Where I Keep All of My Piano Music

June 2, 2020 Jennifer Boster

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We have a lot of piano music at our house. I have all of my teaching materials and method books, tons of piano literature books by all of the great composers, pedagogy books and more. And my four oldest kids each have piano books they are using currently. Sometimes I don’t know what to do with it all! I thought it would be fun to share how we store our music currently.

I have all of my piano music and lots of my piano pedagogy and music history books in this cabinet from Ikea. I love it! I keep lots of method books and sheet music in the drawers, as well as flashcards, boomwhackers and other piano teaching resources.

With four of my kids learning piano and my husband and me both playing the piano a lot, we have a lot of music that we get out frequently! It’s a constant struggle to figure out where to put it all. Here is what has been working for us the past little while!

Each of the kids has a piano bag where they keep all of their books and music that we are working on currently. I have a bag too – maybe I should get my husband one? He keeps his music in one of the cabinet drawers. We keep all of the piano bags in this great big canvas basket near the piano. Sometimes my kids remember to put their bags away 😉

I love that the bags all fit perfectly in this basket and that they are easy to grab.

I also have tons of magazine holders and bins full of method books, organ music, church choir music and piano pedagogy materials lining the tops of my Ikea bookshelves on the other side of the room. It works. (And did I mention that our family loves books??)

How do YOU organize all of your piano music and piano teaching materials?

On My Wall

February 13, 2015 Jennifer Boster

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Hanging above my piano, I have framed pages from three pieces that have been meaningful to me in my piano education. I love how this turned out, and I love looking up and seeing these pieces on my wall – it’s motivating, that’s for sure!

Here are the three pieces I have framed:

1) La fille aux cheveux de lin, or The Girl with the Flaxen Hair by Debussy

This is the first “real” classical piece I learned. I studied for years with a wonderful teacher in my neighborhood, going through mainly just method books (finishing both the entire Eckstein and Schaum methods), never really learning any “real” classical pieces except for versions that were in my method books. My Dad has always loved classical music though, and was always so supportive of me and my music. He came to me one day and encouraged me to learn this Debussy prelude, one of his favorite pieces. So I learned it all on my own and loved it! I used it to audition with my next teacher, who really got me playing correctly, playing some wonderful literature, and who really encouraged and inspired me to become a piano teacher.

2) Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto in G minor, Op 25, 3rd movement

I played this concerto with my high school orchestra my senior year of high school. It’s important to me because it is the piece that helped me get into the piano program at Brigham Young University, where I wanted to study piano performance. I had actually already auditioned and had not been accepted, when I performed this piece with the school orchestra. It went so well that my piano teacher got all determined and decided to send a letter, along with a video recording of me playing this piece, to the piano department of the school, asking them to reconsider. Pretty soon I received a phone call from the head of the piano department, telling me that they had watched the video and decided to move me to #1 on the waiting list. I was so excited and so grateful when I got another phone call letting me know I had gotten in! My 4 years in the piano program at BYU were so amazing and have been so important to me in my life.

3) Polonaise-Fantasie in A-flat Major, Op. 61 by Chopin

This is the piece that I concluded my senior recital in college with – sort of the peak of my college career I guess you could say. This piece is meaningful to me because it reminds me how much I learned and accomplished during those four years.

Which pieces have been meaningful to you as you have studied piano?

My Evolving Studio

July 17, 2014 Jennifer Boster

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My life as a pianist and piano teacher has had many different seasons. One of the wonderful things about my job is that I can shape it to be the job I want; not only can I do it in my home and on my own time schedule, but I can use my creative ideas to change it, enhance it and sort of evolve it as my life changes, as my interests shift and as my own children grow. I am a piano teacher for life, but what that job description looks like at any given point in my life, at least up until now, has changed and gone through several different stages. And I love that! As I have taught piano through the years, I have constantly thought of things I would like to change and do differently. With each student and each passing semester I learn things. I hope that I am a better teacher than I was 1 or 3 or 5 years ago, and I hope that I will be better still in the coming years. I have found a fun little niche in my teaching with my preschool piano classes. But I still love working with adults and teenagers. I love teaching privately, but wonder about the possibilities of group lessons. I love my preschool classes, but lately have been exploring ideas in private preschool lessons. I love that there are so many possibilities!

I recently have been reading an excellent and sort of mind-blowing and thought-provoking book about changing up music lessons, about not sticking with the status quo of traditional lessons but constantly evolving your studio and your teaching by adding fresh ideas into your studio. The Dynamic Studio: How to keep students, dazzle parents, and build the music studio everyone wants to get into
by Philip Johnston is worth a read by any teacher hoping to breathe some new life into their teaching, retain more students and become a better music teacher. More about that in a later post.

Lots of changes have happened for me in the past couple of months – my husband graduated from school in San Antonio, Texas. We packed up our house and our three children and drove 2,000 miles across the country to our new home in Farr West, Utah. We are starting a new season of life – it’s great to be done with school and to settle in a new place. I have yet to decide and discover what my piano teaching will look like in this stage of life. I will probably continue teaching my preschool classes once I get settled (my daughter is about to turn three, after all!). I will probably be teaching my children piano. I may accept a select few motivated private students. We shall see! One thing is certain – I have a lot of new things up my sleeve that I will be sharing on The Teaching Studio! Stay tuned!

For now, we are super excited about our new music room! What do you think?

I love it so much. It is actually kind of neat because it really reminds me of my high school piano teacher’s home. She had the same pink carpet, the same size/shape of room with her pianos at the end, on a sort of stage area. She had a chandelier hanging in the piano room above the teaching area.

I can just picture a grand piano in this room….someday!

We obviously still need to do some unpacking, organizing of music books, and acquiring some new furniture, but so far we love it!

In the mean time, we are immensely enjoying a brand new addition to the music room….my kids think it is the neatest thing ever. My husband and I have to agree!

So what are some ways that your studio has evolved over time? Any thoughts on moving your studio and your teaching to a new city? Any amazing ideas for my new music room? 🙂

some poll results & a fun new topic

March 31, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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Well another week has gone by, and here are our poll results for this week’s poll about your studio!

What kind of studio space do you have?

Thanks for participating in our poll! It’s always interesting to see the results we get. We have also loved all the wonderful comments we’ve gotten this week. The comments are what really makes the blog great, because it turns into a discussion and we all help teach each other. Love it!

Now onto our new topic:

Teaching a FIRST Lesson.

Because let’s be honest: we have all experienced that brief moment of panic when we are teaching our very. first. student. ever. and we realize we don’t know what the heck we are doing. We thought this would be a useful topic 🙂 Plus we have tried to go in a somewhat chronological order with our topics of the week, and once you get your studio set up, decide on a few policies, advertise and get a few students – that’s when the teaching/fun begins!

So let’s hear it: leave us a comment and tell us about your first lesson you’ve ever taught (this could be fun…). Or, tell us how you go about teaching a very first lesson to a beginning student. How about transfer students – how do you handle their first lesson with you? Any tips for teachers who are just starting out? Leave a comment – ready, go!

Also, don’t forget to take our new poll as well as our reader survey! Become a follower or a Facebook fan to get updates when we have new posts…and to let you know about our giveaway that is coming up later this week!

my studio space.

March 29, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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I teach in my home. As a mom, that is something that is so important to me. I love having this wonderful job that I can do without leaving my home. Having said that, I do think it is also important to make sure that your studio space is an environment that is free from distractions and conducive to learning and teaching. (We will definitely be spending a LOT more time on the topic of Balancing Teaching & Family – because I know a LOT of you teachers are also moms. This is a topic that I ALWAYS am thinking about and trying to balance!)

Right now I teach in my living room. It works just fine. I make sure it is nice and clean and free from distractions, and I have my music library and supplies nearby and it is great.

However, I would LOVE (in the distant future when circumstances and finances permit, mind you) to have a studio that is in my home that is separate from our living area. Like with a separate entrance. And a nice copy machine and computer completely for the studio, and a NICE piano or two, and nice decor and a really nice music library and a great listening library and stereo system, and…and…and….the list goes on and on, doesn’t it? It would be so fun to have a whole space just devoted to music and teaching.

So, tell us about YOUR studio space – where is it, why is it there, how do you make it a good learning environment, what your DREAM studio would be – let’s hear some comments!

p.s. take our poll about your studio space 🙂

organizing your music library

March 26, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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Recently I really needed a new way to organize my music library.

I used to have them all lined up on a bookshelf. That worked alright for awhile – like until someone grabbed a few books to play from. Then they all would start leaning and falling over. Plus it never really looked very nice anyway, with the mixture of spiral bound books and sheet music and old books with falling-apart spines. And I would initially try to organize them by composer, but they would inevitably get all out of order.

So next I found a large, cute basket at Walmart, and had it in my living room next to the piano. My music books fit perfectly and it was easy to grab a book and put it back in the right place without them getting all disorganized. But I quickly outgrew that! And inevitably the organization still went right out the window.

Here is my most recent way of organization, and I quite like it!

First I bought a nice shelf to use. Then I went to Ikea and bought a whole bunch of their cardboard magazine holders (they are really inexpensive, and look nice!). I organized all my music by composer and labeled each magazine holder and put them on the shelf. It looks nice, plus it’s easy to pull out the needed music and keep them all in order.

The only problem is that my two-year-old loves to pull the little labels out and bring them to me (luckily I found all but one for this photo!)

How do YOU keep your music or teaching materials organized? Any fun ideas to share?

Check out some more studio organization ideas in our “Helpful Resources” section.

something fun for your waiting area

March 24, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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A piano studio should be warm and inviting, and conducive to teaching and to learning the joys of music. One fun idea I have had (which I will implement once I have the $$ to purchase these books….until then library books will have to do, since I usually have quite a large stack on hand) is to have a little area in the “waiting area” of your studio (which, in my studio, is my living room couch/coffee table) filled with fun music-related books for students or siblings/parents of students to read. There are some really amazing picture books out there all about music. Sometimes a wonderful book can convey the JOY of something, such as music, better than anything. I think these would be a wonderful asset to any piano studio. Here are some of my recommendations (these and other books can also be found in our store):

A Winter Concert by Yuko Takao

Janina and I actually found this wonderful book one day at the BYU Bookstore on a clearance rack, and each bought a copy (how could we not??). It is about a little mouse who goes to a concert on a snowy evening. The drawings are all in black and white, until the pianist comes out on stage and begins to play – and then beautiful colors start coming out of the grand piano and pave the little mouse’s pathway home. It really is quite touching. I actually blogged about this book on my personal blog the other day, because my 2-year-old son just loves it. I noticed that you can get this book on amazon.com for a buck forty-five – not a bad deal if you ask me! (Click on the link above to see it.)

The Composer Is Dead (Book & CD) by Lemony Snicket

Oh wow, this book is AWESOME. If you are a musician/music teacher and have not read this book, go find it now and read it. Or pop in the accompanying CD and follow along. You know when someone writes music, it’s called “composing?” Well in this book you’ll learn that when the composer is dead, it’s called “decomposing.” This is a musical “whodunnit” and is especially funny if you have ever played in an orchestra.

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue W /CD by Anna Harwell Celenza

A wonderful picture book that tells the story of Gershwin and his famous Rhapsody in Blue. Gives some great background information, has lovely pictures and comes with a CD recording of the piece.

Bach’s Goldberg Variations by Anna Harwell Celenza

I haven’t checked this book out yet, but I imagine it is wonderful, as it is by the same author as the book above.

Pictures at an Exhibition by Anna Harwell Celenza

Ditto to the above book. Wouldn’t these be a wonderful way to teach music history/piano literature??

M Is for Music by Kathleen Krull

This is a fun alphabet book featuring so many genres of music. I love that it mentions Elvis, The Beatles, Hildegard von Bingen, Prokofiev, yodeling and Louis Armstrong all in the same book – and it totally works.

This is such a creative overview of music, and would be a fun teaching tool. After going through the complete alphabet (“B is for Beatles,” “G is for guitar,” “P is for piano and practice, practice, practice,” etc.), there is a glossary section called “Musical Notes from A to Z” which goes into greater detail on all the instruments, genres and composers listed in the book.

Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull

I remember reading Kathleen Krull’s books Lives of the Writers and Lives of the Artists in elementary school and just loving them. I am happy that she has now written one about musicians. This is a great book that tells about famous musicians in a fun and interesting way.

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (Aladdin Picture Books) by Lloyd Moss

A fun book (with accompanying CD) that tells about the different instruments in an orchestra. Great for learning music appreciation!

What are some fun books you know that would be great “waiting room books” for a piano studio?

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Poll Results: Studio Policies – plus a new topic!

March 24, 2010 Jennifer Boster

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I have loved all the input and ideas this week about studio policies, and now plan to implement a couple more things in my own studio. Thanks to our wonderful contributors for their great posts!

Ok so I can’t believe another week has already gone by! I am so happy that spring is here – anyone else? It has been a beautiful week here in Utah! Here are the poll results for both of our polls about studio policies:

What kind of studio policy/contract do you have?

What is your make-up lesson policy?

Our three “other” responses for this question were as follows:

I make up lessons when they can switch with another student in the schedule
For each 13-week semester, the student gets 12 lessons
I have one day per month set aside for make-up lessons, if needed

Thank you to all who participated in our polls this week! Polls are a great way to participate and give your input, without having to actually type something 🙂 So take a second each week and share your ideas with the click of a button 🙂

And now for our new topic: Your Studio Space. We want to hear all about how you set up your studio space: do you have a studio in your home? If so, how do you make it nice and inviting to your students? Is your studio outside of your home? How do you organize your studio and your teaching materials? Any money-saving decorating/organizing tips for a piano studio? Anyone want to share a picture of their awesome studio to give us all a little inspiration? How do you decorate your studio? What fun things do you do with your studio to make it an environment conducive to learning? What hangs on the walls in your studio?

Anyway, you get the idea! Seriously, we’d love to hear from you! Leave us a comment or shoot us an email. We’d love to feature some of your great ideas on the blog.

p.s. a little reminder, please go take our reader survey! We’d love to know more about our audience, and more about the things that are important to you as a teacher that you’d like us to discuss on the blog.

Have a wonderful week!