Vintage PA: Leaving People Better Than You Found Them
It's easy to teach when everything is going well, when families support each other, when children are perfectly behaved, when students are healthy. It's a lot tougher when parents are…
Vintage PA: Learning Ogi Matsuri 2
Everyone who teaches should try to learn a completely new skill every few years. It keeps you humble. It keeps you patient and kind to both yourself and to your…
Resolutions: Salvage & Recycle 2
It happens to all of us. We set goals and start out with such good intentions. Then, the world gets in the way and, little by little, we lose our…
Vintage PA: Presents Under The Piano
My favorite holiday note ever is written on a piece of binder paper in pencil and goes like this: Thank you for being my piano teacher. I hope to be…
Vintage PA: Because Scales
I remember trying to learn scales hands together. Four in one hand then 3 in the other my teacher said. F is like C except there is a 4 on…
Vintage PA: Body Parts, Chocolate, & Equality
I often have the privilege of judging and evaluating piano piano competitions and festivals. It is a joy to hear all levels of pianists dig deep and play their very…
Not Exactly Pre-Reading: 1-2-3 Line Read & Play
With the beginning of the school year looming, the teachers I am mentoring are again full of questions about how to best help their beginning readers—especially those who look at the…
Vintage PA: On Your Way To Wonderful (and a little family history)
Bill Withers, Singer, Songwriter, & Soul Icon, whose credits include the hits Ain’t No Sunshine, Lean On Me, Lovely Day, & Just the Two of Us, once gave the following…