Learn to Teach

All piano teachers should read this book! Download your free copy here.

“Fundamentals of Piano Practice” by Chuan Chang

There is so much valuable information in this book, it's hard to believe that it wasn't actually written by a piano teacher. It was, however, written by a highly observant father of 2 young piano students, who details the methods used by their teacher, a french woman and pedagogical progeny of Artur Schnabel. I consider this book a must-read for anyone currently teaching piano, or prospective teachers who want to learn how it should be done!

Piano Student Skills Table

This chart illustrates the various skills that piano students should be familiar with and the general timeline within which those skills should develop. Useful for teachers in planning lessons over a longer period, and for parents who wish to know how their child is progressing in their studies.

Free stuff for teachers! Click, print and laminate for studio use.

Practice Cards

These 12 cards contain the best of the practice approaches detailed by Philip Johnston in his book, "The Practice Revolution". Subjects include, score scouting, theory challenges, speed drills, recalling the score, working with metronomes and more!

Key Arch Chart

A newly designed way to present the key system in music. Instead of the sometimes-confusing Circle of Fifths, here we have all 15 keys represented in the same order, but with no overlapping enharmonic keys. Simply seven keys on the right, seven keys on the left. Some students find this a clearer way to understand the entire system at a glance.

How to Practice Music

This handy document gives clear step-by-step directions on how to approach learning new music. Laminate this page and give it to students for home use, or keep a copy handy in the studio to remind students of these steps.

Starchart of Important Musical Patterns

Students keep this chart updated with the patterns they have learned by placing stickers in the squares. Great for students to remember to continue practicing those keys already learned, and gives the students a sense of the key system as a whole, and how much of it they have already mastered.

Chart of the Regions

This historic chart was created by composer Arnold Schoenberg, and shows all of the key centers in music, the relative, parallel, dominant and subdominant keys of each. A super study tool for those wanting to understand modulation principles and how musical keys relate to one another.

How to Practice Laminate

This 2 page document has the initial steps for reading new music on one side, and the 7 steps of the Level System for learning new music on the opposite side. Place pages back to back, laminate and cut for individual students to keep. Like having the teacher in the room!

Free Worksheets for students!

Drawing Lines and Spaces

A simple worksheet for practice at drawing notes on lines and spaces.

Steps and Skips

A simple worksheet for students to practice writing notes that are both skipping and stepping.

Matching Music Symbols

A simple worksheet for drilling recognition and understanding of various musical symbols introduced in the first year of study.

Matching Rhythm Symbols

A simple worksheet for drilling recognition and understanding of various rhythm symbols presented in the first year of study.