We can recreate a Folk Music environment in piano lessons in a way that resonates with the human desire to connect and learn together. We simply need to take the approach of making music together.

New Teaching Resources for February!

Including a New ‘Story Song’, Keyboard Geography games, Rhythm Games, Harmony Improv piece and a colourful set of Solfa Ladders!

It’s all about listening…

Non-legato technique is all about learning to to understand quality of sound. It such a wonderful way to introduce piano playing because it teaches students to really listen to their tone production. A non-legato technique also develops healthy hand and arm alignment and beautifully prepares students for legato technique.

I teach scales using Moveable Solfa, where Tonic is ‘Do’. This is easy for students who have been learning with the PianoForte method because they know what a ‘Do’ scale sounds like.

There are tips on how and why to introduce the solfa syllables 'So & Mi', and how these tones support early aural development, and are also wonderful for introducing healthy piano technique.

Here we talk about how teaching piano students to read music from a Middle C position can be problematic and solutions on how this can be more easily understood. This includes landmark notes with an understanding of the purpose of clefs.

This is the first piece I teach after a student has finished PianoForte Level 3. It sounds fun and has several new elements that students don’t find overly challenging. The whole piece can be learned in just a few lessons.

This is a wonderful method for teaching students to really understand music notational reading. It is a 'multi-layered' approach that includes solfa, letter names, the Hand Stave, AND Curwen hand signs. This method us rooted in Kodaly methods and at its heart is musicianship and aural skills.

In PianoForte Level Two students are introduced to the landmark notes Treble G and Bass F. Sometimes children forget where these two key are on the piano. This is a helpful (and fun!) way to help them remember.

Sometimes when I talk about the PianoForte method and how it teaches students to play the piano by building a foundation a aural skills I see a teacher’s eyes glaze and I know they are thinking something similar along the lines and this must being a play-the-piano-quick scheme. I totally get it - I was that teacher

The Colour Chant is free to download on the PianoForte website. It is a rhythm supplement for PianoForte level 2 and helps support students who are learning basic rhythm. It includes the crotchet/quarter note, the quaver/eight note and the crotchet/quarter rest. It’s fun, easy to learn and easy to teach

One of the most effective ways to help students build good piano technique is to delay the use of the thumb. This idea is often mentioned by piano teachers but what does it actually mean and why is it so important?

This video shows you the inside pages of "PianoForte Level One" with ideas on how to use this method with your students. It introduces rich and valuable concepts to beginning piano students.

This is a series of five videos that demonstrate how I teach my piano students the major scales, scale fingerings, the Circle of Fifths, key signatures, and how to sight sing in each key using the PianoForte method, Major Scale book.

I have to begin this post with a confession. My children were terrible practicers. We couldn’t find a regular schedule that worked. We argued about it every day. I felt over-scheduled with dance and tennis and swimming, and I was exhausted.

Here in the UK music exams are a BIG deal. Everyone knows that music grades exist, people believe that sequentially passing these grades marks musical achievement

This piece called “My Pony” is from PianoForte Level 2. Students are learning to read the stave. This is a sample lesson on how to make this transition by singing moveable Do solfa.

In PianoForte Level Two students are introduced to the concept of the musical stave and Landmark Notes. Each landmark note is presented in a fun way to help engage students and make it memorable. This is a performance of “The F Song” which highlights Bass F.

When we approach piano teaching with singing, the thing we’re really doing is helping our students develop strong aural and audiation skills. Singing with our students helps them to hear and understand multiple layers of sound. It helps them to successfully interpret and perform the vast repertoire written for the pianoforte