At our house lately we’ve been immersed in the music of the Nutcracker! Last week my girls performed in their first ever Nutcracker ballet. I’ve had Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music running through my head over and over as I’ve helped them get ready and watched several performances. I have a newfound appreciation for this music and this incredible composer! I decided that some of this iconic Christmas music from the beloved ballet should be a part of this month’s Mini Music History resources! And with Christmas break upon us, I thought I’d send these out a little early this month in case you nee ..read more

As piano teachers we have so many things we need to teach our students! Not only are we teaching them an entirely new language – how to understand it, how to read it, how to write it – but we are also teaching them how to play correctly, how to listen and create beautiful sounds, how to practice, how to memorize, how to perform, and much more! On top of all that, I believe we should be teaching music history to our piano students. I know, I know…there are only so many minutes in a lesson! It may be a challenge to fit it in, but I believe that it is worth it and it is important, for these 9 rea ..read more

A teaching philosophy is a written-out statement of your purpose in teaching, your core beliefs and goals related to your teaching, and why you teach that way. Have you ever sat down and written out your teaching philosophy for your piano studio? It can be super helpful to sit down and do this every so often. Here are 6 reasons YOU need a teaching philosophy: It helps you reach your target audience of piano students Lays out your overarching goals for your studio Helps guide all of your lesson planning Helps you be more intentional with each lesson and each student Provides a framework for ho ..read more

When I was thirteen, I transferred to a new piano teacher who made a huge impact on my life. At our first meeting she told me emphatically, “I teach teachers.” And the way she said it, it sounded like being a piano teacher was the noblest and most important calling or career you could have. Years later, I still think of her often and attribute so much of my career to her influence. I want to be like her! I want to be everyone’s favorite piano teacher like she was, so that I can make a difference in the lives of my own students like she did for me. As I reflect on my experience as a piano stud ..read more

For those of you who are new here, or even if you’ve been around awhile, I wanted to reintroduce myself! My name is Jenny Boster and I have been a piano teacher for over 25 years. I have learned a lot along the way and continue to learn from every lesson I teach. I started The Playful Piano several years ago to share my teaching resources and help encourage other piano teachers.  A little more about me: I live in Farr West, Utah with my husband and five children (whose ages range from 5 to 15). Life is crazy busy, but wonderful. I teach all of my own kids piano (which can be quite t ..read more

I believe that we as teachers have the power to change the music history narrative in our studios and classrooms – we can raise this generation of musicians knowing that women can be composers! There have been some phenomenal composers throughout music history who have composed beautiful music that is truly worthy of our study, and because these composers are women they have been largely forgotten in the traditional music history canon. To a young girl studying music, there is power in knowing that women can be composers and do great things, just like men. If you have ever had a student ask ..read more

This week I am celebrating back to school with a great sale! I have been madly prepping teaching material for my students for this fall, and I know that many of you are doing the same! I’d love to help you out! I have a great technique curriculum, some fun and colorful piano tricks cards to help teach your students effective practice strategies, a unique and interactive music history coloring book series, lots of female composer resources and much more! Now through September 1, save $5 on any purchase of $25 or more, and save $10 on any purchase of $50 or more! This is up to a 20% savings, an ..read more

Last week I had to get surgery on my foot. This has forced me to sit down (a lot) and has given me a chance to work on my next Shades of Sound listening and coloring book. Shades of Sound: Women Composers Volume 2 should be done soon and I can’t wait to get it out there and share it with you! Did you know that Florence Price wrote her career-defining Symphony No. 1 in E minor while recovering from a broken foot? I just learned this fun fact this week while recovering from my own foot surgery. It made me feel a bit of a kinship with Florence, and I read up a bit more on her life ..read more

“Building desirable attitudes toward music is the first aim of all music education.” – Mabelle Glenn, music educator There are SO many reasons why we should teach our piano students to love and appreciate great music. They need to be LISTENING to piano music from all different eras, countries, styles and composers to help develop their ear, become well-rounded musicians, get inspired to practice, and so many more reasons. And learning the HISTORY behind the music is SO important to give them CONTEXT to what they are listening to. That is why it is so important to include music history/apprecia ..read more

I’ve been thinking a lot about early music literacy, and the many ways in which we can help our young students learn to read music and become musically literate sight readers. Today I wanted to just share some of my favorite resources for creating great music-readers and sight readers! Giant Floor Keyboard & Staff banners & beanbags These are my favorite tools ever for getting kids off the bench and learning so many concepts in a fun way. They help you incorporate movement into musical concepts and are a great big visual for your visual learners. Want to make your own? Use my keyboar ..read more