Welcome to
The Piano Pedagogy PLayList
Be my guest each week as I share with you some of my favorite selections from the contemporary repertoire for developing pianists.
New episodes drop every Monday. Listen here, or subscribe via your favorite podcast provider.
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Ep. 27 – A Jazz Collection Every Studio Should Know
Finding jazz pieces that are both musically authentic and technically appropriate for developing pianists can be a challenge. In this episode of The Piano Pedagogy Playlist, I explore Portraits in Jazz by pianist and composer Valerie Capers—a standout collection that brings authentic jazz styles into the intermediate student repertoire. Capers’ collection offers pieces that capture the spirit of…
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Ep. 26 – Olympic Inspirations
The Winter Olympic Games are underway, and this week’s Piano Pedagogy Playlist celebrates the spirit of the games with five sport-inspired pieces for elementary and intermediate students. From the energetic triads of Olympiad to the driving rhythms of Slap Shot, and from graceful ice skating to one winter sport you might never expect to hear represented at the…
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Ep. 25 – February can feel like trying to read in C♯ major
Our journey through, A Year in Twelve Keys continues with “February — Winter’s Glaze” by Chris Caine, a brief but atmospheric piece written in the uncompromising key of C-sharp major — seven sharps, shifting meters, and a quietly icy finish. With a major Sunday event on the horizon, the episode then takes a turn toward lighter, more playful territory,…
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Ep. 24 Chee-Hwa Tan: Piano Music Inspired by Poetry
This week on the Piano Pedagogy Playlist, we step into a world shaped by poetry and imagination. The music featured in this episode is inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s beloved collection A Child’s Garden of Verses—poems that take childhood seriously without over-sentimentalizing it. That same spirit can be found in the piano music of composer Chee-Hwa…
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Ep. 23 – Songs of Hope
The week features music that offers reassurance, optimism, and a hopeful outlook for the future. I’m playing three pieces by three different composers, ranging from early intermediate through early advanced — each selection offering meaningful musical expression alongside valuable teaching opportunities. • The Rainbow’s Promise by Melody Bober — an expressive intermediate-level piece featuring some…
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Ep. 22 – From Winter to Warmth: A Musical Escape with Martín Cuéllar
After weeks of winter-themed repertoire, it’s time for a musical getaway. In this episode of The Piano Pedagogy Playlist, I head for warmer shores with the piano music of composer Martín Cuéllar. You’ll hear three engaging pieces that span late-elementary through late-intermediate levels: the atmospheric Nightfall at Tossa de Mar, the lively and playful Scherzo,…
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Ep. 21 – (The Start Of) A Year in Twelve Keys
This week we start a year-long musical journey with through Chris Caine’s “A Year In Twelve Keys”. The first selection, “January – New Year” is a musical theatre ballad-without-words. The opening melody seems to speak the words “New Year,” setting a tone that’s calm, thoughtful, and full of possibility. As a bonus, we take a…
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Seasons Greetings From The Piano Pedagogy Playlist!
I’m taking a short, two-week holiday break from the regular podcast format. But I wanted to share with you one lovely Christmas piece by the late Linda Martinez. It’s a thoroughly modern take on The First Noel from her collection “Snowy Days of Christmas”. Thanks for accompanying me on the first twenty episodes of this…
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Ep. 20 – The Year’s Cadence
The Year’s Cadence closes out the regular podcast episodes of 2025 with a moment of musical reflection and quiet anticipation. Framed by the musical idea of a cadence—a place of repose that also hints at what comes next—this episode explores four piano pieces by different composers that mirror the emotional arc of the year’s end.…
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Ep. 19 – When The Blues Isn’t Always Blue
Three pieces this week from the collection Aspects of Blue by Alan Bullard, all at an intermediate level. Blue Sky Digital Download Stately Blue Digital Download Blue River Digital Download This week, we dive into Alan Bullard’s Aspects of Blue—a collection that takes the familiar 12-bar blues chord progression and reimagines it in completely unexpected…