Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning

In a recent class with three intermediate students (8th-11th grade), we compared the music of Franz Schubert and Max Richter. Schubert was a prolific Austrian composer, writing at the end of the Classical period and the beginning of the Romantic period. During his brief life, he wrote over 1,500 works. He was known for his storytelling abilities: long, singing lines, dramatic mood swings, an improvisatory style that seems to wander at times, and emotional intensity.
Max Richter is a contemporary German-born pianist and composer known for blending classical techniques with electronic, ambient, and minimalist styles. He names J.S. Bach as a key influence, and has championed the works of minimalists such as Arvo Pärt and John Cage. He drew inspiration from Schubert’s Winterreise when creating his 2010 album Infra.
In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of this studio class, sharing the repertoire I introduced to my students, the discussion questions that guided our conversation, and a composition activity that students didn’t want to end.
For show notes + a full transcript, click here.
Resources Mentioned
*Disclosure: Some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!
Ep. 083 - Bernstein & Bill Evans: Inside My Recent Intermediate Studio Class
Ep. 077 - A New Approach to Teaching Group Classes
Schubert Piano Sonata No. 20 in A Major, D. 959: II. Andantino (Mitsuko Uchida)
Richter “Andante” from In a Landscape (Max Richter)
Schubert Impromptu No. 3 and Richter Infra 3 (Coversart)
Songs Without Words(Felix Mendelssohn)
Schubert Moments Musicaux No. 6 in A-flat Major (Alfred Brendel)
Vladimir’s Blues (Max Richter)
Max Richter Piano Works(Max Richter)
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>
Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:
1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? In this quick 25-min. call, you’ll get focused answers, creative ideas, and personalized advice for one teaching or business topic of your choice. Bring your questions for an ask-me-anything style session, and let’s brainstorm strategies together.
2️⃣ Have questions about teaching, running your studio, or managing your music career? In this 60-min call, you’ll get personalized advice, creative ideas, and step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics of your choice. This session gives you the space to talk through your goals, ask questions, and get expert guidance.
3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses for music educators.

What does it look like to be a musician who is also an inventor—someone whose curiosity about how things work shapes the way he approaches his instrument? Pianist Josef Hofmann spent his entire career exploring that, and his story is worth knowing.
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Hofmann's birth. He was a Polish-American pianist, born in 1876, and considered by many—including Sergei Rachmaninoff—to be the greatest pianist of the 20th century. And yet, despite his many musical achievements, including a fifty-year performing career, 100 compositions, commercial recordings, a signature tone, and enviable technical precision, he doesn't have the same name recognition as his contemporaries.
What do we know about him? What set him apart? And what can we learn from him as musicians and teachers today, over a century later?
In this episode, I’m sharing some of my research into Hofmann’s life, career, and contributions to our field.
For show notes + a full transcript, click here.
Resources Mentioned
*Disclosure: Some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!
Piano Playing, with Piano Questions Answered (Josef Hofmann)
Originals (Adam Grant)
Learn Faster, Perform Better (Molly Gebrian)
Ep. 089 - The Science of Practicing: What I’m Learning From Molly Gebrian’s Book
Josef Hofmann (Mahler Foundation)
Josef Hofmann, the Pianist Inventor (Piano Street)
Josef Hofmann (Steinway & Sons)
Twice The Genius: The Music & Inventions of Józef Hofmann (Culture.pl)
Hofmann plays Berceuse (Chopin), 1938
Hofmann plays Waldstein Sonata (Beethoven), 1938
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>
Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:
1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? In this quick 25-min. call, you’ll get focused answers, creative ideas, and personalized advice for one teaching or business topic of your choice. Bring your questions for an ask-me-anything style session, and let’s brainstorm strategies together.
2️⃣ Have questions about teaching, running your studio, or managing your music career? In this 60-min call, you’ll get personalized advice, creative ideas, and step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics of your choice. This session gives you the space to talk through your goals, ask questions, and get expert guidance.
3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses for music educators.

March in my studio means one thing: informance season. We spend 10 to 12 weeks getting ready—learning and analyzing music, practicing demonstrations, preparing to talk to the audience. And this year, I knew from the start that the theme was going to require a little more planning than usual.
If you’re new around here, I define a musical informance as an informal, informational performance that integrates education and experience. It’s an opportunity for students to share what and how they’re learning and invite parents and audience members into the music-making process.
I started hosting informances in my studio in 2024, so this is our third year. Today, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at our theme for this year, repertoire selections, and how we’re preparing for informances in the studio.
For show notes + a full transcript, click here.
Resources Mentioned
*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!
Ep. 068 - How to Plan a Musical Informance
Ep. 069 - A Musical Informance to Celebrate the Solar Eclipse
Ep. 071 - 3 Things I Learned from Hosting a Musical Informance
Ep. 081 - Celebrating Women in Music: An Inside Look at Our Studio Informances
Piano Adventures, Level 3A (Faber)
Sakura - Secondo Part (arr. Faber)
Essential Piano Technique, Level 2 (Penelope Roskell)
Duet Music by Ann Buys
Musical Informance Planning Guide
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>
Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:
1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.
2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.
3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings

At the end of January, we lost a wonderful musician, teacher, and pedagogue, Marvin Blickenstaff. You’ve probably heard me talk about Marvin on the podcast before—he had a profound impact on my teaching.
With a career spanning over six decades, Marvin dedicated himself to serving piano students and teachers worldwide. He valued deep emotional expression at the keyboard and a human connection through the music. He once said, “The only reason that music exists is to express who we are and how we feel.”
Today, I’m sharing some of the most important things I learned from Marvin and how they show up in my teaching and practice.
For show notes + a full transcript, click here.
Resources Mentioned
*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!
The New School for Music Study
Inspired Piano Teaching (Marvin Blickenstaff)
Ep. 041 - Focus On the Music
Ep. 074 - What a First Piano Lesson Looks Like (Here’s My Lesson Plan)
Ep. 076 - 7 Things to Carry Into the New School Year
Ep. 079 - From Technique to Musical Identity: Six Things I’m Focusing on in Lessons
Ep. 084 - Recital Recap & Year-End Reflection
Learn Faster, Perform Better (Molly Gebrian)
Ep. 089 - The Science of Practicing: What I’m Learning from Molly Gebrian’s Book
A Quick Warm-Up Routine for Piano Accompanists
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>
Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:
1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.
2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.
3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings

February is Black History Month—a time to honor and celebrate the contributions of African Americans. As a music teacher, this prompts me to pause and evaluate what I’m teaching, but also why. I ask questions like:
How much diversity is present in my students’ method books and repertoire?
Which pieces should we skip due to their complicated history?
How can I make more thoughtful, informed choices about the music I put in front of my students—choices that are pedagogically sound and historically responsible?
This year, I want to focus more on the existing repertoire and the creators behind it. In this episode, I’m going to introduce you to seven Black composers of elementary and intermediate piano repertoire.
For show notes + a full transcript, click here.
Resources Mentioned
*Disclosure: some of the links in this episode are affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase through any of them, I will earn a small commission. This helps support the podcast and allows me to continue creating free content. Thank you for your support!
Ep. 045 - The Blues Composition Project
“This Is What Diversity Sounds Like” by Linda Holzer (Piano Magazine)
RCM Celebration Series Preparatory A Piano Repertoire
A Collection of Florence Price’s Teaching Music, Vol. 2
3 Sketches for Little Pianists (Florence Price)
RCM Celebration Series Level 7 Piano Repertoire
Expanding the Repertoire: Music of Black Composers, Levels 1 and 2 (compiled & edited by Dr. Leah Claiborne)
Arise & Shine: Piano Music by Black Composers for Kids
2022 RCM Piano Syllabus
Five Animal Sketches (William Grant Still)
Portraits in Jazz (Valerie Capers)
Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, Vol. 1 (compiled & edited by William Chapman Nyaho)
RCM Celebration Series Level 6 Piano Repertoire
RCM Celebration Series Level 6 Piano Etudes
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review in Apple Podcasts >>
Find me on Instagram: @ashleydanyew
Whenever you’re ready, here are three ways we can work together:
1️⃣ Need fresh teaching ideas? Schedule a quick 25-min. call and we’ll brainstorm on a topic of your choice. Build an idea bank that you can pull from in the months to come.
2️⃣ Have questions about teaching or managing your music career? Book a 60-min call and get personalized advice, creative ideas & step-by-step strategies on up to 3-4 teaching/business topics.
3️⃣ Develop the skills and strategies you need to plan the year, refine your teaching methods, and manage your time more effectively with a suite of online courses and professional development trainings