The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast

There's something incredibly freeing about handing a hesitant improviser a black and white silent film and just watching what happens. Today, I'm chatting with pianist, teacher and composer Angeline Bell to wrap up our month on composition and improvisation, and she's brought a piano's worth of ideas with her. We talk through using silent films, lyrics, duet improvising and pop song rearranging as sparks for composition. Angeline also shares how she balances all of that creativity alongside exam prep and recital season.
Angeline shared how catching COVID in 2022 sparked her shift into composing.
How Squeezy the Squirrel led to her first publishing deal with Editions Musica Ferrum.
She explained how nature walks and travel inspire her collection themes.
How silent film clips spark composition by removing the music entirely.
Tim highlighted why using percussion instruments beyond piano keeps ideas open-ended.
She shared how silly lyrics and rhythm cards turn pets and hobbies into songs.
Improvised duet accompaniments make beginner melodies sound full and professional.
Why pop song chord progressions are an easy entry point into composing.
She explained how students make a borrowed pop song their own.
The importance of writing music by hand alongside notation software.
Tim highlighted Angeline's advice to play to each student's individual strengths.


Links Mentioned

Angeline's website:angelinebellmusic.com
Angeline's YouTube channel:www.youtube.com/@angelinebellpianomusic
TMPP 121: Using Memory Champion Techniques for Note Reading with Rowina Seidler
Download Left Hand Piano Styles & Patterns here
Find out more about TopMusicSheets here


Watch the Interview in YouTube

https://youtu.be/ExK1Zl9shv4
Today’s Guest



Angeline Bell is a Malaysian pianist, teacher and composer based in Crawley, West Sussex. She began composing in 2022 and has since published six collections with Editions Musica Ferrum, each with a companion album on Spotify and Apple Music. Her music now appears on the ABRSM, LCME, ANZCA and AGMS syllabuses, and she teaches from her home studio at Bell Piano School.
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Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership.
TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL

There's no single right way to get students composing, and this episode proves it. Today, I'm sharing a chat I recorded live at TopMusicLive in Sydney this year, where I sat down with two TopMusicPro members, Devi and Mary, whose students' pieces won our members-only composition competition. We unpack Devi's simple chord challenge, a hand-crossing piece born from improvisation, and the surprisingly honest story behind one student's ChatGPT-assisted song.
Tim explained the four categories of the members-only TopMusic Composition Competition.
How Devi's chord challenge helps young students start composing.
Why Harvie built his diminished chord piece Creeping around just four notes.
How Juniper composed Clouds one hand at a time before adding lyrics.
Devi shared how the music came first and the words were written afterward.
Mary explained how Arianna's hand-crossing piece began as an improvisation.
Why the piece was written in the middle of studio chaos after a cyclone.
How Maya used ChatGPT for a chord progression starting point.
Mary shared how she helped Maya reclaim ownership of her own song.
Tim explained why repertoire remixing is an easy inroad to creativity.
Why notation is part of the learning, not just a competition requirement.
Tim highlighted why constraints and improvisation drive composition success.


Watch the Interview in YouTube

https://youtu.be/JlWVytFC58c
Today's Guest


TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial

Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership.
TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL

Most of us grew up being trained to be accurate at the piano, not necessarily inventive, and it's a mindset many teachers are still trying to unlearn. Today, I'm chatting with composer Chrissy Ricker about guided composition, a practical way to lead students through creating their own music using melody, harmony and rhythm as building blocks. We dig into her roll the dice worksheets for reluctant composers, why she starts every student on pencil and paper before notation software, and how repertoire pieces can double as composition models.
Tim explained why creativity was rarely a focus of music lessons decades ago.
Why Chrissy believes all musicians are inherently creative performers.
How guided composition uses templates to ease students into composing.
She explained functional music theory as putting concepts into musical context.
How guided composition builds on melody, harmony and rhythm as building blocks.
Why splitting composition projects across several lessons reduces time pressure.
How roll-the-dice worksheets help reluctant composers get started.
Tim highlighted Mozart's own musical dice game as the inspiration.
Why Chrissy always starts students with pencil and paper before notation software.
How composing strengthens students' aural skills and note-reading ability.
How repertoire pieces can be reverse engineered into composition models.


Watch the Interview in YouTube

https://youtu.be/Tgl9LvBaPMM
Links Mentioned

TopMusic Piano Podcast 055: Catching Up with Composer Chrissy Ricker
Chrissy's Website:www.chrissyricker.com
Chrissy's Facebook Page:Chrissy Ricker Music
Chrissy's Instagram Page:@chrissyrickermusic
Creature Features Series (Piano Pronto)
Mission: X (Piano Pronto)


Today’s Guest



Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher and composer from North Carolina, holding a Master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy and certification as a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM). A prolific composer and arranger, she has published over 40 collections of piano solo and duet music for students through Piano Pronto Publishing and Neil A. Kjos Music Company. As a "Signature Artist" arranger with Musicnotes.com, she also maintains a catalogue of over 1,000 arrangements spanning video game themes to pop songs for pianists at every level.

Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. She holds a Master’s degree in music with a concentration in piano performance and pedagogy. A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM), Chrissy enjoys sharing her ideas with other piano teachers. Her articles on piano teaching have been featured in American Music Teacher magazine, and she blogs regularly about piano teaching and composing at her website, chrissyricker.com.

A prolific composer and arranger, Chrissy specializes in creating exciting music for piano students of all ages and skill levels. She has published over 40 collections of piano solo and duet music for students that are available from Piano Pronto Publishing and Neil A. Kjos Music Company. Chrissy is also a “Signature Artist” arranger with Musicnotes.com, where she has a catalog of over 1,000 arrangements, from video game themes to pop songs, for pianists at every level.
TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial

Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership.
TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL

Creativity isn't just a nice-to-have for our students, it might be the very thing that eases their anxiety and helps them build a lifetime love of music. Today, I'm chatting with one of my favourite return guests, Leila Viss, who's back to talk about the link between creativity and anxiety, her book Found in the Wake, and the four principles she uses to get even the most hesitant improviser playing beyond the page. We also dig into her composiums for teachers and what's really changed for piano teachers in the ten years since we first talked creativity together.
Tim explained why creativity and improvising is this month's show theme.
Why "Calm is not the opposite of anxiety, creativity is" resonated deeply with Leila.
Tim highlighted stats showing art and writing reduce anxiety and trauma.
Why Leila co-wrote Found in the Wake with her family.
How creativity has shifted from a soapbox topic to mainstream over ten years.
She explained her four principles: permission, choice, boundaries, curiosity.
How the "choice architecture" idea uses a spaghetti sauce aisle analogy.
How composiums help teachers create and give feedback together.
Why boundaries reduce students' anxiety around too many options.
How movement and drumming keep students actively engaged in lessons.
Why connecting theory to repertoire matters for students.


Links Mentioned

Find out more about the Spotlight Session with Kevin Olson here.
Get sample of Stuart Storer's TopMusicSheets collection here:topmusic.co/tms76
472: 3 Super Quick But Super Fun Improv Activities with Susan Staples Bell
Get sample of Susan’s TopMusicSheets collection here:topmusic.co/tms53
Search TopCast podcast episodes here: topmusic.co/podcastsearch


Guest Links

Leila's website:www.leilaviss.com
Leila's Instagram:@leilaviss
Leila's Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/88pianokeys/


Today’s Guest



Leila Viss creates imaginative, tech-savvy resources for her in-person and online piano studio and website. She founded Space to Create where she empowers pianists and teachers to connect with their creativity through improvisation, composition, and arranging. A longtime church musician and dynamic speaker, she co-authored Found in the Wake, a memoir of loss and resilience. Leila is Colorado’s 2024 MTNA Foundation Fellow and a 2025 Frances Clark Center Outstanding Service Recognition Award recipient.
TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial

Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership.
TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL

Creativity doesn't have to take over your whole lesson to make a big impact. Today, I'm chatting with Susan Staples Bell about three super quick improvisation activities that you can use with students of any age, even if you've only got a few minutes to spare. We also explore how simple, creative moments can strengthen musicianship, build confidence, and help students become more independent musicians.
Tim introduced TopMusic's August theme on improvisation and composition.
Susan shared a simple black-key improv activity called Swimming With Koi.
She explained how patterns make improvisation feel more natural.
Tim highlighted why creativity belongs throughout every lesson.
Susan shared ways to encourage reluctant improvisers.
She demonstrated how pentascales create quick improvisation success.
Tim explained how improvisation reinforces theory and harmony.
Susan showed how limiting note choices sparks creativity.
She highlighted the importance of connecting improvisation with repertoire.
Tim explained how integrated teaching builds stronger musicianship.
Susan shared practical resources for teaching composition.
The importance of giving students ownership of their music was highlighted.


Links Mentioned

Get sample of Susan's TopMusicSheets collection here:topmusic.co/tms53
Find out more about the Spotlight Session with Kevin Olson here.
TopCast 381: Meet TopMusicSheets Composer: Susan Staples Bell
Search TopCast podcast episodes here:topmusic.co/podcastsearch


Guest Links

Susan's Website:susanstaplesbellmusic.com
Susan's YouTube Channel:www.youtube.com/@SusanStaplesBellMusic
Susan's Facebook page:www.facebook.com/susan.staples.bell.composer
Susan's Instagram:@ssmbell.music


Today's Guest



Susan Staples Bell is a composer, piano educator, and clinician whose creative teaching resources are used by independent teachers worldwide. With over 30 years' experience, she helps students become not just confident readers but expressive, creative musicians, blending solid pedagogy with storytelling, improvisation, and hands-on play. Through her original music and method books like Exploring Improvisation, she gives teachers practical ways to bring creativity into everyday lessons, even when time is tight.Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable steps for your teaching practice if it’s inspired you. If you enjoyed today’s show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, which helps other teachers find our show. Stay updated by subscribing to this show, and get automatic delivery to your device every time a new episode goes live! We publish on Mondays weekly.
TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial

Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership.
TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL