Using NeeDoh to help students develop firm fingertips and understand how to apply the right amount of finger weight when pressing the piano keys, to strengthen finger muscles develop better finger control and playing technique.
Friday, October 30, 2026
NeeDoh - Firm Fingertips
Using NeeDoh to help students develop firm fingertips and understand how to apply the right amount of finger weight when pressing the piano keys, to strengthen finger muscles develop better finger control and playing technique.
Melodious Teacher training
A Fruitful Day of Learning, Inspiration & Musical Growth
I am truly grateful to have attended the annual teacher training and masterclass led by Niccolò Ronchi.
It was an enriching and inspiring experience, filled with valuable insights, practical tips, and generous sharing on how to further enhance both piano performance and teaching techniques.
Having the opportunity to participate in his masterclass was a real privilege. His guidance challenged me to refine my playing, deepen my musical understanding, and continue striving for a higher level of performance.
It is such an honour to learn from a pianist with an impressive record of 51 piano competition wins. His expertise and willingness to share his knowledge have made this training especially meaningful.
As music educators, learning never stops. Every new insight is an opportunity to grow, improve, and bring greater value to our students.
Grateful for the opportunity to learn, inspired to grow, and motivated to become a better pianist and teacher.
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Gloria in Excelsis Deo Simple Piano Sheet for beginner
Transcripted for Isabella, new student who only wants to play Christian piano sheet.
download: Gloria in Excelsis Deo pdf
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Teacher Practice Guidance for students and parents
Teacher’s Practice Guidance
Developing Effective and Purposeful Practice Habits
1. The Purpose of Daily Practice
Regular practice is an essential part of learning an instrument. Consistent daily practice allows students to reinforce what they have learned during lessons, develop coordination and muscle memory, improve note reading, strengthen technical skills, and build confidence.
However, the quality of practice is more important than simply the amount of time spent practising.
The goal is not merely to “finish practising”, but to make meaningful progress during each practice session.
Practise consistently, but practise with purpose.
2. Why Correct Practice Matters
When a student repeatedly plays something incorrectly, the incorrect movement, note, rhythm or fingering can become a habit.
Therefore, students should learn to stop, identify the problem, correct it, and then repeat it accurately.
Effective practice involves active listening and thinking. Students should not simply allow their fingers to continue playing automatically. They should ask themselves:
- What am I trying to improve?
- Where am I making mistakes?
- What is causing the difficulty?
- Am I using the correct fingering?
- Is my rhythm steady?
- Am I playing the correct notes?
- Is my posture and hand position appropriate?
- Am I producing the sound and musical expression that I want?
This develops students into independent and thoughtful learners.
3. A Practical Practice Strategy
Students are encouraged to follow a simple process:
Identify → Isolate → Slow Down → Correct → Repeat → Connect → Reflect
1. Identify
Locate the specific section, skill, rhythm, note or technique that requires attention.
2. Isolate
Work on the difficult section rather than repeatedly playing the entire piece from beginning to end.
3. Slow Down
Practise at a comfortable tempo that allows accurate playing. Speed should come after control and accuracy.
4. Correct
Check the notes, fingering, rhythm, articulation, dynamics, posture and technique.
5. Repeat Correctly
Repeat the corrected movement several times so that accuracy becomes more secure and natural.
6. Connect
Gradually combine the small sections and increase the tempo when appropriate.
7. Reflect
At the end of the practice session, consider:
What have I improved today? What still needs attention tomorrow?
4. Practice Quality Over Practice Quantity
Long practice sessions do not necessarily produce better results.
A student who spends 20 minutes practising with concentration and a clear objective may achieve more than a student who spends an hour repeatedly playing without identifying what needs improvement.
Students should therefore focus on:
Focused practice + Correct practice + Consistent practice = Meaningful progress
Even a short practice session can be productive when the student has a clear goal.
5. Developing the Right Attitude
Music education is not only about learning pieces. It is also about developing important lifelong qualities.
Students are encouraged to develop:
- Discipline – maintaining a regular practice routine.
- Patience – understanding that some skills take time to develop.
- Perseverance – continuing even when something is difficult.
- Concentration – staying mentally engaged during practice.
- Self-awareness – recognising personal strengths and weaknesses.
- Problem-solving skills – finding ways to overcome difficulties.
- Confidence – recognising progress through consistent effort.
Mistakes should not be viewed simply as failures. They provide useful information about what needs to be improved next.
6. What Students Should Do at Home
Before practising, students should know what they are working towards.
A productive practice session may include:
Warm-up / Technique
Work on assigned technical exercises, scales, patterns or coordination skills.
New Learning
Review newly introduced notes, rhythms, fingering or musical concepts.
Problem-Solving
Spend focused time on difficult passages rather than avoiding them.
Repertoire
Practise assigned pieces slowly and accurately before working towards performance tempo.
Review
Play through previously learned material and check whether skills remain secure.
Reflection
Identify one or two specific things to improve during the next practice session.
7. The Role of Parents
Parents do not need to become the music teacher at home. Their most important role is to support consistency and encourage a positive practice environment.
Parents can ask:
“What are you working on today?”
or
“Which part are you trying to improve?”
Instead of only asking:
“Have you practised?”
This encourages children to think about the purpose and quality of their practice, rather than viewing practice simply as a task that needs to be completed.
8. The Long-Term Goal
The ultimate goal is to help students become increasingly independent learners.
As students progress, they should gradually learn to recognise a problem, understand why it is happening, choose an appropriate practice strategy, and evaluate their own improvement.
This is an important part of becoming not only a better pianist, but also a more disciplined, resilient and thoughtful learner.
Remember:
Don’t just repeat. Listen. Think. Correct. Practise. Improve.
Learning music is not simply about interest or talent; it is a journey that develops through discipline, perseverance and purposeful practice.
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Way Maker piano easy
Today, I met Isabella, a 9-year-old girl who came for a piano trial lesson. Isabella is already learning piano from another teacher, but she has been asking herself, “Why am I playing pieces that I don’t enjoy?”
What she really wants is to play Christian and worship music. She had even considered stopping piano lessons because her current teacher does not teach worship pieces. Her mother, hoping that Isabella can continue her piano journey, came to look for a teacher who could guide her in learning the music she truly loves.
During the trial lesson, I discovered that Isabella cannot yet read chord symbols. When the notes are not written out for her, she is unsure of what to play. Another challenge is that there are limited worship piano books available, especially for newer worship songs. So, in this case, I know I will need to work things out and find creative ways to help her learn the music she desires to play.
It will certainly be a challenge, but I hope I can do it.
More than simply teaching Isabella how to play the piano, I hope to help her discover the joy of using her musical gift to worship God. My prayer is that Jesus will grant me the strength, wisdom, and patience to guide this young soul—to help her love playing the piano, enjoy worshipping Him, and use her talent to glorify Him.
May this be the beginning of a beautiful musical and spiritual journey for Isabella. ♡
The first piece she wants to learn is Way Maker in A major and C major.
Download Way Maker Piano easy pdf
After teaching Isabella, I still find this easy piano sheet seems difficult to her, in this case, I changed it to become lesser notes for left hand, removed some of the bass clef notes, especially for 3rd and 4th beats, and keeping them as simplest as it can be. Today 30/10/2026, upload another easier version.
Download Simple left hand ver. - Way Maker beginner pdf
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