I’m sure that you, like me, have students who don’t practice, and therefore don’t progress. But what about the students who ARE practising, and yet somehow not progressing?
Ever practised a piece perfectly at home, only to stumble when you play it for your teacher? “But I got it right at home!” is more than a familiar excuse – it’s a real experience rooted in how the brain responds to memory, environment, pressure, and performance.
![How [Not] to Give Up Piano Lessons](https://blitzbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/HowNotToGiveUp_Green-100-800x533.jpg)
It’s never easy losing a student, but it is mostly inevitable at some point. If they have to give up, this is how I’d like to to happen.
A behind-the-scenes look at everything teachers do to prepare for a student concert and why all the hard work is worth it.
I decided to abandon my AI-generated practice plan because it didn’t understand the difference between sight-readable passages, routine technical work, and truly tricky bars. See why I’m finishing this concerto well ahead of schedule.
When I received an exciting invitation to play with an orchestra, it triggered in me a fear that my recurring anxiety dream might actually come true! But it also prompted me to ask AI about a practice plan.
Since I always encourage my students to play chord charts, I got the idea of having a Karaoke-style concert. It was very different from the end-of-year concert that I always hold – and it was a hit!
A blog post about omelettes. Or piano repertoire. Or both.
Warning: this post contains some thoughts on why students might not need to play scales. This content may be distressing to some readers. 😊 In the middle of 2023, I had an epiphany: I realised that I really needed to get my students playing some scales. You might be thinking, what sort of [insert derogatory […]
I have invented a new game called ‘Swish Smash’. It is designed as a pre-reading game, but I play it with ALL my students, of any level! Read here for more details