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Nicola Cantan
Practical and proven tips, ideas and advice for private music teachers. Listen in to improve your instrumental or vocal music studio business and find that oh-so-elusive feeling of balance in your life.
Welcome to The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast! This is the show for you if you’re an instrumental or vocal music teacher that wants friendly, creative and accessible advice.
I’m your host Nicola Cantan. My membership site, Vibrant Music Teaching, helps teachers all over the world to include more games and creativity in their lessons, so that their students giggle their way through music theory and make faster progress. I also run a popular blog, Colourful Keys, where we write about creative ideas and teaching strategies and an interview show, Teaching Studio Stories.
Every Monday I provide bite-sized bursts of inspiration and ideas for instrumental and vocal music teachers. The episodes are usually between 10 and 20 minutes – the perfect length of time to put away some of the music books scattered all over your studio and hide the rest of them in the piano bench.
Listen to a few episodes and hit the subscribe button. When you come across an episode you love, make sure to tell your teacher-friends they can get it for free in any audio app that supports podcasts.
https://vibrantmusicteaching.com
https://colourfulkeys.ie
https://instagram.com/colourfulkeys
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vibrantmusicstudioteachers
Piano teacher notes and notepapers
Take a tour of all the notes I take in my piano teaching business, both analogue and digital.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
12:4820/11/2023
Time-saving tips for music teachers
These two time-saving tips might be just the ticket to saving you some breathing room.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
10:4013/11/2023
Finding time for professional development
We have so much to do in our studios...but how do we find time to keep learning?Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
19:4206/11/2023
How long is left in my piano lesson?
Have you ever been annoyed when students ask if their piano lesson is nearly over? We'll unpack that question on the show today.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
12:0830/10/2023
Top 3 piano lesson planning mistakes
Today is a very short episode with the top 3 mistakes many teachers make when it comes to lesson planning.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
05:1723/10/2023
Bullet Journaling for Piano Teachers
How do you organise your tasks and to-dos? Bullet journalling might be the answer if you're looking for a new system. Let's discuss how this journaling method works and what you need to get started.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
24:4316/10/2023
Mindfulness in Piano Performing
Mindfulness techniques can be great tools to give your students to help them deal with performance nerves. Listen in for 5 simple things to try in your lessons.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
29:4009/10/2023
Interleaved Music Teaching and Spaced Repetition Practice
Have you heard of interleaved practice? In this episode, I'll explain what it is and how to develop it into interleaved teaching.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
15:1902/10/2023
Piano music memorisation tips
Not sure where to start when it comes to memorising piano music? This is a great place to start.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
10:1525/09/2023
5 Ways to Make Memorising Music Fun
How can we make memorisation not just accessible but FUN and maybe even easy for our students?Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
14:4318/09/2023
The Hidden Benefits of Teaching Improvisation and Composition
When we teach our students to improvise and compose, they get so much out of it beyond the creative activity.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
10:3211/09/2023
5 Fun Ways to Teach Form
Teaching your music students about form doesn’t have to be as dull as just labelling the sections ABA. In this episode, we discuss fun and engaging ways to teach form.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
20:1004/09/2023
How Improvisation and Arranging Improves Music Memorisation
Can creative exercises help our students become better memorisers and performers? Let's find out.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
12:2728/08/2023
Printing tips and tricks
Printing tips and tricks for music teachers. Let me solve your printing woes and help the whole thing go smoothly!Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
12:5221/08/2023
Breaking the Piano Memorisation Crutch in Transfer Students
What do you do when a transfer student memorises music beautifully, but can't read?Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
15:2514/08/2023
Neurodiversity in the Piano Teaching Studio
Tune in for an overview of types of neurodivergence you might encounter in your studio and some simple advice for how to make your studio more inclusive.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
32:4107/08/2023
4 Emotional experiments for piano students
I've been working with my students recently to increase the emotion in their playing. Try my experiments yourself and see how it works for you!Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
15:4731/07/2023
10 Ways to Teach Piano Students Right vs Left
Are your piano students confusing left and right hands? It’s a common issue and there are lots of fun ways to work on it, which we’ll share in this episode.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
26:0824/07/2023
A personal memorisation manifesto
Where do you believe memorisation sits in your studio priorities? I'm sharing my thoughts in today's show.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
13:4817/07/2023
Should you increase your piano teaching rates?
In this episode, we work through 8 questions to help you decide whether it’s time to raise your piano teaching rates.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
20:4110/07/2023
The 5|7|22 Music Memorisation Method
If you need a step-by-step way to memorise music – either for yourself or a student – this is worth a try.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
10:1603/07/2023
Predicting piano student progress
How can you guess what a student or group of students will know and be able to do next week? Next month? Next year? Predicting any music student's progress can be a sticky wicket.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
20:1026/06/2023
How to avoid burnout as a music teacher
If you want to be able to serve your studio families, you have to look after yourself as a piano teacher and avoid burnout. Here's how.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
17:0519/06/2023
Reimagining the metronome in music lessons
Do you use the metronome in your music lessons? Sometimes it's the perfect tool...and other times we want the benefit of metronome work without actually using a metronome.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
15:0212/06/2023
What can a non-perfectionist teacher learn from a perfectionist?
If you're a non-perfectionist (like me and my guest, Carmen) what can we learn from all the perfectionists out there?Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
16:5905/06/2023
3 changes to consider right now
Join us for this very special episode with guest host, Tim Topham! Tim will be sharing the 3 changes to consider in your studio right now.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
16:3229/05/2023
Perfecting the Art of Being a "Good Enough" Piano Teacher
If you're a recovering perfectionist, this is the episode for you. Joanna and I are talking about a healthier relationship to high standards.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
16:0322/05/2023
How to Create a Piano Studio Schedule
When it comes to creating a piano studio schedule there are many ways to go about it. Learn how I create our timetable each year in today's episode.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
15:2015/05/2023
What to do when students can't take corrections
Some students find it challenging to hear about their mistakes. Listen as we discuss how to deal with seemingly defiant students this week.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
19:3808/05/2023
The foundation of good practice
Repetition might seem an obvious element of practice to us but it's not always so to our students. Find out how to train them to repeat in this episode.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
14:2801/05/2023
Retire from your role as "Mistake Police"
When we spend all our teaching time reacting to students mistakes, something as gone wrong. Let's be proactive instead in how we plan for the learning process.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
12:1924/04/2023
Helping students get comfortable with struggle
Some students are just naturally un-gritty. They give up quickly when something feels hard and music involves learning hard things. How can we help them get comfortable with the struggle?Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
21:2117/04/2023
Beat Perfectionism With Video Piano Student Evaluations
Evaluations, progress reports or updates – whatever you call them – they're really beneficial for students, teachers and parents. So where might a video evaluation fit into your teaching plans?Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
13:2610/04/2023
How to Know When Your Student Has "Finished" a Piece
It seems like a simple question but it actually has many more layers. What does it mean for a student to complete a piece? Should everything be up to performance standard?Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
10:0703/04/2023
How to Start Teaching Piano in Schools or Preschools
Teaching in schools or preschools can seem like a dream come true for many teachers. Filling those daytime hours and being more free in the evenings? Yes, please! Learn how to do it in today’s show.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
24:0027/03/2023
The Best Digital Piano Method Books
Digital piano books and piano methods have many advantages. In this episode, we’ll discuss what makes a method digital and some of the best ones out there.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
20:3120/03/2023
Piano Polyrhythms with Stacy Fahrion
This is episode features a wonderful interview I had with Stacy Fahrion about polyrhythms and how to teach them in your studio.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
26:5813/03/2023
Tommy the Piano Toe-Dipper
If you’ve heard the phrase, “I just want him to try it out and see” from a prospective piano parent and had your heart drop, you’re not alone. Let’s talk about those students who are just testing the waters.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
22:1406/03/2023
Five Foundations of Successful Preschool Piano Teaching
Teaching preschoolers can bring you students earlier in the day and increase your reach in your community – but it's not without its challenges. Find out the foundations of great preschool piano lessons in this episode.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
43:3327/02/2023
What we can learn from self-taught musicians
What would happen if your students' ran the show? As teachers, we need to guide our students. But we also need them to have ownership over what they're doing.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
19:1320/02/2023
Renewing Scales and Deepening Understanding with Improvisation
Scales seem to be a given in piano lessons, but, should they be? And if they are, how can we teach them differently so that our students actually enjoy piano scales and learn them more effectively.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
25:2713/02/2023
How much should we standardise our piano curriculum?
Music is often not taught according to a rigid curriculum. But would we do better if we did have a standard curriculum for piano? And how much should we individualise for each student?Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
12:5606/02/2023
8 Checkpoints for Transfer Music Students
Do you struggle with transfer students? Here are some tips for making sure they start on the right foot in your studio.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
11:4530/01/2023
Cute Valentine's Day Idea for Piano Lessons
It's fun to celebrate occasions in our studios and Valentine's Day is a great time to bring your studio community together. Here's a fun project and freebie to help you do just that!Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
21:0523/01/2023
What Should a Beginner Piano Student Learn in Year 1?
Tune in for my list of goals for the first year of lessons, divided into 2 age brackets.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
16:2316/01/2023
How to Choose Inspiring Piano Exam Pieces
Joanna Shiel is on the show today and we're chatting about choosing great exam pieces that are motivating and inspiring for students.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
19:1109/01/2023
The Power of Preemptive Theory
Getting ahead of your students' music theory can have enormous benefits. Here's how you can do it.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
13:0802/01/2023
How to Keep Track of a Lending Library
A step-by-step system for the simplest way to keep track of items you loan to students.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
13:4812/12/2022
Keeping track of your music students' progress
Journaling or note taking after each lesson might seem like a lot, but it can make a big difference to the quality of your music teaching. Tune in to find out how and why.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
14:2705/12/2022
Pros and cons of exams for music students
Music exams can be wonderful...when they're used with the right student at the right time. Let's unpack the pros and cons together.Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.
18:2928/11/2022