Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning

Ashley Danyew

This podcast is a collection of creative ideas, practical strategies, and thoughtful observations from the field of music teaching and learning. Music educator Ashley Danyew will dive into topics like how we learn, developing musicianship, time management, teaching sequences, planning tools and strategies, the art of teaching, practicing, and the creative process, and share personal stories from her own experiences and observations. You’ll find creative and pedagogically-sound teaching tips; fresh, new approaches you can use in your teaching; and insight into a few tried-and-true systems and creative processes designed to help you do your best work.

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Episodes

079 - From Technique to Musical Identity: Six Things I’m Focusing on in Lessons
Jan 15 2025
079 - From Technique to Musical Identity: Six Things I’m Focusing on in Lessons
The Spring semester can be busy. With extra performances, we end up focusing more on performance skills—starting and finishing well, lifting hands back to our laps, how to practice performing at home, bowing, and memorization strategies.But as you know, there’s so much more that happens in a music lesson—so much more that we’re teaching and cultivating in our students. It’s not just about performance or mastery or checking things off. It’s about developing musicianship—developing musicians—and helping them develop the skills and creativity and confidence they need to continue making music throughout their lives.I made some notes about this in my teaching journal at the end of last year. As I was preparing for the first week of lessons last week, I recognized six things I’ve been focusing on and prioritizing in lessons recently that I want to make sure to carry into this new year.I hope this inspires you to reflect on what you’re prioritizing in lessons and to plan your lessons and classes with intention.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Ep. 068 - How to Plan a Musical InformanceEp. 069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar EclipseEp. 071 - 3 Things I Learned From Hosting a Musical InformanceMusical Informance Planning Guide: A Resource for Studio TeachersPiano Safari piano curriculumHand Position at the Piano: 5 Foundations of Piano Technique, Part 1 (Kate Boyd)The Thumb in Piano Technique (Kate Boyd)How to Use Notability for Assignment Sheets in Your StudioPiano Safari, Repertoire Book 2The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self (William Westney)Ep. 60 - How Do We Approach Mistakes in Music Teaching & Learning?Insights from William Westney’s “The Perfect Wrong Note” (Musician & Co. Book Club)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
078 - The Days of Auld Lang Syne: A Year-End Reflection for Music Teachers
Dec 11 2024
078 - The Days of Auld Lang Syne: A Year-End Reflection for Music Teachers
It’s the middle of December, which means you’re probably caught up in the rush of holiday performances, concerts, and recitals, studio classes, parties, and general busyness as we wrap up the year. Your to-do list is long, but the days are short, and you’re doing your best to stay on top of it all.But as busy as this time of year is, it can also be a time to pause and reflect. To embrace the quiet and stillness that comes with the first snowfall or sitting in the living room late at night or early in the morning by the light of the Christmas tree. As a teacher, December is a time to acknowledge everything you’ve created and accomplished this year—everything you’ve learned and all the ways you’ve changed and grown and evolved as a musician and educator.That’s what today’s episode is all about.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.The Gap and the Gain (Benjamin Hardy & Dan Sullivan)Join the Musician & Co. Book ClubEp. 071 - 3 Things I Learned from Hosting a Musical InformanceThrough the Windowpane (Chee-Hwa Tan)Ep. 077 - A New Approach to Teaching Group ClassesMindset: The New Psychology of Success (Carol Dweck)Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You (Ali Abdaal)Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle (Emily Nagoski & Amelia Nagoski)Mindfulness for People with Voice Disorders - Body Scan (Catherine Brown)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
077 - A New Approach to Teaching Group Classes
Oct 30 2024
077 - A New Approach to Teaching Group Classes
I have a love/hate relationship with studio classes.I love the idea of them, and I love being able to offer them to my students. But I’ve never found a structure or approach that works. At the school where I teach, I’m limited to a classroom with a single piano, which means students have to take turns or do activities that don’t involve an instrument.In addition, having a group of 6-8 students in a room together for 45-60 minutes (again, with one instrument) was challenging. It’s difficult to keep everyone engaged and focused, give directions, facilitate meaningful learning activities, and assess each student individually.As an introverted teacher, it can feel a little chaotic and overwhelming.This year, I was committed to figuring this out. I decided to offer more classes than last year, limit the number of students in each group, and plan more level-specific musicianship activities.Today, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at one of my studio classes from this month and as always, a few things I’m experimenting with this year.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Teaching Piano in Groups (Christopher Fisher)Frances Clark Library for Piano StudentsThe Music Tree, Part 1Lyric Preludes in Romantic Style (William Gillock)Chord Inversion Worksheet (Chrissy Ricker)Preludes in Patterns (Kevin Olson)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
076 - 7 Things to Carry Into the New School Year
Sep 18 2024
076 - 7 Things to Carry Into the New School Year
It’s my second full week of teaching. I know some of you have been back to school and lessons for a month now, but I’m still getting my bearings, adjusting to a new schedule, organizing studio classes, and setting my intentions for the year.This is not a formal practice, but it’s something I sort of subconsciously do to mark the beginning of the new teaching year. I ask myself a few questions:- “What do I want this year to look like?”- “What do I want my students to experience?”- “What do I want to prioritize or focus on?”- “What do I value in the music teaching and learning process that I want to lean into?”Do you do this, too?If you’re on my email list, I shared in last week’s newsletter three things I’m bringing with me into the new year drawn from this practice. Today, I’m sharing a few more—7 things to carry into the new teaching year—and I hope this inspires you on your teaching journey.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Get my free, 7-min. monthly email newsletter—loved by 21,768 musicians & educatorsLessons in Chemistry: A Novel (Bonnie Garmus)Inspired Piano Teaching (Marvin Blickenstaff)Sign up for a virtual work retreatEp. 068 - How to Plan a Musical InformanceEp. 069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar EclipseEp. 071 - 3 Things I Learned From Hosting a Musical InformanceMusical Informance Planning Guide for K-12 Piano TeachersIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
074 - What a First Piano Lesson Looks Like (Here's My Lesson Plan)
Jul 17 2024
074 - What a First Piano Lesson Looks Like (Here's My Lesson Plan)
Last week, I taught a brand-new beginner her very first piano lesson.Cora is 5 1/2 and is quite mature for her age. She is the youngest of three—her two older brothers also study with me. In fact, the oldest started with me when he was 5, a few weeks after Cora was born, so it’s kind of a full-circle moment.I have a list of 12 things I like to get through in the first lesson. Twelve activities may sound like a lot for a 30-minute lesson, but at this age, we move pretty quickly.I’ve adjusted my first lesson plan through the years; if you dig into my blog archives, you’ll find my “go-to plan for first piano lessons” from way back in 2015. The lesson plan I’m sharing with you today looks a little different, though I was surprised and pleased that some elements are the same after all these years.In this episode, you’ll get my 2024 go-to plan for first piano lessons including a few ideas from master teachers and teaching strategies I’ve developed through practice.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.My Go-To Plan for First Piano Lessons (2015 edition)Inspired Piano Teaching (Marvin Blickenstaff)Piano Safari FriendsPiano Safari Level 1Rhythm Keeper, Vol. 1 (Musikal Husky)Ep. 055 - Begin Again: The Case for Experimentation in Your Music TeachingEp. 059 - 7 Ways to Practice RhythmEp. 067 - Six Things I’m Documenting in the StudioIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
073 - How to Prepare for a Consult with a Prospective Student
Jun 12 2024
073 - How to Prepare for a Consult with a Prospective Student
The interview process for finding a music teacher goes both ways:The teacher is interviewing the student and family to assess musical, physical, and emotional readiness; determine if the student (and parents) have the same goals for musical study; and evaluate whether or not they'd be a good fit in the studio. We talked about this in the last episode, Ep. 072 - The Case for Consultations in the Music Studio. So, go back and listen to that, if you missed it.At the same time, the student(and often the parents) are interviewing the teacher to assess musical skills and qualifications, teaching style, method and curriculum choices, and extracurricular offerings.The end of the school year and the summer months are a popular time to interview and onboard new students in your studio.This episode is meant to provide some guidance for you, the teacher, in preparing for these interviews or consultations with prospective families. Think through these questions in advance and be prepared to discuss your qualifications, teaching approach, and expectations, along with any studio experiences or opportunities you provide.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources MentionedEp. 072 - The Case for Consultations in the Music StudioPiano Safari (Fisher & Hague)Piano Adventures (Faber)The Music Tree (Clark & Goss)The Suzuki MethodEp. 068 - How to Plan a Musical InformanceEp. 069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar EclipseEp. 071 - 3 Things I Learned From Hosting a Musical InformanceMusical Informance Planning Guide for Piano TeachersIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
071 - 3 Things I Learned from Hosting a Musical Informance
Apr 17 2024
071 - 3 Things I Learned from Hosting a Musical Informance
Welcome to another episode of the Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning podcast. Today’s episode is part 3 of a series I’ve been working on this spring all about how to plan and organize a musical informance.I first mentioned the idea of a musical informance in Ep. 068. An informance is basically an informal performance or an informational performance where you share insight into the music and the learning process with the audience. In Ep. 068, I shared a few examples of musicians who exemplified this model of education and engagement in the past, talked about what separates an informance from a performance and how you could structure this in your studio, and shared how my students and I were preparing for this event.In Ep. 069, I talked more specifically about the theme of our informances this spring—music to celebrate the Total Solar Eclipse happening here in Rochester. I shared my repertoire list, the questions I asked my students as they prepared, how I built in opportunities for student creativity and input, and how I organized the event with parents and families.Today, I’m sharing how it all went including three things I learned, what went well, and what I would do differently next time.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources MentionedEp. 068 - How to Plan a Musical InformanceEp. 069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar EclipseMusical Informance Planning Guide: A Resource for Studio TeachersIf you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar Eclipse
Feb 13 2024
069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar Eclipse
I did a poll on Instagram recently to see if any of my music teacher friends had ever hosted a musical informance. A few said "yes," a few said "no," but a surprising number of respondents chose the third option: "What's an informance?"An informance is basically an informal performance or as Eastman professor Dave Headlam describes, "A performance for the information age." (source: Oxford Handbook of Public Music Theory)There's a teaching component and a performing component, and depending on how you structure it, a conversational or interactive component.In Ep. 068, I showed you in real time how I was researching, planning, and organizing my first musical informance for my students.Today, I'm sharing more details about our upcoming musical informance—my repertoire list, the questions I'm posing to my students as they learn and prepare, opportunities for student creativity and input, and how I'm organizing it with parents and families.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.D. Headlam (2021). "Musical Informance: Performance for the Information Age." The Oxford Handbook of Public Music Theory. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197551554.013.2Ep. 068 - How to Plan a Musical InformanceExploring Music with Bill McGlaughlinDoodle PollThe Rising Sun (Nancy Telfer)A Morning Sunbeam (Florence Price)Solar Eclipse (Piano Safari Repertoire Level 2)Rhythm Pattern Card SetTotal Eclipse of the HeartSunshower (Martha Hill Duncan)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
068 - How to Plan a Musical Informance
Jan 17 2024
068 - How to Plan a Musical Informance
This year, Rochester, NY is in the path of the total solar eclipse. There are lots of special events happening in town—the orchestra is performing a special concert, the science museum is hosting a festival, and the schools are giving everyone the day off to experience this historical event.As I looked ahead at this year, I thought it might be fun to plan a special event of our own to mark this occasion in the studio. Maybe special repertoire? An incentive program?Then I thought about the informances the performing ensembles at my school put on early in the year: an informal demonstration for parents of what they're learning and what they're working on.What if we did something like this in the studio? I thought.Today, I'm taking you behind the scenes in real-time as I research, plan, and organize my first informance for my students. I'll share a few historical examples of musicians who exemplified this model of education and engagement, talk about ways you could structure this, outline the necessary components that separate an informance from a performance, and share how my students and I are preparing for this event.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Ep. 064 - How I Plan a Year of Student RepertoireD. Headlam (2021). "Musical Informance: Performance for the Information Age." The Oxford Handbook of Public Music Theory. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197551554.013.2C. Nowmos (2010). "Using Informance to Educate Parents and Demonstrate the Music Learning Process." General Music Today, 23(3): Special Focus Issue: The Informance as a Teaching Tool in General Music, 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/104837130936"Watch me play... the audience!" (Bobby McFerrin)Live Improvisation at the Kennedy Center (Bobby McFerrin)Interactive performance at Cornell (Bobby McFerrin)Curious, Collaborative, Creativity (CCC)Curious, Collaborative Creativity: A Guide for Transforming Music Ensembles (Dr. Caron Collins & Dr. Danni Gilbert)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
067 - Six Things I'm Documenting in the Studio
Dec 13 2023
067 - Six Things I'm Documenting in the Studio
"It feels almost like if we don't document it, did it happen? And I need proof that it did."I was listening to an interview with Erin Napier of Home Town on Southern Living's Biscuits and Jam podcast recently and this statement stayed with me."A major part of my personality is documenting," she said, and I nodded to myself.In this episode, I'm sharing what I've learned about the art and practice of documentation, six things I'm documenting in the studio lately, practical resources I use to track and organize this data, and suggestions for developing this practice in your music studio.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Biscuits and Jam interview with Erin Napier, Season 4, Ep. 28What Is Documentation? (Suzanne Briet)Social Construction (Oxford Bibliographies)Social Construction and Pedagogical Practice (Kenneth J. Gergen)Rhythm Keeper, Vol. 1Ep. 059 - 7 Ways to Practice Rhythm in Private LessonsAn Interview with Samantha Steitz of Musikal Husky (Musician & Co.)Ep. 066 - A Winter Improvisation Prompt for Elementary StudentsEp. 018 - This is What an Elementary Piano Buddy Lesson Looks LikeEp. 062 - A-ha Moments in Music TeachingMusical Alphabet CardsEp. 056 - The Valentine Composition ProjectEp. 047 - An Inside Look Into My Lesson-Planning ProcessBuckland, Michael. 2018. "Document Theory." Knowledge Organization 45(5): 425-436If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
064 - How I Plan a Year of Student Repertoire
Sep 13 2023
064 - How I Plan a Year of Student Repertoire
Last week, I posted a reel on Instagram of my annual planning process for my studio. At the end of the summer, I pull out all my books, curriculum charts, and other planning notes and spend several hours making repertoire plans for each of my students.There are lots of ways to go about this—it takes time to try things and hone in on a process that makes sense to you, helps you feel organized and prepared, and works for your studio.Today, I'll share a little more insight into my long-term planning process. I hope this inspires you and gives you a few new ideas or approaches to take back to your studio planning this year. For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.My Instagram reel about repertoire planningRCM SyllabiNotability appHow to Use Notability for Assignment Sheets in Your StudioEp. 047 - An Inside Look at My Lesson-Planning ProcessEp. 039 - A Creative, Integrated Approach to Teaching Music TheoryPiano Safari, Repertoire Book 1Piano Safari, Repertoire Book 2Celebration Series, Preparatory APiano Teaching Music, Vol 1 (Florence Price)Through the Windowpane (Chee-Hwa Tan)Piano Safari, Repertoire Book 3A Child’s Garden of Verses (Chee-Hwa Tan)Let’s Quest 2 (Chrissy Ricker)Perfect Patterns Plus (Chrissy Ricker)Lyric Preludes (William Gillock)Preludes in Patterns (Kevin Olson)Sebastian Sessions (Andrea Dow)Chopin Sessions (Andrea Dow)Portraits in Jazz (Valerie Capers)Disney Songs for Classical Piano (Phillip Keveren)Melody’s Choice, Book 4 (Melody Bober)Jazz, Rags, and Blues, Book 5 (Martha Mier)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
063 - When the Teacher Becomes the Student
Aug 9 2023
063 - When the Teacher Becomes the Student
"I found this piece that I'd like to learn," one of my high school students said to me in a lesson earlier this summer. He carefully laid out the pages of the score of Alexander Scriabin's Prelude in C Major, Op. 11, No. 1 that he'd downloaded from IMSLP. "I have a question about it, though," he said turning toward the score. "How do you count this?"He pointed at the first line written in flowing quintuplets straddling the barlines. I leaned in to take a closer look. My student is very mathematically-minded, so we talked about how the beats are organized and divided into groups of 2+3. The way that it's notated in cut time creates tension—a feeling of pushing or transcending the boundaries to create something free and expressive.Next, we studied the tonal structure, the repeated use of 4ths, moments of tension and resolution, the way the hands sweep in toward the center in contrary motion. We talked about the formal structure, the technical challenges inherent in the left-hand octave leaps and open arpeggios.The more we analyzed the score together, the more intrigued I was to take it home and learn it myself. So I pulled up a copy of the same edition on my iPad that day and saved it to my forScore library for later.Scott Price once said, "The teacher is always and forever the student and the student is the teacher.” What does this look like in practice? In this episode, I'm sharing a glimpse into a project I've been working on this summer and what it looks like to be a student again.For show notes, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Scriabin’s 24 Préludes, Op. 11IMSLPforScoreSchoenberg’s Drei Klavierstücke (1894)Ep. 060 - How Do We Approach Mistakes in Music Teaching & Learning?A Piano Teacher’s Legacy (Richard Chronister)
061 - 11 Pedagogy-Related Books for Music Teachers
Jun 7 2023
061 - 11 Pedagogy-Related Books for Music Teachers
Summer is a great time to rest, recharge, and work on professional development. This is often when we as music educators attend conferences and workshops, participate in training and certification programs, take summer classes at a local university, and catch up on all the reading we intended to do during the year.If you've been listening for a while, you know I've shared several book and reading-related episodes in the past: I talked about Daniel Pink's book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us back in Ep. 003, I shared insights from Keith Sawyer's book, Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity in Ep. 009, and I unpacked Carol Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success in Ep. 049.I also shared a summer reading list for music teachers in Ep. 031 with a few novels and non-music or teaching books, if you're looking for other suggestions.Today, I'm sharing a curated list of 11 pedagogy-related books for music teachers. Some explore the research on how the brain works, others outline the tenets of effective practicing; some touch on meditation and wellness practices in music teaching and performance, others teach foundational pedagogy principles. Some I've read, and some are on my reading list, but all offer a fresh perspective on the teaching and learning process that I hope will inspire and inform your teaching practice in the year to come.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.Ep. 003 - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates UsEp. 009 - Book review: Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater CreativityEp. 049 - What Every Music Teacher Should Know About Mindsets: Insights from Carol Dweck's BookEp. 031 - A Summer Reading List for Music TeachersThe Musician's Toolbox: Thoughts on Teaching and Learning Music (Diane and Nick Petrella)How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens (Benedict Carey)Ep. 038 - The Secrets of Interleaved PracticeThe Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart (Madeline Bruser)The Inner Game of Music (Barry Green & W. Timothy Gallwey)The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self (William Westney)Ep. 060 - How Do We Approach Mistakes in Music Teaching & Learning?Join the Musician & Co. Book Club (it’s free!)The Musician's Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness (Gerald Klickstein)Teaching Music with Purpose (Peter Loel Boonshaft)The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music (Victor L. Wooten)The Practice of Practice: How to Boost Your Music Skills (Jonathan Harnum)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
060 - How Do We Approach Mistakes in Music Teaching & Learning?
May 17 2023
060 - How Do We Approach Mistakes in Music Teaching & Learning?
"What just happened?" I asked a 4th-grade student one Friday afternoon."I made a mistake," she said, looking down at her hands still resting on the keys.We talked about that for a minute—how sometimes mistakes happen innocently. Sometimes, a mistake is a way of getting our attention, a way for the body to say to the brain, "Wait! I don't really know this yet."We listened for mistakes and inherent learning opportunities for the rest of the lesson. We talked about insecure fingers, uncertain rhythms, and risky leaps. We talked about how to practice and prepare these things, develop confidence, and be an observer while practicing at home.This is the work of actively reframing how we see and respond to mistakes.Earlier this year, I read The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self by prize-winning pianist and pedagogue William Westney. (I mentioned it back in Ep. 055 as I was reading it.)As I read this book, I found myself bringing some of these concepts into my studio to study and evaluate them in practice.In this episode, I want to share some of these practical takeaways: how I'm integrating some of the ideas from Westney's book into my teaching, the questions I'm asking my students these days, and a reflection on how we approach mistakes in the music teaching and learning process.For show notes + a full transcript, click here.Resources Mentioned*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self (William Westney)Ep. 055 - Begin Again: The Case for Experimentation in Your Music TeachingAre We Learning From Our Mistakes? Insights From William Westney's, "The Perfect Wrong Note"Piano Pedagogy Research Laboratory at The University of OttawaJoin the Musician & Co. Book Club (it's free!)If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew