Piano Teaching Success Podcast

#14 Blues Made Easy - get cool, get creative (and build valuable music skills without even noticing!) With composer, Mark Matthews

Piano Teaching Success Podcast

Show Notes

Mark Matthews is a composer, educator, and self-described musical engineer, and he has an unmissable approach to learning the blues; you’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out.

In this episode, Mark meets me online from his current location at the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, and from here he shares the history and origins of blues.

He then goes on to share the three-part recipe behind every blues scale, so you'll never be intimidated by it again.

Mark's Easy Blues Method has been developed across four grade levels - each one building on the last - and the results speak for themselves. In this episode, I even have a go on the piano, so watch me in action!

In this episode, you'll discover:

Where the blues actually originated - and why it matters for how we teach it

Why the blues scale is the single best tool for re-engaging a stuck or reluctant student

The three-part recipe that unlocks every blues scale in every key

What Tactile Action Technique is - and why it turns quiet students into confident performers

How Mark's Easy Blues Method graduates from elementary through to grade four recital level

The structure behind creativity

The direct correlation between blues and Whole Body Learning

About Mark Matthews

Mark Matthews is an Australian composer, educator, and civil engineer whose compositions have been helping piano teachers introduce blues to students of all ages and levels for decades. His work bridges the gap between classical training and contemporary musicianship in a way that is practical, joyful, and immediately usable in your studio.

Resources

🎹 Join Mark, Gillian, and Paul for the Beginner Blues Masterclass inside The Studio

👉 Join The Studio here → $49/month, cancel anytime

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