Episode109 - Christina Whitlock

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🎙️ Beyond Measure Podcast
🙋🏼‍♀️ Friend+Philosopher to the Piano Teaching Profession
🎶 Nurturing others to a lifelong love of music teaching

Hi, I’m Christina and I’m a serial optimizer.

Hi, I’m Christina and I’m a serial optimizer. 🙋🏼‍♀️

I love New Years Energy because it floods me with hope I’m going to find THE life rhythms and THE routines that will allow me to feel like I have my act together.

…but today, as I found myself lamenting over failed January expectations, the thought came to me: WHO SAYS your life needs a complete overhaul?

The quest to be more efficient/more productive/more of a contribution IS A TRAP! 🙅🏼‍♀️

Maybe you’re doing just great. Maybe - in fact - you’re a REALLY IMPRESSING HUMAN BEING! 🌟

Cheers to jumping off the Optimizer Train, my friends. You’re already setting the standard pretty dang high! 🥂#pianoteacher #beyondmeasurepodcast #pianoteaching #pianoteacherlife #iteachmusic #musicteaching #musicteacher #pianoteachersofinstagram #optimize #newyear

T W O H U N D R E D E P I S O D E S 🥂 …cel

T W O H U N D R E D E P I S O D E S 🥂

…celebrating WITH YOU today (because I wouldn’t be here without you 🤍)

Episode 200 of Beyond Measure features an exercise in brevity by giving a one-statement recap of every. single. episode.

(okay; sometimes I used more than one sentence) 🤣

Check out the shownotes to download all 200 takeaways in written form.

THANK YOU for loving my little show to 200 episodes (and Beyond) 💫

Onward and upward, friends!

This is the heart of Episode 199… January is a

This is the heart of Episode 199…

January is a great to time take an audit of whether or not your Teacher Words, Teacher Actions, *and* Teacher Expectations are aligned with one another… or if there are discrepancies that leave you feeling annoyed or disrespected.

If so, let’s harness all that New Year/New You Energy and make some changes!

Teaching is certainly not all sunshine and rainbows, but there is no reason to be miserable.

🥂 to aligning our actions, words, and expectations, friends!

Advice to my younger self… (And, let’s face i

Advice to my younger self…

(And, let’s face it, my current self, too…)

Music doesn’t have to be “perfect” to matter.

In fact, lots of things are BETTER than perfect. Check out episode 167 for an excellent example.

Tell me, friends… what advice would you give YOUR younger self?

I assume today’s Confession is a polarizing one…

I anticipate responses to range from “Well, DUH!” to “You Monster!” 🫣🤣

If you and I are not email buddies, you can read today’s Piano Teacher Confession over on the blog.

If you appreciate the words I bring to Piano Teacher Universe, please consider joining the Patreon Community at the links provided.

Your support keeps me going AND you’ll probably learn a thing or two as well 😉

As always:

🥂 May we stay focused on what REALLY matters in our work: the people, the music, and the growth we experience together. 🥂

Teacher Words vs. Teacher Actions: a Comparison. 🫣

Today’s episode features a few ways to capitalize on January Energy to make life better for everyone.

As Brene Brown is famous for saying, “Clear is Kind!”.

Check out Episode 199, my friends! 🥂

A (tiny) reminder from my (already-tiny) toast fro

A (tiny) reminder from my (already-tiny) toast from this past week. 🥂

I hope you’ll make Beyond Measure Podcast part of your 2025 listening life.

I don’t make flashy promises. No “7 steps to Master Teacher Status” around here 😉

What I have is experience:

…Experience being the young teacher who had no idea what she was doing.

…Experience being the academic who thought she knew *everything*.

…and (thankfully) Experience to know better.

I’m grateful to have a platform where I can help you learn from my journey.

The truth is, we’ll ALWAYS be learning, and what matters most is the relationships we make along the way.

We’re so much better together.

Thanks for being here! 🤍

New Year, New E-Letter! 🤩 I will always have a

New Year, New E-Letter! 🤩

I will always have a place in my heart for One Thought Thursdays, but we’re moving onward and upward with Piano Teacher Confessions!

Truth be told, my weekly e-letter has *always* felt like I was stepping into a confessional of some sort…

(And, as my husband once pointed out, “One Thought Thursdays” would be more appropriately titled, “Many Thought Thursdays”.) 🤣

Guilty as charged.

Today’s Piano Teacher Confession? I’m a serial “fixer”.

I’m unpacking some recent observations about what I know to be true in the studio… yet struggle to apply to my own life.

I hope you’ll join me! Find all the details (and the archives for all 65 installments of One Thought Thursdays!) at ChristinaWhitlock.com/blog

Cheers to the New Year, friends! 🥂

2024, let’s do this! 🥂 #beyondmeasurepodcast

2024, let’s do this! 🥂 #beyondmeasurepodcast #pianoteacher #pianoteaching #pianoteacherlife

Talk about a big task! 😅 I did my best to choo

Talk about a big task! 😅

I did my best to choose one favorite episode from each month of the podcast this year.

(Note: I could not BEGIN to choose favs from the Summertime Conversation Series… so DON’T MAKE ME CHOOSE. Those are episodes 171-180 and you should count them ALL as must-listens!)

I am ridiculously proud of the progress we’ve helped one another make thus far and am looking forward to SO MUCH MORE in 2025! 🥂

Curious about Beyond Measure but overwhelmed by 4.

Curious about Beyond Measure but overwhelmed by 4.5 years of episodes? 😅

…or, maybe you found me later in the game and want to make sure you haven’t missed the best of the best?

There’s a playlist for that! 🥂

Search Spotify Playlists for “Defining Episodes of Beyond Measure”

(or comment “Playlist” below and I’ll send you the link)

Happy last-day-of-2024, my studio teacher friends!

Profoundly Mentally Lazy.

That’s the goal. 🤣

I am not great at relaxing. I like to stay busy, but I also need a 🧠 break.

…that’s why this principle works for me.

No studio planning. No writing. No big decision-making.

My brain is in full-on hibernation mode for 6 more days.

In the meantime, I’ll clean/declutter/read/play my heart out…but no heavy mental lifting is allowed. 🤍

How about YOU? How do YOU use your time over winter break? #beyondmeasurepodcast #pianoteacher #pianoteaching #iteachmusic #pianoteacherlife #musicteaching #pianoteachersofinstagram

I feel this more in my bones with each passing day

I feel this more in my bones with each passing day…

🥂 May we never lose sight of helping our students learn to explore their *own* musical ideas, even as we’re teaching them to interpret those of others.

Although it’s been said many times many ways….

Although it’s been said many times many ways….

TALK LESS. PLAY MORE.

(And, yes, I’m aware we Hamilton fans can’t help but imagine the voice of Leslie Odom, Junior saying this as Aaron Burr).🤣

I’ve said this many, many times over the course of the podcast… but Amy Chaplin and I each brought a few more spins on the idea to episode 198 of Beyond Measure.

Be sure to check out this week’s episode for more! 🥂

It’s a two-for-one special today on Beyond Measu

It’s a two-for-one special today on Beyond Measure! 👯‍♀️

In the last full-length episode of 2024, I invited @pianopantryamy to join me for the latest installment in a fan-favorite series, What Is Working in this Season.

It will come as no surprise; we talk about a little bit of everything: new ways to play more/talk less… what’s going on in our kitchens… letting go of traditions…

Join us for our conversation on Episode 198 of Beyond Measure with Christina Whitlock! 🥂

My Teacher “Ah-Ha!” Moment…. Early in my t

My Teacher “Ah-Ha!” Moment….

Early in my teaching, I thought a “good” lesson was one where we did ALL THE THINGS.

✅ Scales
✅ Sightreading
✅ Repertoire Books
✅ Improvisation
✅ Aural Skills

…you know, ALL THE THINGS. 🙃

And - since it’s virtually impossible to achieve the whole list in a single lesson - I always felt like I was falling short.

Somewhere along the line, I realized the “to-do list” (aka, my Lesson Plan) was not the most important part of a successful lesson. The relationship is the gateway to the best work.

Students need to feel three things:
(1) Capable
(2) Accountable
(3) Invested-In

I take those three goals and combine them into an experience that combines challenge and enjoyment.

Laughter and hard work.

Setting goals for the future, yet celebrating the musician we are today.

Helping you find the same experience is one of the great joys of my life.

Hang with me on your own time on the Beyond Measure Podcast. 🥂

Now it’s YOUR turn! Can you pin-point a Teacher “Ah-ha!” Moment? I’d love to hear about it. 🤓

FRIDAY: December 13th!🎁 Join us for an EXTRA-s

FRIDAY: December 13th!🎁

Join us for an EXTRA-special round of Teachers Teaching Teachers, featuring our first-ever Show And Tell. 🌟

I’ve said it forever; the HIGHLIGHT of the Beyond Measure Community is not me; it’s the brilliant, like-minded teachers who share their wisdom and experience with us. 🤍

I decided it was time to REALLY let everyone shine. So, we will gather on Friday, 12.13.24, at 11am (eastern time) and share our favorite teacher repertoire and more. 📚

As always, a replay will be available for anyone unable to attend live. 👍🏻

Head to Patreon.com/beyondmeasurepodcast and sign up for just $6! 🥂#pianoteacher #beyondmeasurepodcast #pianoteaching #iteachmusic #pianoteacherlife #pianoteachersofinstagram #

The following is a true story… 😅 Once upon a

The following is a true story… 😅

Once upon a time, there was a piano teacher 🙋🏼‍♀️ who always spent MANY hours in December recording students and editing their videos into cute “video gifts” to be shared with friends and family via YouTube.

She LOVED the end-result because they served as the perfect year-end time capsule.

(Accidental Bonus; they also kept her name in the community, because parents would often share the YouTube links on social media).

This year, that teacher is tired.

As she started filming student performances this week, the thought occurred to her: what if she just skipped that part this year?

All of a sudden, life felt more manageable.

The teacher 🙋🏼‍♀️ remembered traditions are beautiful things… but the world will keep turning if she takes a year off.

Maybe you need the same reminder? If so, consider this your sign to take a year off. 🥂

I guess it’s officially time for year-end reflec

I guess it’s officially time for year-end reflections! 🤯

Last January, I told listeners my primary intention for the year was to Remain Teachable.

…and, boy, did 2024 have some things to teach me. 😅

In today’s episode, I’m reflecting on the true value of our Teacher Work, as well as tough lessons learned on the importance of being prepared.

It’s 16 minutes worth your time, friends!

…now I’m dying to know: did YOU choose words of intention this year? How did they work out for you?

My PSA regarding Teacher Gifts. 🥂

My PSA regarding Teacher Gifts. 🥂

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