Piano Parent Podcast: helping teachers, parents, and students get the most of their piano lessons.

PPP382: Rowina Sidler and Noteology: A New Way to Learn to Read Music

Rowena Sidler grew up playing piano entirely by ear—and quit traditional lessons after only ten weeks because reading music was so frustrating. Years later, her backgroun

PPP 381: Eric Church's 2026 Commencement Speech: Every Parent Should Hear This

In this special episode, Shelly reacts to Eric Church's memorable 2026 commencement speech at the University of North Carolina. Using the six strings of a guitar as a met

PPP380: Ten Life Rules from Robert Schumann

Episode 380 continues the Piano Parent Podcast tradition of celebrating every "zero" episode with a list of 10 things. This time, Shelly shares 10 Life Rules for Young Mu

PPP 379: Learn how this mom helped her son rewrite his internal script, with piano parent, Kristen Pennington

Even though this is the Piano Parent Podcast, Shelly realizes she hasn't featured nearly enough actual piano parents on the show! In this episode, Shelly talks with Kri

PPP 378: Rediscovering the Music of Florence Price, with Dr. Michael Clark

In this episode, Dr. Michael Clark joins me to share the fascinating story of composer Florence Price and the rediscovery of her music. We also talk about supporting youn

PPP 377: Three Memorization Strategies for Piano Kids

Preparing for a spring piano recital? Memorizing music can feel overwhelming for many students—but it doesn't have to be! In this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast, S

PPP 376: When Piano Lessons Click: Jazz, Storytelling, and Helping Kids Fall in Love with Music with Susan Staples Bell

What makes piano lessons finally click for a child? In Episode 376, composer and teacher Susan Staples Bell shares how jazz, improvisation, and storytelling transformed

PPP 375: Raising Independent Children

In this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast, we're talking about practical ways to help your child grow in responsibility, confidence, and problem-solving—both at the pia

PPP 374: Making Music Doable: Group Piano with Dorla Aparicio

In this episode, piano teacher and curriculum creator Dorla Aparicio joins the podcast to share her passion for group piano teaching and the Piano Pyramid method. We disc

PPP373: What Black Beauty Teaches Us About Parenting

As part of my New Year's goal to read more classic literature, I've been listening to Black Beauty by Anna Sewell—and I was surprised by how much this 19th-century horse

PPP 372: Joy to the World - Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means

We all know and love Joy to the World as a classic Christmas carol — but did you know it wasn't originally written for Christmas? And it's not in Handel's Messiah either!

PPP 371: PIANOVEMBER 2025 Wrap-Up & a Holiday Music Mystery Replay, "Down in History"

We did it! The PIANOVEMBER 2025 Practice Challenge is complete with over 51,000 practice tallies! 🏆🎉 In this week's episode, Shelly celebrates the top participants, giv

PPP370: 10 Finger Activities for Young Pianists

Episode 370: 10 Finger Activities for Young Pianists – Shelly Davis brings you ten creative, screen‑free, fun activities to build fine motor strength and coordination in

PPP 369: Hey Mom, Can We Talk? (a reminder to parents to monitor your own screen time)

Teens and tweens may act like they don't need us—but deep down, they do. In this episode, we talk about why big kids still crave attention, how to reconnect through meani

PPP 368: Three Questions I Ask (almost) Every Student At (almost) Every Lesson

In this episode, Shelly discusses three open-ended questions she regularly asks her piano students to enhance their learning experience. These questions are designed to

PPP 367: I Don't Know What to Practice!

Getting your kid to the piano to practice and them knowing what to practice are two very different things. On today's show we'll talk about.... • How to build a strong

PPP 366: Human Nature Delays

Human Nature Delays (and How Piano Parents & Students Can Overcome Them) Join me as I explore why we often intend to practice or start something important—but delay inste

PPP 365: Mr. Michael's Music Maker Manual, an interview with author, Michael Hemsworth

In this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast, host Shelly Davis chats with Michael Hemsworth, author, educator, and founder of New Songs Music School in California. Mich

PPP 364: Why Playing Games with Your Piano Kid Matters More Than You Might Think

Screens are convenient, but they don't build relationships. In this episode, we explore the overlooked value of playing physical games with your piano kid—games that boos

Your Music Conference Reporter Day 5 of 7

Today, I spent some time in the TMTA exhibit hall where I got to meet Liz Boyd with www.SusanParadis.com and bought some music stickers and piano manipulatives to use in