About
Piano Teacher Retreat is a three-day workshop for piano teachers looking for rejuvenation, growth, and reinvigoration. I invite you to visit my home to experience stimulating workshop sessions, small group interaction, relaxing conversation with other teachers, great food, and more. I hope you'll join us for this unique experience.
Theme for 2023:
EXPLORING ROTE + NOTE LEARNING IN PIANO TEACHING
We all want our students to be able to perform at the piano with freedom, expression, and musical understanding (audiation). Join us as we explore the age-old concept of “note + rote” and how the two can overlap and work together in effective piano teaching. During the retreat, you can expect to experience for yourself the benefits of integrating “note + rote,” engage in important conversations about MLT (Music Learning Theory) and effective sequencing, and discover new “pattern pieces” your students will love!
I think this topic has something for everyone:
One thing I'm particularly excited about this year is our break-out sessions, where we will team up into small groups to search for effective “pattern pieces” and compile our findings in a shared spreadsheet organized by level. We will also spend time together teaching and learning pieces by rote, to experience it firsthand from both directions. Hope to see you this summer!
We all want our students to be able to perform at the piano with freedom, expression, and musical understanding (audiation). Join us as we explore the age-old concept of “note + rote” and how the two can overlap and work together in effective piano teaching. During the retreat, you can expect to experience for yourself the benefits of integrating “note + rote,” engage in important conversations about MLT (Music Learning Theory) and effective sequencing, and discover new “pattern pieces” your students will love!
I think this topic has something for everyone:
- If you are a teacher who already does some teaching “by rote"… This retreat will challenge you to choose pieces according to a sequence of learning informed by Music Learning Theory (MLT), opening more doors for musical understanding (or audiation) on the part of our students.
- If you are a teacher who has not yet tried teaching pieces “by rote” (i.e., through ear/eye rather than strictly reading the notes on the page), this retreat will equip you with the tools and confidence to begin doing so and start reaping the benefits with your students.
One thing I'm particularly excited about this year is our break-out sessions, where we will team up into small groups to search for effective “pattern pieces” and compile our findings in a shared spreadsheet organized by level. We will also spend time together teaching and learning pieces by rote, to experience it firsthand from both directions. Hope to see you this summer!
Past Themes:
2019: TEACHING RHYTHM FROM AN EAR TRAINING PERSPECTIVE
2018: PIANO TECHNIQUE FOR BEGINNERS
2017: PIANO METHODS (See photos from the 2017 retreat here!)
2018: PIANO TECHNIQUE FOR BEGINNERS
2017: PIANO METHODS (See photos from the 2017 retreat here!)
Biography
Joy Morin operates an independent piano studio in Southeast Michigan and maintains a blog for piano teachers at ColorInMyPiano.com. Her passion for piano pedagogy has led her to a variety of endeavors including lecturing, adjudicating, and authoring several self-published resources for piano teachers. She has presented lectures at the 2015 MTNA national conference, the 2014 and 2016 OhioMTA state conferences, and various meetings sponsored by local chapters of MTNA. Two of her articles were published in Clavier Companion and American Music Teacher magazines.
Joy holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy from Central Michigan University, a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Hope College, and an Associate of Music degree in Piano Performance from Grand Rapids Community College. She is an active member of MTNA and is currently serving on the conference planning committee for the Ohio Music Teachers Association's 2019 state conference. She has over fifteen years of teaching experience as a private piano instructor. In the past, she has taught university Class Piano courses for music majors as well as group keyboard classes for children and adults at the YMCA in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Learn more about Joy here.
Joy holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy from Central Michigan University, a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Hope College, and an Associate of Music degree in Piano Performance from Grand Rapids Community College. She is an active member of MTNA and is currently serving on the conference planning committee for the Ohio Music Teachers Association's 2019 state conference. She has over fifteen years of teaching experience as a private piano instructor. In the past, she has taught university Class Piano courses for music majors as well as group keyboard classes for children and adults at the YMCA in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Learn more about Joy here.