Do you have students who come to you bouncing off the walls because they have already had a busy and over scheduled day? I do. For me, it's generally the younger ones and the ones who I suspect have ADHD. After reading a chapter about managing transitions in Strong Ground, by Brené Brown, I shifted how I start lessons. For the first 5-7 minutes, I'm playing bass lines with chords while my students play improvised melodies. Playing Heart and Soul in G flat, for example, allows

Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be your own student? I started live streaming lessons a week and a half ago. (Today's the 10th of March 2026) I'm going to do my 6th one today or tomorrow. It's such an interesting experience. You should try it. I started by teaching an imaginary student. At the moment, I'm working on having all my students be able to keep steady beats with repeated chord patterns and bass lines in all 12 keys, both major and minor. I'm probably

Today I recorded the 3rd lesson in the Key Finder Lesson series. For whatever reason, I can't link the live stream video on this page, but you can find it here: https://youtube.com/live/9ekBn3YajOg?feature=share I'm a nerd. I like counting things, tracking things, and playing around with ideas to see what works and what doesn't. In the first two lessons, I played around the circle of 5ths with I-IV major chords, using a syncopated rhythm with the left hand chords. Notes from

Yesterday I live streamed a complete first lesson. It was about an hour, and this is pretty much what I do with a brand new student 12 years and older. Most of my newer students are adults at the moment. Here's the link to the video https://www.youtube.com/live/8PLNCo1S1AU In a lesson, the student would be the one playing, not me. If you were my student, at the end of the video I would be asking: What did you notice? (I let this question sink in for a few minutes, students of