Q&A with Beverly Cashin, Piano Teacher of the Year

We asked Lessonface Teachers of the Year about their process and goals for 2025. Here are the responses from Beverly Cashin, our 2024 teacher of the year for piano, keyboard, jazz piano, and piano composition.

What are some key lessons your students have learned this year?

Some of my students are learning to play along with backing tracks, which simulates playing in a band. So, it's a way to teach people how to play in a band! I'm so glad to have stumbled upon this teaching technique. I've heard some band leaders say that it's hard to find keyboard players, because many pianists can play a lot of piano, but don't have the specific skill set for playing in a band. This type of study also helps greatly with feeling the beat, which is a basic requirement for good playing in any genre.

What was your favorite “aha” moment from 2024?

I have a young student who was doing OK with counting the rhythm, but when she started playing along with a backing track, I could see her bouncing to the rhythm and obviously feeling the beat! Her whole energy for piano increased at that moment. This sums up my best “aha” moment from 2024: how to increase students' ability to feel the beat!!!

What’s the funniest or most unexpected thing that happened during a lesson this year?

One of my young students now has 2 family dogs. He didn't particularly like the original dog, and often complained about it, but when the 2nd dog entered the home, the complaints really amped up! You should hear some of the nicknames and commentary the student has regarding the 2nd dog! I can't quite share it here. :). It does provide some laughs for me, that's for sure.

What’s one lasting takeaway you hope your students will carry with them from your teaching, even years from now?

You can use your imagination when playing piano! Sheet music is a great way of getting the message across, but it's not the ultimate goal or referee in playing music. We can make our own way of playing a song, while of course we carefully develop the basic skills so we can be effective in however we play.

What’s the first song you ever learned to play, and does it still hold meaning for you?

I don't remember the first song I ever played, but I remember the first time I played something other than classical piano in lessons. I loved piano, and I loved classical music, but I wanted something different. So I asked my teacher if she could get me “something different”. She was taken aback, but the next lesson she presented me with a sheet music book from The Sound of Music. I devoured that book! It was my first step in expanding my interests in playing the piano.

If you could jam with any musician, living or dead, who would it be and why?

If I could jam with any musician, it would probably be Flora Purim. She is a brilliant Brazilian jazz vocalist, and her performance on Chick Corea's song 'Sometime Ago' was so exciting to me, and still is.

What are some of your most indispensable pieces of gear?

My most valuable piece of gear for my own recording activities is actually a piece of software called Power Tracks Pro Audio, by PG Music. It has many uses, but my favorite is the midi editor. When recording, it can be frustrating trying to get an excellent take, as there are usually a few mistakes with each recording. With a midi editor, you can clean up a few details in an otherwise good performance, rather than trying 20 or 50 more times to get that perfect take!

What are some gear items that you wish all your students had?

For teaching, it's most important for students to have a good microphone and webcam. Without that, it takes extra concentration to see and hear what's happening. At the same time, we don't want to always be telling people to spend more money on their music lessons!

What’s a skill or idea you’re excited to explore in 2025?

For 2025, I want to create some detailed methods to help students who want to write melodies. There are a good number of people who come up with good chord progressions and rhythms for a song, but struggle to get a good melody. There are techniques to help with that, and I plan to get them on paper.

Learn more with Beverly Cashin.