Creative Piano Pedagogy

Send us Fan Mail We've all done it in music lessons...when students are struggling to grasp a concept, we repeat the same question or rephrase it multiple times. Sometimes it works, but what if we could intentionally utilize a variety of communication tools in lessons that go beyond just verbal communication (words?) Host, Dr. Elizabeth is join by friend and colleague, Tara Mock and they shar...

Send us Fan Mail Since music reading is a natural part of the piano learning process for most students, it can be frustrating when it's just not clicking or doesn't come easily for students. What if it's not an issue of "My student can't read music" or "My student will not read music" and what might the other factors be that are contributing to the confusion...

Send us Fan Mail What's the big deal about Ear Training , and what benefit (if any) does it provide to piano students? Music teachers often forget to educate the ear in the same ways we help students develop healthy technique, a sense of rhythm, or reading music.  In this episode, Elizabeth breaks down Ear Training by defining it and giving practical examples of how educating the ear helps st...

Send us Fan Mail When a new preteen student was unsure of what music she even liked, Elizabeth tried something different: she had the student sight-read a stack of new pieces and rate each one like a restaurant critic, choosing 1 to 5 stars. The result? A hesitant student turned into an eloquent critical thinker who begged to do it again the following week. In this episode, Elizabeth breaks down w...

Send us Fan Mail After a fantastic summer break and the Piano Teacher Reset Virtual Retreat, the podcast is back and packed with realistic, practical tips to take the pressure off yourself and set a warm, supportive tone in your studio for the upcoming school year! Community Updates: Announcing a brand new seasonal format for the Piano Teachers Book Club! Warm Welcomes, No Guilt: How to welcome re...

Send us Fan Mail It is common for the independent studio teacher to be quite isolated. We have to be intentional about creating our communities and connecting with our colleagues, and often our colleagues also include our former teachers and past students (or current students!). In our technology-heavy world where we are "connecting" with people behind a screen, it can be easy to tear ea...

Send us Fan Mail Improvisation intimidates a lot of classically trained piano teachers, not because we lack musicianship, but because we assume we need to sound brilliant on day one. Dr. Louie Hehman joins me to break that myth wide open and to show how improvisation can start with the simplest materials: two chords, a familiar bass line, or even five black keys. We talk about why “wrong notes” ar...

Send us Fan Mail Elizabeth and Tara share practical ways to teach older neurodivergent piano students with more respect, less fear, and better results. We focus on clear expectations, collaborative communication, and adult-appropriate materials so teens and adults leave lessons feeling confident instead of overwhelmed. If you want more inclusive teaching strategies for ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and...

Send us Fan Mail Piano teaching gets a lot easier once you stop treating every missed practice session like a personal insult! I’m joined by Dr. Christina Mathis, founder and director of Carey Music Academy at William Carey University, to talk about what it looks like to teach with infectious joy and humor while still honoring the reality of busy schedules, neurodivergent learners, adult beginners...

Send us Fan Mail Awareness is a start, but it’s not the finish line. Tara Mock joins me to unpack three words we hear constantly in music education and piano pedagogy right now: autism awareness, autism acceptance, and accessibility. From there, we move into what accessible teaching actually looks like for neurodivergent piano students and for learners with invisible disabilities.  Tara shares liv...

Send us Fan Mail Recital season can bring out the best in a studio and the most stress in our students. We’re taking a fresh, practical look at performances, festivals, and adjudications with one guiding question: does this experience help a student leave feeling joy, momentum, and pride in their music, or does it pile on fear that makes them want to quit? I share how I decide when an adjudicated...

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 th...

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 co...

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 a...

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 concr...

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 shar...

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...

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. I...

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 te...

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 •...

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...

Send us Fan Mail What does autism really look like in the piano studio? Autism Spectrum Disorder exists on a continuum as varied as the individuals who experience it. We explore why nonverbal doesn't mean unable to understand, why avoiding eye contact doesn't signal disinterest in social connection, and why differences in neurological processing aren't deficits but simply different...

Send us Fan Mail In this eye-opening conversation, host Elizabeth Davis-Everhart welcomes piano teacher Tara Mock, who brings 30 years of teaching experience alongside her perspective as a parent of neurodivergent children. Together, they challenge the common misconceptions of neurodiversity that limit both teachers and students in the music studio. From the myth that autistic students can't...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first episode in our groundbreaking new series about gifted and neurodivergent learners at the piano: Deconstructing Misconceptions of Gifted and Neurodivergent Learners! Have you ever caught yourself making a snap judgment about a student, only to later discover how wrong you were? This episode challenges the assumption that difference equals deficit, and encourage...

Send us Fan Mail The hardest truth about teaching neurodivergent students is the unpredictability. You never know which "version" of your student will arrive each week—focused and ready for challenges, anxious but willing, or struggling with concepts they mastered weeks ago. This variability isn't a failure of teaching or learning; it's simply the reality of neurodivergent brai...