How to stop "shoulding": an interview with TopMusic Piano Podcast
Most piano teachers teach as they were taught. I was no exception. When I first started offering lessons I cobbled together the advice I’d received from previous instructors, the insights I’d picked up in a one semester piano pedagogy class, and my knowledge and love of music. It took me years to learn how to play and teach styles other than the classical approach I’d been taught. And it took me years to trust my creative instincts and break away from all the “shoulds” I’d learned to wrap around every piece of music I played—regardless of style.
The best teachers are those who continue to learn and grow and in today’s global society, teachers are spoiled for training options. TopMusic—an organization that describes itself as “the world’s most inspirational and innovative online learning community for music teachers of all instruments and voice”—is one of the most active and accessible. Their philosophy is one I enthusiastically support so when Rachel Ehring of TopCast Piano Podcast contacted me and asked if I would be willing to be one of her interviewees, I was thrilled to be included.
How to get back into playing after many years, how to work with declined technical skills, how to find the courage to perform—we discussed these things and more. We spoke of creativity, and freedom, and the importance of learning from a place of creative exploration rather than a long list of hand-me-down “shoulds.” Most of all we discussed the joy and privilege of making music.
To listen to my interview with Rachel Ehring, click on the link below, or find it on your favorite podcast platform: