Piano Parent Podcast: helping teachers, parents, and students get the most of their piano lessons. artwork

Piano Parent Podcast: helping teachers, parents, and students get the most of their piano lessons.

377 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 45 ratings

The Piano Parent Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things related to parenting a piano student. From practice tips to piano geography and musical terms, common studio policies to teacher and parent interviews, this is THE best resource to help you and your child make the most of piano lessons. Whether you are a knowledgeable musician or a complete novice, there is definitely something for you here.

Education for Kids Kids & Family Education music discipline lesson motivation parent piano play practice student teacher
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Episodes

PPP165: Student Case Study, Ray - Chapter 4

October 21, 2019 10:00 - 23 minutes - 19.1 MB

PPP164: PIANOVEMBER 2019

October 15, 2019 04:38 - 33 minutes - 46.5 MB

PPP163: Learning from a guy who loves learning

October 07, 2019 19:21 - 25 minutes - 20.5 MB

PPP162: Enharmonics - the There, Their, They're of Music Notation

September 30, 2019 20:46 - 25 minutes - 20.5 MB

PPP161: Marin Marka with FableNotes

September 23, 2019 15:55 - 47 minutes - 38.2 MB

PPP160: Ten Reasons We Love and Need Our Dads

September 16, 2019 15:16 - 20 minutes - 28.1 MB

PPP159: Practicing Integrity

September 09, 2019 16:46 - 20 minutes - 16.6 MB

PPP158: How to Actually Make Progress with Playing the Piano

September 02, 2019 14:38 - 20 minutes - 16.9 MB

PPP157: Teacher Chat Perfect PItch

August 26, 2019 15:33 - 43 minutes - 34.6 MB

PPP156: Musical Mystery, Opus 1, No. 2 "What Frank Saw"

August 19, 2019 04:29 - 19 minutes - 15.8 MB

PPP155: Happy 3rd Birthday and Student Case Study Chapter 3

August 12, 2019 04:09 - 21 minutes - 29.3 MB

PPP154: Don't say, "I can't. Say "I'll try." with Ruth Pitts

August 04, 2019 22:53 - 44 minutes - 35.4 MB

PPP153: What is 'perfect' anyway?

July 29, 2019 00:45 - 35 minutes - 28.7 MB

PPP152: Repeat Signs Repeat Signs

July 22, 2019 02:54 - 22 minutes - 18.3 MB

PPP151: DONE is better than perfect, right?!

July 17, 2019 21:22 - 16 minutes - 22.5 MB

PPP150: Ten Screenless Summer Activies

July 08, 2019 04:26 - 26 minutes - 36.5 MB

PPP149: Developmental Fitness with Vicki Conway, part_2

July 01, 2019 06:00 - 39 minutes - 31.3 MB

PPP148: Developmental Fitness with Vicki Conway, part 1

June 24, 2019 04:56 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MB

PPP147: Teacher Chat - Let's Talk About Screen Time

June 17, 2019 11:21 - 48 minutes - 39.1 MB

PPP146: Musical Mystery Opus 1, No. 1 "Wishful Thinking"

June 10, 2019 16:09 - 19 minutes - 27 MB

PPP145: Student Case Study, Ray - Chapter2

June 03, 2019 02:42 - 29 minutes - 23.7 MB

PPP143: Mr. Rogers' Code for I Love You

May 22, 2019 22:52 - 30 minutes - 24.4 MB

PPP142: Intervals - Going Beyond EGBDF

May 13, 2019 09:00 - 34 minutes - 27.7 MB

PPP141: Learn to Keep it Positive with Beth Horton

May 06, 2019 03:28 - 37 minutes - 29.9 MB

PPP140: Ten Things You Need to Know about Performance Butterflies

April 29, 2019 03:06 - 24 minutes - 19.5 MB

Click here to download this episode. Introductory remarks Listen to the full episode here 1. Why Butterflies? Adrenaline is one way your body works to protect you in a dangerous situation. Part of that protection includes making your heart and lungs work faster and stronger, making your muscles stronger, and helping you think more clearly to you can make quick decisions. The problem is, your brain wants to protect you and kick these things into action if you’re in real danger, say bei...

PPP139: Spring Piano Recital - WHY?!

April 22, 2019 03:17 - 24 minutes - 19.9 MB

Each year, about this time, music teachers around the world prepare their students for recital.  The question is WHY? I can’t speak for other teachers but I’ll use this post to explain why I think a formal spring recital is important along with more details about the way my studio recitals are conducted. Listen to the full episode here First, the WHY: I believe one of the best reasons for a recital is simply the enjoyment of music.  We often listen to music passively while driving i...

PPP138: Dear Mom, Hang in There!

April 15, 2019 02:38 - 25 minutes - 20.3 MB

In case you didn’t know, this podcast is called the Piano Parent Podcast. Most episodes deal with common obstacles or struggles students face when learning to play the piano. Today, I’d like to spend our time together by focusing on just you, parents. Specifically, today I want to encourage you to stand firm and do not give in. Listen to the full episode here Click here to download this episode. Remember the goal is to train your child Since my youngest is 16 and my parenting skil...

PPP137: Teacher Chat - Fingernails and Hand Hygiene

April 08, 2019 02:20 - 17 minutes - 14.2 MB

In our fourth teacher chat, Beth Horton and I discuss hand hygiene and fingernails. Listen to additional teacher chats here. Listen to the full episode here Beth Horton Beth is a teacher in Lubbock, Texas who teaches in a multi-teacher studio, travels to students' homes, and offers online piano lessons. Beth will be featured in the next teacher interview coming out May 6, Episode 141. What do you expect as far as hand hygiene from your students? Beth - In a word, CLEAN. As for ...

PPP136_No_Foolin_This_performer.mp3

April 01, 2019 02:43 - 17 minutes - 13.6 MB

PPP135__Student_Case_Study_Ray.mp3

March 25, 2019 01:29 - 21 minutes - 16.9 MB

PPP134: A Truly Inspiring Interview with Teacher, Leah Drake

March 18, 2019 05:08 - 1 hour - 84 MB

I e-met Leah online when her studio participated in the PIANOVEMBER Practice Challenge. She runs a vibrant studio, that is actually called Vibrant Valley Music Studio. She is active in her own pursuit of learning to teach her students. In fact, we were just able to book this interview before Leah heads to the MTNA Convention in Spokane, WA. I love the name of her studio, Vibrant Valley Music Studio and I especially love her teaching philosophy, "Nurturing tomorrow's musicians through crea...

PPP133: What's really going on when your piano kid says, "This is too hard!"

March 11, 2019 14:01 - 25 minutes - 20.7 MB

Doing new things can be challenging for all of us. Piano students are asked to do new things constantly. Once they master one concept, another is given to them without pause. Faced with something new, in this case a new musical concept to master or a new song to play, students have to exert a lot of conscious effort. They have to intentionally think about what they want their hands to do. That is hard work!  Piano kids will often resist and not even try because they don’t feel they will...

PPP133__Whats_Really_Going_On_When.mp3

March 11, 2019 13:44 - 25 minutes - 20.7 MB

PPP132: How to Build Chords and Inversions

March 04, 2019 01:52 - 33 minutes - 26.7 MB

In Episode 130 I gave you a list of ten songs that are perfect for playing along with YouTube videos (I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from that episode! Thanks for letting me know it was helpful for you).  It occurred to me while recording that episode that I haven’t really talked about building chords and their inversions on the podcast. Build by counting piano keys Many piano kids may be familiar with chords that are grouped by their shape. Major Chords with all white keys:...

PPP131: Let Music Be Your Diary with Raphaelita Justice

February 25, 2019 04:12 - 37 minutes - 30.4 MB

Click here to download this episode. In this episode we learn ♫ How Raphaelita’s instructor, mentor, and lifelong friend discovered her when she was practicing at a local church one day. ♫ How Raphealita’s upbringing and the influence of her mother helped her become an excellent student. ♫ The difference between the casual piano parent who aims to broaden their child’s interests and knowledge versus the more stern piano parent who views piano study as a launching pad for additional op...

PPP130: Ten Songs that are Perfect for a YouTube Play Along

February 18, 2019 03:05 - 47 minutes - 65.1 MB

The last few shows have mentioned playing chords or pop songs or getting creative at the piano in some way. Talking about it is great and your piano kid might really be interested in playing some pop tunes but getting started can feel a little overwhelming. That’s why I put together this list of 10 songs that are perfect to play along with a YouTube video and I have the videos embedded on the show notes for this episode. I chose these songs because most of them use only a few chords (most...

PPP129: "Lord of the Chords" Game Developer, Jonathan Ng

February 10, 2019 17:05 - 38 minutes - 52.5 MB

A few weeks ago I got an email from Sanette Brems, a piano mom in my studio. Listen to Sanette's parent interview with me on Episode 019. In her email, Sanette said, "I saw this and immediately thought of you!" The link in the email took me to the Kickstarter page for a new music theory game called, "Lord of the Chords". Their website declares that they are the "geekiest, punniest music theory game in the world". Lord of the Chords Kickstarter Page - click here I love puns and really lo...

PPP128: Keep a Video/Audio Journal of Your Child's Musical Journey

February 04, 2019 05:05 - 25 minutes - 20.3 MB

In recent episodes, I've alluded to the idea of keeping a video or audio journal of your piano kid's musical progress. This is a way for them to see their growth as a musician. In today's show, we will talk in more detail about the advantage of keep a video journal as well as  the practical details like equipment and storage. Great Learning Tool The primary reason to video your child is for them to learn from the experience. When we are playing or reading music, our minds are so focused...

PPP114__Find_Your_Musical_Voice_Lis_1.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 38 minutes - 31 MB

PPP126__Building_Practice_Habits.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 24 minutes - 19.4 MB

PPP125_A_Negative_Review_and_the_Bes.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 23 minutes - 18.8 MB

PPP124__Going_Beyond_the_Music_Lesso.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 46 minutes - 37 MB

PPP123__This_Is_Your_Brain_On_Music.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 50 minutes - 69.8 MB

PPP122__Handels_Messiah_-_the_IMDB.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 20 minutes - 16.3 MB

PPP121__Helping_Students_Learn_to_Cr.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 45 minutes - 36.3 MB

PPP120_Ten_Ways_to_Share_Music_Durin.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 23 minutes - 19 MB

PPP119__Buckle_Up_Baste_and_Breath.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 22 minutes - 17.6 MB

PPP118__Musical_Anniversaries_and_Th.mp3

January 23, 2019 00:00 - 21 minutes - 17.3 MB

Twitter Mentions

@sdpspiano 11 Episodes