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

Teachers are so giving, and they can sometimes be guilty of not taking time for themselves. Get my tips for disconnecting and recharging in this episode.

Goal setting is an important part of studying a music instrument. I believe goals should be set not just by the teacher, but by the student and teacher collaboratively too. Take a listen to find out how.

In this fantastic interview with Graham Fitch (first recorded in February 2018) we talked about practice strategies, and managing practice expectations with adult students.

What’s your biggest frustration as a music teacher? That’s a question I ask all readers of the Colourful Keys blog  and in this episode I want to help you with the most common one.

What takes a recital from alright to totally WOW? It’s the little things. Get inspiration and ideas for how to make your next recital sparkle in this episode.

There’s so much to do when prepping for a recital. What are the essentials that need to go on your checklist? And when does each thing need to be done?! I’ll talk you through it all in this episode.

Do you reschedule your music lessons or offer makeup lessons? I’m here to convince you that you need to rethink that. Join me for this podcast episode and reframe your makeup lesson mindset for good.

The first few months with a new student are vital for establishing the right relationships and practice routines. So what are the most important touch-points? What emails should we send and when?

There are so many ways to structure your lessons, it doesn’t have to be just 30 minutes one-on-one. Lynnette has tried quite a few of the possibilities and I’m delighted to have her on the show today to talk about innovative and interesting lesson formats.

You don’t want to be just another studio claiming lessons for “all ages and levels”. You don’t want to be thought of as just nice. Find your unique awesomeness in this episode. Make your marketing different, stand out and get noticed!

Whether you have a bunch of open spots or just need to add to your studio’s waiting list, you always need to be marketing your studio in some way. In this episode, I’ll talk you through the most common marketing methods for music teachers and which I have found to be most effective.

The circle of fifths is a very useful tool to bring all of the key signatures together and reveal their relationships to each other. But how can we help students to understand this? How can we allow them to feel the magic? That’s where improvising your way around the circle of fifths can be so useful. Find out how today.

In this episode, I’ll answer some great questions from members about improvisation, finger dexterity, concerts and note reading struggles.  

Using monthly themes in your studio can give you the clarity you need to really move your students’ learning forward in particular areas. Find out in this episode how this could work for you and get some ideas for monthly themes you could use.

Do your students think scales are fun? I promise you they can, it just takes a little know-how and some imagination on your part. But it’s so worth it!