Christina Whitlock, Beyond Measure Podcast

Today, I Confess: This is Not Real. "This is going to sound really weird... but I don't feel like any of this is real. For as much time as I spend using technology, I have never thought of my life as being electronic. It's just electrons flying through the air." When Jason Sifford first spoke these words to me as we recorded Episode 220, I had no idea what an earworm his words would become. Truly, I've heard Jason's voice in my head saying, "I don't feel like any of this is real." more times...

Today, I Confess: I Have a New Obsession.... (and it's spelled P-L-A-Y) Earlier this week, I presented a session at NCKP online titled, "The Paradox of Play: Taking Fun Seriously". I've always considered PLAY a priority in the work I do. In fact, it's included on my list of core values that I discussed with Leila Viss at the start of this week's podcast conversation. Even still, my research for this session sparked a new fire under me, and my purpose as a piano teacher feels renewed on every...

Today, I Confess: Sometimes My Job is Hard. (And so is everyone else's) This time of year, I love watching commencement addresses given at various institutions. An all-time favorite features Kelly Corrigan at The Walker School from 2021. It’s worth 8 minutes of your time. A highlight, for me, is when she talks about her friend, Paul Ford: Kelly says EVERYONE loves Paul Ford because, “…at parties, he asks people what they do for a living. Whatever they tell him they do, he says, “That must be...

Today, I Confess: Sometimes Action is Shallow In the preface to his book, Intelligent Music Teaching, Robert Duke makes a quip about the typical music teacher conference experience, saying, "...to leave the room with nothing more than a new activity for Monday, with no greater understanding of the fundamental principles of human learning... is to leave the room without having learned anything of lasting value." This key observation comes just TWO PAGES into Duke's must-read collection of...

Today, I Confess: I Didn't See This Coming... At the end of Episode 214, I promised a Confession today related to the universal SHOULDS of teaching. Well, forgive me, but I'm going in a different direction. *** Something happened yesterday that knocked the wind right out of me. You've probably experienced something similar. First, the backstory: I teach an elementary-aged sibling pair that I absolutely adore. That affection notwithstanding, they've had a discouraging year of piano. There has...

Today, I Confess: It's Easy to Focus on the Wrong Things. It's Recital Week over here in my world and that means I've been a busy bee. 🐝 I wasn't going to send a Confession today (keep those self-imposed deadlines in perspective, friends!) but then I was hit with an overwhelming desire to make a recital-related confession... so here I am! 👋 When it comes to recitals, it's easy to focus on the wrong things. Many teachers struggle with recital season because they feel pressure over how their...

Today, I Confess: Some things in my TeacherLife are NOT working. As promised in this week's podcast episode, today I am sharing a few things from my recent reflections on What is NOT Working This Season of Life. Every quarter, I make two lists: (1) What is working this season of life, and (2) What is NOT. I like to share some of my reflections from the first question on the podcast, and some from the second list here. No. 1: Taxes Big sigh. As I posted in IG a few weeks ago, this is the only...

*If this is your first Piano Teacher Confession email, you may have landed on my list after signing up for updates on my 2025 Intermediate Teaching Cohort with Janna Williamson. WELCOME to the most honest space in Piano Teacher World! Today, I Confess: I Don't Think We Teach the Way We Were Taught. (not exactly, anyway...) A common sentiment among piano teachers is this: "When I started teaching, I didn't have any training, so I taught the way I was taught." I spent years saying the same...

Today, I Confess: I Don't Always Get My Way. (not that any of us do...) This week's podcast episode featured 7 points of criteria I use when choosing repertoire for my recitals. I've got a story about a time I *didn't* get my way in the recital selection process... but FIRST! Meet the 2025 Recital Guide. 🤩 Do you have pieces that seem to find their way to your recital programs over and over again? I'm sharing 36 of mine in the 2025 Recital Guide. Broken down by seven levels (Pre-Reading...