The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast

• 414: Pattern-Based Teaching with TopMusicSheets Composer Juan Cabeza

  Great music teaching isn’t just about what’s on the page, it’s about what students can create beyond it. In today’s episode, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Juan Cabeza, our featured TopMusicSheets composer and a passionate educator from Madrid. Juan shares how his love of pattern-based teaching led him to compose music that supports creativity, improvisation, and confident reading—pieces designed to be pulled apart, explored, and reimagined. We discuss how he teaches in both school and private settings, his influences from Piano Safari and Forrest Kinney, and why his pieces are meant to be a starting point, not a final product. If you’ve ever been curious about teaching with patterns, or how composing can grow naturally out of your teaching, you’ll love hearing from Juan.. Juan shared his passion for composing pattern-based piano pieces to support student learning. How pattern-based pieces help students read, improvise, compose, and perform more confidently. He demonstrated how simple changes in rhythm, direction, or hand position can transform a piece. How understanding musical patterns helps students play more fluently and memorize more easily. The value of teaching patterns from the start as key to developing strong sight readers. How his music encourages creativity and motivates students through ownership of their learning. How his compositions use just a few notes or hand positions, making them highly adaptable. He suggested using these pieces to teach transposition, rhythmic variation, and full-keyboard exploration. The importance of improvisation was stressed as a powerful teaching tool. His journey into composing, influenced by Forrest Kinney and the Piano Safari method. How student recitals and parent feedback encouraged him to publish his compositions. He encouraged teachers to view his pieces as starting points for creativity, not fixed endpoints. Links Mentioned Juan’s website: Me Gusta El Piano Juan’s books on Piano Safari TopMusic Piano Podcast 062: Inspiring Creativity with Juan Cabeza Find out more about TopMusicSheets here Become a TopMusic Content Partner today Today's Guest Juan Cabeza is a pianist, pedagogue and composer. He teaches private and group piano students at his studio, in Madrid, where he specializes in students in the elementary and intermediate stages of study. As a result of his research in piano pedagogy, Juan created a blog, megustaelpiano.com. Here he expresses his ideas about teaching and learning piano, provides teaching resources, and suggests interesting piano repertoire. Juan Cabeza is the author of Piano Train Trips, Miniatures and the two Diversions books published by Piano Safari. He has translated into Spanish the Piano Safari Method and Create First by Forrest Kinney. He has also created the online improvisation course Piano Patterns in Harmony, which has been recently nominated for The Art of Piano Education Awards 2025. 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 

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• 413: Should You Add Early Childhood Music Classes to Your Studio? A Chat with Olivia Riddell

  Olivia Riddell shares her passion for early childhood music education and the unique benefits of starting musical training at a young age. Drawing on her experience with Music for Young Children (MYC), a globally recognized program founded by her parents, Olivia explains how movement, play, and exploration form the foundation of lifelong musical engagement. She discusses the importance of delaying reading, involving parents, and teaching through all the senses. Whether you're curious about early childhood pedagogy or considering adding MYC to your studio, Olivia’s insights will leave you inspired to nurture creativity from the very first notes. Olivia shared that early childhood music education typically spans ages 2 to 8. How younger children absorb music more naturally through movement, play, and exploration. The importance of starting music education at age 2 or 3. How younger learners are less self-conscious and more open to experimentation. Why teaching should begin with exploration and experience, not with books or reading. She encouraged teachers to delay formal reading and instead focus on movement and creativity. The importance of involving parents as children mirror their parents’ attitudes and behaviors. Olivia introduced Music for Young Children (MYC), a structured early childhood group music program founded by her parents in 1980. She described MYC’s program and use of multi-sensory learning to engage young learners. She highlighted that MYC graduates often achieve level 3 piano and level 5 theory by age 8. How MYC is a closed curriculum, and teachers must complete training to access materials. Links Mentioned Olivia's website: Music for Young Children Free Download: Early Childhood Music Program Comparison Handout Leave a review for TopCast Today's Guest Olivia Riddell is the President and International Director of MYC (Music for Young Children) and a specialist in early childhood music education. Olivia has a well-rounded approach to teaching, and is passionate and dedicated to teaching young children to intermediate levels, ensuring the strongest foundation and love of music she can within her students at an early age. In her current position, Olivia’s focus is on maintaining and reviewing the MYC Method, MYC Teacher support, evaluation and guidance, as well as training all North American and Asian (Singapore and Malaysia) teachers in the multiple levels of the Method. 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.

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• 412: Cracking the Code: Studio Business Lessons from My Chiropractor

  In this solo episode, I’m sharing some surprising business lessons I picked up, not from another music educator, but from a recent visit to my chiropractor. From clever onboarding to creative pricing and streamlined systems, I’ll walk you through how this experience got me thinking differently about how we run our studios. If you’re looking for fresh, practical ideas to help you stand out and grow your teaching business, this episode is packed with takeaways you can start using right away. Tim shared how a visit to a chiropractor inspired powerful lessons for music studio owners. He explained that great teaching alone isn’t enough—smart business strategy matters. How a simple Google search and strong online presence helped him choose a practitioner. The importance of SEO, good website design, and glowing reviews for building trust. Key takeaways: SEO visibility, reviews, clear calls to action, special offers, and easy booking systems. How an automated email and smooth onboarding created a great first impression. Using tech or simple tools to make that first experience more memorable and modern. The value of studio systems and consistent onboarding processes. Tim recommended booking follow-up sessions right away to increase retention and build momentum. Creative scheduling, like offering two or more lessons in the first week for stronger engagement. The importance of bundling and creative pricing as a way to stand out and increase revenue. Offering personalized folders and curriculum plans to show professionalism and vision. Links Mentioned No Book Beginners Book Kawai's The Educator's Opus Conference 2025 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

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• 411: Forrest Kinney’s Framework for Playing and Teaching Lead Sheets

  In this special episode, we’re honored to share with you a webinar with the late Forrest Kinney, one of the most thoughtful and inspiring voices in music education. With warmth, wit, and deep insight, Forrest walks us through his framework for teaching and playing from lead sheets—starting with ear-based learning, nurturing creativity, and progressing to rich styles and arrangements. His heartfelt belief that all students can improvise, arrange, and compose, Forrest reminds us why creativity is central to joyful music-making. Whether you're a seasoned teacher or just starting with lead sheets, Forrest’s gentle wisdom and practical strategies will leave you inspired to nurture confident, creative students who can play with freedom, flexibility, and joy. Tim shared his goal of creating “all-rounder musicians” who can play by ear, accompany, transpose, improvise, and use lead sheets confidently. Why skills like transposing, improvising, and reading lead sheets matter. He highlighted how chord work improves reading, composing, and playing flexibility. The importance of introducing lead sheet reading even if teachers haven't taught it before. Forrest explained a lead sheet as melody plus chord symbols. He highlighted that chords represent flexible families of notes, not just fixed triads. How lead sheet skills can lead to diverse career opportunities. The value of ear training and improvisation from the first lesson. How to prepare beginners through ear games, bass note additions, and transposition before introducing notation. The importance of left-hand styles in creating rhythmic impact. Forrest demonstrated how to build solo playing from basic chords to rich accompaniments using inversion, syncopation, and style variations. He shared a shortcut for adding 7ths and 2nds by moving the root note up or down. How inversions help with smoother playing, especially in basslines. Forrest recommended fake books and lyric sheet websites (like Ultimate Guitar) as resources for lead sheet practice and repertoire building. Links Mentioned Forrest Kinney Website Blog: What’s the Difference Between a Chord Chart and a Lead Sheet? Blog: 9 Reasons Why Playing Lead Sheets is Essential for Piano Students Special Offer for Podcast Listeners Go to topmusic.co/lead and get access to Forrest Kinney's Taking the Lead Course for only $49 with 1 year access ($100 off the regular price of $149). About Forrest Kinney Forrest Kinney was an educator who taught music for over four decades. He was a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) as recognized by the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). His goal in life was to help others become creative, whole musicians capable of enjoying the Four Arts of Music: improvising, arranging, composing, and interpreting. Forrest lived amongst mossy trees in the mountains east of Seattle, generally preferring what he called “a 19th-century lifestyle.” He was immensely grateful to be able to make his living by creating music and books, and by sharing his belief that creativity is a key to happiness. Thank you for tuning in! Consider implementing the ideas from this podcast by writing several actionable...

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• 410: TEMPO – The New Online Conference from MTNA

  Today, we’re having a chat with Michael Clark, who’s here to discuss MTNA's new online conference, TEMPO, which aims to be more accessible and cost-effective for music educators. We'll dive into the key features of TEMPO, including 40 prerecorded breakout sessions, live Q&A chats, and extensive networking opportunities. Michael highlights the importance of an international reach, unique content, and the flexibility of accessing sessions for two months. Stay tuned as Michael shares key highlights and insights into why this conference is a must-attend event for music educators worldwide. Michael shared about the new online conference from MTNA called TEMPO. He described his role in MTNA and as an assistant professor at Baylor University. His project "Piano Tricks," focused on fingering redistributions for piano pieces. The importance of TEMPO being an accessible and cost-effective online MTNA conference. How is TEMPO different from MTNA’s national conference? What are some of the highlights of TEMPO? How can listeners attend and register? He shared some of the topics that the sessions will cover, including international repertoire. Guest Links Michael's Website: MichaelClarkPiano.com Michaels' Instagram: @michaelclarkpiano Michael's YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@michaelwinstonclark Links Mentioned Click here to find out more about TEMPO and use code TOP25 at checkout for 20% off registration. (The conference is scheduled for April 25-26, with early bird registration available until April 15) TopMusicPiano Podcast 061: Finding Your Creative Voice with Leila Viss Today's Guest Michael Clark is a pianist, teacher, and scholar noted for his “natural, clear, and nuanced” performances (Piano Magazine). An advocate for the music of Florence Price, he made the first studio recording of her complete piano waltzes for Navona Records, edited the first publication of twenty of her intermediate pieces for Hal Leonard, and has performed her works around the United States. Clark also researches traditions of piano fingering and is the founder of PianoTricks.net, an online database of fingerings and redistributions for over 1000 passages from the piano repertoire. He serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. 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...

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