How to Teach Musical Phrasing to Piano Students (With Help from a Magical Queen)
If you’ve ever wondered how to teach musical phrasing to piano students in a way that truly sticks—especially with your fairy-loving beginners—let me introduce you to Ginny.
Ginny adores all things girly. Princesses, ballerinas (she takes ballet herself), and sparkles? Yes, please. But when it came time to teach her about musical phrasing, my usual superhero metaphors fell flat.
That’s when The Musical, Magical Queen came to the rescue.
Learn from My Mistake: The Avoidable Teaching Misstep That Leads to “WOW” Piano Playing
I used to think every phrase should crescendo to the high note. That’s where the energy is, right?
But something always sounded… off.
It wasn’t until I attended a fantastic conference session with Peter Mack that I finally had my “aha” moment. He talked about the emotional arc of a phrase—and suddenly, everything clicked.
The High Note Isn’t Always the Climax
Sometimes, the high note lands on a weak beat.
It might be a passing tone or even part of a gentle descent meant to release tension, not build it.
That changed the way I listened—and the way I taught.
Now, I invite my students to listen first and analyze second. We don’t just follow the contour of a melody. We ask:
Where does the phrase want to go?
What kind of character does it have?
Where’s the real destination?
It’s not just technical. It’s emotional. It’s artistic. And it’s where the magic happens.
Can you ignore Valentine’s Day in your studio?
of course you can. Here's some thoughts on Valentine's music for piano kids......
Why teach Valentine’s songs when we already have so MUCH to do?