Music on the Brain Piano Studio

08/15/2026

08/11/2026

Teacher in-service month is well underway...lots of moving parts! Here's a taste of what's going on thus far:

🧼 Waxing the studio floor
🖌️ Repainting the staff rug
🧽 Polishing the pianos
🪜 Touching up enamel on the footstools and music stand
🗓️ Overall yearly planning
📑 Curriculum and lesson planning
📚 Ordering and reviewing new repertoire
🤔 Choosing contest and concert literature
🤓 Learning a new method series
📲 Creating new assignments and adding them to students' practice app
💻 Taking 2 continuing education courses
📚 Reading, reading, and more reading!

08/07/2026

I've been having so much fun revisiting the summer recital 🌞🌻 that I just have to share 1 more video. 🎬

Reis came into the studio as a transfer student this year, and rose to every challenge I set for him!

In this video, he shines playing "The Bold Escape" 🪜🧗‍♀️⚔️ written by a Wichita native, Wendy Stevens from

08/03/2026

Next up our summer celebration ☀️😎 is Madelyn.

In this clip, Maddy plays the first movement of Muzio Clementi's Sonatina Op. 36, No. 1.

This was Madelyn's first real foray into original works from the classical period 📚 , as preparation for a Beethoven piece that she's started working on for this year's KCMTA Fall Fest. Can't wait to see 👀 how that turns out!

07/30/2026

Next up in our celebration of the summer recital 🎉🍾 is Reese, playing "Hopeful Beginnings".

Sure sounds hopeful to me! 😊

07/26/2026

In celebration 🎉 of last week's summer recital, I'd like to share a few especially notable performances. 🏅

In this clip, meet Andrea: a first-year adult student. 👩 She plays "In Dreams" from the first Lord of the Rings movie. 🎬

Andrea is proof that it's never too late to learn something new!

07/23/2026

Another huge success! Despite the heat, our summer recital went wonderfully. Congrats to all the performers!

07/07/2026

It's official--26 new critters have joined our studio family! 🎉 It's been a couple of years since I've added to the stash, so I figured it was time for some "new blood", so to speak. 😂

My favorite is the owl, and I know Emily S. is going to love the mouse. Which one tickles your fancy? Let me know in the comments!

🦩 2 Flamingos
🦜 2 Budgerigar birds
🐦 Long-tailed tit bird
🦉 Owl
🐧 Penguin
🦔 2 Hedgehogs
😸 3 Cats
🐫 Camel
🐗 Boar
🐡 Pufferfish
🦦 Otter
🐠 Clownfish
🐙 Octopus
🐹 Hamster
🦬 Buffalo
🐁 Mouse
🐶 Dog
🐇 Rabbit
🌊 Walrus
🍣 Sea urchin
🐑 Sheep

To get the specific Iwako critters that I wanted, I had them shipped from Japan. They arrived 3 weeks sooner than expected....just in time for summer recital prep!

06/24/2026

Andie was just days away from earning her 100-Day-Practice-Challenge badge, when a power outage meant she couldn't practice on her digital piano. 😱

Luckily the amazing staff at the Kawai Piano Gallery came to her rescue. 🦸‍♂️ Andie practiced at the piano store that day, and earned her badge for practicing EVERY SINGLE DAY for 100 days! 🏆

Kawai Piano Gallery of Kansas City by Alamo Music