Chrissy Ricker
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TopMusic Piano Podcast Interview!

3/3/2025

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A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Rachel Ehring, host of the TopMusic Piano Podcast! Many thanks to Rachel for inviting me on the show to talk about my journey to becoming a composer, my newest projects, and my ideas for encouraging creativity in piano lessons.

You can listen to my interview with Rachel HERE, or look for it wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
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7 Holiday Hacks to Use in Your Lessons this Season!

12/13/2024

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If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have noticed my "Holiday Hacks" series of teaching tips over the past few weeks. (And if you don't follow me there...what are you waiting for? I share teaching tips, information about new releases, freebies, and more, 5 days a week over on those platforms!)

My "holiday hacks" give you easy ideas for fun ways to use holiday songs to work on ear training, music theory, improvisation, and much more during this busy time of year.

​Today, I am sharing all 7 holiday hacks here in one handy blog post, along with free printables that you can use with your students as you wrap up the year!

Keep reading to see more...


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Interview for the WFMC "Meet the Composer" Series!

6/3/2024

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I recently had the pleasure of doing an interview with Sam Ecoff from the Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs for their "Meet the Composer" YouTube series. This video series introduces piano teachers and students to contemporary composers from all over the country who are currently writing works for piano students. 

​If you are interested in learning more about me, what inspired me to become a composer, and how I got started publishing and arranging my music--feel free to check out the video below!

Thanks again to Sam Ecoff and the WFMC for including me in this wonderful series!
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Guest post on teaching composition for the Colourful Keys blog!

9/18/2023

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We all know that teaching improvisation and composition is a great way for our piano students to unlock their creativity and get comfortable making music away from the written page. 

​But did you know these activities can also be powerful tools for helping our students learn and memorize scales, chord progressions, accompaniment patterns and much more?

Check out my guest post for the Colourful Keys blog to learn more about easy ways to harness the power of composition in your studio!

Many thanks to the Colourful Keys team for inviting me to contribute to their website! Click HERE to read the whole article.



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Summer Fun Series! Lesson Plan #5

8/6/2023

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Summer is a great time to think outside of the box as you lesson plan! Flexibility with your lesson plans in the summer is also key, since students are often taking more sporadic lessons due to summer vacations, camps, sports, and other activities.

Over the past few weeks, I have been sharing a series of fun lesson plans that are perfect for busy students (and teachers) this summer! Each lesson plan includes links to FREE worksheets and activities that can be completed in the space of a 30 minute lesson.

This week, I am wrapping up the series with a lesson plan that just might be my favorite out of the whole bunch! Lesson Plan #5 is designed to get your students' creative juices flowing with a focus on improvisation! 

​Keep reading to learn more....


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    Author

    Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. These are her thoughts on teaching, composing, and all things music.


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