How to Choose the Best Halloween Piano Music for Your Students 🎃
Discover the best Halloween piano music for beginners and elementary students. Tips for teachers + sheet music picks your students will love!
🎹 Baby Shark Pre-Reading Piano Solo & Duet – Make a Splash With Your Young Beginners!
Looking for a fun pre-reading piano solo or duet for young beginners? Baby Shark brings smiles and success to preschool piano lessons.
The Day I Said Yes to Für Elise—and Watched a Beginner Shine
This post will either be a horrific trigger of your most dreaded student request... or a welcome relief. 😅
With those two possibilities ahead of us, here goes the story:
I have this 9-year-old student.
He’s a little nerdy, wildly enthusiastic, and absolutely loves piano.
We’re talking brand-new beginner here—I haven’t even officially introduced the white key names yet. We’ve just been exploring black key patterns, finger numbers, and rote pieces. (You know the drill.)
And then... it happened.
“I want to play Für Elise!”
Easy Piano Songs for Kids: Fun, Familiar Tunes to Keep Beginners Engaged
If your beginner students are wiggly, distracted, or just not connecting with traditional method books, you’re not alone. Many piano teachers are feeling the shift—today’s kids are growing up in a fast-paced, visually stimulating world. Black-and-white sheet music just isn’t cutting it for every child.
You want your students to fall in love with music. To light up when they finally master a new piece. But instead, you might be seeing blank stares, skipped practice, or frustration that leads to burnout. Not to mention, they just stop practicing!
Get the Leash! — An Easy Piano Song for Beginners Who Are Ready to Read on the Staff 🐾
Looking for an easy piano song that’s perfect for beginners and still sounds adorable? Check out Get the Leash!, a studio-licensed early elementary piano solo that’s short, sweet, and all about the joy of a pup who’s ready to GO. And I mean when she wants a walk, she wants a WALK! 🐾
🐾 Easy Piano Music for Beginners: A Fun, Pre-Reading Piece for Young Piano Students
If you're looking for easy piano music for beginners that students actually enjoy playing, take a look at People Smile at Me! This pre-reading piano solo is perfect for young children just starting piano lessons—especially those who need easy sheet music that’s playful, accessible, and confidence-building.
How a Superhero Helps Piano Students Play With Expression
A Musical Adventure That Makes Phrasing Come to Life!
Join Tonal and Sonica, two fearless superheroes, as they patrol the city, searching for ways to transform lifeless melodies into expressive, captivating music! Armed with magical jewels and bracelets, they hurl their powers at the most important notes in each phrase-bringing music to life! But danger lurks in every measure... Villains threaten to flatten their mission, and only by teaming up with the mysterious Krypto-Crescendo can they uncover the most powerful note of all!
Explore and Improv at Piano with your Youngest Students
Finally, a music exploration book for young kids—now available as a digital download!
Research shows that music plays a vital role in early childhood development, enhancing motor skills, social interaction, speech, memory, confidence, and creativity. Ben and the Blue Piano is designed for children ages 4-7, including special needs students or any child who loves to create their own songs and learn at their own pace.
This engaging resource introduces foundational musical concepts through play, exploration, and movement. Perfect for piano teachers and parents, the digital format makes it even easier to incorporate music learning into lessons—whether in-person or online.
Wild Notes: A Nature & Music Camp That Inspires Young Learners
What if you could bring the sounds of nature into your music studio? Imagine children giggling as they shake homemade instruments, tapping rhythms inspired by raindrops, and listening to the wind while creating their own musical stories. With Wild Notes: A Nature & Music Camp for Young Children, you can turn this vision into reality!
This engaging 4-day camp is designed for kids ages 4-9, blending music-making with sensory nature exploration. Perfect for summer programs, community events, or studio workshops, it helps young learners connect with the world around them while developing their musical skills.
How to Plan a Summer Piano Camp (Without the Overwhelm!)
Summer camps can be a fantastic way to engage students, boost your income, and bring fresh energy to your studio. But planning one can feel overwhelming—where do you start? The key is to choose a well-structured curriculum that makes your job easier while keeping students excited and engaged.
Beyond the Notes: Why Art and Music Belong Together in Your Studio Summer Camp
Music and art share a powerful connection—both ignite creativity, encourage self-expression, and help students see the world in new ways. When young students explore music through visual art, they strengthen their listening skills, spark their imagination, and build confidence in their creative choices.
This is why incorporating art into your piano lessons or summer camps can be a game-changer. Whether it’s drawing while listening to music, exploring composers who were inspired by art, or creating music based on colors and shapes, these activities engage students in a deeper, more meaningful way.
How to Plan a Summer Camp for Your Music Studio
Have you thought about running a summer camp but feel overwhelmed or unsure where to start? Maybe you just need a little guidance to help bring your ideas to life. If that sounds like you, then you're in the right place!
I've planned and run multiple summer camps in my music studio, and today, I’m sharing my top tips to help you make your camp a success. Whether you want to increase income, keep students engaged, or free up your schedule, summer camps can be a game-changer.
What It’s Like - going from Teacher to Composer/Publisher
I didn't set out to be one of "those" people who create things.
I was happy to buy other people's stuff.
Then the pandemic hit. I was scrambling for solutions for my students. I reached out to Leila Viss, who encouraged me to try making Google Slides to teach theory.
Bring Holiday Cheer to Your Young Beginners with 'O Christmas Tree' Pre-Reading Duet
Make Holiday Music a Family Affair with "Go Tell It On the Mountain"
Bring Holiday Joy with "Deck the Halls" – A Beginner-Friendly Arrangement for Piano!
Spooky and Seasonal Ensembles to Enliven Your Studio This Fall
Spooky and Seasonal Ensembles to Enliven Your Studio This Fall
As the leaves begin to turn and the air gets that crisp edge, there’s a certain magic that creeps into our studios. Fall brings with it a perfect opportunity to introduce some new, exciting, and atmospheric music that will captivate your students and keep them engaged as we transition into the cooler months.
This season, I’ve been focusing on a few favorite pieces that not only fit the autumnal mood but also offer flexibility for different skill levels in your studio. Whether you’re looking to add a little spookiness to your lessons or just want to embrace the beauty of the season, I think you’ll love these as much as I do.
Is Technology Taking Over Our World? How Music Teachers Are Navigating the Digital Shift in Music and Books
I’ve made my new preschool method book, Little Red Piano, available in both digital and paperback.
This book has been a hit with my youngest students. They love playing the same songs over and over (which is fine by me—they’re still learning!), and their faces light up when they see the colorful graphics and cute characters. Having the entire book available as a studio license has been a game changer for me. The PDF comes in two formats: landscape for printing and portrait for use on a tablet.
Shopping for the New NFMC Bulletin: What I Learned and What You Should Consider
If you’re on the hunt for something new, I highly recommend trying this innovative arrangement of "Autumn" from Vivaldi’s "The Four Seasons." It’s incredibly flexible—you can use it as an elementary solo, duet, or trio. And yes, I’ve included sample pages and audio for you to check out!
The Good and the Bad of Preschool Piano Books
Check out my opinions on this very popular, but dated, curriculum for young piano students.