Teaching Studio Stories

Today we’re heading over to see Helen Raymaker in Illinois. Helen has experienced many studio moves which must have been challenging but she always seems to see the light and the delight in everything. I’m sure this episode will delight you too. 

Helen Raymaker is a pianist with a passion for kids in music.  She is a past accompanist for Harmonium Choral Society in New Jersey, Drew University, Light Opera of New Jersey, and various schools and faith communities.  She currently  maintains a dynamic online teaching studio in Northbrook, IL, and is the accompanist for the Glenbrook North High School choral program. Helen has music and business degrees from Northwestern University.

• Vibrant Music Teaching: vibrantmusicteaching.com

Today we’re going to visit Ashmitha Jasper in Delhi, India. Ashmitha took a break from teaching to go get a “real” job before coming back to where she should have been all along. It’s clear that she puts a lot of attention into how she teaches and no spoilers but  I know you’ll love the story of her travelling student. 

Ashmitha Jasper showed an interest in music very early in life, prompting her parents to introduce her to classical music. She began formal piano classes when she turned six. Her classical training opened up opportunities in other aspects of her life, in school she played the piano for all school assemblies and other events. She also performed solo piano recitals at various school level competitions. During college she regularly performed at cultural festivals and at different music venues. Amidst all of these, she continued to stay focused on her classical training. She appeared for her ATCL by the age of 19 and passed the exam. While pursuing a professional career in the financial sector, she discovered she had a passion for teaching, quit her job, and began to pursue teaching as a full time occupation. Nurturing the love of classical music in her pupils, helping them express themselves through music, and watching them grow musically became a passionate pursuit.

• Practice Plays: https://vibrantmusicteaching.com/practice-plays/

Today we’re heading over to the UK to meet Victoria Clark. I’m sure Victoria’s transfer student story will sound familiar to you too. You’ve either had a student like this or you will soon and I being prepared to take it back to the start is essential. 

Victoria Clark is a piano teacher based near Portsmouth, UK, and teaches both adults and children from beginner level upwards. She has been teaching since 2007 and is an ISM member (Incorporated Society of Musicians) as well as a member of VMT (Vibrant Music Teaching) and CPT (Curious Piano Teachers). She aims to inspire her students to not only learn the foundations of playing the piano, but also to discover the beauty of music themselves and enjoy all the benefits that piano playing provides.

victoriaclarkpiano.com

• Vibrant Music Teaching: vibrantmusicteaching.com

Today we’re visiting Colin Campbell in Virginia. Colin had the enviable experience of being mentored by his teacher in his first years. I hope his story inspires you to seek out a mentor if you’re a new teacher or to help a new teacher find their feet so their first years are as smooth as Colin’s!

Colin Campbell is the owner of PianoMusicality, a piano studio located in the countryside of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.  He loves finding creative approaches to teaching that align with each individual student’s unique learning styles and musical aspirations.   An avid pianist since childhood, he became interested in teaching piano in his mid-teens, when he completed a year long internship with his teacher, where he taught students under her guidance and received mentoring on how to become a piano teacher.   After that, he started his own music studio, where he now teaches 18 students, encompassing a wide range of ages and abilities, from young children to adults, and beginners to early advanced students.  

• https://vibrantmusicteaching.com/courses/mentorship-model

Today we’re talking to April Wentzell. When preparing for this interview, April said she thought she would be a good fit for our show ethos because she’s “perfectly imperfect”. I’m sure many of you will resonate with that statement and others will aspire to feel that relaxed and comfortable in our own little imperfections. 

April Wentzell started playing the electronic organ when she was 5 for fun and formally started piano studies at age 8 with her lifelong mentor, Mrs. Sylvia Javellana. She finished her Bachelor's Degree in Music (Major in Piano Performance) from the University of the Philippines. She has been teaching piano since she was 19 years old. She now lives in Gloucester City, New Jersey with her husband and daughter, where she has been teaching piano from her home studio for almost 9 nine years. She loves teaching piano and she hopes what she teaches to her students will last a lifetime.

• Vibrant Music Teaching: vibrantmusicteaching.com

Today we’re going to visit Teresa Petrusma in Ontario, Canada. I had the pleasure of meeting Teresa in person when I was in Canada a few years ago and she is a ray of sunshine personified. I know you’ll love this chat and that it will bring joy to your day as it did mine!

• Practice Plays: https://vibrantmusicteaching.com/practice-plays/

Today we’re talking to Roopika Bhatla, a piano and voice teacher in Noida, India. Roopika was one of the lucky ones who had her former teacher to guide her when she first started teaching. In this interview, she shares her lessons from preschoolers, games and so much more. 

Roopika is a young pianist, teacher and owner at the Trill Piano Studio in Noida, India and has been teaching Western Classical music since 2016. Her love for music started as early as when she was 5 years old . And growing up she always had music in her life, learning the Hindustani Classical Music, being part of the school choir throughout, playing the keyboard and finally finding her love in piano. She is now preparing for her ATCL diploma. Her passion for music and teaching drove her to leave a successful corporate career and change her profession completely. She loves to teach young children and make their learning experience a joyful and memorable one! She understands the importance of music and hopes to enhance the music education system in India!

• Dogs and Gates: https://vibrantmusicteaching.com/dogs-and-gates

Today we’re visiting with Serena Sheane. Serena is a piano teacher based in London who is originally from Ireland so you’ll get double the Irish accents in this episode. Serena was a highly motivated student herself and we discuss the benefits and difficulties of teaching when you come from that background as well dealing with self-doubt as a younger teacher. 

Before we get going I want to explain one little thing. In the first section, Serena refers to “GAA” and neither of us thought to explain it in the moment! That’s a common abbreviation here in Ireland for our local Gaelic sports.

• Rhythm Railroad: https://vibrantmusicteaching.com/rhythm-railroad-1-tappers
• Circle of Fifths Odyssey: https://vibrantmusicteaching.com/courses/circle-of-fifths-odyssey

Today we’re visiting with Heidi Vandermeersch in Belgium. Heidi has been teaching for a long time but had to make some big pivots a few years ago when the curriculum and structure changed. I found it fascinating to learn about a music education system that is so different from the Irish one and yet still has echoes of the same conundrums we face here and I’m sure  you will too. 

Heidi is a 50 year old happily married mum of 4 kids between 8 and 14. She graduated in 1994 at the Lemmensinstituut (now part of “School of Arts”) in Leuven, Belgium as “Laureaat” piano and piano pedagogy. She lives in Ieper, Belgium where she teaches piano at “dé Academie”, the local music academy. She teaches around 60 students between 8 and 80. She also sings in Chorus, a local choir, and accompanies the Chorus Youth choir. In the little bit of spare time she has, she enjoys reading a good historic or romantic novel, going for a walk and cooking for the family.

Today we’re talking to Stephan Nance, a musician, writer, and piano teacher in Oregon. Stephan jumped head first into teaching before realising how much work is involved, an approach I think many of us, including myself, can relate to. In this interview, there are so many lessons about self-acceptance, being who you are and running your own race. You’re going to love it. If you want more from Stephan, go look up their album Look at the Harlequins! on Spotify after this. I think you’ll love that too.

Stephan’s performing credits under the name Sparkbird include multiple tours in Japan and Europe. Their album Look at the Harlequins! attracted the attention of Birding Magazine and the National Audubon Society for its abundant bird references. For their fiction, Stephan is a 2021 Lambda Literary Fellow and a 2022 Tin House YA Workshop Scholar. Stephan lives in Portland, Oregon, with their partner Adam, as well as two parrots who love to do tricks for piano students.

• Rainbow Race: vibrantmusicteaching.com/rainbow-race
• Piano Safari for the Older Student: https://pianosafari.com/product-category/method/older-student/level-1-older-student
• Look at the Harlequins! https://open.spotify.com/album/4YRDi6Hh6rMTnkmqx4Iudx?si=Kb0_cZ4nQcaBiYQAsoyvPQ