#21 Find Community & Inspiration as a Lonely Piano Teacher - with Brian Shepard
BLOG - It’s the end of the year, and everyone has forgotten how far they’ve come.
Our students have forgotten, you’ve forgotten, and their parents have forgotten too! In Episode 21, we share a simple way to bring those moments to the forefront again. We also chatted with Brian Shepard, CEO of MTNA, on why piano teaching can feel so lonely.
Meet Hugh and His Digital Scrapbook
Paul made a digital scrapbook for one of his students, a very cute little boy named Hugh.
It has photos of Hugh arriving at lessons in his school uniform, videos of him playing solos, and a page about what he loves most about piano (playing his favourite songs for his friends at school). There’s a word cloud of his best qualities and a Rhythm Champion award, because Paul decided he’d earned it.
Because it’s digital, his parents can open it on their phone and watch how far their son has come. They see the confidence and the progress. They see what all that driving and all those term fees have been building.
The Word Cloud for Piano Students that Takes Two Minutes
The page everyone loves most is the word cloud, and we made a little tool so it’s super quick.
Type in words that describe your student, like imaginative, natural performer, or creative improviser. Add their musical skills and a few fun titles, like practice pro. Then add something unique about them, like a love of Mozart.
Hit shuffle until you find colours you love. Pick a star word for the middle. Download it as a PNG and drop it straight into your Canva template.
You could even pop it inside a Christmas card.
No Photos From the Start of the Year?
You can recreate them.
Film your student playing a piece they learned at the beginning of the year. Then film them playing what they’re working on now. Put the two side by side and the progress speaks for itself.
You can also make it together. Spend a few minutes each lesson over a few weeks and let your student choose what goes in. Tell them it’s a present for Mum and Dad. They’ll be so excited to share it, and every parent loves opening something their child made for them.
Parents who can see the transformation in their child, whether that’s confidence, resilience or a brand new skill, are parents who stay.
Why Piano Teaching Can Feel So Lonely
In the second half of the episode, we share a conversation with Brian Shepard, CEO of the Music Teachers National Association in the US. It was recorded at the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conference in Adelaide, during Brian’s first visit to Australia.
MTNA has just turned 150. Brian explained that it began in 1876 as a gathering of teachers, a mini conference, because they decided teachers needed professional development and a community.
“A lot of times it can feel like a lonely pursuit. A lot of teachers are teaching one-on-one with their students and don’t have a chance to have a lot of interaction with their colleagues.”
A hundred and fifty years later, that is still true. We see our students every day, but we rarely get to chat over a coffee with someone who understands our week. That’s a big part of why conferences and memberships matter, and a big reason why we built The Studio.
Marketing Without the Ick
Brian has a music education degree and a marketing degree, and he has excellent advice for teachers who dread promoting their studio.
Marketing and business have long been taboo words in music teaching. Many of us see teaching as a calling, and talking about rates feels uncomfortable.
Brian shared a post from Sarah Campbell in the US that captured it well. Rather than advertising four lessons for a set price, tell the story. Talk about how music changes lives, and how students build confidence, resilience, discipline, and grit.
“This is more than just buying laundry detergent or soap. This is actually something that’s going to change these people’s lives.”
When you shift from “I have to do marketing” to “how can I help people find a good place to learn music?”, it feels completely different.
If you’d like research to back up your story, Dr Anita Collins’ Bigger Better Brains has wonderful resources. You can hear more from her in Episode 10 on the Piano Teaching Success Podcast.
MTNA Competitions and What’s Next
We also chat about MTNA competitions, which have no real equivalent in Australia. They cover composition, chamber music and performance across piano, voice, brass, strings and woodwind. Students progress from state level to the finals at the national conference.
The next MTNA conference is April 2 to 6, 2027, in St. Louis, Missouri. We’d love to see you there!
Make Your Own Scrapbooks With Us
In the November Studio Masterclass at PTS, we’ll build these scrapbooks together. You’ll get Canva templates ready to go, including a playful one for younger children and a more conservative one for older students. Drop in your photos and captions, and turn pages on or off to suit each student.
We are here to help if you get stuck. Not a Studio member yet? Join before the masterclass and come along live.
👉 Join here → $49/month, cancel anytime
Listen to Episode 21
🎧 Episode 21 - Find Community and Inspiration as a Lonely Piano Teacher, with Brian Shepard
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