November's circle of 5ths is a warm drink. As the year comes to a close, I am wondering if having the circle of 5ths with a different theme has had an impact on students other than my own. Last month the theme was a minor circle with skulls. When students entered the piano room they recited the order of sharps, and when they left, they recited the order of flats. Each was rewarded with a piece of Halloween candy. It was pretty effective. Most, though not all, students now have the order...

It's October 2025 and I've been working on an Advent, or Christmas project for the last several months. Today I am sharing with you the first part of the project which includes the documentation, the music, a series of videos to go along with this. You can get a taste of what this project encompasses from this first week. The rest of the videos and music for weeks two, three, and four will be posted by the beginning of November. You can download the instructions and summary here. You can...

Every year around this time (autumn), I pull out the Halloween and Fall themed materials. The originals were illustrated by my mom (...