On Friday Trevor and I received a parcel in the mail from a Teach Piano Today reader.
Inside the parcel were two beautiful jars of homemade honey. The honey was a thank you gift for helping a fellow piano teacher out; help that was certainly not worthy of the thought and effort that went in to sending us an offline gift!
But, with what turned out to be an unsettling weekend, the honey couldn’t have arrived at a better time. The honey reminded us, when we really needed it, that the online world is full of wonderful, thoughtful, and positive piano teachers and bloggers who work every single day to support and lift each other up.
And all of these wonderful people know that the best way to deal with difficult situations is…
A Few of the Many Wonderful Piano People
Dr. Christopher Fisher
Several years ago, when the Teach Piano Today blog was very young, Dr. Fisher participated in a Facebook chat for an event we were holding. Despite being relative “nobodies” at the time, Dr. Fisher gratefully accepted our invitation and prepared for the event as someone might who was presenting a Doctoral Thesis.
We had the good fortune of speaking with Dr. Fisher on the Teach Piano Today podcast recently, and again, he blew us away with his professionalism and kindness. Dr. Fisher is a renowned workshop presenter, and although the physical distance between our two towns means we have never had the opportunity to see him speak live, we can, nonetheless, highly recommend him!
Wendy Stevens
Wendy is a wonderful blogger and gifted composer who offers “straight-up” piano teaching advice. Her blog is full of ready-to-implement strategies and resources. Wendy is also the creator of Rhythm Cup Explorations… an incredible resource that personally made me think… “Gack! Why didn’t I think of that!” 😉
Bradley Sowash
I talked with Bradley for the first time on a podcast about improvising with piano students. His enthusiasm for improv was infectious and had me rushing out to buy books from his series All That Jazz that I’ve started using this fall. His blog is a treasure trove of information.
As a side note, his daughter has also started an incredibly creative and relevant virtual assistant business for performing artists called Skitterbug. Something to check out if you’re buried in administrivia!
Joy Morin
Joy’s blog, ColorInMyPiano.com, is a wonderfully personal journey into the life of a piano teacher. Beyond sharing useful resources and teaching tips, Joy also lets us in to her day-to-day life. Her insights let us all know that we’re not alone.
Tim Topham
Tim is a piano teacher and blogger from Australia. His blog has a pleasantly different and “cool” vibe. His insights and opinions are very relevant to the tech-crazy generation of students we now find ourselves teaching. He also was a guest on our podcast where we chatted about using an iPad in piano lessons.
We’re Not Done Yet…
I always feel a little uneasy when writing a post like this. I hate the thought of having to leave people out. But, at the same time, trying to write about all of the positive online piano people is a momentous task!
So, I have tried to narrow it down to a smaller list of people with whom we have personally interacted on a number of occasions. There are certainly many other wonderful people who we are enjoying getting to know such as Jennifer Eklund, Chris Foley, Susan Paradis, Erica Snipes, Jennifer Foxx and Dana Rice to name just a few!
And finally (and most importantly), there are all the readers of this blog. Our community here at Teach Piano Today has now grown to well over 10,000 positive and passionate piano teachers, and we feel privileged to help each and every one of you on your piano teaching journey!
Alfred Kinney says
Great!!!!
Thank you
Laura Lowe says
I couldn’t agree more. Kindness is always possible. Thanks for the many helpful resources you have shared here.
Ellen says
I am so grateful to have found this community!!
Suzy says
I so enjoy receiving your posts and trying out all of your creative ideas. My students at school and in my studio are benefiting from your creativity. Thank you.
Lisa says
I always look forward to reading your inspiring and helpful posts. Thank you so much for all that you share.
Jennifer says
Thanks for the mention in an article that serves as a great reminder for our interactions with both students and colleagues online. 🙂
Barbara says
TPT and many of those mentioned in this post are what keep me going when times get tough. And I know if I have an issue that I don’t know the answer to, someone “out there” will probably be willing to help. It’s a great feeling to have go-to resources. Also, I’m so glad you gave that 10,000 teachers number; it keeps me believing that piano will go on forever:)
Sam Marion says
Thank you so much, Trevor and Andrea, for your generosity in sharing ideas. By the way, I have two boys who are LOVING Fearless Fortissimo. Now, FF is the main event, and my method book, Celebrate Piano (which I also love), has become the supplementary material. 🙂
Kelly Koch says
This can be a pretty darn lonely business. It’s the community of support I’ve found with TPT, Jennifer Eklund, Susan Paradis, Wendy Stevens, Michelle Sisler, Leila Viss, Bradley Sowash and many more that give me ideas, encouragement and strength to be a GREAT teacher! My poor husband is a guitar teacher and they don’t have much like we do to support each other. I’m incredibly grateful.
Kelly Koch says
Oh, shoot! Philip Johnston too! The Dynamic Studio!!
Jennifer Foxx says
Totally agree! I love how there are so many teachers that are willing to share what they do best so we can learn and grow! I have grown so much because of you and all of them! 🙂
Carol Tarr says
I so admire your ability to always have something worthwhile to say. As a Suzuki cello teacher, I find many of your ideas helpful. Many times they have inspired a new idea that pertains to my work also.
Much appreciation.
Joy Morin says
Thanks for your wonderful positivity as always, Andrea & Trevor!! 🙂
Andrea Bentz says
I have received so much benefit from this blog, and your great teaching materials 🙂
Colleen Branson says
There is so much support and freely shared resources online. I have only recently begun to discover this resource and it is helping me rejuvenate my teaching. It is so nice to be able to “talk” to others even when they are not in the same city and share ideas and resources with others around the world.
Leslie says
This week a family canceled their piano lesson because their child (as well as entire family) was sick. I put some star confetti in a Get Well card, and an added note to let them know I missed them and I received this message the next day:
Hey there,
Almost teared up at your card today! I realized in this day and age of technology, how something so special as a handwritten card can make such a difference! Thank you so much! We loved it and **** liked the confetti.:)
Hope you’re having a good week! **** is finally feeling better today and I am hoping to follow tomorrow. I am about a day behind him it seems!
Thank you again for the card! It really brought a smile to our faces.:)
Just wanted to share how I was blessed this week! 🙂
Andrea says
What a FABULOUS idea Leslie! Gestures like this one go so far in building really strong relationships. Kudos to you for going the extra mile. I know that that family will “pay-it-forward” in some way 🙂
Melinda says
I just wish I had found all of this sooner! I have NO IDEA why I didn’t turn to the internet for music teaching ideas and resources sooner. Wendy Stevens is so nice-she went out of her way to email me personally her reply to a question I posted on her blog to make sure I received her input. Her welcome packet for signing up for her emails has a statement something to the effect that sometimes the life of a piano teacher is lonely and has an open invitation to email her-even if it’s just to “chat”! How cool is that?? I feel like all of a sudden I have all of these new friends that if there were to be a TPT reunion in person, it would feel like the entire community has known each other forever….and not in a creepy way!