About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of focusing on the journey of learning in music education rather than just the end goals.

Sometimes I wonder if we get so focused on goals, repertoire, and achievement that we miss the bigger picture of why we teach music in the first place. In this episode, we're talking about what it means to create truly musical students, why collaborative experiences matter, and how the journey of learning may be more important than any destination we imagine for our students. Rachel challenged teachers to rethink what success in music lessons really means. She used the metaphor of a bus journey to illustrate different teaching approaches. Why the journey of learning is more important than a final destination. How creative activities build deeper musicianship. The value of movement, exploration, and play in lessons was emphasized. Rachel explained how collaborative activities strengthen multiple musical skills at once. How conducting, echo games, and singing support overall musicianship. She encouraged teachers to use duet playing as more than just a performance activity. How collaborative skills open lifelong musical opportunities for students. Rachel reminded teachers that the goal is to create lifelong music makers who find joy in music. Links Mentioned TMPP 115: Sight-Reading…

People in this episode

Host: Tim Topham

Guest: Rachel Ehring

Topics covered

• music education
• teaching philosophy
• collaborative learning
• musicianship
• student engagement

Keywords

• music teaching
• collaboration
• musical skills
• creative activities
• lifelong music makers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of C

More episodes of TopMusic Piano Podcast

• 117: It Might Be Time to Get Some Help with Adella Carlson · June 5, 2026 · 37 min
• 115: Sight-Reading and Collaborative Skills for Young Learners with Jenna Braaksma · May 22, 2026 · 37 min
• 114: How to Implement Asynchronous Lessons with Jaclyn Mrozek · May 15, 2026 · 28 min

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