In this episode, Samantha Coates discusses teaching by rote. Topics discussed include the definition of rote teaching, the common criticisms it receives, its relationship to teaching by ear, the overlap between learning music and language acquisition, what makes a great rote piece, how her BlitzBooks series integrates rote teaching with reading teaching, and strategies for teaching rote pieces effectively.

In this episode, Tonya Lawson discusses options of additional income streams for piano teachers beyond teaching income. Topics discussed include why it's advantageous to have multiple income streams as a piano teacher, even if you're in a situation where you currently live comfortably from your teaching income alone. Then we went through various topics related to income streams: website optimization and SEO, hybrid lessons, running ads, affiliate marketing, and creating courses.

In this solo episode, Ben Kapilow offers 10 strategies for working with students who never or rarely practice. This list includes a combination of strategies I've arrived at through trial and error as a piano teacher, as well as strategies learned from the guests who have appeared on All Keyed Up.

Heidi Begay, Jaime Slutzky, and Ben Kapilow discuss how and why to start a music teaching podcast. Topics discussed include the advantages of starting your own podcast, from what equipment you need, how to create an RSS feed, coming up with a concept, finding your niche, marketing, and monetization.

Noa Kageyama, performance psychologist and faculty at the Juilliard School, offers thoughts on stage fright and performance anxiety.

Jonny May, pianist and educator with over 250,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 10,000 students currently taking his online piano classes, discusses strategies for teaching improvisation to piano students. He also talks about the entrepreneurial thinking behind his digital content and offers advice for other teachers who want to reach larger audiences with their resources.

Jeremy Siskind, two-time laureate of the American Pianists Association and the winner of the Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition, offers guidance to piano teachers and students who are interested in adding jazz music to their arsenal. Topics discussed include the relationship between classical and jazz music, how studying jazz music can benefit classical musicians, listening assignments, sequences for learning jazz improvisation, and common mistakes when playing pieces written in a jazz style.

In a solo episode, Ben Kapilow discusses 10 creative and engaging ways to introduce pieces to piano students. Many of these teaching strategies have been discussed by guests on All Keyed Up, and those interviews are brought up throughout the solo episode. These 10 ways are contrasted with 2 ways of introducing pieces that, while common, are perhaps not so engaging.

Chenoa Murphy discusses black representation in classical music. Topics discussed include colorblindness, scarcity versus abundance mindsets, diversifying private studios, an inside-out approach to DEI, the anxiety that many white teachers face on teaching issues surrounding race, historical and present-day black involvement in classical music.

Tessa Grigg, Anne Katherine Davis, and Jason Sifford discuss teaching rhythm and pulse. Topics discussed include rhythmic development in infancy, Gordon's Music Learning Theory, movement activities, Dalcroze, rhythmic literacy and sequencing, backing tracks and other supplemental aids, the difference between groove and pulse, repertoire selection, and We Don't Talk About Bruno.

In a solo episode, Ben Kapilow lists 15 piano teaching mistakes he made earlier in his teaching career, which he was inspired to correct as a result of interviewing various piano teaching experts for “All Keyed Up.” He explains which guest sparked each change in his teaching.

Josh Wright, Billboard #1 Artist and digital course creator, talks about entrepreneurialism and how it overlaps with teaching piano. Topics discussed include Josh's online courses, the influences he's had from listening to business podcasts and reading business books, branding, marketing, ways to think about target audiences, and the value of being innovative and finding a niche.

Rami Bar-Niv discusses phrasing and melodic shaping. He outlines the guidelines of interpretation used in his memoir “Blood Sweat and Tours”, illustrating these guidelines with numerous musical examples.

Janna Williamson offers advice and guidance for teaching intermediate students. In the first part of the interview, she discusses big-picture topics such as defining intermediate, why intermediate students are sometimes ignored, and what makes a great teacher of intermediate students. In the second part, she addresses several specific topics as they apply to intermediate students, such as encouraging creativity, repertoire, theory and musical analysis, technique, practice stamina, and creating performance opportunities.

Edna Golandsky, founder of the Golandsky Institute, gives a deep dive into piano technique through the lens of the Taubman approach. Topics discussed include the use of the forearm, playing quietly, rotation, in and out motion, the problem with telling students to relax, and tone production.

Emile Pandolfi, one of America's most popular piano artists with over 750 million streams across all platforms, discusses his new book, Play It Like You Mean It!: Supercharge Your Playing and Let Your Piano Work For You.

Jane Magrath, internationally renowned author, clinician, pianist and Professor Emeritus of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma, speaks about repertoire selection.

John Patrick Murphy, Assistant Professor of Piano and Piano Pedagogy at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the four stages of the Orff Schulwerk process of teaching music and their application in the context of piano lessons: imitation, exploration, labeling, and creation. Topics addressed include play, movement and vocal activities, experiencing concepts before labeling, the pedagogical value of incorporating percussion instruments into piano lessons, games, rote teaching, and group lessons.

Benjamin Steinhardt discusses ways that piano teachers can incorporate off-the-piano movement activities into their lessons. Topics discussed include the pedagogical benefit of incorporating, Edwin Gordon and audiation, the limitations of rhythm clapping, Rudolf Laban, idiosyncratic ways to use a metronome, and using movement activities and games to show weight, the space between notes, phrasing, and meter.

Christopher Oill discusses teaching songwriting in the context of piano lessons. Topics discussed include the benefits of teaching songwriting, teaching students about pop song form, writing music vs. lyrics first, creating accompaniment patterns, composing singable melodies, and writing effective lyrics.