Best Julian Toha Podcasts (2024)

1
Oclef Daily | EP91 - All Great Piano Teachers Possess This Ability 3:20

5+ y ago3:20

3:20

This is a great episode to share with a piano teacher friend. Push Back. It's simple, yet powerful. Don't avoid confrontation with a parent - especially if what you are pushing back on something that is in the best interest of their child. Parents want the best for their kids, but sometimes they don't realize how to think or behave - they are usual…

1
Oclef Interviews | EP29 - Jon Nakamatsu - The Story of a Great American Pianist 47:23

5+ y ago47:23

47:23

Loved doing this interview with Jon! He's just a great guy and I enjoyed getting the chance, like with most guests on the podcast, to ask deep questions. Please share this with parents of piano students and other teachers or aspiring pianist. He has great insight in many areas and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Julian…

1
Oclef Daily | EP90 - Is there an end to piano lessons? 2:47

6y ago2:47

2:47

Pain relievers like aspirin can be taken if you have a headache and usually within 15 minutes the headache is gone. But what if there were a product that made that headache go away and then come back in 7 days? Whenever I have new classes start I often get the question from parents…how long does it take to learn piano? And I used to think that was …

1
Oclef Daily | EP89 - The musician's mindset 4:01

6y ago4:01

4:01

Yesterday I was working with a mother and her daughter and one simple piece of teaching advice left her speechless the second she tried it. This episode dives into the "Theory Theory" by Alison Gopnik and how it explains why the "Frozen Pencil" teaching technique works so well when teaching children to read piano. The tortoise always wins, Julian…

1
Oclef Daily | EP88 - You're more like a therapist than you want to believe 4:07

6y ago4:07

4:07

Today's podcast goes into the challenging world of how we as teachers help our students navigate more than just their troubles and anxieties from learning. If you want your story or question on an upcoming episode - visit www.oclef.com/podcast and leave your story or question. The tortoise always wins, Julian…

1
Oclef Daily | EP87 - Kaizen and the perfection of pursuit 3:19

6y ago3:19

3:19

In the education world, teachers sometimes can be overly focused on the results and outcomes in competitions and tests. And the question I have is - “What mindset does that produce for students in the long run?” I leave you with an idea and three questions. The Japanese word Kaizen means "change for better". How do you create experiences for your s…

1
Oclef Daily: EP86 - Small Wins 3:12

6y ago3:12

3:12

Talking about how small wins not only motivate students but can motivate their parent coaches as they make their way on the long journey of learning music. How do you motivate parents? The tortoise always wins, JulianBy Julian Toha

1
Oclef Daily: EP85 - Knowledge vs. Understanding 6:19

6y ago6:19

6:19

Trying a different format. Share it if you love it. The Tortoise always wins, JulianBy Julian Toha

1
Oclef Q&A: EP011 - How can I instill a sense of passion into my child? 3:57

6y ago3:57

3:57

Sample. Observe. Record. The child needs to sample a variety of activities and as their parent you need to be open and observant. Try to be as non-biased towards activities and you can. Watch them and record your observations about how they respond to these activities. Once you find the right one or two activities it comes down to you being passion…

1
Oclef Daily: EP84 - Educate Parents on the Value of Piano 7:39

6y ago7:39

7:39

Todays episode is a follow up on the concept talked about in yesterday’s interview with Irina Gorin. She talked about “educating parents”. What she really means is show parents the value of piano and why they need to be involved and committed in the right way. Today’s episode talks about a personal story on how one of my students has allowed lesson…

1
Oclef Interviews | EP28 - Irina Gorin - The Iconic Trailblazer in Piano Teaching 57:02

6y ago57:02

57:02

She's amazing. What else is there to say about Irina? :) Check out Tales of A Musical Journey and the rest of her work here - http://www.irinagorin.com/ Enjoy! JulianBy Julian Toha

1
Oclef Daily: EP83 - Recapping the Parent Recital 6:49

6y ago6:49

6:49

They did it! Many parents loved the experience of preparing, learning and performing with their child. My main goal is really to help them get into the learning process with their child. To become part of the piano learning environment. Regardless of the result, they will gain confidence and more trust from their kids who are learning piano. As wel…

1
Oclef Interviews | EP27: Michelle Conda - A Leading Teacher of Piano Teachers 44:41

6y ago44:41

44:41

This interview is a wonderful conversation with Michelle Conda of the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM). She's spent the last 25 years developing CCM as one of the top schools in the world to go learn how to teach piano. She has a talent for developing adults as teachers and in today's podcast she goes into The history of how she arrived where…

1
Oclef Daily: EP82 - The Teaching Window 6:39

6y ago6:39

6:39

Today I dive into the idea of how learning happens. For me, learning happens through an input that I call a "window". The window opens from the student's connection with the teacher. But parents have such a stronger bond and larger window with their children than any teacher can even imagine. So as teachers working with students, we spend time aski…

1
Oclef Daily: EP81 - Redefining Teaching Roles 6:39

6y ago6:39

6:39

Have you ever considered getting your parents, of your students, to teach in the lesson? What skills do they actually need to know in order for the child to improve? With the Oclef Method we see the parent and child as a teacher and student team guided by the actual teacher. By redesigning the role of parents as a teacher, how will that impact stud…

1
Oclef Daily: EP80 - Parent Recital 5:42

6y ago5:42

5:42

Yep. I'm having parents play in a recital with their kids. The backstory really explains it all. But the main idea here is role shifting. As educators, find ways to get your parents into their role as a teacher of the child as we shift into the coach of the parent and child team. The tortoise always wins, Julian…

1
Oclef Q&A EP010 - How do I improve my sight reading? 2:54

6y ago2:54

2:54

Great question! The standard answer would be for you to practice lower level pieces (i.e. level 3 if you’re level 5). And do that every day for about 15 minutes. It will improve as long as you’re consistent and patient. Try Rhythm books really help if you have a deficiency in rhythmic reading and patterns. I’m the video I’ve showed you an example o…

1
Oclef Daily: EP79 - Be weird. Be awkward. Be quirky. Be you. 9:30

6y ago9:30

9:30

I've always thought this. Weird, awkward and quirky things about people are the best things. The best. But for whatever reason, I've only recently applied it throughout my teaching and consulting. I used to work with students and use archetypes to be more efficient in my teaching. Big mistake. Nowadays, it's all about finding the weirdest thing I c…

1
Oclef Q&A: EP009 - How do pianists make interpretive choices? 4:51

6y ago4:51

4:51

By Julian Toha

1
Oclef Daily: EP78 - Tools of the Oclef Method: Priming, Narration, and Feedback 3:43

6y ago3:43

3:43

This is an episode from our Oclef Method. It’s a series for parents wanting to help their children during practice. Find all the episodes for our methodology that teaches parents here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUqEmaLrf_Fs-Cvyk1HvOkA Guidance As a parent, you can help your child with this so much. Navigating a piece of piano music can be da…

1
Oclef Daily: EP77 - Let progress reveal itself as independence 9:16

6y ago9:16

9:16

Progress We all want it. But should it be shown to parents as a sign of things going well? I used to think so, but I've gotten to the point now where I see progress as something that reveals itself. The whole music education infrastructure points to levels and method book with numbers. And everyone means well. But progress becomes obvious when it's…

1
Oclef Q&A: EP008 - How can I start learning piano at 16? 2:52

6y ago2:52

2:52

Discipline. It’s the most important element you’ll need to confirm or solve for before moving forward. Don’t start looking for a piano or a Method book or anything until you figure out how you plan to be consistent. If you focus on all the tools of learning music and not focus on the way you will work (i.e. accountability and daily routine), then i…

1
Oclef Q&A: EP007 - Can I teach my seven year old sister how to play piano by myself? 3:49

6y ago3:49

3:49

“Can I teach my 7 year old sister how to play piano by myself?” - Peterson Normil Yes. Be consistent - practice 6–7 days a week for 10–15 minutes a day. Doing 1 day a week for 1 hour will not work out. Focus on reading- Get her several books (piano adventures, Alfred, Hal Leonard) and have her constantly focus on building a visual vocabulary of int…

1
Oclef Daily: EP76 - Why radical candor is required when teaching 9:19

6y ago9:19

9:19

Honesty It’s a desirable quality. But the funny thing is how people often consider that NOT saying something because it’s not positive, is a good thing. Radical Candor is one of the biggest changes and tools to my work as an educator over the last few years. Not saying something to a parent that is the truth and is hurting their child’s chance of s…

1
Oclef Q&A: EP006 - What is your advice for someone just starting piano? 2:19

6y ago2:19

2:19

Reading. My best advice for a student just starting piano, at any age (5–105) is to develop your reading ability. While you’re working on your reading here are two super helpful tips: Have a very diverse set of books to read from. Don’t stick to one book or one piece of music. Develop your ‘visual vocabulary’. Music is built from patterns and if yo…

1
Oclef Daily: EP75 - Does musical talent exist? 6:51

6y ago6:51

6:51

We posted a survey on our Instagram and got hundreds of responses. The question was: Does a student need musical talent to succeed in learning music? The audiences answer was a yes... 57% Yes to 43% No Any great teacher will tell you that the answer to that question is obviously no. That's an easy answer. So I guess I need to do a better job educat…

1
Oclef Q&A: EP005 - I can play perfect during practice, but not in public. Why? 5:34

6y ago5:34

5:34

I’ll answer in two areas: Headspace- mistakes in performance happen and they should be expected. You have got to start focusing on the characters and audience experience you reveal through the music. Music for me is a verb. It is the act of communicating stories, ideas and emotions through sound. A small blip in the screen during a movie goes unnot…

1
Oclef Daily: EP74 - Fixing the fixed-mindset 9:40

6y ago9:40

9:40

Welcome to Season 6! I know I've been away for the last couple months and we have so much to share with you! This season will be about how to educate parents into becoming piano coaches and to help make sure their children are actually learning at home. Check out our new Oclef Methodology on YouTube and SUBSCRIBE :) https://www.youtube.com/channel/…

1
Oclef Daily: EP73 - The external point of reference fail 7:58

6+ y ago7:58

7:58

This is what could happen if a parent or teacher places a student's point of reference outside of themselves. Be careful with comparisons because it can spiral out of control if misplaced. Reach me at julian@oclef.com Follow us on instagram www.instagram.com/oclefBy Julian Toha

1
Oclef Q&A: EP004 - Where can I buy a used piano? 8:02

6+ y ago8:02

8:02

This is part of the collection of questions that I get so often. What's your advice on buying a piano? It's a very heavy question and I'm interested in developing a series within Oclef Q&A to teach parents about what they need to know. Would you be interested in content that answers these questions for parents or yourself? 1. Should I buy an acoust…

1
Oclef Daily: EP72 - The seeds of negativity 7:12

6+ y ago7:12

7:12

This is week six of the Seven Deadly Sins of Learning Music. It's an intro to negativity. Although it's not very common, it can become a very toxic habit. I have seen negativity develop from setting goals and status based on external forces. This is a very dangerous positioning that happens by accident sometimes and goes unnoticed. Later this week,…

1
Oclef Interviews | EP26: Dr. Joel Pierson - You Suck at Piano 26:56

6+ y ago26:56

26:56

Last September I came across a campaign on Kickstarter. There was a guy selling a book called "You suck at piano". It was sort of an Anti-method book full of humor and randomness. And of course, I loved it. It's the only book I've ever found to include humor in music education. All jokes aside, Joel Pierson raised $85,000 in his first effort and on…

1
Oclef Daily: EP71 - Predictability Problems 8:50

6+ y ago8:50

8:50

Easily one of the most common mistakes of students and parents is the topic of today's podcast - predictability. If students have the same predictable practice habits of playing their music pieces over and over from beginning to the end, recitals don't go so well. A recital performance is simply a mental "storm" and the music is a structure in the …

6+ y ago4:26

4:26

Pushing students to stretch in piano is a great way to help them grow. But recently, I learned about how important it is to have milestones or markers along the way. These can be obvious like recitals, tests and competitions or they can be less obvious. Like learning all your notes on flash cards, not having to have mom ask you to practice for two …

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Julian Toha Podcasts

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