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The PW Blog

Insights for Music
Students & Parents

Practical advice and honest perspectives from Mark Weisman — director of The Piano Workshop at Chester — with over 20 years in music education.

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Featured

Why SUMMER is the Perfect Time to Start (or continue) Music Lessons

Many families assume summer means taking a break from lessons — but the opposite is often true. Without homework and school-year pressure, students practice more consistently, progress faster, and discover a genuine love for music. Summer is the single best window to begin something new.

4 min read

All Articles

  • Tips for Parents
4 min read

Why SUMMER is the Perfect Time to Start (or continue) Music Lessons

Many families assume summer means taking a break from lessons — but the opposite is often true. Without homework and school-year pressure, students practice more consistently, progress faster, and discover a genuine love for music. Summer is the single best window to begin something new.
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  • Studio Policies
6 min read

Make-Up Lessons From an Economist’s Point of View – by Vicky Barham c 2001

Parents naturally want missed lessons rescheduled — it feels fair. But when you consider it from the teacher's side, the math looks very different. This post explores how music lesson economics actually work and why your studio's make-up policy probably makes more sense than you think.
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  • Getting Started
1 min read

Are Music Lessons For Me?

Why take music lessons?" It's a question that deserves a real answer — not just "because it's good for you." Whether you're a skeptical adult, an uncertain parent, or a kid who's been nudged into a lesson room, this post will help you figure out if lessons are genuinely the right fit.
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  • Tips for Parents
5 min read

Eight Things that Music Teachers Wish Parents Knew

After years of teaching and working with hundreds of families, there are a handful of things that come up again and again. These aren't complaints — they're genuine insights that, if every music parent understood them, would make lessons dramatically more effective and enjoyable for everyone.
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  • Getting Started
14 min read

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting a Private Music Teacher

Choosing the right teacher is arguably the most important decision you'll make in your child's musical education. A bad fit can kill enthusiasm in weeks; the right teacher can create a passion that lasts a lifetime. Avoid these ten common mistakes families make when searching for a private instructor.
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  • Resources
4 min read

Storytime! A Reading List of Books About Music for Kids

Reading about music is a wonderful complement to lessons — it deepens a child's connection to their instrument and shows them the bigger world of music they're entering. Here are our favorite picture books, early readers, and middle-grade titles about music and musicians.
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  • Studio News
3 min read

How the Piano Workshop at Chester is “Keeping the Music Playing” through Covid-19, plus our holiday gift giving ideas!

When COVID-19 shut everything down, many music studios closed their doors permanently. We didn't. Here's how we pivoted to virtual lessons almost overnight, what we learned in the process, and why online lessons have since become a permanent — and beloved — part of what we offer.
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  • Virtual Lessons
4 min read

Navigating Online Voice Lessons

Voice lessons online present unique challenges that piano or guitar lessons don't — latency, audio compression, and the difficulty of hearing blend and tone accurately through a microphone. This post shares practical tips for students and parents to get the most from virtual vocal instruction.
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  • Studio News
3 min read

Our Transition to Online Music Lessons

When we moved our studio online in spring 2020, we weren't sure what to expect. What we found surprised us: students were often more focused, scheduling became more flexible, and families started participating in lessons in new ways. Here's the full story of our transition.
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Mark Weisman

Director, The Piano Workshop at Chester

Mark founded The Piano Workshop at Chester over 20 years ago and writes about music education, parenting through lessons, studio life, and the role music plays in child development. His no-nonsense, parent-friendly perspective comes from decades of real teaching and studio management experience.