About
Piano Teacher Retreat is a three-day workshop for piano teachers looking for rejuvenation, growth, and reinvigoration. I invite you 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 2024:
EXPLORING IMPROVISATION AND COMPOSITION IN PIANO LESSONS
Together, let's strive to expand the role of creativity in the piano lessons we teach. During this retreat, we'll explore ways to guide young pianists to compose their own pieces, make their own improvisational changes to existing pieces, and create new music using what they know — including rhythm patterns, tonal patterns, and/or harmonic progressions. During group discussion and activities with fellow piano teachers, you can expect to engage in important conversations about creativity and MLT (Music Learning Theory), discover composition/improvisation resources your students will enjoy, and experience the joy of creativity in a variety of forms for yourself!
Together, let's strive to expand the role of creativity in the piano lessons we teach. During this retreat, we'll explore ways to guide young pianists to compose their own pieces, make their own improvisational changes to existing pieces, and create new music using what they know — including rhythm patterns, tonal patterns, and/or harmonic progressions. During group discussion and activities with fellow piano teachers, you can expect to engage in important conversations about creativity and MLT (Music Learning Theory), discover composition/improvisation resources your students will enjoy, and experience the joy of creativity in a variety of forms for yourself!
Past Themes:
2023: EXPLORING NOTE + ROTE LEARNING IN PIANO TEACHING (see recap here)
2019: TEACHING RHYTHM FROM AN EAR TRAINING PERSPECTIVE (see recap here)
2018: PIANO TECHNIQUE FOR BEGINNERS (see recap here)
2017: PIANO METHODS (see recap here)
2019: TEACHING RHYTHM FROM AN EAR TRAINING PERSPECTIVE (see recap here)
2018: PIANO TECHNIQUE FOR BEGINNERS (see recap here)
2017: PIANO METHODS (see recap 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.