Send us Fan Mail What if the real breakthroughs in your piano studio have less to do with scales and more to do with the space between the notes—how we set boundaries, model calm, teach appropriate social skills and communication, and design lessons that students can actually navigate? We start with the gap most teachers feel but rarely name: students arrive with different developmental ages than their birthdates suggest. That mismatch can make a brilliant nine-year-old look like a dis...
Mar 9
32 min
Send us Fan Mail In this second episode on dyslexia with Dr. Olivia Colomaio, we explore how dyslexia shows up in piano study and share tools that replace quick fixes with sound-first learning and real transfer. Practical strategies, honest self-assessment, and effort-based awards help students grow skills and confidence without gimmicks. If you’ve wondered how to support dyslexic pianists with compassion and precision, this conversation gives you a map you can use today! Don’t forget to sha...
Feb 23
21 min
Send us Fan Mail In part 1 of the conversation with Dr. Olivia Colomaio, we dive into what dyslexia actually is, why it’s often misunderstood, and how those myths affect piano teaching and our students. Olivia shares research, lived experience, and practical ways teachers can adapt without waiting for a diagnosis, while we urge more empathy for families navigating dyslexia and neurodiversity. We also talk openly about why parents may not disclose diagnoses, the emotional journey of seeking a...
Feb 9
31 min
Send us Fan Mail We share eight concrete (but easy) changes that made teaching calmer, more creative, and more student-centered in 2025, from consolidating schedules to story-driven composition. Along the way, we explore deeper questioning, smarter research habits, and small rituals that fuel focus and joy. If you’re ready to teach with more intention and less noise, this conversation offers concrete steps and tools you can try this week. Subscribe, leave a review if this helped you, and sha...
Jan 27
17 min
Send us Fan Mail Teaching doesn’t require superhero energy; it requires humane rhythms, clear anchors, and courage to pivot. We sit down to unpack the real weight of lesson planning during a busy season, how we manage exhaustion without guilt, and why lowering the pressure can raise the music. From the “sacred 45” minutes that protect our focus to the 15-minute pauses that keep us present, we share small rituals that sustain big care. We also tackle neurodivergent-friendly strategies with ho...
Dec 1, 2025
18 min
Send us Fan Mail What if the most powerful teaching shift is letting go of how the lesson “should” go? We unpack four hard-earned insights from years of teaching gifted and neurodivergent piano students—ideas that lower stress, boost engagement, and bring the joy back to the bench. If you teach music, special education, or any special learner, these stories and strategies will help you teach with calm, clarity, and heart. Listen, try one idea this week, and tell us what changed. If the conv...
Nov 24, 2025
12 min
Send us Fan Mail The holidays can be magical—and completely overwhelming. Between school concerts, studio plans, nonstop decorations, and family expectations, our students’ senses get flooded and their routines get disrupted. We talk frankly about what actually helps neurodivergent learners during this season and how we, as teachers, can be the steady, calm center when everything else speeds up. If you’re craving a simple, humane approach to the holidays, this conversation gives you the scri...
Nov 17, 2025
32 min
Send us Fan Mail Big shifts are brewing at Creative Piano Pedagogy, and we’re inviting you behind the scenes! After five years of building resources solo, we’re leveling up into a true partnership that pairs big-picture creativity with sharp systems and operations. That means better courses, clearer communications, and a brand-new website designed to make it easier to find the tools you need to teach with confidence. Expect offerings that blend evidence-based strategies with simple, practical...
Nov 10, 2025
25 min
Send us Fan Mail This episode challenges the myth that teachers need a diagnosis to teach well and offers practical ways to create a welcoming intake, read the learner in real time, and build trust with parents who value privacy. We share scripts, strategies, and a mindset shift: see the student, not the label. • privacy and dignity as non‑negotiables • welcoming intake that centers the learner • improvisation and co‑composition as assessment • lowering parent defenses with empathy • labels ...
Oct 13, 2025
44 min
Send us Fan Mail What if the “wiggles” are actually your student’s brain doing its best work? Elizabeth opens up about being diagnosed with ADHD at age three and the unexpected way piano became her first tool for focus, self-regulation, and joy. From caffeinated laps at a recital hall to discovering that busy hands can calm a busy mind, this story threads personal insight into practical strategies any teacher can use. The episode leans into creative problem solving. Through it all runs one i...
Oct 6, 2025
25 min
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