are part of it, but so are harmonization, transposition, chord knowledge, and voice-leading. It’s more than the ability to perform what’s on the page; it’s understanding how the music is made.

In this episode, I’ll share why keyboard skills matter for students of all ages and a few strategies I’m using in my studio to build them into lessons from the very first year of study.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!

RCM Piano Syllabus

Piano Safari Repertoire Book 1

Diversions (Juan Cabeza)

Piano Safari Friends

Piano Safari Sight-Reading Cards

Sight-Reading and Rhythm Every Day (Helen Marlais)

Rhythm Keeper, Vol. 1 (Samantha Steitz & Steve Aho)

Ep. 085 - Everyone Can Improvise

Through the Windowpane (Chee-Hwa Tan)

A Child’s Garden of Verses (Chee-Hwa Tan)

Free download: 12 Variations on Diversion 12 (Juan Cabeza)

Create First! Duet (Forrest Kinney)

Free download: 27 Easy Chord Progressions (Tim Topham)

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>

Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew

Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:

1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.

2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.

3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings