The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast | Proven and practical tips, strategies and ideas for music teachers

Nicola Cantan

About

Practical and proven tips, ideas and advice for private music teachers. Listen in to improve your instrumental or vocal music studio business and find that oh-so-elusive feeling of balance in your life.

Welcome to The Vibrant Music Teaching Podcast! This is the show for you if you’re an instrumental or vocal music teacher that wants friendly, creative and accessible advice.
I’m your host Nicola Cantan. My membership site, Vibrant Music Teaching, helps teachers all over the world to include more games and creativity in their lessons, so that their students giggle their way through music theory and make faster progress. I also run a popular blog, Colourful Keys, where we write about creative ideas and teaching strategies and an interview show, Teaching Studio Stories.

Every Monday I provide bite-sized bursts of inspiration and ideas for instrumental and vocal music teachers. The episodes are usually between 10 and 20 minutes – the perfect length of time to put away some of the music books scattered all over your studio and hide the rest of them in the piano bench.

Listen to a few episodes and hit the subscribe button. When you come across an episode you love, make sure to tell your teacher-friends they can get it for free in any audio app that supports podcasts.

https://vibrantmusicteaching.com
https://colourfulkeys.ie
https://instagram.com/colourfulkeys
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vibrantmusicstudioteachers

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300 episodes

My top 7 takeaways from MTNA 2024

Sharing a few takeaways from the latest MTNA conference in Atlanta. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

31m
Apr 22
What to say at the start of your recital

Public speaking makes many people nervous and it's the last thing you want to be worrying about when you're managing all the logistics of a recital. Tune in to hear my simple formula for your welcome speech at your next student concert. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

28m
Apr 15
How to stay CALM during recital season

Many of us are about to organise and host recitals. Let's take a moment together to breathe and keep it calm this time around. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

25m
Apr 08
Behind-the-Scenes at Our Silent Film Piano Festival

This is a bumper episode of the show where I'm sharing everything that went into our Silent Film Piano Festival, and what I might do differently in future. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

59m
Apr 01
If This Were EASY What Would That Look Like?

This is the most important question I've been asking myself lately. What tools can we use to make it feel easy for the student, so that they feel confident, competent and motivated. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

27m
Mar 25
Music Neutrality in Music lessons

Do you treat all genres equally in your studio? Do your students know how you feel about the music THEY like? Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

20m
Mar 18
Alternatives to Zoom for Online Lessons

If you don't want to use Zoom for your online lessons, what can you use instead? Here are a few ideas with pros and cons. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

13m
Mar 11
Teaching parents habit stacking for practice

Learn how habit stacking can help your beginner students to become steady practisers. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

14m
Mar 04
6 Things to Teach Adult Music Students About Home Practice

What do adult students need to know about practice? Here are 6 things I think are essential for them to learn. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

11m
Feb 26
13 (Random) Tips for Teachers

I've got 13 random pieces of advice for music teachers today. One of these could make your week! Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

34m
Feb 19
Being Your Own Kind Teacher

If you were your own teacher...would you approve of how you teach yourself? Confused? Listen in to find out what I'm on about. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

10m
Feb 12
Practice for One Hand Only

What do you do when your student injures an arm/wrist/hand? We've got the answers for you today! Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

21m
Feb 05
Mnemonics and Parent Education

Mnemonics can be a contentious issue. Here's how I handle it when parents use mnemonics at home. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

13m
Jan 29
Practice Notes Ideas and Tips

Practice notes are one of the main tools we have to communicate with students in between lessons. So how can you make them better? Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

27m
Jan 22
Top Music Practice Mistakes to Avoid

What are the most common practice mistakes students make? And how can we help them avoid those mistakes? Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

19m
Jan 15
How to Improve Practice Habits in Your Studio

Do the practice habits in your studio need a refresh button? I've got some tips to help. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

19m
Jan 08
Finding work-life balance

Do you feel like you have a good balance in your life? Let's talk about strategies to improve it in this episode. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

25m
Dec 11, 2023
Piano Teaching Activities for When You Have 3-5 Minutes to Spare

We often suffer from a lack of time in lessons...but what about when we have a few minutes left in a lesson? What can we do that is beneficial, but also wraps up the lesson in a nice way? Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

25m
Dec 04, 2023
Just. Do. One. Thing.

Let's solve that overwhelm. Learn about JDOT in this episode and what it can do for your mental space. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

10m
Nov 27, 2023
Piano teacher notes and notepapers

Take a tour of all the notes I take in my piano teaching business, both analogue and digital. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

12m
Nov 20, 2023
Time-saving tips for music teachers

These two time-saving tips might be just the ticket to saving you some breathing room. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

10m
Nov 13, 2023
Finding time for professional development

We have so much to do in our studios...but how do we find time to keep learning? Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

19m
Nov 06, 2023
How long is left in my piano lesson?

Have you ever been annoyed when students ask if their piano lesson is nearly over? We'll unpack that question on the show today. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

12m
Oct 30, 2023
Top 3 piano lesson planning mistakes

Today is a very short episode with the top 3 mistakes many teachers make when it comes to lesson planning. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

5m
Oct 23, 2023
Bullet Journaling for Piano Teachers

How do you organise your tasks and to-dos? Bullet journalling might be the answer if you're looking for a new system. Let's discuss how this journaling method works and what you need to get started. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

24m
Oct 16, 2023
Mindfulness in Piano Performing

Mindfulness techniques can be great tools to give your students to help them deal with performance nerves. Listen in for 5 simple things to try in your lessons. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

29m
Oct 09, 2023
Interleaved Music Teaching and Spaced Repetition Practice

Have you heard of interleaved practice? In this episode, I'll explain what it is and how to develop it into interleaved teaching. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

15m
Oct 02, 2023
Piano music memorisation tips

Not sure where to start when it comes to memorising piano music? This is a great place to start. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

10m
Sep 25, 2023
5 Ways to Make Memorising Music Fun

How can we make memorisation not just accessible but FUN and maybe even easy for our students? Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

14m
Sep 18, 2023
The Hidden Benefits of Teaching Improvisation and Composition

When we teach our students to improvise and compose, they get so much out of it beyond the creative activity. Find out more about membership at vibrantmusicteaching.com.

10m
Sep 11, 2023