Last week, I hosted my 2026 Retreat at Piano Manor — a three-day event for growth-minded piano teachers. I feel so grateful to have been able to organize, host, and lead this event for teachers! Here are some highlights from our time together, June 8-10, 2026.

This year makes the 6th time I’ve hosted my retreat. We convened at the same venue I used two years ago for the 2024 retreat: a historic home in Manchester, Michigan not far from where I live.

As teachers arrived, they were greeted and shown their rooms. This historic house offers many large, themed rooms with spacious bathrooms on the second and third floors.

Then, teachers enjoyed a light lunch prepared by my friend Amy Chaplin (of PianoPantry.com) in the gorgeous dining room.

We then began our schedule of sessions in the gathering room.

Our theme this year was “By Our Own Ears: Hearing What We Teach.” For this theme, I drew heavily upon my certification trainings through the Gordon Institute for Music Learning, my independent study of Gordon’s books over the years, and my personal experience learning to teach in accordance with principles from Gordon’s Music Learning Theory (MLT).

Throughout our three days together, we enjoyed the rare opportunity to work on our own ears/audiation as musicians and teachers during four “Musicianship Moments.” I used those sessions to immerse teachers in listening and moving to a variety of tonalities and meters as we learned to “tune in” to the meter, resting tone, and tonality and absorb rhythm and tonal solfege.

Most of our sessions together were discussion-based, guided by questions I prepared and printed in our retreat program booklet. But I did include one formal presentation (see my workshop topics here) on the life and career of Edwin E. Gordon — who I like to refer to as “the father of Music Learning Theory.” This session was well-received, with many teachers finding it inspiring to hear Gordon’s own voice in the audio and video clips I compiled.

Throughout our time together, we explored basic tenets of MLT and examined how we understand music in rhythm and tonal dimensions. We also discussed practical implications for our teaching, as trail-blazed by several practitioners (such as Marilyn Lowe and Mary Ellen Pinzino) walking in the footsteps of Gordon.

For dinner, we drive to Buddy’s Pizza to enjoy Detroit-style pizza.

Back at the house, we took advantage of the beautiful pool-side patio to enjoy conversation as well as a few improvised music games that made us all laugh (thanks for that, Angie!).

On Day 2, there was one point where we broke out into small groups to work with “MLT conversation cards.” This was a way to review and put tenets of MLT in our own words. It was also an effective way to meet and chat with the other attendees.

This clever group found their way to the cozy cupola on the top of the historic house…effectively the fourth floor of the house with a great view!

During our extended lunch break, a group of us decided to experience taking one of Gordon’s music aptitude tests. It’s fascinating experiencing Gordon’s test design.

For dinner, we walked to a nearby restaurant for tacos and rice bowls.

After dinner, we had a teaching demo with a group of my piano students and then enjoyed casual conversation into the evening.

Day 3 was when we focused the most on teaching techniques and practical application to our piano lessons as teachers.

Here is a group shot taken the last day.

After a light lunch together, we packed up and said our goodbyes. Here is a photo of me with two Michigan teacher friends who have attended every retreat or nearly every retreat!

It was a joy to meet and interact with each person of this group of dedicated musicians and piano teachers. I feel so fortunate to be part of a profession I love so dearly and can enjoy alongside such like-minded colleagues.

There’s no way I could hold this event without the amazing catering by my pal, Amy — I have to give her another shout-out! Thank you for keeping us well-fed and our stomachs and taste buds happy!!

I received so much positive feedback about this year’s retreat — it made my heart sing. Quite a few of attendees said: “You’re so organized!!” Ha, what can I say: I like organizing events and teaching teachers. Others were just so delighted to be exposed to Gordon’s work and new possible directions for MLT today, or to enjoy the luxurious opportunity for stretching and connecting with our own musical minds and musicianship skills.

Thanks for reading my 2026 retreat highlights! If attending a future retreat interests you at all, I invite you to join my separate retreat email list. As a member of that list, you’ll be first to hear the details about my next retreat, slated for 2028. You can also find more details and photos anytime for my retreats at pianoteacherretreat.com.

PS: Amy recorded a special episode of her Piano Pantry podcast while at the retreat. Take a listen here to hear me and a handful of the attendees talking about the retreat!

Related:

• Recap: My 2024 Retreat at Piano Manor
• Recap: My 2023 Piano Teacher Retreat
• 2019 Piano Teacher Retreat Highlights
• 2018 Piano Teacher Retreat: Developing Piano Technique in Beginners
• 2017 Retreat | Piano Method Mining: Uncovering Nuggets of Wisdom From Method Books.

Earlier this month, eight of my students participated in auditions through the National Guild of Piano Teachers for the first time — and so did I, as their teacher. Despite more than twenty years of piano teaching, this was my first experience with Guild. After a few months of learning the syllabus, handling the admin work, and watching my students perform, I came away with a lot to share. I’m glad I took the plunge. In this article, I’ll share what I learned as well as what I see to be the pros and cons of the Guild program.

Backstory

If you know my story at all, you might remember that after grad school my husband and I lived in Northwest Ohio for 8 years before settling in our current town in Southeast Michigan. Back in Ohio, I was fortunate to be active with a couple of small but vibrant local chapters of teachers in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). Through those chapters, I had access to a wonderful ribbon festival — a friendly, non-competitive event where students performed for a judge and received written feedback. Having an outside event that encourages all students, no matter how naturally gifted or how seriously or recreationally they approach piano study, is something I value.

After moving to Michigan in December 2019, I hoped to find something in my new locale similar to the ribbon festival. The pandemic put events on hold for a couple of years, and those years overlapped with two of my maternity leaves. It wasn’t until last year that I finally committed to finding a suitable local event.

As you are likely aware, there are a variety of excellent programs piano teachers seeking outside events can choose from. I have also long used the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) program (see my RCM technique charts here) for certain students, certain years. I appreciate its top notch piano syllabus, excellent resources (especially the lower levels of the Celebration Series books), highly trained judges, and relatively low admin burden for teachers. In the past, I have served as adjudicator for National Federation of Music Clubs and Michigan’s Student Achievement Testing (SAT), in addition to a couple of local ribbon festivals. Each program has its strengths and advantages.

When a local colleague spread the word that she wanted to re-start a local center of National Piano-Playing Auditions through the National Guild of Piano Teachers — or, as it’s commonly known, “Guild” — I let her know I was interested. I had heard good things about Guild from other teachers and was intrigued hearing them talk of students giving “five-piece programs” or even “ten-piece programs.”

And so, last year, I entered my daughter (then age five) with a five-piece program and this spring, I entered eight students — each with a program of two to five pieces. I’m pleased that the experience overall went well and I plan to enter more students next year.

About Guild

The Piano Guild — formally the National Guild of Piano Teachers, a division of the American College of Musicians — was founded in 1929 by Dr. Irl Allison. The first audition drew just 46 students at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. Today, the Guild operates more than 850 audition centers across the U.S. and abroad, with thousands of students participating each year. Its mission is to establish meaningful, attainable goals for piano students of all levels through noncompetitive auditions — from the earliest beginner to the most advanced player.

There is a learning curve involved any time you acquaint yourself with a new program. With Guild, this was certainly the case for me. There are many guidelines, details, and caveats to learn. The Guild syllabus is lengthy and is unfortunately not laid out in the most user-friendly or visually-inviting way. Thankfully, I have a colleague-friend who has been a lifesaver in answering my questions as I check and double-check my understanding of the program along the way. Her sage advice and tips have made my path easier.

After my first experience with Guild, here is my honest assessment of the program.

Pros:

• I really love the flexibility in this program. Guild very clearly states that it is intended to be an encouraging event for all students. I appreciate that students can be entered at whatever playing level is appropriate to them and can play a program of anywhere from one to twenty pieces!
• Guild suggests students reprogram 2-3 pieces from the previous year’s audition. This encourages students to build a repertoire and makes it more attainable to achieve a five-piece or ten-piece program, for example.
• The Guild syllabus offers a series of optional “Musicianship Phases” — each of which counts as one piece in their program — that students can opt to prepare (if they are performing at least four pieces). For example, students could opt to play phases in scales, chords/cadences, arpeggios, ear training, transposition, improvisation, or sight-reading. The specific requirements for the phases at each level are outlined in the syllabus. Again, I love the flexibility here, and that playing musicianship phases in lieu of pieces counts towards their program.
• Every student beyond the Elementary A level must play the Irreducible Minimum Musicianship Test (IMMT), which means playing certain scales and chord progressions (according to their level) in the keys of their programmed pieces. I really like that these minimum requirements are manageable for any student and that they are practical by being directly related to their repertoire.
• Students can play an original composition as one of their pieces (with reasonable caveats outlined in the syllabus).
• There are many additional goals students can work towards, such as a Composition Competition, Sonata/Sonatina Plaque, Guild Founder’s Plaque, Diplomas, 5-Year National Roll, and much more. Even if most students will not work towards the most challenging goals, I’m glad they are there. When you set a high bar, students often strive higher than they would otherwise!

Neutrals:

• Guild uses many special, official-sounding terms. For example, depending on the number of pieces they decide to play in their program, students are entering as Local, District, State, National, or International fraternity members. The name of the teacher organization is the National Guild of Piano Teachers, while students who participate become members of the National Fraternity of Student Musicians. The local events themselves are called National Piano Playing Auditions. Whew! As I said, very official sounding, which one could argue simply sounds self-important. But on the other hand, it’s exciting for parents and students to feel like they are involved in something that is a big deal. And it is indeed a big deal to prepare for a special event such as this!
• The students’ names are calligraphed by hand on the certificates. Personally, I would be quite alright with having students’ names printed in a beautiful script font on the computer, especially knowing the time and cost involved with the national headquarters having to mail the correct certificates to a calligrapher and then having the certificates mailed to the teacher ahead of the event. But I have to admit the calligraphy work is very beautiful.
• It’s up to the teacher to classify students according to the leveling system: Elementary A, B, C, D, E, or F; Intermediate A, B, C, D, E, or F; and Preparatory A, B, C, or D. The syllabus provides loose benchmarks: students become Intermediate when they can play Clementi Sonatinas; Intermediate to Early Preparatory when they can play Bach Inventions and Mozart Sonatas; and Preparatory/Collegiate when they can play Bach Preludes and Fugues and Beethoven Sonatas. I appreciate this flexibility, though it does require the teacher to learn and apply the system carefully.
• When students play four or more pieces beyond the Elementary level, the teacher is supposed to ensure the program is balanced with music from four style periods: Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary. This can be helpful to make sure students are well-rounded, but can also be restrictive for those students who do not have interest in playing a great deal of historical repertoire. There is a separate Jazz/Pop Classification, but there is not a good option for students who want to play across a variety of styles — classical, contemporary, and/or jazz/pop.
• Memorization is required, unless students enter the Hobbyist Classification.

Cons:

• There is a decent amount of admin work involved on the teacher’s part. In addition to preparing your student properly according to the syllabus guidelines, the teacher must collect registration fees and schedule availability from their students, register students online and request a time frame with headquarters, receive certificates and pins in the mail and confirm for accuracy, fill out certain information on the certificates before and after auditions, create a “performing schedule” for the judge to reference, and award the certificates and pins to students after the event. I also attended the event while my students played. That said, I appreciate that event volunteer hours beyond the time frame my own students played were not required.
• I think there is room for Guild to improve their communication methods and better leverage technology. I would like to see more automatic email confirmations for renewing dues, registering students, receiving your Guild time slot, etc.
• Relatedly, I think the syllabus could do a better job providing repertoire examples at each of the levels to help teachers better know where to classify their students. At the end of the syllabus there are some repertoire lists in addition to the general benchmarks they provide, but many of the Elementary-level examples are not widely used teaching materials. Better lists would help make the leveling system clearer for new teachers.
• While the syllabus is complete and informational, overall it’s not the most user-friendly. Guild needs to rewrite their syllabus with the help of a good graphic designer and a good writer. The format needs to be more friendly for any teacher, but especially new teachers.
• I’ve heard that judging can be somewhat inconsistent between judges — meaning, some adjudicate more leniently than others. It would be nice if the judges could be trained to be consistent with each other.
• From what I’ve heard and experienced, in recent years judges are generally not secured until the last minute. This can cause scheduling issues. I hope this will improve.

Every program has its pros and cons, and Guild is no exception. But I came away impressed with how flexible, well-considered, and student-centered the program is. The cons I listed are real — I hope Guild continues to improve in those areas — but they don’t outweigh what makes this program special. I can see why so many teachers have used it for years, and I plan to be one of them.

Getting Started with Guild

Interested in getting started with Guild? Here are a few tips:

• Read the syllabus. Reference it again and again. Make friends with it, and keep it at hand.
• Definitely find a mentor. It’s really helpful to be able to check with an experienced teacher to ensure you are interpreting the syllabus correctly.
• Consider keeping it simple your first year. For example, this year I decided not to worry about the optional Musicianship Phases available for students playing 4+ pieces. To make the learning process easier on myself, my students all played only the IMMT (as mentioned earlier).

The Results

Our local Ann Arbor center was held at the Faber Piano Institute — yes, the headquarters of Randy and Nancy Faber, authors of the well-known Piano Adventures method. They generously allowed us to use their beautiful venue with excellent pianos — ideal for Guild auditions.

As expected, my students were a little nervous about performing, but they were well-prepared. All eight students performed well and received extremely complimentary report cards from the judge.

I saw proud smiles on the faces of my students and their parents.

One young student said it best after her performance: “I want to do this again next year!”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Your turn: What extra-studio events do you enjoy having your students participate in? I’d love to hear!

Our recital theme, chosen by one of my students who is a graduating senior, was “fantasy.”

This recital was the end of an era for this graduating senior whom I’ve taught since she was six.

It was fun hearing the variety of fantasy-related pieces mixed in alongside other pieces.

Here is my older daughter performing.

And my younger daughter, age 3.5, made her debut performance this year. I wasn’t originally planning to have her play on this recital, but she was quite insistent that she wanted to! We performed a duet together from Marilyn Lowe’s Keyboard Games, Book A.

It’s always nice including a couple of student-teacher duets.

Another studio recital is in the books!

I hope your studio recital goes (or already went) smoothly!

I’m pleased to share that Alfred Music has published one of my latest compositions! I am honored to be among about 15 new composers Alfred recently recruited to add new pieces to their Signature Series Solos.

My new piece is titled The Lumbering Bear. It is a descriptive piece for mid-elementary level students that is especially effective for recitals or performances.

Listen to the recording by clicking the audio player below.

As of now, The Lumbering Bear is available in a digital format. My hope is that Alfred will consider making it available in hardcopy down the road.

To purchase, visit Alfred Music’s website here.

Thanks for taking a look!

A teacher recently sent me a message: “It’s working wonders with my daughter!!!” 

Coincidently, I can echo the exact same sentiment. Two months ago, I started using my Musician’s Practice Planner with my own 6-year-old daughter. She is really motivated by marking those checkmarks when we do our piano practice every morning before school. 

The planner has helped us greatly in becoming more consistent with home practice. (You’d think making home practice happen would be easy for a piano-teacher-mom, but I think it is just as challenging as it is for any parent!) 

Does this planner work with every single one my students? I don’t mind admitting that I have a few students who are NOT fans of marking checkmarks at home when they practice. 

HOWEVER, I still consider my planner a success with those students. 

How so? The format of the planner supports the way I teach: it encourages students to practice in a goal-oriented way, and it gives me a clear way to communicate specific assignments I expect them to address during home practice. It’s a teacher tool and consistent support as I hold students accountable to making progress on the goals I’ve notated. 

Also, can I just say that I really enjoy the experience of having a beautiful notebook for notating students’ assignments?! ??

If you’d like to give my Musician’s Practice Planner a try, you can order hardcopies on my website. Visit keysatplay.com HERE for the original colors, and HERE for the two new colors. 

If you’ve been using the Musician’s Practice Planner, would you consider letting me know how it’s going? I would love to hear. Leave me a comment below or contact me here to get in touch. 

Happy teaching & practicing, 

Joy

Today, I thought I’d pass along information about a few professional development opportunities offered by the Gordon Institute for Music Learning (GIML) this summer. Taking my first Professional Development Levels Course (PDLC) through GIML back in 2016 was pivotal in setting me on a course to continue to studying music learning more deeply and applying Gordon’s work to my practice as a piano teacher. Since then, I’ve taken three other PDLCs. I highly recommend them.

Below are details about three offerings this summer (2026) of GIML’s Piano Level 1 PDLC.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Dates (in person): July 6-10
Dates (Online Theory): May 17- June 28

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
Dates (in person): June 29-July 3
Dates (Online Theory): May 10-June 21

Kammermusiksaal Ehrenbreitstein (Koblenz, Germany)
Dates (in person): July 20-July 24
Dates (Online Theory): May 17- June 28

For more complete details as well as information about GIML’s other 2026 PDLC offerings (choral, early childhood music, elementary general, etc.), click here. For more details about what is covered in GIML’s PDLC Piano Level 1, please visit GIML’s website here.

My tips:

• If you’d like to know what attending a PDLC is like, check out my blog post links below. If you still have questions, feel free to get in touch and I’ve be happy to correspond with you.
• I highly recommend applying for a Teacher Enrichment Grant through MTNA to help cover the expenses of attending a PDLC. I know quite a few teachers (including myself) who have successfully gotten funds to cover PDLCs or other professional development projects.
• It is helpful if you can start reading Gordon’s Learning Sequences in Music book before you start the PDLC, so you won’t have to do all of the reading during the PDLC.

Related:

• My First Encounter with Dr. Edwin E. Gordon and his Music Learning Theory (MLT)
• My Experience in 2016 Taking a Piano Level 1 PDLC through the Gordon Institute for Music Learning
• 2024 Piano Level 2 Certification through the Gordon Institute for Music Learning
• Recommended Reading From Edwin E. Gordon’s Books on Music Learning Theory (MLT)

Professional development has a way of reigniting your teaching like nothing else. I hope you have something great for yourself on the horizon!

If you teach piano or music and love hands-on rhythm activities, this one’s for you. I’m excited to share a free printable for the Rhythm Rotation Game — a fun, structured activity to help students explore macrobeats, microbeats, divisions, and improvised rhythm. Continue reading to download the free printable and view a two example videos.

A note on attribution: the Rhythm Rotation Game is a well-known activity among MLT practitioners — not my own invention. The printable directions and cards, however, are my own creation. This game is sometimes referred to as the Rhythm Spot Game or other names.

What Is the Rhythm Rotation Game?

The Rhythm Rotation Game is a circle activity for 2–4 players. Players each take on a rhythmic role — chanting macrobeats, microbeats, divisions, or improvised rhythms — and then rotate so every student experiences every role.

This game is simple to set up, easy to explain, and adaptable. It’s suitable for both private lessons (played by you and one student) or group classes. If you have more than 4 players, you could swap players in and out of the game as you make the rotations.

What’s Included in the Printable?

The download includes two sets of cards:

• Meter cards — Duple, Triple, Uneven (Unusual) Paired, Uneven (Unusual) Unpaired, and Combined
• Role cards — MACROBEAT, MICROBEAT, DIVISIONS, and IMPROVISE!

Cards are provided in two terminology sets — “even/uneven” and Gordon’s original “usual/unusual” meter language — so you can use whichever vocabulary fits your teaching.

How to Play

1. Players stand in a circle. Choose a meter card and place it in the center.
2. The teacher establishes the meter, then guides one student to chant macrobeats using a neutral syllable (like bah) or rhythm solfege (I use the Gordon-Froseth syllables). Place the MACROBEAT card in front of that student.
3. The teacher guides the next student to do the same, except with microbeats. Place the MICROBEAT card in front of that student.
4. If you have 4 players, a third student chants divisions.
5. The final player (or the teacher!) improvises rhythms over the top.
6. Every 8 or 16 macrobeats, rotate one position clockwise — and keep going until everyone has held each role.
7. Repeat activity as desired in a different meter.

That’s it. The result is a rich, layered chant that builds listening skills, rhythm skills, and improv skills while keeping students actively engaged.

Watch It in Action

Below are two video demos. The first video shows my students and I playing the Rhythm Rotation Game in Duple meter, Triple meter, and then Uneven Paired meter (basically, 5/8).

The second video shows my colleague and friend, Hannah Mayo, with students playing the game in Duple Meter.

Why I Love This Activity

This game makes rhythm physical, aural, and social. Students aren’t just listening — they’re doing, and they’re hearing their individual part in relation to everyone else’s. I also love that there is a creative aspect to this game — allowing one player to improvise their own rhythms over the other player’s rhythm layers.

Download It Free

The Rhythm Rotation Game printable is a free download below or on my “Games” page:

Note: There is a file embedded within this post, please visit this post to download the file.

If you use it with your students, I’d love to hear how it goes — drop a comment below or share it with me on Instagram!

Hello there,

I’m writing today with an announcement and personal invitation. My 2026 piano teacher retreat — the sixth since I founded it in 2017 — will take place in June, and I would love to have you there. 

Retreat at Piano Manor 
Monday–Wednesday, June 8–10, 2026 

We’ll be gathering in southeast Michigan for three days of musicianship-focused learning, great conversation, and real retreat vibes — a beautiful historic house with themed guest rooms, a pool, and delicious homemade meals.

This retreat is open to any piano teacher who wants to come. Whether you’ve been reading my blog for years or just found me recently, whether you teach beginners or advanced students, whether you’ve been teaching for a few years or many — wherever you are in your teaching journey, you are welcome here.

If there’s even a small part of you that’s curious, I’d encourage you to mark these dates on your calendar and then take a look here for general retreat information. 

Want me to keep you in the loop? 
I share the most detailed retreat information — theme reveal, room options, and reminders — through a separate email list. If you’d like updates sent directly to you starting next week, you’re welcome to join here.

Thanks for considering my retreat!

Joy

If you’ve ever attended one of my group classes for my piano students, you know that I like to start with a short ice breaker activity. Often, it’s as simple as asking each student to state their name and their favorite color/animal/book/ice cream flavor.

I think ice breakers are useful for getting people connected. And the best teaching — and the best music-making — happens when people feel connected to one another.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been experimenting and testing out a new ice breaker activity with my groups — and I’m so excited to finally share it as a new resource in my shop: a printable conversation starter game called Tuned In.

Tuned In: Conversation Starters for Musicians is a printable conversation card game I created for musicians of all ages, levels, and instruments. It’s 100 questions — some lighthearted, some reflective — designed to get musicians talking about what they love about music, what challenges them, and what keeps them playing.

Every question was written and curated by me, drawing on my years as a pianist and piano teacher. There’s no competition, no scores, and minimal prep.

Three sets, one game

The cards come in three sets. Set 1 is best for younger students and first-time musicians — easy, fun questions anyone can answer. Set 2 expands the range for older students and mixed-age groups. Set 3 is the most reflective — introspective questions best suited for adults and groups already comfortable with one another. You can use one set or mix them all together.

Who It’s For

Tuned In works anywhere musicians gather. For music teachers, it’s a natural icebreaker at group events — studio recitals, group lessons, camps, and workshops.

It’s equally useful for one-on-one lessons. Choose a question of the week to use with all your students. It’s a small moment, but it can open up conversations you might not have had otherwise. Or simply keep a stack on your studio piano and let each student draw their own card at the start of a lesson.

Beyond the studio, Tuned In is a natural fit for any musician gathering — rehearsals, pre-performance time, social meetups, or anywhere people want to connect beyond small talk. And for music organizations, it makes an easy, ready-to-use icebreaker for chapter meetings, retreats, and conferences.

Easy Printing & Assembly

The cards are designed to print beautifully in black and white — no color printer required. Print onto cardstock and cut apart — or, better yet, print on standard business card paper and just snap the cards apart along the perforations. No scissors, no trimmer — just load, print, and you’re done. Here are links to the ones I recommend (available for inkjet and laser printers).

Tuned In is available as a PDF for $8 (individual license) allowing you to print as many copies as you need for use with your own students or groups, year after year. Need it for a music school, camp, or organization with multiple users? An organization license is available for $20.

If Tuned In sounds like a fit for your studio or group, I’d love for you to try it.

Shop now >>

I hope Tuned In brings great fun and conversations to the musicians in your life!

NOTE: My annual blogiversary sale is going on now, and yes, it applies to the newly launched Tuned In game! Use promo code 17YEARS to get 20% off any of the digital items in my shop here. Good through March 31, 2026.

I’m proud to say that tomorrow my blog celebrates 17 years! Thank you, readers, for being here.

To celebrate, I’m running my annual sale. Use promo code 17YEARS to get 20% off any of the digital items in my shop here. Good through March 31, 2026.