Ever wondered what it's like to attend the biggest piano teaching conference in the world? Want to find out why I travelled for 20 hours in a thin metal cylinder at 35,000 feet just to attend a professional development event? Interested in what I took away from the event this year? Looking for the notes and slides from my presentation? Today's episode is my first solo podcast (let me know what you think) and it's all about my time at the NCKP. In this episode, I answer all the above questions and give you a presenter's view of the biggest piano teaching conference in the world.  PS. This is a great episode to watch parts of on YouTube as I include video footage from the event. See link below to watch. To put it simply, this was one of the best professional development events that I've been to and I wanted to podcast about it to encourage as many members of my community to think about attending as possible in the future. I also want to encourage everyone to prioritise attending live teacher training events in their areas as much as possible as there is something tangible about getting together face-to-face with a room full of like-minded people that is incredibly inspirational and leaves you feeling less isolated and more motivated. As usual, I've got a free download for you today [link below]. I've put together a quick checklist of links that you'll find useful if you want to find out more about things that went on at the conference. Are you enjoying these podcasts? I'd love for you to leave a podcast review. Find out how easy it is here.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What it's like to be at the NCKP, the kinds of people you'll meet, the venue and the content
• The two overarching themes of the conference this year and why this is important for all teachers
• Why teaching is changing and how to get on board
• Bradley Sowash's method for teaching students using chords
• Why teaching pop music is important for your studio and your students
• My future webinar about teaching pop music
• The content of one of the best keynote speeches I've heard
• The order of development of music and language skills
• The flipped music studio

Items mentioned in this podcast:

• The Conference Booklet (timetable, speakers, details, etc.)
• Sir Ken Robinson's TED Talk on creativity
• My NCKP Presentation Slides and Links
• Kristin Yost's website (and lots of free downloads for studio business)
• Using YouTube to flip the studio

Today’s free download (click image to open):

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What's been your favourite live event recently?

Have you been to a live event for piano teachers recently? Perhaps a local workshop or lecture or maybe a massive national conference. Whatever it is, let us know by leaving a comment below.