THE WAY OF PIANO • MIND • BODY • SOUL
Written by ANDREW EALES
Piano teaching is surely one of the most fulfilling of careers, but our success ultimately requires a wide skill set, and deep understanding.
As you scroll down this page, you will find links to dozens of articles, all FREELY available to support colleagues around the world. The articles touch on many of the questions teachers frequently ask online, and when coming to me for training or mentoring. You will find sections covering:
- method and curriculum
- effective learning, and how we can facilitate it
- healthy motivation and deeper learning through PLAY
- developing your teaching practice and network
- how to deliver lessons, and work with students
- resources for further study and professional development
SUPPORTING PIANO TEACHERS
If the core philosophy of Pianodao appeals to you, and you would like to learn more, develop your teaching skills, and get personal one-to-one support, you can find out more here:
START HERE
This article introduces the basic principle of effective, holistic piano teaching, and outlines the core educational philosophy that underpins Andrew’s teaching and writing .
The Three-Dimensional Pianist
Understanding the importance of the three dimensions of musical learning, Musical Mind, Body, and Soul, empowers us to teach, learn and practise music holistically, making effective and lasting progress.
THE PIANO CURRICULUM
What should we teach in order to ensure our students develop into three-dimensional pianists?
A Common Approach 2022
FREE to download, and based on input from multiple leading teachers, A Common Approach is the ultimate piano teaching manual: A complete piano curriculum, with extensive lesson activities to use with learners from beginner to Grade 8.
Essential Piano Education Resources 2025-26
It can feel overwhelming trying to keep track of all the latest and best piano education resources from one year to the next, so I am happy to publish this year’s annual Pianodao roundup!
Do Grade Exams Motivate?
What part do the Grade exams play in fostering positive motivation? Do they provide the impetus and framework needed for musical achievement, or do they distract from more important goals?
Should we still teach students to hand-write music?
It is important both to embrace new technologies for music creation and score writing while still retaining the theoretical understanding and traditional skills which underpin and enrich their use. This is why…
The Problem with Method Books
In this post I will explain why there will never be a truly perfect Method Book. We’ll consider a balanced curriculum, stare into the abyss of a world without Method Books at all, and hopefully come away with a better idea of how to use Method Books in a sensible, balanced way.
The curriculum comes first
Instead of blaming the exam boards for a decline in standards or lesson content, let’s take responsibility and shape a better musical future. The curriculum comes first, and only then the prize…
The Importance of Notation
The current fashion for denigrating the importance of musical literacy is an educationally corrosive fad which, for the sake of all our students, we must seriously challenge and urgently resist…
PIANO LESSONS
Piano education is fundamentally about the relationship and rapport between teachers and learners. These articles explore this in more depth…
Teaching Adults to Play the Piano
Adults do not learn in the same way as children. A different approach is clearly needed. In this post I share some of the strategies which have worked for me over the last three decades of teaching adult learners…
Let’s talk about our practice expectations
When teachers and parents nurture enthusiasm, practice will invariably follow, and it will be of the productive sort that’s fundamentally motivated by the internal goals of the student…
Piano Teaching and the Art of Criticism
In this article I will share some suggestions on how to offer constructive, helpful criticism, leading to positive progress and enthusiastic learning.
16 Attributes of a ‘Good’ Teacher
It’s never been more important for those of us who care about music education to consider the character qualities that underpin good teaching, rather than simply learning how to check boxes on forms, or follow the latest method…
Who needs piano lessons anyway?
More and more learners are trying to teach themselves piano without the support of a good teacher, using apps, videos and online resources. What (if anything) does a teacher offer that can’t be found elsewhere?
Simple fixes for easing piano pain
Due to discomfort associated with ganglions on her wrists, Bernice doubted she would be able to continue playing, but with just a few adjustments, she was able to resume practice and find joy at the piano again. Here’s how…
Personalised Learning
Personalised learning will help you and your children become confident independent players with a lifelong love of music. Here’s why…
Piano Lessons: Dealing with Anxiety
I am sure that most piano teachers will be alert to the fact that some pupils coming to lessons are anxious. This post will look at some reasons for that, and offer some suggestions that might help normalise lessons.
A Voyage of Discovery
Special Guest Paul Harris explores how music lessons might best unfold…
The Art of Piano Pedagogy
If we teach well, our pupils might believe they have essentially taught themselves …
A Piano Teacher’s Foibles
Which of the incredible teachers in this picture would you like to sign up to have piano lessons with? Finding the “right” match can certainly prove challenging for some…
Making Every Lesson Special
Let’s consider some of the ways in which we can help today’s students nurture positive expectations, and look forward to their piano lessons as special occasions…
DEVELOPING A TEACHING PRACTICE
The world of the piano teacher can seem a lonely one, but plenty of support is at hand. The following articles offer advice and support for career development, networking, collaboration, and building a thriving professional practice.
Piano Teaching: An Isolated Existence?
Those of us who work alone need to make efforts to build a support network, both professional and personal, so that even as our work thrives, so too does our mental health, social and emotional wellbeing…
Finding Your Mentor
What should piano teachers look for in a mentor?
Why live performance matters
The confidence to perform to an audience isn’t conjured overnight. We need to provide plenty of occasion for learners to develop the art of performance if we want to ensure that live music continues to prosper…
The flexible piano teacher
In a world characterised by constant change, how can we keep our piano teaching fresh and thrive as able, but appropriately flexible professionals?
Should Piano Teaching Be Regulated?
Were the music teaching profession regulated, with minimum qualifications and monitored standards, what might that really look like in practice, and how might it impact educational opportunity and community music making? Here are some thoughts…
Compassionate Boundaries
If we’re going to practice acceptance and compassion, we need boundaries and accountability…
EFFECTIVE LEARNING
The following articles consider topical issues and recent developments in our understanding of piano education:
Sound before symbol: lessons from history
If we commit to an approach rooted in aural transmission and musicality, while equally insisting on the importance of fluent notation reading, we can preserve and build upon the great traditions of classical music education…
ADHD • A Pianist’s Guide
Discover how ADHD impacts piano practice, lessons and performance, along with a range of expert clinical advice, and educational strategies that help.
Starting and Staying on Track
When piano players of any age are ready to learn, enthusiastic to succeed, and able to do so unimpeded, nothing will stop them!
The Gamification of Musical Learning
In what has been hailed as the “Ludic (play-centric) Century”. we can see growing evidence of gamification in music education. In this article I consider the transformative impact this may be having, for better or worse…
Can we really trust educational research?
Let’s consider some popular education theories from recent years which are regularly cited in discussions about piano teaching…
Rote Learning: a waste of time?
What exactly is “rote learning”, and does it really work? Can rote learning ever be an effective way to develop the understanding, technique, and musicianship needed to become a three-dimensional piano player?
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY
Pianodao’s article Putting the PLAY Back into Playing the Piano has led to more interest in the topic of learning through play:
Putting the PLAY back into Playing the Piano
Are you bored by method-book teaching, disappointed by the exam system, and perplexed to find that piano isn’t proving more fulfilling? If so, then this radical new manifesto for piano education in the 21st Century is for you!
Playing the Piano “For Fun”?
Playing “for fun” is a phrase with different connotations for different teachers. But given the pressure that families are under in today’s society, it’s hardly surprising that parents and adult learners often hope learning an instrument can be a contrast and antidote to other, more obviously stressful activities.
The Playful Piano Teacher
As teachers, “working in a playful, relaxed manner” not only creates the fruitful environment in which our pupils will succeed, but also the one in which our own careers, personal growth and lives can prosper.
True Fun at the piano
Perhaps at the start of this new year, we can agree that True Fun at the piano is something we players and teachers can, and should, all highly prize…
The Landscape of Play
In every moment of every piano lesson, we continually encounter forks in the path ahead. Where shall we go next?
Humility and Wonder in Play
Approaching our piano journey with a spirit of PLAY, a doorway opens to the greater respect for music that it undeniably deserves, and in doing so we can find greater contentment at the piano…
EXPLAINING PRACTICE
One of our most important priorities is to teach students and adult learners How to Practise Music, and my book offers all the essential advice needed. Designed as a small, concise, pocket guide full of tips, it is available in UK and US versions. You can find out more here:
How to Practise Music
Accessible and authoritative, HOW TO PRACTISE MUSIC is Andrew’s highly acclaimed book of tips for anyone who wants to get more out of their practice.
Teachers can use the book for lesson ideas and content to support learning, but I also recommend that all players and parents get a copy to refer to themselves, and absorb in full.
As Music Teacher Magazine concluded in their review:
“Any independent learner or parent committed to their child’s progress would benefit from having this book to dip into, and to make sure they are investing all that practice time as well as possible.”
USEFUL READING
Beyond the content on Pianodao, I consider the following books to be helpful, thought-provoking reading for piano educators!
The Piano Teacher’s Survival Guide
Once in a while a book appears which must be considered essential, an instant classic, and this is one such publication. The Piano Teacher’s Survival Guide instantly establishes itself as the very best practical manual available for today’s piano teachers.
Musicians Who Teach
I have no hesitation in recommending this book as an essential primer that should be required reading for all who teach singing or a musical instrument in the UK. Buy it, absorb it, and you will certainly have no regrets!
More Than Music Lessons
Merlin B. Thompson’s book “More than Music Lessons” is one of those books which could prove to be a game-changer for any instrumental teacher who takes time to absorb and apply the author’s key messages…
Paul Harris: Unconditional Teaching
Paul Harris’s latest book, “Unconditional Teaching”, is without question a profoundly rewarding read.
I simply cannot recommend it highly enough.Here’s the Pianodao review…
Paul Harris • How to Sight Read
Paul Harris’ sight-reading resources have played an important role in my teaching for years. How wonderful to now have this book, which brings us a deeper understanding of this important aspect of musical learning.
The Complete Pianist
Penelope Roskell’s ‘The Complete Pianist’ is a monumental achievement, with 560 large format pages, 250 newly-devised exercises and more than 300 supporting online videos. I can well believe that it’s the most comprehensive, and essential book ever written on piano playing!
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