TTTV062: Irina Gorin on Teaching Beginners

Irina Gorin is famous in the piano teaching world. Irina's YouTube videos of her teaching have helped and inspired so many teachers, especially when it comes to teaching technique.

Irina didn't always feel so confident teaching beginners. When she first moved to the USA and used traditional method books, they always felt a bit...lacking. The five finger positions used in these method books didn't set her students up for success at the piano.

Tales of a Musical Journey is a unique piano method in many ways. Irina's approach to technique, and narrative style is engaging and effective in teaching beginners. Her use of props helps young children connect to tension free piano playing.

I hope today's podcast will inspire you to think a little differently about how you teach your beginners. I know we can learn a great deal from Irina's experience.

[spp-tweet tweet="Irina's YouTube videos of her teaching have helped and inspired so many teachers, especially when it comes to teaching technique."]

Transcript

Please find a full transcript of this episode at the bottom of this page. Alternatively, click below to download a PDF. If you are an TopMusicPro Member, you can find the full video and transcript in the Member Resources Area. Not a member? See below for how you can get $50 off your membership today. 

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In this episode, you’ll learn

• What prompted Irina to get started on YouTube
• They key difference Irina noticed between Ukraine and USA piano teaching
• How Irina came to create her own method books
• When music education should begin
• How Irina assesses a child's readiness for piano lessons
• The piano parents' role in Irina's studio
• How pre-reading fits into Irina's philosophy of teaching beginners
• Beginning improvisation tips and tricks

Links Mentioned

• Irina Gorin's YouTube Channel
• Tales of a Musical Journey
• Tales of a Musical Journey Facebook Group
• Piano Explorer Magazine
• Noise Putty
• Elastic Hair Band

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Thank you for Tuning In!

There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, and I’m grateful that you’ve chosen mine.

Being a full-time teacher myself, I know how busy teachers are and how much time, effort and passion we put into our students. Sometimes, the last thing we want to do in our time off is listen to more piano teaching stuff! So, well done for using this time for self-improvement.

Whether you’re at the gym, on the bike or in the car, I know that you and your students will get lots out of what you learn in the long run. Just make sure you try out some of the ideas before they get lost in the business of your next lessons.

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Full Transcript

[spp-transcript]

Have you used Tales of Musical Journey?

What did you find the most interesting about this approach to teaching beginners?

What did you think about the role of parents in Irina's piano studio?