As I get ready to close out another term here at Piano and Voice with Brenda, I always like to take some time to reflect on all of the accomplishments, memories and lessons learned. In this post I’m going to share some reflections on the End of year 2022-2023 and some of the highlights.
The Biggest shift for 2022-2023
The biggest switch of this year was that my son went back to public school. You might know that I chose to homeschool him during the pandemic due to the dumpster fire that was distance learning. It was a terrible fit for him and I wanted to make sure that his elementary school years were engaging, creative and productive rather than a stressful, screen-filled nightmare. I had an amazing time escorting him through his third and fourth grade years, but we both decided that it was time for him to get back to public school.
Having him back in public school left me with the time and space to really dive in and grow my business. Instead of trying to squeeze teaching and course creation into early mornings and late nights, I was able to fully step into my work. It felt amazing.
Private Studio
This year I was able to really open my private studio up to teaching. It felt amazing to open the doors to in person learning again and I’ve loved having folks coming into my little NYC haven. I updated the set up in the room, so I am able to easily play along with people on my electronic keyboard while the play the piano, and have enjoyed doing some recording with students as well.
I have a great group of in-person students who come from such a diverse background. It’s been amazing to work with up and coming professional musicians, but to also get to make music with avocational students who are here to explore their creative sides.
I am currently working with five different students who had never played the piano until this year. To get a chance to start people from scratch has been so much fun and it’s amazing how far they have come.
Zoom Lessons
My Zoom studio continues to grow and my upgraded rig has made teaching online feel like students are with me in the studio.
Teaching voice and piano lessons has never sounded or looked better! You'd swear we were in the room together.
I have updated my lighting, purchased a brand new Mac Studio computer with a huge monitor and got brand new webcams that give my students a closeup of the keys, my hands and all kinds of other whistles and bells.
I have been teaching voice and piano lessons all over the US and Canada, continue to make several appearances a week in Australia and have picked up new students in Ireland, Japan, the UK and Germany. I love being able to work with such an amazing crew from the comfort of my own home.
My Zoom studio continues to grow and my upgraded rig has made teaching online feel like students are with me in the studio. Teaching voice and piano lessons has never been easier, sounded or looked better!
I have updated my lighting, purchased a brand new Mac Studio computer with a huge monitor and got brand new webcams that give my students a closeup of the keys, my hands and all kinds of other whistles and bells.
I have been teaching voice and piano lessons all over the US and Canada, continue to make several appearances a week in Australia and have picked up new students in Ireland, Japan, the UK and Germany. I love being able to work with such an amazing crew from the comfort of my own home.
Workshops
This year has been packed with guest speaking and workshops. I have enjoyed giving presentations for a range of organizations from NewZATS (New Zealand Association for Teachers of Singing), NYSTA (New York Singing Teachers Association), The Nashville Vocal studio, Pyeng Threadgill’s Tuning In, Bree Noble’s Profitable Musician and many more.
I love getting to share my process of teaching voice, piano skills for singers and musicianship to other musicians and music educators. One of my favorite things to do!
Brenda Podcast Guest
I am podcast-obsessed, which is why I’m extra excited about all of the podcasts I’ve gotten to be a guest on. I love talking about my favorite topics, including Piano Skills for Singers, musicianship, life as a performing artist and entrepreneur and sharing tips and insights to inspire folks.
Here are some highlights - have a listen and make sure to follow the shows!
The Courageous Voice podcast with Chanda Rule
The Versatile Musician Membership News
It has been a blast growing The Versatile Musician - my all inclusive membership of online courses, tutorials, printables and live workshops. This year I finally had the time to create a bunch of resources that I had been dying to make!
Piano Technique and Ear Training
If you have wanted to develop your technical skills on the piano, get solid in all 12 keys AND build your ear training at the same time, this is the course for you. In only 10 minutes a day you’ll get it all done efficiently. I cover all 12 major and 12 minor keys PLUS I take you through an incredible series of ear training exercises. Easy to get it all done without it taking over your entire life!
This section now contains over 70 unique song tutorials that I have created over the past several years. I cover it all - folk songs, pop songs of all ages, jazz standards, holiday songs - you name it. Each tutorial is clearly labeled by style and difficulty level and comes with a custom printable. Members have been having a ball learning these songs!
Holiday Singalong Piano Workshop
This course was offered live for a sold out group of folks from all over the world. I shared my simple and effective method of being able to play ALLL the Christmas and holiday songs and carols using a few simple accompaniment strategies. The course came with a bonus singalong lyrics sheet, perfect for handing out to guests at your singalong!
This live course was a reboot of one I originally did back in 2021. In it, I share chording and accompaniment techniques designed to sound great on a huge repertoire of songs. This course completely sold out in under two weeks and the feedback was amazing!
Crash Course in Piano Skills for Singers 2.0
This was another course that I was excited to update. This course has been taken by a couple of hundred people and I was excited to update some of the methods I use to empower singers to best accompany themselves at the keyboard. It’s gentle but incredibly efficient.
This intro to jazz piano course showed all of the nuts and bolts of jazz, including chords, voicings, improvisation and how to read lead sheets. It’s now available as a single course.
YouTube Channel News
In addition to all of The Versatile Musician content creation, I still managed to get a YouTube tutorial out nearly every week. My viewers have been sharing a lot of great ideas with me and I’ve been having a ball putting together tutorials for their requests.
The biggest news is that the channel just hit 10,000 Subscribers! A HUGE milestone. Check out the channel here.
I share the top 10 videos of all time on the channel in this post. Check it out!
Summer Plans
After a massive year of creation, I am ready for a super big break. I am getting ready to head out on a nice two week trip to visit my father in Ontario, Canada. We will do lots of hiking, have great meals, take some naps and visit family and friends.
When I get back, I will be teaching private lessons a couple days a week and spending the rest of the time in our beloved bungalow in Breezy Point. I have some fun projects that I’m working on, including preparing to record my 7th album this fall.
All in all, I am very grateful for the time and energy I have been able to put into creating all of this material and putting it out into the world.
And, I’m grateful for YOU reading about it.
YouTube 10k Subscribers Celebration