Notes from The Music Hub June 29, 2026 What is the Circle of 5ths? I have taught music theory to high school students and college students, as well as to my private students for a long time. And one of the most useful tools is the Circle of 5ths. The Circle of 5ths is a graphic representation of all the keys organized around a circle like the hours on a clock. There are secret hints hidden within the circle that help you to know exactly how many sharps and flats are in each key and what they...
17 days ago • 1 min read
It feels like the beginning of June was forever ago. I have mostly been plugging away at composing and dreading July 1. July 1 is the deadline for many things. I have to have all my syllabi finished and submitted. There are several Calls for Scores to submit to. I also leave on July 2 to head out to the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference, then the next weekend to the International Double Reeds Society National Conference. Getting ready for that trip is an ordeal....
18 days ago • 5 min read
Notes from The Music Hub June 15, 2026 Free Mini Course on Improving Note Reading I put a lot of emphasis on note reading. I have written about this several times. It's not because I think note reading is the only way to learn music. However, I do think it is the most efficient and gives you the most freedom for learning whatever music in whatever style you want to learn. Some of you may have already started learning piano on your own. Some of you may have learned the letter names of the...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Notes from The Music Hub June 8, 2026 Major Scales are the Foundation of Western Music In my opinion, which is based in a lot of personal experience and observation, learning music theory is the best way to learn piano - and music in general - more quickly. This is because you learn the building blocks of how music is put together and you are able to recognize patterns that show up from piece to piece. While every piece is different, they all have similar inherent structures. Kind of like how...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
5 Days Left to Register this Go-Round! May 25, 2026 3 Days Left! I am keeping registration open in The Music Hub until the end of May. After that, it won't reopen until September. That means you have 3 days left to register! Summer is a casual time meant for exploring. It's a great time to try something new or revisit a hobby! One very important thing to know about learning piano is that it is not just an intellectual skill. It's more like learning a sport. Like golf, a sport many people take...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
5 Days Left to Register this Go-Round! May 25, 2026 5 Days Left! I am keeping registration open in The Music Hub until the end of May. After that, it won't reopen until September. That means you have 5 days left to register! Summer is a casual time meant for exploring. It's a great time to try something new or revisit a hobby! My music-theory based approach to learning piano is the most effective way to make real progress. It helps you read music fluently play with both hands together...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
The weather has been crazy here in NC. Every county in the state has been in an extreme or severe drought for some time, with water use restrictions everywhere. Well, the rain finally came. It started Thursday and has only stopped periodically. Last night, some places near us got 6-7 inches of rain in 3 hours. The ground cannot absorb that much rain quickly, so of course there has been flooding and road damage in some places hit by Helene, and in some new places too. I saw a pic of a...
about 2 months ago • 6 min read
Notes from The Music Hub May 25, 2026 Happy Memorial Day! It is Memorial Day in the United States, where I live, and a day we honor the memory of the men and women who have died in service to our country. Right now we are in a conflict with Iran (can we call it a war if Congress never voted to declare it?). And there's a lot of division politically, over this and many other things. But I think we can come together around Memorial Day and what it means. I was moved this past weekend to arrange...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Notes from The Music Hub May 11, 2026 Why Practice Scales? In the online piano world in places like Facebook and Reddit, people argue over the need to practice scales. Some people think that you should only practice the technique used in a particular piece. For example, if you are playing a piece and there's an F major scale in it, practice that scale. But they don't see the point in practicing multiple scales every day. I fall in the camp that it is important to practice scales. It's not...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read