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Piano Teaching Success Podcast

Piano Teaching Success Podcast

Written by: Gillian Erskine & Paul Myatt
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Helping piano teachers liven up lessons, Gillian Erskine and Paul Myatt explore how piano teaching is evolving for today’s learners. Blending neuroscience, Whole Body Learning, and innovative teaching strategies, this podcast helps teachers create engaging lessons in which students remember what they learn, practise with confidence, and stay with the piano long-term.©Piano Teaching Success Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Music
Episodes
  • #11 What happens when piano students become active music makers? With composer, Elissa Milne

    #11 What happens when piano students become active music makers? With composer, Elissa Milne
    May 27 2026

    “Because we have keys [on a piano] we can press, it’s so tempting to turn the keys into a data entry exercise, and to think if we get the data wrong, the calculations will come out wrong. You could play all the wrong notes with the right rhythm, and it’s music.”

    What if the way we've been teaching piano is actually getting in the way of real musicianship?

    That's just one of the ideas Elissa Milne drops in this conversation, and it's one you won't stop thinking about.

    Elissa and I sat down together at Top Music Live in Sydney, and you’ll be on the edge of your seat listening to this conversation as we explore the big picture and grand philosophies behind music making.

    It’s funny, thought-provoking, and game-changing. Elissa is one of Australia's most beloved and internationally recognised composers, the mind behind Little Peppers, Pepperbox Jazz, and pieces that piano teachers and students around the world have been playing for decades.

    If you've ever wondered how to build musicians who are truly expressive, this episode is for you. In this episode, you'll discover:

    (00:00) Why Elissa started writing educational music

    (05:00) The compositional philosophy behind her pieces

    (10:00) Why she doesn't use her students as "crash test dummies"

    (16:00) The Shakespeare analogy that reframes everything about performance

    (22:00) Questioning why we become vessels for dead composers’ art

    (28:00) A case for mucking around with music

    (34:00) The harmonic hologram: a fascinating concept from contemporary music your students will love

    (40:00) Why BTS, Taylor Swift, and the supermarket soundtrack matter in the piano studio

    (46:00) The two pieces that deserve to be in every exam syllabus

    Resources

    🎁 Free Download: The Real Secret to Keeping Piano Students Engaged

    Get strategies to keep your students motivated, progressing, and loving their lessons.

    👉 Download free here →

    Support the Podcast

    If you enjoyed this episode, we'd be so grateful if you would:

    ⭐ Subscribe

    ⭐ Rate

    ⭐ Leave a quick review

    Spotify | Apple | YouTube Video | YouTube Audio | iHeart | Amazon | Goodpods | Pocket Casts
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    38 mins
  • #10 How Digital Disruption is Rewiring Students' Brains - with Dr. Anita Collins

    #10 How Digital Disruption is Rewiring Students' Brains - with Dr. Anita Collins
    May 13 2026
    The children sitting in front of you right now have brains that work entirely differently to the way they did just a few years ago. They’re living in a world where information is accessible at all times. In this podcast episode, Anita Collins says this will require us, as humans, to evolve. She talks about how we can work with devices and addiction withdrawal and other experiences kids need in their lives that balance the digital world they’re living in. This is why music is so important for kids right now. Listening to this episode will help you understand where kids are at and where learning experiences are going. If you’ve been worried about AI or digital apps taking over the music world, this episode will help you stay open minded to evolve and use tech in a way that supports our lives. Dr. Anita Collins is one of the world's leading researchers in brain development and music learning. She's the author of The Music Advantage, the creator of Bigger Better Brains, and she has spent years translating complex neuroscience into language that teachers, parents, and policymakers can actually use. This conversation goes deep into what's actually happening in the brains of this generation of students, why it matters, and why music learning is uniquely placed to give children the very thing their devices are taking away. This one will change how you see your work. In this episode, you'll discover: How growing up in a screen-saturated world is genuinely reshaping children's brainsWhat executive function actually is, why it matters, and why it's not developing the same way it did in previous generationsWhy this generation of students is both more sophisticated and more fragile; and what that means for how we teach themWhy music matters now more than ever The profound difference between what your students experience in a piano lesson and what they experience everywhere else in their livesWhy what you do in your studio is far more than piano lessons About Dr. Anita Collins Dr. Anita Collins is an internationally recognised researcher, educator, and writer in the field of brain development and music learning. She is the author of The Music Advantage and the creator of the Bigger Better Brains programme. Her TED talks and research have reached educators and parents around the world. Anita’s Program: biggerbetterbrains.com Anita’s Book: The Music Advantage Anita’s TED Talk: The Benefits of Music Education Resources 🎁 Free Download — The Real Secret to Keeping Piano Students Engaged Practical strategies to keep your students motivated, progressing, and loving their lessons. 👉 Download free here → https://www.pianoteachingsuccess.com/lm-keeping-students-engaged-guide Support the Podcast If you enjoyed this episode, we'd be so grateful if you would: ⭐ Subscribe ⭐ Rate ⭐ Leave a quick review It helps more piano teachers discover this work and feel supported. Enjoy on your favourite platform Spotify | Apple | YouTube Video | YouTube Audio | iHeart | Amazon | Goodpods | Pocket Casts
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    26 mins
  • #9 Thinking about Group Piano? Don’t let your room hold you back

    #9 Thinking about Group Piano? Don’t let your room hold you back
    Apr 29 2026

    "I'd love to teach groups, but my studio's not big enough." If you've ever said or thought your space wouldn’t work for groups, this episode is for you.

    In reality, you probably don't need a bigger space. You just need to see what's actually possible.

    In this episode, we take you inside the real teaching spaces of Group Piano University graduates from around the world — from home studios and church halls to school classrooms, community music centres, and small commercial spaces.

    Real- life GPU grads join us in this conversation!

    And what they show you is surprising and impressive.

    In this episode, you'll discover:

    (01:36) Why space doesn’t have to keep you stuck

    (02:30) Why starting small (3-4 students) completely changes your income in the long-run

    (05:18) Actual school classrooms. See how Vanessa, Melody, and Margie have made this work beautifully

    (09:46) Church halls & the unexpected benefits you wouldn't think of

    (11:28) Small commercial spaces — for teachers with bigger dreams (Lorraine in Malta, Sarah in Sydney, Kate in California)

    (14:23) Home studios — how four grads have transformed their own spaces

    Resources Want to See How Group Lessons Really Work?

    If you’re curious about group piano teaching, we’ve created a free training video that walks you through the structure behind successful group classes.

    🎥 How to Run Professional Group Piano Classes (Without Chaos or Compromise)

    Get the free video training here →

    👉 Watch it here.

    Support the Podcast

    If you enjoyed this episode, we'd be so grateful if you would:

    ⭐ Subscribe

    ⭐ Rate

    ⭐Leave a quick review

    It helps more piano teachers discover this work and feel supported.

    Listen or watch on your favourite platform:

    Spotify | Apple | YouTube Video | YouTube Audio | iHeart | Amazon | Goodpods | Pocket Casts
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
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