This is video #4 in my Piano Skills and Ear Training series!  This week we will maneuver through the I-IV-V7-I chord progression in all 12 keys using smooth voice leading.  Once we’ve mastered that, we’ll start to SING the bass notes (in ...

This is video #3 in my Piano Skills and Ear Training series.  This week we will work through the I-IV-I-V7-I chord progression in all 12 keys using smooth voice leading.  Not only will we play it, but we will also SING the bass notes in Moveable ...

This is video #2 in my Piano Skills and Ear Training series.  This week I will show you how to play the I-V7-I chord progression (Perfect cadence) in all 12 keys using smooth voice leading.  THEN – we will play and SING the bass notes in ...

Today’s tutorial combines piano skills with ear training – a powerful combination.  I show you how to play the I-IV-I chord progression (Plagal cadence) in all 12 keys using smooth voice leading.  THEN – we will play and SING the ...

Shawn Maxwell is an amazing saxophonist and composer based in Chicago and his new record comes out on FRIDAY! We met back in 2000 on a cruise ship and have kept in touch over the years. He wrote 17 pieces and sent them to 30 musicians to record at ...

It’s Motivation Monday! Today I talk about an amazing book called Essentialism by Greg McKeown. It combines minimalism with productivity and I have been working on a lot of these principles to somehow keep going during this insane time. Has ...

It’s no secret that I have a passion for teaching singers to play piano.  It has been an amazing adventure to teach my voice students of all ages and levels to play piano, and to empower my friends and colleagues to advance their keyboard skills ...

It’s #motivationmonday again and this is week I’m talking about my newest productivity method.  Rather than binge working a few times a week, I am setting up smaller, more frequent sessions.  Since I am homeschooling, teaching and running my ...

Is sight singing a thorn in your side?  In this video, I am going to show you my 5 steps to sight singing success.  How to approach mastering this in an easy-to-use protocol.  Super useful! Want to learn Solfege and build your ears and ...

In this week’s #motivationmonday I talk about how navigating social media has helped me to get clear on my mission statement. It is easy to get lost in the likes and follows and totally lose track of what you are trying to actually accomplish. Do ...

Solfege is a powerful tool that helps to develop your musical ear.  In this video, I show you WHO can use Solfege to better themselves as musicians.  PS –   Solfege is NOT just for classical musicians – it is incredibly useful for ...

As a follow up to my recent video “You can learn to play by ear”, I created this video to show you how to play by ear using SOLFEGE.  I tell my own story of learning 600+ songs during an 11-week cruise ship gig.  My ears grew so much and I ...

Solfege is a powerful tool that helps to develop your musical ear.  In this video, I show you how it works, what it’s for and how to practice it to grow your musicianship.  Solfege is NOT just for classical musicians – it is incredibly ...

It’s #motivationmonday again and this week I share a couple of personal stories of how telling people what you want to do can actually make it happen!  How could you benefit from sharing what you are working on? ...

Jazz theory is a hairy monster for many folks, which is why I am creating tutorials to explain some of the most important concepts.  It’s not hard – it’s just a little bit different.  In this tutorial, I follow up on my recent tutorial ...

Random Songs I Like Week #15.  This is a brilliant composition by jazz bassist and composer Steve Swallow, with hysterical lyrics by British jazz vocalist Norma Winstone.  This song has always resonated with me, since I moved to the Uber-fancy ...

For today’s video, I talk about all things #musicianship and why they hold the key to true musical success. Many students are focused on the more sexy topics in music, like technique (who doesn’t want to sing high notes or play flashy piano? ...

Jazz theory is a hairy monster for many folks, which is why I am creating tutorials to explain some of the most important concepts.  It’s not hard – it’s just a little bit different.  In this tutorial, I am going to walk you through the ...

Random Songs I Like Week #14!  (For this series I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it!)This is a sexy classic by the exquisite Smokey Robinson.  He first ...

Have you ever met one of those people who can sit down and play a song by ear? The can just do it without even looking at the music – and they were just BORN THAT WAY. (Infuriating, right?). What if I told you that you can LEARN to PLAY BY? ...

Random Songs I Like Week #13! (For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it!) This is a perfectly wonderful, cozy song written by James Taylor. How ...

Every Monday, I post a video about practicing, inspiration, time management and other topics that are meant to motivate you to really give it your best work.  This week, I talk about a favorite quote that I found on a $0.99 card at Trader Joe’s ...

Allergies be gone! An Interview with my allergist Dr. Michael Lewin Required listening…Allergies by Barenaked Ladies It’s April in NYC and just we’re getting excited to finally put away our heavy coats and observe the buds on the ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The online criteria is that I need to like it.  Random Songs I Like Week #12!  This song, sung by Bette Midler in the movie Beaches was written in ...

It’s Motivation Monday!  Today I talk about how to turn feelings of jealousy into insight over your next steps. While you’re at it, can you take a quick minute and hit subscribe to my channel?  It helps me to get more views! ...

I’m super excited that Classical Singer Magazine asked me to write another guest blog post!  Here, you can get into the specific building blogs I use to teach singers how to play piano.  (Yes, I cover all of this in my wildly popular online ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it.  I have been a longtime Ryan Adams fan, since his days as the frontman of Alt-Country band.  ...

#MotivationMonday.   One of my favorite books of all time, that I reread over and over again is an amazing book by @LauraVanderkam called “168 Hours – You Have More Time Than You Think.”  Laura is a time management expert and ...

Have you been wanting to improve your piano skills?  Have you been curious about the online offerings at Piano and Voice with Brenda?  This short video talks you through all of the course options and shares which course might be the best fit for ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it! Random Songs I Like Week #10 is a gorgeous Bossa Nova by Brazilian master Antonio Carlos Jobim with ...

#motivationmonday Everyone always wants to know “What’s the best way to practice?”  In this video I share my format for successful practicing tips, which I learned from a masterclass years ago with Canadian jazz piano legend ...

Looking for a little #motivationmonday?  In this video, I address that old bad habit of saying “I will never be able to do that” and how we can use that to help us actually achieve our goals.  What are some things that you thought you ...

Sight reading is a thorn in everyone’s side and something that nearly every student I have come across has needed more help with.  In this video I tackle the #1 problem that keeps people from being able to sight read effectively.  Hint: & ...

Money Matters I first conducted this interview back in 2019, before the pandemic attacked our industry.  I almost didn’t repost this in the wake of all that has gone on.  In the end, I think one takeaway from this catastrophe has been that ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it! “How could someone that has not even been born assemble generations of people with his tiny ...

Do your left and right hand have a hard time playing together?  Maybe you try to play a bass line in the left hand while your right hand plays chords and they just. won’t. work. together.  In this video, I show you an easy and fun way to ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it! Another song in my #RandomSongsILike series, this is such an addictive song to listen to.  Miley was ...

#motivationmonday For today’s MM, I am sharing my true secret weapon for productivity:  simplicity and minimalism.  Over the last couple of years, my family has gotten rid of nearly 50% of our possessions and it has been a GAME CHANGER.  ...

My friend and former NYSMF alum Ben Kapilow had me as a guest on his new podcast All Keyed Up.  The podcast is all about piano teachers and Ben has curated an amazing group of guests to chat all about creativity in the piano studio.  On our ...

My friend and fellow singer/voice guru Valerie Day invited me to contribute to a recent blog post she published all about practicing in the midst of a pandemic (topical, eh?).  I chimed in with a few tips that have really helped my students make ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it! Happy Valentine’s Day!!  This song is extra special to me, since it was the first dance at our ...

I was super excited when singer, voice teacher and podcaster Valerie Day asked me to contribute to her most recent blog post.  In it, you’ll hear my top three tips that I share with all my students. READ THE ARTICLE HERE ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it! Anyone who grew up in Canada was inevitably steeped in the music of Gordon Lightfoot.  His music was a ...

#motivationmonday Want to improve your productivity?  Set a goal and draw a straight line towards completing it.  I have worked with so many people who set out to achieve a goal and then take too many steps in the wrong direction.  Here is a ...

I was super excited to be published in Classical Singer Magazine‘s blog this week!  They reached out to me to see if I would share how my work for Piano Skills for Singers would translate to the classical world.  YES – faking is for ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it! This week’s #RandomSongsILike is my version of the Foo Fighters “Best of You”.  I have ...

Career Assets for Emerging Artists Now that winter is upon us and many of us still in lockdown, this is the perfect time to tackle a project that I’m sure has been in the back of your mind.  Whether you are a music student, a recent college ...

A follow up to my last video “Three Steps to Perfect Piano Posture”, this one shows you how to have perfect posture while you are singing into a microphone.  Your back thanks you in advance! Make sure to “Like” this video ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it! This week’s #RandomSongsILike is a favorite B-side from the British rock band XTC.  I ...

#MotivationMonday Sometimes practicing is boring!  In this short chat, I address the topic of boredom and how James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) and Twyla Tharp discuss it in their respective books.  How do you address boredom in your?� ...

I was delighted to be a guest on Nikki Loney’s amazing Full Voice Podcast.  Nikki is a fellow Canadian and is a wonderful singer and voice teacher.  She also owns the totally AMAZING company The Full Voice, which is an amazing series of ...

Three steps to perfect posture at the piano to avoid injury,  boost your technical facility and make a warmer tone.  So easy! Make sure to “Like” this video and SUBSCRIBE to my channel!  It helps me to keep making awesome resources ...

This is the third installation of my year long weekly posting of songs as part of my #RandomSongsILike series.  Back in the early 2000s, I was a top-ranked cruise ship piano bar entertainer.  I was the youngest performer ever booked by Royal ...

For this series, I will be posting a new song every week from every imaginable style and genre.  The only criteria is that I need to like it! This is the second installation of my year long weekly posting of songs as part of my #RandomSongsILike ...

The Transposenator 3000TM is a brand-new high tech low tech device designed to make transposition easy and fun.  Use this to help you transpose notes and chords.  Makes a great teaching tool too!  (Perfect for a distance Download The ...

   Treat daily music practice as self-care:  With all the stress and uncertainty of pandemic life, we all need to be practicing more self care.  Yes, this includes drinking enough water and getting enough sleep, but why not treat your daily ...

Does the prospect of transposing a melody or chords fill you with panic and dread?  I keep wishing someone would build a capo that would work on the piano, but my piano tuner says that wouldn’t quite work.  Sigh. In the meantime, I have created ...

Here is the first installment of my #RandomSongsILike project, where I will post a video of myself performing every week in 2021.  I outlined my plan for this in my recent blog post Resparking the Creative in 2021: An Invitation. At the start of ...

Happy New Year!  As we tiptoe into this new year, I wanted to take a moment to reach out and share what’s on my mind. Honesty time:  2020 did not allow me much time or space to make much music.  I started out all guns blazing in January ...

2020 brought about many unexpected new realities and for my family, choosing to take our son out of school to homeschool him, was ours. As I wrote in another blog post The Unexpected Homeschooler, distance learning was super stressful for our 8- ...

If you are working on scales, chords, technical drills or chord progressions, you should be practicing them in 12 keys! This video will give you some great ideas on how to practice in different ways, to achieve mastery quicker and without relying ...

Struggling with your rhythm?  In this workout video, I show you a super easy way to build your comprehension and ability with rhythm.  Clap along with Brenda and tap along with the “foot cam”. **Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube ...

Every singer and instrumentalist should have an arsenal of great introductions at the ready. In this video, I will show you how to play 9 of the best introductions, which are perfect for instrumental or vocal jazz! **Make sure to subscribe to my ...

**This article is not meant to provide medical advice.  Please see your doctor for medical treatment.** The Singer’s Worst Enemy:  Reflux As a professional singer I can say that one of the most frequently discussed topics amidst my singer ...

Counting off the band is a really important skill that every musician should have.  Singers and instrumentalists alike should feel comfortable counting off the band in any tempo and groove, as should choral directors, band directors and anyone ...

Calling all jazzers (or aspiring jazzers)!  This awesome video is going to teach you how to walk a bass line on any jazz standard.  It is super easy and straight ahead and I will take you step-by-step into how to walk and authentic jazz bass. ...

This video is designed to teach you how to play 3 cool vamps that sound great on Bossa Novas. Taught by performer/educator Brenda Earle Stokes, the video shows chord progressions, gorgeous piano voicings and even the scales that you need to sound ...

Covid-19 has made an unprecedented change in our lives. For those of us who are parenting during this difficult time, we have also had the immense task of juggling childcare and remote learning to deal with. Our family, like many families, had a ...

Welcome to the courses!  Here is a quick-and-dirty tutorial on how to utilize the Teachable Platform.  Teachable is such a user-friendly and intuitive platform, which is why I chose it as the home of my entire suite on online courses!  Check out ...

Welcome to the courses!  Here is a quick-and-dirty tutorial on how to utilize the Teachable Platform.  Teachable is such a user-friendly and intuitive platform, which is why I chose it as the home of my entire suite on online courses!  Check out ...

Now that there are FOUR courses live at Piano And Voice With Brenda, I have been getting a lot of questions about which course to choose.  This quick little list should help you get started choosing the perfect course to help you get secure at the ...

In June 2019, I recorded my first ever solo album.  We recorded the entire album in just 4 hours in my hometown of Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.  Just me, my voice, a couple of microphones and a gorgeous Steinway piano.  Engineered by my old friend ...

Improvisation is not just for jazz musicians! Improvisation is an incredible tool to build and expand your skills at the piano, while exploring your own creative voice.   Want to learn to improvise?  Check out my new online course Piano ...

Playing jazz piano is one of those scary mysteries that can keep people from exploring and excelling.  Whether you are a classically trained pianist who is “jazz curious”, a jazz vocalist who wants to develop some useful keyboard skills or an ...

Learning to play on the blues is a lot of fun and is a wonderful gateway into jazz improvisation. The Blues is a style of African American music that came into popularity in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some important figures are Ma Rainey, ...

Drumroll please….I am excited to announce the launch of my brand new online course called Piano Improvisation for Everyone! Piano Improvisation for Everyone! is a course designed to get you improvising satisfying music at the piano. In this ...

It is easy to get bogged down with lists of things you have to do, but before that you need to identify your “why”. Why do you want to learn piano? Leave your comments below… Want to know more about my work?  Check out my suite of unique ...

Here are tips and solutions to the “how the heck am I supposed to practice” problem. As a longtime teacher, I have 25+ years of helping people to achieve their musical goals and gain much-needed piano skills. Make sure to check out my mom-hack ...

My 8 year old practices the piano every single day without fail and (almost) without tears.  How did I get him to do that?  How will this help YOU to practice regularly?  Watch the video to find out!  Make sure to hit subscribe and leave a ...

            I have had several friends and colleagues tell me that they are amazed by my ability to juggle so many different balls at the same time.  I take is as a huge compliment and also am quick to point out that for the past ...

Practicing technique at the piano is often boring and requires a lot of scale running and Hanon playing.  Over the years, I teach less and less rote technical work and spend more time teaching people to improvise.  NO – there is nothing wrong ...

This is the fourth video in a new series called “Quickies” – short, info-packed tutorials designed to give you great information you can use TODAY. In this tutorial, I show you how to explore improvisation using a left hand ...

I have had so many people asking me questions about my popular online classes, that I thought it was time to write a blog post answering some of these questions!  I hope this is helpful! When do the courses start and finish? They start immediately ...

I have had so many people asking me questions about my popular online courses, that I thought it was time to write a blog post answering some of these questions.  I hope this is helpful! When do the courses start and finish? They start immediately ...

***This article contains links to my favorite keyboards, but they are not affiliate links and I am not being compensated for writing this article.***. (Just being a helper!) As a performing pianist and piano teacher, I am frequently asked by about ...

The art of faking is all about approximating an accompaniment part.  We do this by using our knowledge of the harmony and we use rhythms to estimate the basic gist of the piano part.  There are several compelling reasons while this is the most ...

The hardest part of learning something new (like learning piano!) is getting started.  In this video, you’ll see my ingenious plan to get you singing and playing today!   ...

Now that there are FOUR courses live at Piano Skills for Singers, I have been getting a lot of questions about which course to choose.  This quick little list should help you get started choosing the perfect course to help you get secure at the ...

As a follow up to my blog post “How does piano training fail singers?”, I wanted to make a clear list of the actual skills that singers need in order to be successful.   Let’s face it:  many of us are going to need to be employed in a ...

This video is pulled directly from my online course Jazz Piano Accompaniment, which was released in December 2019.  This is the final video, where I wrap up what we learned and also shared some insight about my teaching philosophy and motivation ...

After many years of teaching piano and voice in New York City and all over the world, I have finally created a website that houses all of my services in one home. When I was putting together this site, I asked some of my current students how they ...

Piano Skills are a Huge Advantage I am a singer who has the great advantage of being a pianist.  Piano is my first instrument and I was lucky enough to obtain quality instruction from the age of four.  When I entered the professional world, I ...

I am a big proponent of practicing with the metronome and force encourage all of my students to practice with it all day long as often as possible.   If you’re like me, you are probably keen on finding fun ways to make developing strong ...

Tell me a little about who you are and what you do. My name is Hayley Wilson, I am a singer/songwriter from Brisbane, Australia and in 2017 I released my debut album and since then I have been writing and preparing for my next release by traveling ...

This is the first in a new series called “Quickies” – short, info-packed tutorials designed to give you great information you can use TODAY.  In this video, I take you through a simple way to get started singing and playing. ...

Here is a quick tutorial on practicing with the metronome in jazz. Brenda Earle Stokes, creator of online courses Piano Skills for Singers, shows you how to get used to using the metronome for practicing – something you should be doing every ...

I know I’m not alone when I say that there are a lot of things in business and life that I have zero affinity for.  I’m not a tech person, my administrative skills are so-so at best and I am not a naturally organized person.  At the start of ...

We’re in the middle of summer here in the US and yet we’re already seeing signs of fall.  Back to school sales are in full swing in every store everywhere. Now that I’ve had a little time to rest and work on a few projects, I’m starting ...

One of my goals for 2019 has been to devote more of my time to reading.  This goes along with my digital detox, where I have chosen to spend less time mindlessly scrolling and bingewatching, and finally tackle the massive list of books I’ve been ...

When I was in high school, music teachers weren’t always sure what to do with me.  I knew a lot of theory and information, which meant that my teachers were constantly giving me new information about jazz theory and improvising techniques.  The ...

Summer is here and your Facebook feed is full of photos of colleagues and friends singing and smiling at the many workshops, conferences and institutes that are being offered at colleges and retreat spaces all over the world.  And you’re quietly ...

I was browsing at the library the other day and came across this booked called “Bored and Briliant  – How spacing out can unlock your most productive and creative self”.  I was completely intrigued. ...

You may have read my recent posts on both my artist Facebook page and the Facebook page for my course Piano Skills for Singers.  If  you missed it, here it is As I’m sure you’re all aware, I have been extremely active as a private ...

As singers and voice teachers, we spend a lot of time listening to sound, a lot of which can be loud. In this video I address the topic of hearing care as it relates to singing and teaching singing, but this is a good start for anyone in the music ...

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If you are a voice teacher or choral conductor, you know all too well that sitting at the piano can lead you with an aching back (or neck, or hips…). In this video, Brenda Earle Stokes, creator of Piano Skills for Singers, shares tips and ...

Chances are, every time you sit down to play piano you are making mistakes at some point. Have you ever taken a moment to identify what those things are? Try this: the next time you are teaching a voice lesson, running a choral rehearsal or just ...

Everybody has hairy monsters in the life. You know them. The list of difficult tasks that you’ve been meaning to get to and have been avoiding for months or maybe even years. You know you need to do them. You know they are high value. But they ...

As a longtime teacher of music, and even longer student of music, I have had the opportunity to learn via trial and error many methods that have served me and my students. Since we’re getting ready for back to school, and I’m getting ready to ...

Now that summer is winding down and our minds are on the back to school crunch, I have been getting several questions on how to prepare to start up piano/voice lessons again after summer holidays, or really any holidays when you’ve been away from ...

I have been thinking and reading a lot about limiting beliefs and how our brains can be programmed to think something is impossible even if it isn’t.  These limiting beliefs hold us back from moving forward in our lives, our relationships ...

The Paperless Studio – How Getting Rid of the paper saved my sanity and saved me a ton of money! Paper is an often complained about component of adult life.  We are inundated with junk mail, catalogues and papers that pile up on all available ...

Movie Mondays: Here is a video compilation of cross genre singing. Shot at USQ in Toowoomba, Australia in January 2017. #alarynxisalarynx #svw   ...

By: Brenda Earle Stokes, BFA, M.Mus In 2016, after a bad bout of reflux, I noticed that my voice was getting hoarse.  Assuming that it was some combination of my allergies and fatigue from life in general, I did a little voice rest and drank extra ...

An Interview with SLP Leanne Goldberg MS, CCC-SLP By Brenda Earle Stokes, BFA, M.Mus. Leanne Goldberg is a Speech and Language Pathologist at the Grabscheid Voice and Swallowing Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Back in 2016, I was ...

Allergies are rampant these days, and can be especially debilitating for singers.  Allergies can cause stuffed nose, mucus in the throat, coughing, sneezing and even wheezing.  Left untreated, laryngitis and other vocal issues can rear their ugly ...

My first instrument is piano. Lessons starting at age 4, Royal Conservatory training until grade 9, when I quit to take up jazz piano full time. I spent the entire four years of university transcribing Bud Powell solos and practicing in the “ ...

I get asked this question all the time!!  “How do I get my kids to practice???”  Here are a few suggestions coming from a professional piano/voice teacher and piano mom (my son is now in lessons!) ...