Purposeful Piano Pedagogy: Thoughtful Conversations on Teaching, Calling, & Craft

Purposeful Piano Pedagogy is a podcast for piano teachers, piano pedagogy students, & music educators who want to teach with intention, integrity, and care.

Hosted by an experienced piano pedagogue and teacher educator, this podcast explores piano teaching as formational work - examining the deeper questions behind technique, curriculum, assessment, studio culture, and teacher identity. Through reflective conversations and practical insight, episodes engage the intersections of teaching, calling, & craft asking not only how to teach piano, but why.

Topics include:

Piano pedagogy & teaching philosophy
Technique, musicianship, & curriculum design
Teacher formation, sustainability, & burnout
Student-centered & humane teaching practices
Studio systems, assessment, & long-term musical growth

Some episodes are philosophical. Others are rooted in real studio practice. All are guided by the conviction that piano teaching is never neutral —& that every pedagogical choice shapes both the student & the teacher.

Purposeful Piano Pedagogy is for independent piano teachers, collegiate instructors, & pedagogy students who are seeking clarity, depth, and longevity in their teaching.

Host

Dr. Christina Mathis, NCTM

Pianist and teacher Dr. Christina Mathis began studying piano at the age of six and immediately fell in love! Christina holds degrees from Judson College, Liberty University, and The University of Southern Mississippi.

Dr. Mathis is Assistant Professor of Piano at the Winters School of Music at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, where she oversees the collaborative and pedagogy areas, offers instrumental and vocal coaching, and maintains a thriving private studio of students of all ages and levels. She is also the director of the Carey Music Academy, a community outreach of William Carey University.

In her free time, Christina enjoys meditative nature walks, reading, embroidering, and spending time with her daughters and their growing families.

https://www.christinamathis.com/