Improvising - Playing by ear - Chord Charts, and other off-the-page Ideas!

On the Tutorial page of WillBailyPianoTunes.com are short tutorials that provide some guidance in approaching off-the-page playing and teaching. By the off-the-page I'm talking about improvising, realizing chord charts and playing by ear. I often hear teachers say, "Well yeah she's playing great, but I'm not sure she's reading a note". Terrified the student will play fluently and beautifully, but won't be able to sight-read at performance level or sight-read at all. Being able to read music is so important! I'm not worried that piano teachers aren't aware of this fact and are great at teaching students to read. However, guiding students to learn to hear music, and to play what they hear, is just as important; may even be more important! For most teachers it's not because they don't believe this, they're just not sure how to get started. Take a look at the tutorials and try them out yourself. Then, try them out with students. I hope you'll find big smiles and instant success. You'll also be impressed when a student returns playing AND singing along with the mp3 files. (Notice the direct link to purchase the mp3 files directly above the tutorials.) Have a Great Weekend Everybody! Happy Playing! Happy Teaching!