Shows / Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning
This podcast is a collection of creative ideas, practical strategies, and thoughtful observations from the field of music teaching and learning. Music educator Ashley Danyew will dive into topics like how we learn, developing musicianship, time management, teaching sequences, planning tools and strategies, the art of teaching, practicing, and the creative process, and share personal stories from her own experiences and observations. You’ll find creative and pedagogically-sound teaching…
Episodes
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning098 - Five Ways I’m Applying Slow Productivity to My Studio
Earlier this year, I reread Cal Newport's Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout for the Musician & Co. Book Club.One of the things…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning097 - 24 Ways to Use Piano Safari Sight-Reading Cards in Your Teaching
I started using Piano Safari in my studio five years ago. There are a lot of things I like about the curriculum and pedagogical approach, but one of my…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning096 - How I Use Assessment in My Studio
Assessment is a process of measuring, evaluating, and documenting learning.Measuring a student’s progress in the studio provides an opportunity for reflection…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning095 - Schubert vs. Richter: A Studio Class Listening Project
In a recent class with three intermediate students (8th-11th grade), we compared the music of Franz Schubert and Max Richter. Schubert was a prolific Austrian…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning094 - The Curious Mind of Pianist Josef Hofmann
What does it look like to be a musician who is also an inventor—someone whose curiosity about how things work shapes the way he approaches his instrument?…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning093 - What We're Doing for Informances This Year
March in my studio means one thing: informance season. We spend 10 to 12 weeks getting ready—learning and analyzing music, practicing demonstrations, preparing…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning092 - Beauty, Artistry, and Intention (A Tribute to Marvin Blickenstaff)
At the end of January, we lost a wonderful musician, teacher, and pedagogue, Marvin Blickenstaff. You’ve probably heard me talk about Marvin on the podcast…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning091 - Seven Black Composers in the Piano Teaching Repertoire
February is Black History Month—a time to honor and celebrate the contributions of African Americans. As a music teacher, this prompts me to pause and evaluate…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning090 - Nine Supplemental Books for Elementary and Early Intermediate Piano Students
It’s my last week of teaching for the year, and I've been reflecting on the supplemental books that have been most successful with my elementary and early…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning089 - The Science of Practicing: What I’m Learning from Molly Gebrian's Book
One of the things I love about teaching is that we can draw on many disciplines to make our work better—art, psychology, learning theories, and even…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning088 - The Art of Practicing: What I’m Learning from Madeline Bruser’s Book
This fall, I read two books about practicing: The first is Madeline Bruser’s, The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart. The second is…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning087 - 9 Creative Lesson Activities You Can Do with a Broken Arm
It was about this time last year when I got a panicked email from a parent: “Jack broke his left wrist this week. What does this mean for piano? He’s in a…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning086 - Teaching Keyboard Skills to Students of All Ages
Learning to play the piano isn’t just about learning repertoire pieces. It’s about developing a set of keyboard skills that lets you make music anywhere, with…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning085 - Everyone Can Improvise (+ 3 Examples From My Studio)
When I was in grad school, I took an elective class on Improvisation. I remember shuffling into the 3rd-floor classroom that first day, pulling a blue chair…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning084 - Recital Recap & Year-End Reflection
Earlier this month, I hosted my 14th studio piano recital. There’s always so much that goes into planning and preparing for an event like this:Choosing…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning083 - Bernstein & Bill Evans: Inside My Recent Intermediate Studio Class
It starts simply. Two blocked jazz chords with I-V in the bass. And then the vocalist comes in:“Twenty-four hours can go so fast. You look around, the day has…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning082 - What Art Is Teaching Me About Music
Some of you may not know this about me, but I’m a musician and an artist.I always loved art as a kid—from finger painting in my blue smock at my Little Tikes…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning081 - Celebrating Women in Music Month: An Inside Look at Our Studio Informances
March is Women’s History Month and by extension, Women in Music Month—an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate women’s contributions to our field.As a…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning080 - 14 Ways to Practice Away From Your Instrument
When you think about practicing, what do you picture?Maybe you think about your instrument in the living room or your favorite practice room at school. Maybe…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning079 - From Technique to Musical Identity: Six Things I’m Focusing on in Lessons
The Spring semester can be busy. With extra performances, we end up focusing more on performance skills—starting and finishing well, lifting hands back to our…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning078 - The Days of Auld Lang Syne: A Year-End Reflection for Music Teachers
It’s the middle of December, which means you’re probably caught up in the rush of holiday performances, concerts, and recitals, studio classes, parties, and…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning077 - A New Approach to Teaching Group Classes
I have a love/hate relationship with studio classes.I love the idea of them, and I love being able to offer them to my students. But I’ve never found a…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning076 - 7 Things to Carry Into the New School Year
It’s my second full week of teaching. I know some of you have been back to school and lessons for a month now, but I’m still getting my bearings, adjusting to…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning075 - What I'm Working on This Summer
I don’t know about you, but this summer is going by very quickly. I know some of you may be going back to school this week or preparing to go back in a few…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning074 - What a First Piano Lesson Looks Like (Here's My Lesson Plan)
Last week, I taught a brand-new beginner her very first piano lesson.Cora is 5 1/2 and is quite mature for her age. She is the youngest of three—her two older…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning073 - How to Prepare for a Consult with a Prospective Student
The interview process for finding a music teacher goes both ways:The teacher is interviewing the student and family to assess musical, physical, and emotional…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning072 - The Case for Consultations in the Music Studio
Years ago, I received an email from a piano teacher asking about initial consultations and interviews.“What do you do? What questions do you ask? How long…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning071 - 3 Things I Learned from Hosting a Musical Informance
Welcome to another episode of the Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning podcast. Today’s episode is part 3 of a series I’ve been working on this spring all…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning070 - The 3-Month Studio Recital Plan
The birds are chirping, the first Spring flowers are popping up in the front yard, and Rory, my dog, insists on laying in the middle of the daffodil bed…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar Eclipse
I did a poll on Instagram recently to see if any of my music teacher friends had ever hosted a musical informance. A few said "yes," a few said "no," but a…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning068 - How to Plan a Musical Informance
This year, Rochester, NY is in the path of the total solar eclipse. There are lots of special events happening in town—the orchestra is performing a special…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning067 - Six Things I'm Documenting in the Studio
"It feels almost like if we don't document it, did it happen? And I need proof that it did."I was listening to an interview with Erin Napier of Home Town on…
- Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning
066 - A Winter Improvisation Prompt for Elementary Piano Students
Do you improvise with your students?If you have a classical background like I do, you may not consider yourself an improviser, but researchers and educators…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning065 - How to Build a Musical Vocabulary Using Tonal Pattern Cards
I received an email from a listener recently, a piano teacher in North Carolina. She had purchased a set of my tonal pattern cards and was looking for ideas…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning064 - How I Plan a Year of Student Repertoire
Last week, I posted a reel on Instagram of my annual planning process for my studio. At the end of the summer, I pull out all my books, curriculum charts, and…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning063 - When the Teacher Becomes the Student
"I found this piece that I'd like to learn," one of my high school students said to me in a lesson earlier this summer. He carefully laid out the pages of the…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning062 - The A-Ha Moments of Music Teaching
You know those moments when something just *clicks*? When something suddenly makes sense to you that was confusing before or you make a new connection or you…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning061 - 11 Pedagogy-Related Books for Music Teachers
Summer is a great time to rest, recharge, and work on professional development. This is often when we as music educators attend conferences and workshops…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning060 - How Do We Approach Mistakes in Music Teaching & Learning?
"What just happened?" I asked a 4th-grade student one Friday afternoon."I made a mistake," she said, looking down at her hands still resting on the keys.We…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning059 - 7 Ways to Practice Rhythm
We've been working a lot on rhythm in the studio this spring. I've always made an effort to incorporate a rhythm activity into each lesson, but I've found…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning058 - Negotiated Spaces: Balancing Formal and Informal Learning in Music
"Do you know 'Brave' by Sara Bareilles?" I asked 10-year-old Anthony in a piano lesson one week. "Yeah," he said. "Well, I read recently that 'Brave' and [Katy…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning057 - Women in Music Month in the Studio
I was talking with one of my high school students a few weeks ago about music by women composers. We were studying "Canoeing" by Amy Beach in the Celebration…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning056 - The Valentine Composition Project
It was 1997.My piano teacher had just shown us a picture of Belle, Bonne, Sage, a rondeau about love written in the shape of a heart by 15th-century French…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning055 - Begin Again: The Case for Experimentation in Your Music Teaching
What does the beginning of a New Year signify for you? What kind of season do you find yourself in these days?I recognized recently that I am in a season of…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning054 - Here’s What I'm Learning: A Look Back on 2022
As teachers, we spend so much of our time focusing on what our students are learning and discovering. Are they progressing? Are we challenging them enough? Too…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning053 - 5 Things to Do When You Feel Burnt Out
Researchers suggest that twenty to thirty percent of teachers in America have moderately high to high levels of burnout (source). Maybe you know the…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning052 - What Does Creative Music Teaching Look Like?
There's been a lot of talk in recent years about creative teaching strategies and being a creative teacher. But what does that really mean? What does it look…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning051 - The Pokémon Piano Lesson
I have a new 1st-grade student this fall, a younger sibling of another student. Their temperaments and personalities could not be more different and I feel…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning050 - Simplified Organization for the New School Year
It's back-to-school season, which means cups of hot tea in the mornings, new music to learn and explore, a new teaching schedule, and a few new organizational…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning049 - What Every Music Teacher Should Know About Mindsets: Insights from Carol Dweck's Book
I first heard about this book from one of my grad school professors.We were sitting around a long table one snowy January evening at our annual dinner for…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning048 - Buddy Lesson Activities Based on Piano Safari Friends
This summer, I've been teaching buddy lessons to two rising 1st graders. One started lessons with me in January and the other just started last month. They are…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning047 - An Inside Look at My Lesson-Planning Process
Do you pre-plan lessons in your studio? The truth is, I haven't always done this.As a young teacher, I loved planning and sequencing activities for every…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning046 - 6 Practical Tips for Designing Your Music Teaching Career
We talk a lot about the teaching and learning process on this podcast and what that looks like in practical, real-life experiences. But today, I want to take a…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning045 - The Blues Composition Project
In February of this year, I organized a month-long, studio-wide composition project based on the 12-bar blues.I got the idea for this project from a session I…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning044 - What Do You See? The Power of Observation in Music Lessons
I remember the warm, wood-paneled walls of the recital hall where we gathered; the blue theater chairs and parquet floors; the tall windows along one wall and…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning043 - Rediscovering the Joy of Scavenger Hunts
It all started when I was writing a lesson plan for a 2nd-grade student. She’s in her second month of lessons.I was planning to introduce a new piece and I…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning042 - What Does It Mean to Be a Teacher-Facilitator?
In the book The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance, author Timothy Gallwey describes a one-on-one lesson he had…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning041 - Focus On the Music
This month in my teaching, I'm making a conscious effort to focus on the music.I know that might sound obvious. You're a music teacher—what else would you…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning040 - On Developing a Creative Habit [Book Review]
The scene opens in an empty room with blank, white walls. A woman steps into the space, alone. "The blank space can be humbling," she writes. There's pressure…
Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning039 - A Creative, Integrated Approach to Teaching Music Theory
So often in our teaching and learning experiences, music theory is taught as a standalone subject. We need to develop an understanding of theory and musical…