Piano Teaching Success

Paul tried this awesome game with a group of 8-year-olds recently.

By the end of it, they thought they were the coolest kids in the room.

It’s a traditional Japanese clapping game called Omochio Tsukimasho - and it works for every age, every level, and every setting.

Underneath all the fun and laughter, there is so much happening musically. Beat. Coordination. Focus. Listening. Anticipating section changes.

You’re going to love this! I think it’s our most fun episode yet.

Episode 12 is out now. 🎧

Comment PODCAST and I’ll send you the link.

She’s one of the most beloved composers in the world.

And she thinks we’ve been teaching piano wrong.

“Because we have keys we can press, it’s so tempting to turn the keys into a data entry exercise. You could play all the wrong notes with the right rhythm - and it’s music.”

What if the most musical thing you could ask a student to do has nothing to do with playing correctly?

Elissa Milne sat down with me at Top Music Live in Sydney and the ideas she shares in this conversation are ones I haven’t stopped thinking about since.

🎉Episode 11 is out now. Comment PODCAST to hear the conversation.

Most piano teachers don’t even realise it’s happening.

Your beginner sits down. Fumbles through a few bars. Gets frustrated. And quietly starts thinking… “Maybe piano just isn’t for me.”

And just like that… they’re gone. You’ve lost them. 😔

But here’s what the best beginner teachers know:

There’s a tiny window - right inside those first few lessons - where your student either starts believing in themselves… or they don’t.

And what YOU do in that window makes a HUGE difference.

The words you choose. The pieces you pick. The way you celebrate the small wins.

That’s what turns a struggling beginner into a student who can’t wait to come back next week. 🙂

I break this down step by step inside the **Teaching Piano to Today’s Beginners** course — so you never miss that moment again.

💬 Comment BEGINNERS below and we’ll send you the details! 🎹

We heard Dr. Anita Collin live in Sydney and the room was spellbound. 🎹

Dr. Anita Collins is one of the world’s leading researchers in brain development and music learning - and what she has to say about this generation of children, and why music matters more right now than it ever has, is something every music teacher needs to hear.

So, we invited her on the podcast! 🙂

I loved that this isn’t a conversation about screens being bad or techn being the enemy.

Instead, Anita invites us to understand what’s happening socially, and how this broader societal understanding can help you as a piano teacher right now and into the future.

I hope you love this conversation as much as I did! 🥰

Episode 10 is out now. Comment PODCAST and I’ll send you the link.

Real talk — the first time I ran a group piano lesson, I had no idea what I was doing. 😅

I thought it would feel like five mini (and messy) private lessons happening at once.

It doesn’t. It’s completely different.

And once you get it right, it’s so much fun!

Here’s what actually happens inside a well-run group piano lesson:

‌- Students learn from watching each other (not just from you)
- The energy in the room keeps everyone engaged
- You teach once - and the whole group gets it

The secret? A solid structure that holds it all together. 🎹

💬 Comment **STRUCTURE** and I’ll send you a free 4-minute video — How to Run Professional Group Piano Classes — and you’ll see exactly what that looks like in action. ✨

“I don’t have the space for groups.”

We hear this one a lot!

But space doesn’t have to be a problem - rather, an opportunity in disguise.

You’ll start seeing spaces everywhere after hearing this podcast!

Church halls. School classrooms. Living rooms. Basements.

Group piano is happening in all of them.
And it’s exciting.

🎹Check out Episode 9 - Comment PODCAST and I’ll send you the link.