The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast | Proven and practical tips, strategies and ideas for music teachers

By Nicola Cantan

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Subscribers: 31
Reviews: 0
Episodes: 301

Description

Practical and proven tips, ideas and advice for private music teachers. Listen in to improve your instrumental or vocal music studio business and find that oh-so-elusive feeling of balance in your life. Welcome to The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast! This is the show for you if you’re an instrumental or vocal music teacher that wants friendly, creative and accessible advice. I’m your host Nicola Cantan. My membership site, Vibrant Music Teaching, helps teachers all over the world to include more games and creativity in their lessons, so that their students giggle their way through music theory and make faster progress. I also run a popular blog, Colourful Keys, where we write about creative ideas and teaching strategies and an interview show, Teaching Studio Stories. Every Monday I provide bite-sized bursts of inspiration and ideas for instrumental and vocal music teachers. The episodes are usually between 10 and 20 minutes – the perfect length of time to put away some of the music books scattered all over your studio and hide the rest of them in the piano bench. Listen to a few episodes and hit the subscribe button. When you come across an episode you love, make sure to tell your teacher-friends they can get it for free in any audio app that supports podcasts. https://vibrantmusicteaching.com https://colourfulkeys.ie https://instagram.com/colourfulkeys https://www.facebook.com/groups/vibrantmusicstudioteachers

Episode Date
Alternatives for Piano Recitals
Apr 29, 2024
My top 7 takeaways from MTNA 2024
Apr 22, 2024
What to say at the start of your recital
Apr 15, 2024
How to stay CALM during recital season
Apr 08, 2024
Behind-the-Scenes at Our Silent Film Piano Festival
Apr 01, 2024
If This Were EASY What Would That Look Like?
Mar 25, 2024
Music Neutrality in Music lessons
Mar 18, 2024
Alternatives to Zoom for Online Lessons
Mar 11, 2024
Teaching parents habit stacking for practice
Mar 04, 2024
6 Things to Teach Adult Music Students About Home Practice
Feb 26, 2024
13 (Random) Tips for Teachers
Feb 19, 2024
Being Your Own Kind Teacher
Feb 12, 2024
Practice for One Hand Only
Feb 05, 2024
Mnemonics and Parent Education
Jan 29, 2024
Practice Notes Ideas and Tips
Jan 22, 2024
Top Music Practice Mistakes to Avoid
Jan 15, 2024
How to Improve Practice Habits in Your Studio
Jan 08, 2024
Finding work-life balance
Dec 11, 2023
Piano Teaching Activities for When You Have 3-5 Minutes to Spare
Dec 04, 2023
Just. Do. One. Thing.
Nov 27, 2023
Piano teacher notes and notepapers
Nov 20, 2023
Time-saving tips for music teachers
Nov 13, 2023
Finding time for professional development
Nov 06, 2023
How long is left in my piano lesson?
Oct 30, 2023
Top 3 piano lesson planning mistakes
Oct 23, 2023
Bullet Journaling for Piano Teachers
Oct 16, 2023
Mindfulness in Piano Performing
Oct 09, 2023
Interleaved Music Teaching and Spaced Repetition Practice
Oct 02, 2023
Piano music memorisation tips
Sep 25, 2023
5 Ways to Make Memorising Music Fun
Sep 18, 2023
The Hidden Benefits of Teaching Improvisation and Composition
Sep 11, 2023
5 Fun Ways to Teach Form
Sep 04, 2023
How Improvisation and Arranging Improves Music Memorisation
Aug 28, 2023
Printing tips and tricks
Aug 21, 2023
Breaking the Piano Memorisation Crutch in Transfer Students
Aug 14, 2023
Neurodiversity in the Piano Teaching Studio
Aug 07, 2023
4 Emotional experiments for piano students
Jul 31, 2023
10 Ways to Teach Piano Students Right vs Left
Jul 24, 2023
A personal memorisation manifesto
Jul 17, 2023
Should you increase your piano teaching rates?
Jul 10, 2023
The 5|7|22 Music Memorisation Method
Jul 03, 2023
Predicting piano student progress
Jun 26, 2023
How to avoid burnout as a music teacher
Jun 19, 2023
Reimagining the metronome in music lessons
Jun 12, 2023
What can a non-perfectionist teacher learn from a perfectionist?
Jun 05, 2023
3 changes to consider right now
May 29, 2023
Perfecting the Art of Being a "Good Enough" Piano Teacher
May 22, 2023
How to Create a Piano Studio Schedule
May 15, 2023
What to do when students can't take corrections
May 08, 2023
The foundation of good practice
May 01, 2023
Retire from your role as "Mistake Police"
Apr 24, 2023
Helping students get comfortable with struggle
Apr 17, 2023
Beat Perfectionism With Video Piano Student Evaluations
Apr 10, 2023
How to Know When Your Student Has "Finished" a Piece
Apr 03, 2023
How to Start Teaching Piano in Schools or Preschools
Mar 27, 2023
The Best Digital Piano Method Books
Mar 20, 2023
Piano Polyrhythms with Stacy Fahrion
Mar 13, 2023
Tommy the Piano Toe-Dipper
Mar 06, 2023
Five Foundations of Successful Preschool Piano Teaching
Feb 27, 2023
What we can learn from self-taught musicians
Feb 20, 2023
Renewing Scales and Deepening Understanding with Improvisation
Feb 13, 2023
How much should we standardise our piano curriculum?
Feb 06, 2023
8 Checkpoints for Transfer Music Students
Jan 30, 2023
Cute Valentine's Day Idea for Piano Lessons
Jan 23, 2023
What Should a Beginner Piano Student Learn in Year 1?
Jan 16, 2023
How to Choose Inspiring Piano Exam Pieces
Jan 09, 2023
The Power of Preemptive Theory
Jan 02, 2023
How to Keep Track of a Lending Library
Dec 12, 2022
Keeping track of your music students' progress
Dec 05, 2022
Pros and cons of exams for music students
Nov 28, 2022
Tips to Settle Piano Performance and Exam Anxiety
Nov 21, 2022
How to Prepare for a Piano Exam
Nov 14, 2022
What's the point of piano exams?
Nov 07, 2022
How to Teach the 12 Bar Blues
Nov 02, 2022
Singing Tips for Instrumental Teachers
Oct 24, 2022
The Hypocrite Oath
Oct 19, 2022
Maintaining a Positive Attitude to Teaching
Oct 12, 2022
What's the point of piano swag?
Oct 03, 2022
Favourite Apps for Teaching Teen Piano Students
Sep 26, 2022
No-Practice Piano Lessons For Teens
Sep 19, 2022
Improve Teen Retention by Saying It Straight
Sep 12, 2022
4 Types of Teen Piano Students
Sep 05, 2022
Different Ways to Introduce a Piece to Your Student
Aug 29, 2022
New Teaching Resources for a New School Year
Aug 24, 2022
7 Types of Pieces for Every Piano Student's Repertoire
Aug 22, 2022
How to Choose Student Piano Recital Repertoire
Aug 15, 2022
How to Stretch Your Music Book Budget
Aug 08, 2022
How to Pick Pieces for Your Piano Students
Aug 01, 2022
5 Ways to Prepare for a Piece with Movement
Jul 25, 2022
How to teach online group lessons
Jul 18, 2022
Dos and Don’ts of Quality Group Workshops
Jul 11, 2022
3 Common Group Piano Teaching Mistakes
Jul 04, 2022
Special Piano Parents
Jun 27, 2022
Student first, diagnosis second
Jun 20, 2022
What’s the diagnosis?
Jun 13, 2022
How I became a full-time piano teacher
Jun 06, 2022
Trim your studio expenses
May 30, 2022
Glue yourself to your policies
May 23, 2022
Are you charging enough?
May 16, 2022
Set Your Piano Teaching Salary
May 09, 2022
Make Money Your Buddy as a Music Teacher
May 02, 2022
Everybody sit down on the floor
Apr 25, 2022
iPad apps and YouTube - friend or foe to piano teachers?
Apr 18, 2022
How to find flexibility in your teaching schedule
Apr 11, 2022
iPad Piano Studio Mistakes to Avoid
Apr 04, 2022
Preparatory Steps for Piano Sight Reading
Mar 28, 2022
Hit the Rote Piece Accelerator
Mar 21, 2022
Invest in these sight-reading skills in your studio
Mar 14, 2022
The Stubborn Duet Secret to Teaching Sight Reading Skills
Mar 07, 2022
Improvise your way around the world
Feb 28, 2022
How to Seek Out Different Music
Feb 21, 2022
5 Ways to Motivate Fatigued Music Students
Feb 14, 2022
Lessons for Music Teachers from Folk Dancing
Feb 07, 2022
Branding for Music Studios and Teachers
Jan 31, 2022
Growing Your Music Teaching Business
Jan 24, 2022
A teaching studio story taster
Jan 18, 2022
Mentoring Our Way to Progress in the Music Teaching Industry
Jan 17, 2022
How to Hire Your Right-Fit Teacher
Jan 10, 2022
7 Reasons NOT to Expand Your Music Teaching Business
Jan 03, 2022
The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast Trailer
Dec 21, 2021
Debug Your Piano Teacher Life Balance for a New Season
Dec 13, 2021
Meditation in the Music Teaching Studio
Dec 06, 2021
Best Method for Teaching Piano Scales: Notation, Rote or Writing?
Nov 29, 2021
What Order Should I Teach Piano Scales In?
Nov 22, 2021
When Should Piano Students Start Scales
Nov 15, 2021
How to Teach Piano Modes, for the Uninitiated
Nov 08, 2021
7 Tips to Level-Up the Fun Factor in Solo Lessons
Nov 01, 2021
How to Set Up a Piano Studio Lending Library
Oct 25, 2021
Adapting Piano Teaching Games in an Instant
Oct 18, 2021
Help! My Piano Parents Don't Want Us to Play Games!
Oct 11, 2021
4 Fun DIY Christmas Party Games
Oct 04, 2021
7 Awesome Tools to Assess and Address Transfer Piano Student Gaps
Sep 27, 2021
How to talk to parents about practice
Sep 24, 2021
How to Teach Old Piano Parents New Tricks
Sep 20, 2021
How to Smoothly Switch Piano Methods Midstream
Sep 13, 2021
Piano Transfer Students: Looking at the Sunny Side
Sep 06, 2021
8 of the Best Piano Technique Books to Transform Your Teaching
Aug 30, 2021
Teaching Piano Articulation: How, When and Where
Aug 23, 2021
How Yoga Could Unlock Success in Your Piano Lessons
Aug 16, 2021
3 Positive Piano Posture Tips for Teaching Wiggly Kids
Aug 09, 2021
How to Teach Piano Technique (without Hanon and the Lads)
Aug 02, 2021
How to Teach Beginner Piano Students
Jul 26, 2021
Teaching Piano from Home with Healthy Habits
Jul 19, 2021
Shimmy into Your Symbolic Work-Shirt
Jul 12, 2021
The Successful Music Teacher Map: 3 Horizons and a Shortcut
Jul 05, 2021
14 Lyric Writing Prompts for Piano Students
Jun 28, 2021
Help Students with Complex Rhythm Dictation
Jun 21, 2021
Teaching Songwriting (When You're Not a Pro)
Jun 14, 2021
Your Music Teacher Vision Statement
Jun 07, 2021
How to Make a Steady Income as a Piano Teacher
May 31, 2021
Best Project Management Software for Music Schools
May 24, 2021
Creating a Model Music Studio System
May 17, 2021
Paid Time Off for Piano Teachers
May 10, 2021
Overcoming the Disadvantage of Friday Piano Lessons
May 03, 2021
Growing Grit and Sharpening Piano Students’ Stick-to-it-ive-ness
Apr 26, 2021
The 5 Masts of Music Student Motivation
Apr 19, 2021
Gateway to Growth Mindset for Piano Students
Apr 12, 2021
Incentives, Awards and Rewards in the Piano Studio
Apr 05, 2021
What I Learnt About Listening in Online Lessons
Mar 29, 2021
Improve Aural Memory with these Music Games
Mar 22, 2021
Five Steps to Create a Sensational Piano Mashup
Mar 15, 2021
A Three-Minute Ear Training Exercise for Piano Students
Mar 08, 2021
The Clear and Concise Guide to Curwen Hand Signs
Mar 01, 2021
Tips for Teaching Piano Technique to Adults
Feb 22, 2021
Six Things Adult Beginner Piano Students Need to Hear
Feb 15, 2021
Refined Repertoire Adult Piano Students Will Adore
Feb 08, 2021
How to Attract More Adult Piano Students
Feb 01, 2021
Three Heroic Habits for Music Teachers
Jan 25, 2021
Save Time by Outsourcing Your Music Studio Admin
Jan 18, 2021
Doing "All the Things" in Your Piano Studio
Jan 11, 2021
Power Up Your Piano Teacher Productivity
Jan 04, 2021
Top Findings from the 2020 Vibrant Music Teaching Industry Report
Dec 14, 2020
Five Questions to Ask Yourself at Least Once a Year
Dec 07, 2020
Getting Strategic About How You Teach Reading
Nov 30, 2020
Lead Sheet Basics: Where to Find Them and How to Use Them
Nov 23, 2020
How to Teach Pop Music to Piano Students
Nov 16, 2020
Why You Should Teach Pop Music in Your Studio
Nov 09, 2020
How to make your data TALK
Nov 02, 2020
Teaching Beginner Reading in Online Piano Lessons
Oct 26, 2020
Teaching Rote Pieces in Online Piano Lessons
Oct 19, 2020
Teaching Technique in Online Piano Lessons
Oct 12, 2020
Backup Plans for Online Music Teachers
Oct 05, 2020
Teaching Strategies for Online Music Teaching
Sep 28, 2020
How to Make Your Online Music Lessons FUN
Sep 21, 2020
Planning and Systems for Online Music Lessons
Sep 14, 2020
Tools and Software for Teaching Piano Online
Sep 07, 2020
The Best Equipment for Online Piano Lessons
Aug 31, 2020
Suggestions for Safe and Socially-Distant Piano Studios
Aug 24, 2020
How to Get Ready for a New School Year
Aug 24, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Purposeful
Aug 17, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Relevant
Aug 10, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Open
Aug 03, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Fun
Jul 27, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Cool
Jul 20, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Professional
Jul 13, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Welcoming
Jul 06, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Profitable
Jun 29, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Consistent
Jun 22, 2020
Vibrant Music Studio 101 – Deliberate
Jun 15, 2020
Teacher Lessons Learned in the Past Year
Jun 08, 2020
Listen. No Really, Listen. No, REALLY Listen.
Jun 01, 2020
Prevent Summer Stress with a Studio Budget
May 25, 2020
5 Ways to Decompress in 5 Minutes
May 18, 2020
How to Show You’re on Their Side
May 11, 2020
Good, and Again. Good, and Again.
May 04, 2020
The Patience of Understanding and Understanding Patience
Apr 27, 2020
Studio Review 2019 and Plans for 2020
Apr 20, 2020
Strictness vs. Authority
Apr 13, 2020
I Bought a New Toy – How Should I Use It?
Apr 06, 2020
An Argument for Alternating Exam Years
Mar 30, 2020
How to Make Private Lesson Games Less Lame
Mar 23, 2020
BONUS EPISODE – A quick COVID-I9 update
Mar 17, 2020
3 Ways to Invent Time in Your Music Lessons
Mar 16, 2020
Building (Friendly) Boundaries
Mar 09, 2020
A Recital Mantra for This Headless Season
Mar 02, 2020
I Just Want Him to Have Fun
Feb 24, 2020
Who is Your Studio Website For?
Feb 17, 2020
Feel the Beat in Your Feet
Feb 10, 2020
One of my Least Favourite Words
Feb 03, 2020
The Nothing Tasks
Jan 27, 2020
I Don’t Teach Kids That Don’t Practice
Jan 20, 2020
Investigate Everything
Jan 13, 2020
Baking the Perfect Music Lesson Lasagna
Dec 16, 2019
Essential Music Lesson Ingredient No. 6
Dec 09, 2019
Essential Music Lesson Ingredient No. 5
Dec 02, 2019
Essential Music Lesson Ingredient No. 4
Nov 25, 2019
Essential Music Lesson Ingredient No. 3
Nov 18, 2019
Essential Music Lesson Ingredient No. 2
Nov 11, 2019
Essential Music Lesson Ingredient No. 1
Nov 04, 2019
Lyndel Kennedy on Creative Exploration with Preschoolers
Oct 28, 2019
Carina Busch on Involving Parents in Preschool Lessons
Oct 21, 2019
Kris Skaletski on Teaching Preschoolers in Groups
Oct 14, 2019
Starting to Teach Preschool Piano
Oct 07, 2019
Play is the Work of the Child
Sep 30, 2019
My Biggest Technique Teaching Mistakes
Sep 23, 2019
The Importance of Finding Your Tribe
Sep 16, 2019
5 Creative Music Lesson Openers
Sep 09, 2019
What Does It Mean to Creativise Your Teaching
Sep 02, 2019
The Five Foundations of Successful Preschool Piano Teaching
Aug 26, 2019
Studio Business Cleanse -Day 5
Aug 23, 2019
Studio Business Cleanse - Day 4
Aug 22, 2019
Studio Business Cleanse - Day 3
Aug 21, 2019
Studio Business Cleanse - Day 2
Aug 20, 2019
Studio Business Cleanse - Day 1
Aug 19, 2019
Finding the fun in your music teaching business
Aug 17, 2019
How to organise your music studio calendar
Aug 05, 2019
Exploring minor keys with early intermediate students
Jul 29, 2019
What to do after method books
Jul 22, 2019
Tips for keeping teens in music lessons
Jul 15, 2019
Music teaching studio events that build community
Jul 08, 2019
How to encourage reluctant or shy singers
Jul 01, 2019
4 Fun vocal warmups for your music studio
Jun 24, 2019
How to make any change in your music teaching studio
Jun 17, 2019
Mistakes to avoid when starting group lessons
Jun 10, 2019
What to include in group preschool music lessons
Jun 03, 2019
Private VS group preschool music lessons - which is better?
May 27, 2019
3 Benefits of teaching preschoolers in your music studio
May 20, 2019
How to keep your music studio income steady in the summer
May 13, 2019
How to craft the perfect recital welcome speech
May 06, 2019
Make music history fun for music students
Apr 29, 2019
My planning process for group workshops
Apr 22, 2019
5 ways to use group workshops in your studio
Apr 15, 2019
How to jam with the 12 bar blues in group workshops
Apr 08, 2019
How to Improve Your Students’ Duet Skills
Apr 01, 2019
3 Simple Improvisation Exercises for Music Teachers
Mar 25, 2019
Improvisation as a tool for music teachers
Mar 18, 2019
A super fun first lesson with a new piano student
Mar 11, 2019
How to start lesson planning for your music lessons
Mar 04, 2019
How to find YOUR music teaching curriculum
Feb 25, 2019
What is a Music Teaching Curriculum?
Feb 18, 2019
3 rhythm warmups for your music teaching studio
Feb 11, 2019
How to help a student who struggles with rhythm
Feb 04, 2019
Rhythm systems – which one is best?
Jan 28, 2019
5 Ways to use solfa singing in your music lessons
Jan 21, 2019
An introduction to Kodály and solfa
Jan 14, 2019
Recharging your music teacher batteries
Dec 17, 2018
Goal setting with students
Dec 10, 2018
INTERVIEW - Practising Practice with Graham Fitch
Dec 10, 2018
Your Biggest Teaching Frustration and How to Overcome it
Dec 06, 2018
Wow touches for your next recital
Nov 26, 2018
Planning your recital & coordinating
Nov 19, 2018
Reframing Your Makeup Lesson Mindset
Nov 12, 2018
3 emails you should send all new piano parents
Nov 05, 2018
Group teaching and overlapping lessons case study with Lynnette Barney
Oct 30, 2018
How to Make Your Marketing STAND OUT
Oct 29, 2018
Marketing for music teachers...the how and the when
Oct 22, 2018
How to reveal the magic of scales & chords with circle of fifths improv
Oct 15, 2018
Vibrant Music Teacher Questions and Answers
Oct 14, 2018
How to use monthly themes in your studio
Oct 01, 2018
3 Stages of Gamifying Piano Scales
Sep 29, 2018
How to teach keyboard geography to newbie piano students
Sep 24, 2018
Finding and filling the transfer student gaps
Sep 17, 2018
Vibrant Music Teacher Questions and Answers
Sep 10, 2018
What to Do in Your First Lesson with a Transfer Student
Sep 03, 2018
How to Include More Improvisation and Improve Your Communication
Aug 30, 2018
Taking Action Against Music Teacher Overwhelm
Aug 27, 2018
Lesson plans that make sense for music teachers
Aug 20, 2018
Keeping Parents in the Loop All Year Long
Aug 12, 2018
Practice, Practice, Practice...the ins and outs of forming a practice habit
Aug 06, 2018
How to Get Ready (Really Ready!) for a New Teaching Term
Aug 04, 2018
What to expect from the Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast
Aug 04, 2018