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061 - 11 Pedagogy-Related Books for Music Teachers

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Field Notes on Music Teaching & Learning Podcast, Ep. 061 - 11 Pedagogy-Related Books for Music Teachers

Summer is a great time to rest, recharge, and work on professional development. This is often when we as music educators attend conferences and workshops, participate in training and certification programs, take summer classes at a local university, and catch up on all the reading we intended to do during the year.

Reading is one of my favorite ways to continue learning as a music professional. I love books that help me better understand the learning process—the neuroscience and psychology behind how we take in and process new information.

If you've been listening for a while, you know I've shared several book and reading-related episodes in the past:

  • I talked about Daniel Pink's book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us back in Ep. 003,

  • I shared insights from Keith Sawyer's book, Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity in Ep. 009, and

  • I unpacked Carol Dweck's book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success in Ep. 049.

  • I also shared a summer reading list for music teachers in Ep. 031 with a few novels and non-music or teaching books, if you're looking for other suggestions.

Today, I'm sharing a curated list of 11 pedagogy-related books for music teachers. Some explore the research on how the brain works, others outline the tenets of effective practicing; some touch on meditation and wellness practices in music teaching and performance, others teach foundational pedagogy principles. Some I've read, and some are on my reading list, but all offer a fresh perspective on the teaching and learning process that I hope will inspire and inform your teaching practice in the year to come.

On Music Learning, Practice, and Performance: A Curated Reading List for Music Educators

1. The Musician's Toolbox: Thoughts on Teaching and Learning Music (Diane and Nick Petrella)

This book is a collection of 111 short, inspirational ideas for musicians and music educators. Spanning topics such as teaching, learning, performing, and health and wellness, each piece of advice ("tool") has a corresponding action-oriented project created to foster musical growth and critical thinking skills.

2. How We Learn: The Surprising Truth About When, Where, and Why It Happens (Benedict Carey)

I discovered this book accidentally several years ago in the Overdrive app. Do you know about that? In case you haven't heard of it, Overdrive is a free app that lets you check out eBooks and audiobooks through your local library.

I'm always interested in reading books about the learning process and gaining new insight into how the brain works, so I found this book fascinating.

Benedict Carey is a science reporter with a few surprising opinions on the best way to study, how to improve memory recall, and interleaving, which I talked about in Ep. 038 - The Secrets of Interleaved Practice.

If you like brainy, research-y books, add this one to your reading list.

3. The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart (Madeline Bruser)

Practicing is such an important conversation and something we talk about often with our students. It seems we're always trying to find new, effective strategies to help us be more confident and successful, ways to be more efficient with our time, and practical ideas for incorporating repetition without injury, tension, or disconnecting the brain from the fingers.

In The Art of Practicing, Juilliard graduate, pianist, teacher, and mindfulness expert, Madeline Bruser shares a useful guide to practicing with ease. She includes "physiological and meditative principles to help musicians release physical and mental tension" and numerous photographs illustrating posture and movement for various instruments.

4. The Inner Game of Music (Barry Green & W. Timothy Gallwey)

Maybe you read Timothy Gallwey's book, The Inner Game of Tennis. Whether you're a tennis player or not, this book includes great insight into the teaching and learning process that can be applied to a variety of fields, including music.

This book, co-written by Gallwey and Barry Green, a double bassist, university professor, and former principal with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, includes helpful strategies for overcoming challenges, improving mental focus and concentration, and developing confidence in performance for students and professional musicians alike.

5. The Perfect Wrong Note: Learning to Trust Your Musical Self (William Westney)

I talked about this book recently, in Ep. 060 - How Do We Approach Mistakes in Music Teaching & Learning? It's a great resource for music teachers (not just pianists) on developing an effective practicing routine and learning how to view mistakes not as failures, with criticism or judgment, but with curiosity. What can we learn from these experiences? Why did that mistake happen and what can it teach us?

P.S. If you're looking for more information about this book, sign up for the Musician & Co. Book Club. Each quarter, I choose a book about being a small business owner, the creative process, music teaching and learning, entrepreneurship, and being a musician. The Perfect Wrong Note was our book club pick for April.

When you sign up, you'll get access to a 4-week, self-paced reading plan, reflective questions, and my book review (in written form and a new private podcast just for members). It's free to join! Visit www.musicianandcompany.com/books to sign up.

6. The Musician's Way: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Wellness (Gerald Klickstein)

Some of you may have read this book already or at least be familiar with Gerald Klickstein, perhaps through his blog by the same name.

This book has three large sections: Artful Practice, Fearless Performance, and Lifelong Creativity. Drawing upon 30 years of research and practical experience as a performer and educator, Klickstein offers advice on musical study and preparation, collaboration, motivation, dealing with performance anxiety, sustainable practicing to avoid injury, and musical creativity.

7. Teaching Music with Purpose (Peter Loel Boonshaft)

This is the second book in a 3-part series—an inspirational resource for music directors and conductors. Peter Boonshaft, a conductor, university professor, and band director, offers wisdom, encouragement, and practical rehearsal techniques to help you organize your time and bring out the best in your students.

If you're curious to learn more about the rest of the series, the first book is called Teaching Music with Passion and the third book is Teaching Music with Promise.

8. The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music (Victor L. Wooten)

Written by Grammy-award-winning bassist Victor Wooten, this book is a parable about being a musician and living a musical life. Wooten tells the story of a young musician who wants to pursue music and the teacher who guides him on a spiritual journey of discovering all the gifts music has to offer.

If you like this book, you may also like the sequel, The Spirit of Music: The Lesson Continues.

9. Teaching the Whole Musician: A Guide to Wellness in the Applied Studio (Paola Savvidou)

Pianist, teacher, and wellness advocate, Paola Savvidou shares helpful and valuable information to equip private music teachers with the resources they need to support their students’ physical and emotional wellness.

The book includes movement exercises, corresponding audio files, and downloadable worksheets and is the first of its kind “to address wellness for music students in a comprehensive manner geared towards the applied instructor.”

10. A Piano Teacher's Legacy (Richard Chronister)

If you've been following along for a while, you've heard me mention this book many times before. Richard Chronister was an influential teacher and pedagogue in the field, starting the first university degree program in piano pedagogy, serving on six different faculties through the years, and developing a new piano method. He co-founded the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy and was the founder and editor of Keyboard Companion magazine for numerous years.

This book is a collection of his selected writings—presentations and speeches he gave, lecture notes, and content he published in Keyboard Companion and other places.

Topics include strategies for teaching rhythm, reading, and the Grand Staff, developing a teaching practice, motivation and fostering a lifelong love of learning, advice on memorizing and practicing, and performance skills.

11. The Practice of Practice: How to Boost Your Music Skills (Jonathan Harnum)

Another book about developing sustainable, effective practicing habits, Jonathan Harnum delves into the research and mindset behind musical practice and accessible strategies and techniques for improvement. Written for all instruments (and likely vocalists, as well), Harnum explores what impact music practice has on the brain, why motivation is crucial, how much practice time is needed and what time of day is best, and finally, goals, techniques, and strategies for building efficiency and effectiveness.

Summary

I hope this episode gives you at least one new book to add to your summer reading list (hopefully several!). I'd love to hear what you're reading lately and your favorite books to recommend to music teachers. Send me an email, leave a comment on the show notes, or reach out to me on Instagram and let me know.

And again, if you're looking for a virtual community centered on books, reading, and professional development, I'd love to invite you to join the Musician & Co. Book Club! You'll get four recommended books each year with reading plans and questions to consider + my book reviews in written and audio format via a private podcast link—all for free!

Happy reading!

Follow along with my creative work and daily adventures: @ashleydanyew

In honor of #smallbusinesssaturday2024, here are my ✨2025 predictions✨ for musicians and creative entrepreneurs: 1️⃣ Pivoting will still be essential: Flexibility and adaptability will define success—embrace change and be willing to evolve.
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