The Piano Pantry Podcast

Your business is a living, breathing thing with the beautiful ability to be flexible and evolve with culture, client needs, and/or personal life. Sometimes, changes and adjustments are needed at the micro level and sometimes at the macro level. In this episode, we’ll explore what that could be like for your studio and also hear about some of the adjustments Amy’s making to her own. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode117 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

If you’ve ever experienced emotional labor determining makeup lesson policies in your studio, today’s episode will provide a little therapy. Australian-based piano teacher Samantha Coates invites a perspective that paints a vivid picture of why a no-makeup policy is absolutely reasonable. (This episode is a replay of Episode 066 - Samantha Coates on How to NOT Give Makeup Lessons.) Samantha Coates is the creator of BlitzBooks, a popular music education series focusing on theory, rote repertoire and sight reading for piano. Her 35+ years of teaching experience combined with her entertaining presentation style has made Samantha a sought-after lecturer on a wide range of pedagogical topics. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode116 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Putting together formal student evaluations can be very time-consuming. If you like the idea of evaluations or progress reports but struggle with the time required to craft them, I’m here to offer an alternative solution! Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode115 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Welcome to the first-ever “ICYMI: In Case You Missed It” episode of The Piano Pantry Podcast! ICYMI episodes will feature anything from opportunities and resources I feel those in our profession should know about to items from the archives of the Piano Pantry blog that - if you’ve not been following me since 2016 - you might not know about! Today’s episode features three free student “awards” made available to members of Music Teachers National Association. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode114 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Regularly scheduled downtime from teaching is important not only for us but also for our students and for maintaining a well-run business. Time off isn’t just about having unending hours to read, deep clean your freezer, or go for two-hour walks; it can also mean releasing ourselves from our normal routine to make room for other things. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode113 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Ponderings on how we use the term “friend” within the context of our relationships with each other in the piano teacher community Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode112 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Opportunities for independent teachers to get conference-type professional development in both large and small-scale formats, including the pros and cons of each setting. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode111 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

You will surely be delighted by Amy’s conversation with Seattle-based pianist, teacher, and clinician Peter Mack, current President of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)! They chat on a variety of topics, including teaching specialties, Peter’s natural knack for using visual descriptors, what it’s like to be on a conference planning committee, tips on the proposal submission process, and much, much more. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode110 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Amy and her friend Joy Morin of the Color in My Piano blog share six ways they’ve used Notion (a productivity and note-taking app) this week as independent piano teachers. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode109 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Canva is an online graphic design tool that can be used for anything from social media content to presentation slides, resource creation, and more. Here are nine special features that you’ll want to know about - many of which Amy wishes she had known about sooner! Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode108 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

How to run a note-naming challenge in your studio. We’ll cover things like objectives, leveling, scheduling, rewards, frequently asked questions and more. (The main content of this episode is a replay of episode 061.) Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode107 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Amy hands out “Valentines” to 9 items that she loves. More specifically, she’s featuring things she has found enhancing her life through beauty and simplicity. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode106 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

A comparison of two task-management note-taking apps: Evernote and Notion. Learn the differences between the two apps and hear why Amy has moved most of what she does from Evernote into Notion. More importantly, she’ll share one big reason why Evernote has remained part of her workflow but in a more focused way. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode105 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Would you like to have a more streamlined approach to your group classes or have a few more tried and true activities in your back pocket? Listen in as Amy shares some of her favorite go-to activities to conduct during group class weeks. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode104 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

In what order do you teach technical patterns? Have you ever considered going outside the exact order your method books suggest and laying out the order YOU feel would best suit your students? In this episode, Amy challenges some of our thinking around the order in which technical patterns are taught and encourages us to design a progression that works for us and our students. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode103 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

While Amy’s not big on what you might know as traditional “Freezer Meals,” she has some time-saving tips on setting up your freezer to cover you when your dinner prep hours are teaching-filled hours. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode102 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Take time to rethink, readjust, and thus renew yourself for the upcoming season. We’re not talking about setting goals - that comes later. First, let’s pause and consider what’s working and what’s not. Hear the story of Amy’s biggest pain point in recent months and how the reflection and evaluation process she went through can help you. Find the full transcript and show notes (including any links mentioned) here: https://pianopantry.com/podcast/episode101 --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Amy takes time to look back at some of the big events and happenings in the world of independent piano teachers in 2022 and 2023. For the rest of the show notes, including the links mentioned, [CLICK HERE]. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Amy had a little fun playing around with Chat GPT to write you a song as you head into Christmas break. Hear a little about the process she went through guiding Chat GPT, receive the special holiday wish, and get a holiday-themed tiny tip (also AI-style!) For the rest of the show notes, including the full transcript and links mentioned, [CLICK HERE]. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message

Episode 2 in a two-part series on best utilizing the forScore app. Check out some of these need-to-know features that Amy wishes she had known about sooner. For the rest of the show notes, including links mentioned, [CLICK HERE]. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/piano-pantry-podcast/message