✦Piano for Singing Teachers.
8-week flexible specialised piano training that elevates your teaching and career — as you teach.
Singing teachers and vocal coaches of popular and musical theatre styles — including classical teachers wanting to add commercial styles to their teaching.
Feeling embarrassed or doubting your piano ability mid-lesson…
Avoiding playing in front of others…
Stuck on what to actually play
Frustrated that you can’t consistently teach at your best.
Playing effortlessly and confidently — with a professional sound, beautiful musical touch, and an authentic popular style approach you can use in multiple ways to help your students and groups sing better through: stronger vocal control, stylistic phrasing, interpretation and nuance better performance delivery …so your students leave their sessions smiling, inspired, fulfilled — and genuinely enthusiastic about singing.
Your teaching career grows naturally.
Students, parents, and colleagues refer you.
Job opportunities and interesting projects come to you, without you having to reach out.
People talk about what you do — because it stands out.
Having to grind through endless, irrelevant piano that doesn’t directly help you connect with your students, support their journey to becoming better singers, or use the piano to showcase your teaching expertise live or online.
From a singing teacher — not a piano teacher.
(BRIT School, Leeds Conservatoire, Westminster University, LCCM — London)
In the last 12 months I’ve used piano to…
Teach 3-part harmony in the moment — no backing tracks.
Build instant rapport with shy and anxious adults.
Shape artistic phrasing live, while they sing.
Lead groups with calm authority (not bossiness).
Assess students in auditions and exams.
Run a private Central London studio.
Direct and accompany student showcases.
Be invited to teach on jazz summer schools & vocal residentials.
Prep singers across real-world styles using chord sheets:
Bolero • Bossa Nova • Pop Ballad • Country • Funk • RnB
Blues • Rock • Soul • Swing
→ exploring keys, tempo shifts, dynamics & groove to uncover their real voice.
And this isn’t unusual…In the past I’ve also…
Led departments and assessed degree-level exams.
Run large-group show rehearsals — solo.
Worked inside professional studios (Nord, Blüthner, producers, artists…).
Taught jazz vocal performance workshops — latest: Caer Llan Jazz, Wales.
Prepped students for auditions, live performances & masterclasses
(Dr. Matthew Knowles attended the last one).
Created vocal warm-ups that unlock style, body work & creative phrasing.
Broken down tricky melodies — helping students find the centre of the note.
Taught 3–4 part harmony: A Cappella • SATB • Counterpoint.
“It’ll help your teaching,” they say. You would think! But in reality singing teachers need a specific kind of piano. They need piano with purpose —the kind that supports the singers, unlocks style, and saves lessons from chaos.
Which makes the ‘piano route’ not always helpful.
Standard piano lessons are brilliant, but they often cover many topics. Reading, repertoire, scales & arpeggios.
Wonderful if you’re wanting to actually play piano.
But if, like many teachers, piano is not top of your list of priorities, this can feel like a frustrating distraction.
Although close they are not directly relevant for teaching singing.
Lots of effort put in. And still not teaching well from the piano.
“I found myself practicing Jingle Bells. I really don’t want to spend time learning Jingle Bells”.
—Piano for Singing Teachers student.
The legacy of the piano is huge!
But the good news is you don’t need it all.
And, in-fact, piano excellence can sometimes get in the way of good singing teaching.
Most singing teachers don’t struggle with piano because they’re “bad at it.”
They struggle because they’ve been trying to learn piano like pianists.
Singing teachers don’t need concert-hall level piano skills or jazz-fusion improv.
They need a small, specific set of piano skills that makes teaching with depth easier, more musical, and effortless to tap into to
For singing teachers and vocal coaches learning piano isn’t usually the problem.
Their problem is learning piano like a pianist, not a singing teacher.
Feeling embarrassed playing in front of students, parents, and colleagues
Avoiding the piano in lessons — or relying on backing tracks & YouTube because it feels safer
Wishing you could demo that melody properly on the piano
You’ve tried learning piano before and either hated it or got bored to tears
Feeling like you’re considered less capable than other teachers
Avoiding jobs with “piano” in the ad
Lost with chords — or spending weeks practising one song just to teach it once
Bashing through lead sheets with no idea how to make them sound good
Stop–start, plonky, unmusical playing
Making chords sound musical & inspiring to sing over is still a mystery
You can read notation — but chord charts feel like IKEA instructions written in Greek
No idea how to break down the melody at the keyboard for your student
You can read sheet music — but are lost with pop styles
Fumbling through warm-ups — making it impossible to really listen to your student
Frustrated at not being able to teach your best — because the piano blocks communication
Stuck playing warm-ups you can play — not the ones that actually help the student
Over-relying on YouTube, backing tracks & generic warm-up patterns
You’d love to personalise vocal exercises — but can’t build them on the piano
Highly concerned your students aren’t getting a top-level and complete singing lesson
Struggling to consistently deliver the high-quality session you know you’re capable of
Your piano sounds amateur, clunky, or “plonky” — and nowhere near the quality of your teaching
Sheet music takes weeks to practise — only to teach the song once
Having to hire accompanists — and feeling second-rate next to teachers who can play
You’d like to branch out your studio or career — but lack of piano keeps you stuck
Not capitalising on the possibilities of piano to expand your teaching — and have more fun & continued growth
You want to be good at piano… but not necessarily become a “real pianist”
It’s not your fault — the piano was never taught FOR singing teachers. Until now.
You can safely ignore 90% of traditional piano training. You don’t need piles of repertoire, endless scales, or years of formal study. You need 3 specific abilities that make teaching easier, more musical, and more you. Just master these.
Everything else? Optional. Or for later
Play and listen
The ability to play and listen to your student —allowing you to control the lesson, make small adjustments on the spot, and guide them through in the moment.
Play with feeling (not clunk)
Clumsy piano playing is deeply annoying to the singing teacher. Your piano skill may be beginner, but you’re not a beginner at music. Heavy dynamics, clumpy chords and stop-start piano disrupts a warm up flow, It’s frustrating, not enjoyable and your students notice it too
Patterns, not pieces
You need custom piano patterns. The exact set of piano patterns for your singing teaching, vocal coaching or choir leading. Different to mine, different to your colleagues. Exact to you.
Singing teachers already know about melody and song story
Singing teachers don’t need more repertoire, they need reusable structure: patterns.
Patterns are:
the foundation of commercial-style teaching
the secret behind great vocal warm-ups and vocal harmonies
the key to reading chord charts — never be scared of a chart again
the engine of groove, great phrasing and riffs
the doorway to beautiful accompaniment that supports the singer
the fastest route to flow and rehearsing large groups
Patterns train your hands so your ears can stay on your student.
Patterns give you a groove, make chord charts pick-up-and-play effortless, and creating authentic sounding song accompaniment they will want to sing to.
Patterns allow you to be endlessly creative and devise customised warm up patterns and drills.
Patterns allow you to be in charge! Your focus is outwards, not on your piano hands, allowing you to direct and lead rehearsals.
And more good news: patterns are easier to get together, easier to play instinctively, and easier to play with flow.
Which means you can play musical, authentic sounding, and student-bespoke vocal warm ups, song accompaniment — all without prior prep, and all while fully listening to your student.
Giving them a truly personalised, musical experience — that they can only get from you.
@Bluthner Piano Studios
✦ PIANO for SINGING TEACHERS ✦
Choose your path
Week 1 — Posture & Presence
Week 2 — Pop Pattern Lock-in
Week 3 — Vocal Warm-up Flow
Week 4 — Songs & Styles
Week 5 — No-prep Song Charts
Week 6 — Melody Shapes & Match Pitch
Week 7 — Song Accompaniment
Week 8 — Career Confidence
Week 1 — Classical to Commercial
Week 2 — Groove Basics
Week 3 — Chords that Colour
Week 4 — Hooks & Riffs
Week 5 — Song Structure
Week 6 — Legato & Groove
Week 7 — Style Swap
Week 8 — Piano Identity
Week 1 — The Piano-Led Identity Shift
Week 2 — Vocal Leadership From the Piano
Week 3 — Harmony Building & Vocal Groups
Week 4 — The Signature Session Framework
Week 5 — Piano as Director Strategy
Week 6 — The Vocal Director’s Toolkit
Week 7 — Your Workshop Blueprint
Week 8 — Market Positioning
The focus is high-level, beautiful, musical, stylistically authentic playing. A collection of piano skills. This isn’t a piano course, and it’s not one-size-fits-all. It’s a teaching upgrade — built around you, your lessons, and your students.
We start where you are — and consider where you’d like to end up.
Submit Piano Decoder
Design your custom 8-week Plan
Weekly precise micro-self study video
Weekly Practice Stack Checklists
Submit weekly in-session challenges
Get weekly Video
Feedback
Weekly Piano motivation milestone
Final Career Elevate Challenge
— Figure out a plan around starting point and doable end point, built around the available time and at the same time “meet me” — I’m not an anonymous nobody.
— for your needs, your current position, the students you teach, the desired end goal — we can talk it through
— receive a weekly micro instructional video, song charts, and stealth practice stack (as appropriate), Short micro videos and checklists to fit in your busy week
— from week 1, integrate a new technique as you teach in tiny ‘stackable’ steps so using piano feels comfortable and normal
—Send a short weekly video for feedback to keep on track and see yourself back
— get continued support, don’t feel like you are doing this by yourself!
— the Then & Now tracker, keep track of how it’s going
— decide at the start (but it can change if a better idea comes up), something that puts pressure on and would help in the long term. This can be tiny in world terms, but feel like a very big deal to you.
—Optional. But well deserved!
✓ Play vocal warm-ups fluidly, in multiple keys and matched to student ability and need
✓ Teach songs directly from lead sheets or chord charts
✓ Create authentic sounding commercial and musical theatre styles song accompaniments
✓ Direct, cue and accompany with confidence
✓ Present your teaching method through your lessons
✓ Feel like a musical professional, not a nervous pianist
PIANO for SINGING TEACHERS
No matter what your starting point, all 8-week plans based on these 6 foundations of playing connected, beautiful piano to help you teach deeper and more effectively.
✦1. Progressions
Keys and chords. The foundation of fearless playing. You will move away from being worried about ‘getting it right’ —to let’s see what music we can make today! Incredibly useful for drawing out the song story and an artistic, connected performance. Never be scared of a chord chart again — no matter what gets put in front of you last minute.
✦2. Pocket
So important for singing teachers who work with musical theatre and popular styles. And even contemporary classical. From straightforward pop to the more sophisticated styles of jazz, soul, funk, latin and RnB. Even simple pop ballads have a pocket. Getting into the pocket to play is one of the main shifts for classical trained pianists.
✦3. Posture & Presence
How to avoid wreaking your singing voice. And how we lead and communicate from behind the piano. How we reassure. How we cue. Helps you become independently confident in leading large groups, workshops and choirs Making you VERY employable (and besides this is fun).
✦4. Professional Polish
Making a beautiful sound — yes, even on that school piano, or your budget keyboard. This matters hugely. Your musical ears and aesthetic is advanced you will be frustrated with clumsy playing. And your students will notice it too. Play with a professional “touch” and get to musical and simple. Much more effective than sloppy. Pointless.
✦5. Purpose
In lessons are we connecting, coaching, or are we accompanying? Lessons demand different needs and this impacts dynamics, intensity, rhythm, warm up patterns and chord voicings. With some students we play with drive - hello chatty group! -with others we need to slow down.
✦6. Positioning.
Even the most career-modest of singing teachers has a niche. And yes, it helps with marketing, attracting job offers and interesting projects. But mostly it helps you become aware and acknowledge what you are about. Clicking into yourself helps you choose the piano skills you need both now and in the coming years. Lots of time wasting avoided.
Pop Patterns Portfolio
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For the singing teacher and vocal coach who is a piano beginners, a piano avoider or piano out of practice
You’ve tried learning piano before, but didn’t enjoy it and got overwhelmed with the practice
You avoid the piano (or use it in a half hearted way) and feel embarrassed in lessons
You rely too much on backing tracks and wish you could break down melodies, personalise vocal warm ups and match pitch
You’re lost with chords, and song accompaniment is basic, non-existent or takes up too much time to practice up
You’ve tried learning piano before, but didn’t enjoy it and got overwhelmed with the practice
Modern Styles Fluent
For intermediate standard Singing teachers & vocal coaches with classical training who can read Beethoven and Bach but are stuck when playing jazz and commercial styles
You can play the piano, possibly quite well, but your style is stuck in “classical chord-bash mode.”
You’ve no idea how to play commercial song style accompaniments, embellishments and chords
You’d love to have more styles under your finger to unlock better-fit students and job options.
Piano-Led Vocal Director
For intermediate piano standard, ready to specialise.
You’re already confident at the piano.
You’re an experienced singing teacher and have been slowly figuring out your unique teaching delivery
You want to use the piano to support your unique artistry, teaching brand and career ambitions
You’d like to direct more large event projects: shows, choirs, concerts — and be the central visible leader.
For piano beginners, piano avoiders or the piano rusty who just wants to use piano in EVERY singing lesson without stress.
“Coach Mode” —the singing teacher’s #1 piano headache solver
2-handed pop style song accompaniment patterns — based around your students, studio or job
Vocal warm-up standard 5-note pattern in all 12 keys
The anti-plonk piano technique
The professional piano set up
At a glance chord chart navigation
Melody breakdown and match pitch techniques
Real time in-lesson challenges
Weekly video feedback
Plus: 10 x Pop Song Chord Charts
Plus: The Piano/Track Ratio Framework —instant clarity on the piano you need, and the piano you don’t
For classical-trained singing teachers & vocal coaches who can read Bach and Beethoven but are stuck with Billie Holiday
Stylistic accompaniment patterns for Swing, Soul, Funk, Latin & RnB
Riff & run breakdown techniques (how to teach them quickly and musically)
Pocket & feel training – stop sounding classical when teaching pop
Chord voicing maps for modern styles (supports the student and the song story)
Chart navigation by instinct — read commercial chord sheets without fear
Audition song breakdown method — 3 steps / live / under pressure
In-lesson piano challenges + weekly personalised feedback
Micro video modules designed to fit around your actual teaching week
Plus:
✓ 12 x Chord Charts (Swing / Funk / Soul / Modern Pop)
✓ The Style Shift Cheat Sheet — classical sound → commercial sound in 5 tweaks
✓ The Embodied Groove Method — use your body to play with authentic feel
For singing teachers who want to use piano as their CORE coaching asset
Lead-from-the-piano skills (authority without bossiness)
Pattern-based rehearsal planning — direct energy & flow in real time
3-part harmony teaching system — teach instinctively, not technically
Piano-based vocal cueing & phrasing (how to shape the performance live)
Song structure shifts — groove / tempo / dynamic changes under 5 minutes
Concert-ready accompaniment — refine sound for shows & exams
Rehearsal psychology training — how to hold a group & keep them focused
Rapid rapport techniques — draw out reluctant / shy singers from the first session
Plus:
✓ The Choir Command Framework — one glance to know how to lead the room
✓ Professional Presence Toolkit — posture, communication, calm authority
✓ Positioning Your Skill — use piano to shape your artistic & career identity
Hello, I’m Elizabeth and I use the piano for singing every day. I know exactly what you need from the piano for teaching—and, most importantly, what you can leave out. I was fortunate to grow up with classical musician parents. Cello and choral music were part of my childhood, and I don’t remember learning to read music. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. It took a very long time to cross over to chord interpretation, improv, and rhythm-section playing in commercial groove styles. Now I couldn’t imagine teaching without drawing on both classical and commercial styles.
I’ve been using the piano to teach singing for a long time, but it took a while to get the balance right and use it as a professional tool. I’ve misjudged it many times: I’ve overplayed, got distracted by cleverness, stopped focusing on the student. And then—because my energy was wrong or the rapport was missing—the student wasn’t served or supported as they should have been, undermining the whole point of the lesson.
Playing piano for teaching is NOT about piano excellence. Piano for Singing Teachers has grown out of 1-to-1 lessons, professional workshops, Saturday morning classes, residential courses, summer schools. First Lecturer in Music post came at age 22. I taught for 25+ years in London, including: Visiting Lecturer BMus at Westminster University (10+ years), Head of Vocals at London College of Contemporary Music, Southwark (16+ years), and Director of BRIT Kids at The BRIT School (maternity cover).
The piano can be a game-changer for some teachers, and irrelevant for others. The point is knowing which it is for you.
—EIMEAR
£325
PIANO for SINGING TEACHERS 1
Pop Patterns Portfolio
✓ The support of a 1:1 with the structure of a self-study programme
✓ Made by a singing teacher who plays piano, not a pianist who doesn’t understand singing
✓ Piano beginners/avoiders
✓ Custom 8-week Plan
✓ Based around your starting point & goals
✓ Flexible schedule
✓ Fit around a busy week
✓ Pop & Musical Theatre Styles
✓ Weekly video feedback support
✓ Clear weekly milestones
✓ Lesson integrated weekly challenge
✓ Micro-videos, charts, checklists
✓ Final Career Upgrade
£495
PIANO for SINGING TEACHERS 2
Modern Styles Fluent
✓ The support of a 1:1 with the structure of a self-study programme
✓ Made by a singing teacher who plays piano — not a pianist who doesn’t understand singing
✓ Best for piano intermediates
✓ Expanded 8-week plan tailored to your students, repertoire & audition demands
✓ Flexible schedule — works inside your real lessons
✓ Commercial song styles: Soul, Swing, Funk, Latin & RnB
✓ Style-specific piano patterns for riffs, runs & rhythmic feel
✓ Weekly video feedback support
✓ Clear weekly milestones
✓ Lesson-integrated weekly challenges
✓ Micro-videos, charts & checklists
✓ Final Career Upgrade
£725
PIANO for SINGING TEACHERS 3
Piano-Led Vocal Director
✓ The support of a 1:1 with the structure of a self-study programme
✓ Best for singing teachers ready to move into leadership roles
✓ Custom 8-week plan focused on artistic direction & employability
✓ Flexible schedule — built around real group teaching & rehearsals
✓ Lead the room from the piano (authority without bossiness)
✓ Teach 3-part harmony instinctively — not technically
✓ Pattern-based rehearsal planning (cue, shift, settle, direct)
✓ Concert & audition accompaniment techniques
✓ Groove & presence training for group dynamics
✓ Weekly video feedback support
✓ Micro-videos, charts & leadership tools
✓ Final Career Upgrade + positioning review
Q: How is this better than a straightforward piano course?
A: Pianists - even excellent ones - don't fully understand the singing voice, and the delicate business of drawing out a confident result from a student. I have trained, taught and performed for many years in both the piano and singing. And by "trained" I mean: technique, style, repertoire, improvisation and teaching methodology. Getting to a high standard on both instruments took a while. I most certainly have gaps, but I DO understand piano and singing together, and how one can support the other.
Q: I've only got access to keyboard - is that okay, or do I need a piano?
A: Perfectly fine - it doesn’t need to be fancy. You don’t need a Steinway—you just need a place to practise. Weighted, full-size keys are preferable but it's not a disaster if you're working with a basic keyboard. And, let’s face it, we can be faced with an assortment of ‘pianos with personality’ in schools and colleges. Learning how to handle this is in the course.
Q: Is this for complete beginners?
A: Not complete beginners to music. If you’re a singing teacher then you know about music. That knowledge and expertise just needs to be drawn out on a piano. If you can find middle C on the piano you’ll be fine.
Q: How does the personalised plan work?
A: The aim is to give you the piano skills for your singing teaching and vocal coaching. For example: those that teach musical theatre to Saturday morning classes may need different vocal warm up patterns to those that work mainly with adults singing for pleasure in a 121 lesson.
Q: I'm from a classical background, new to chords and popular song styles –will this course help me?
A: If you’re confident with classical repertoire, you’ll likely be strong with notation and melody reading. You may now need the ‘other’ side - chords, grooves, style patterns, embellishments, impro. I went through this transformation - painfully! - but it’s so rewarding being able to do both. Covered in Piano for Singers 2: Modern Styles Fluent.
Q: Will I need to practice a lot?
A: It depends on your starting point. You’ll need to do some. But this course is built for teachers, not concert pianists. We’re aiming for efficiency rather than endless hours, and noticing the difference in your teaching practice from early on — you should feel more inspired to practise! As much as is genuinely possible we try and embed your practice in your actual teaching.
Q: How long will it take?
A: Around 8 weeks of actual work. But you may find yourself staying on one technique for longer which is both sensible and allowed. Because we embed your practice in your teaching week (paid practice!) you will have a constant feeling of getting there without the pressure.
Q: Can I see the course module breakdown?
A: We don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. We start with what you’re trying to achieve and work out the best way to get you there. As a teacher, you’ll probably appreciate that. The general feedback (and my own experience too) is that approaching your teaching through the lens of the piano—and from a fresh angle—gives you a deeper understanding of your singing teacher philosophy, sharpening your methodology and approach. Good things to have!
Q: I love the idea of playing the piano
A: If you want to play classical repertoire: Chopin, Beethoven, Schubert etc. that demands a deeper commitment, and piano lessons would be your best answer. But if you just want to get going, this course may be the best way to start. Playing pianistically is an important section - singers get frustrated if they can’t match the musicianship of their singing. Students notice the difference too. You'll learn real piano skills that feel good under your fingers, and you can absolutely go on to lessons afterwards with a strong head start.
Q: Can I sign up another time?
A: It depends what you want. At the moment, it’s not an evergreen course (available all year round). It’s highly personalised—meaning much 1:1 attention, and therefore a limit on capacity. This is likely to be the last opening for 2025. In 2026, it may have a different shape or pricing.
I have another question.
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