Ashley Danyew/The Art of Music Teaching & Learning (Self-Paced)

  • $397 or 3 monthly payments of $152

It’s not just what you teach; it’s how you teach.

From philosophy to methodology, assessment to curriculum design, learn how to build a pedagogically sound teaching practice that grows and evolves with you.

You care deeply about your students and love what you do, but deep down, you wonder: Am I doing this right?

You’ve asked yourself:

  • Is my teaching as effective as it could be?

  • Am I using the best approach?

  • Is my method pedagogically sound?

  • What am I missing?

You’ve put in the hours.

You’ve gone to the workshops, downloaded the PDFs, subscribed to the curriculum platforms. You’ve saved rhythm games on Pinterest and filled folders with lesson plans from Teachers Pay Teachers.

Some of it works, but something’s still missing.

You have all the pieces, but you’re unsure how to put them together into something cohesive and intentional—an approach that reflects your values, your creativity, and your philosophy of teaching.

Remember why you started teaching in the first place?

You wanted to inspire. To connect. To help students feel something through music.

You want your classroom, studio, or rehearsal space to feel like a place where creativity thrives. You want to help students feel seen and known and build their musical skills with purpose.

To do that, you need to connect the dots between your musical artistry and your teaching practice.

Let's talk about

The difference between inspiration and implementation.

Feeling inspired is what got you here, but inspiration alone doesn’t translate to confident, consistent teaching. You don’t need more shiny ideas. You need structure.

You need a framework that helps you turn your creative instincts into intentional choices—ones that serve your students and reflect who you are as a teacher. That’s where the implementation happens.

This course helps you close that gap.

You’ll learn how to recognize and trust your instincts, clarify your values and philosophy of teaching, and apply your musicality into a teaching approach that’s grounded in research methodologies and personal to you.

Introducing

The Art of Music Teaching & Learning

A self-paced online course for musicians who want to become more intentional, effective educators—without piecing it all together on their own.

We’ll cover the foundational teaching skills you may have pieced together along the way:

  • Articulate your teaching philosophy and use it to guide your decisions

  • Understand today’s most effective learning theories and what they look like in real life

  • Plan with purpose, assess with clarity, and design a curriculum that fits you

  • Teach musically, holistically, and authentically

I’ll walk you through every step with tools, templates, and real-world examples.

Module 1: Reflect

Learn the why behind your teaching and explore how music education history and philosophy can inform your practice today. You’ll develop a personal teaching philosophy, clarify your values, and identify the five core components of your teaching style.

Module 2: Study

Clarify what to teach, when to teach it, and how to sequence it for deeper learning. You’ll explore the four artistic processes, learn to design a spiral curriculum, and create your own Scope & Sequence chart using practical templates and tools.

Module 3: Practice

Learn how to structure lessons that engage students through movement, embodiment, and multisensory learning. You’ll take a whole-part-whole approach to planning and explore strategies that promote musical understanding through active experience.

Module 4: Teaching Portfolio, Part 1

Apply what you’re learning to your unique teaching context. This is a catch-up and implementation week to begin organizing your ideas into a professional teaching portfolio.

Module 5: Learn

Explore how people learn best and what that means for your students. You’ll learn how to write effective learning goals, understand the difference between learning styles and learning processes, and discover how to support musical growth in the Zone of Proximal Development.

Module 6: Evaluate

Gain confidence in how you assess student learning by figuring out what to measure—and how. You’ll learn about formative and summative assessments, the difference between aptitude and achievement, and get simple tools to assess learning in real time, no matter what your teaching situation looks like.

Module 7: Create

Bring everything together into an intentional, cohesive curriculum. You’ll write multi-week teaching plans, develop flexible lesson plan templates, and integrate content, methods, and assessment into a framework that fits your teaching scenario.

Module 8: Teaching Portfolio, Part 2

Use this final week to continue refining your materials and prepare your professional teaching portfolio. You’ll have dedicated time to reflect, implement feedback, and get ready to put your new tools and strategies into practice.

What other music educators are saying...

"The Art of Music Teaching & Learning helped fill out some spaces in my approach that were weak and not as well prepared as I realized. I expect that I will look back on my workbook often to keep reminding myself of the nuggets that I learned."

"Given me more confidence."

"It ultimately has given me more confidence, but also encouraged me to always be a learner."

"I'm much more conscious about the kind of teacher I want to be."

Great tools I'll come back to again and again.

"I'll surely come back to this course's tools to guide my approach, the materials I use to teach, and the way I'll fairly assess student's progress and my own."

Take a closer look

This isn’t just theory for theory’s sake.

You’ll walk away with a clearer understanding of how people learn music, a teaching philosophy that actually reflects who you are, and a practical framework for planning, assessing, and teaching with confidence.

This course gives you the essentials—plus practical tools, templates, and support to help you apply what you’re learning to your real-world context.

Here’s what’s inside:

  • ✔️ 12 core video lessons + 2 checkpoint videos
    Released over 8 weeks (approx. 20–25 minutes each)

  • ✔️ 54-page printable workbook
    Reflective prompts, planning templates, and sample assessment tools

  • ✔️ Template library
    Ready-to-use tools, spreadsheets, and resources you can tailor to your teaching situation

  • ✔️ Built-in support
    Ask questions and get answers as you work, inside the program or via email

  • ✔️ Self-paced, lifetime access
    Start anytime and review whenever you need it

Ready to start teaching with confidence, strategy, and purpose?

Build a practical, pedagogically sound teaching practice rooted in intention, not imitation.

The reviews are in.

“Ready to start putting it into practice.”

"[I loved] the practical part of the course, in which we're slowly, safely and comfortably led to create our own teaching theories, documents, charts, teaching sequences and assessment tools that are ready to be used and applied in real contexts with real students. By the end of the course, you're ready to start putting it into practice."

Simple tools & practical guidance.

"I don't feel so alone anymore, and I learned all these simple tools to guide me along the way."

"It was worth it all."

Hi, I'm Ashley Danyew.

Musician, educator, and entrepreneur.

I share creative, pedagogically sound ideas and resources to help you discover (and rediscover) the creative side of music teaching and learning.

I help music teachers and directors like you find clarity, generate fresh ideas, and build confidence—while honing your skills, keeping your students engaged, and managing your time effectively (because, as we all know, this is essential).

I have a Ph.D. in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music and bring over 20 years of teaching experience across church, community, studio, and college settings. I’ve helped musicians at every stage of their careers develop the skills and strategies they need to lead, teach, and be successful—especially when stepping into new roles, launching something innovative, or balancing multiple part-time positions.

I created this course to give you the tools, frameworks, and support you need to teach with confidence, creativity, and intention. Excited to meet you inside!

This is for you if...

✓ You teach music, but weren’t formally trained as a teacher

✓ You’re stepping into a new role or balancing multiple part-time jobs

✓ You want to stop piecing things together and start teaching with purpose

This is not for you if:

✗ You want a copy-paste, done-for-you curriculum.

 ✗ You’re not open to reflection or exploration

 ✗ You want a quick fix instead of a sustainable teaching practice that grows and evolves over time

FAQs

What other music teachers have asked:

Who is this course for? Will it work for me?

This course is designed for musicians who teach (or want to teach) but don’t have formal training in music education. Whether you teach privately or in a school, church, or community setting, this course will provide a research-backed, practical framework to help you develop your own authentic teaching approach. I include different strategies and approaches throughout the course to help you tailor the tools, templates, and planning guides to your specific teaching situation.

What if I already have some teaching experience?

Perfect! This course will help you deepen your understanding, refine your teaching philosophy, and build confidence in your methods. You won’t find generic lesson plans here—this is about crafting a thoughtful, effective approach tailored to you and your students.

How much time do I need to commit?

I designed this course to be completed in 6-8 weeks with about 2 hours per week. That includes watching lessons, doing reflection exercises, and applying things in your teaching. That being said, it’s completely self-paced, so feel free to start when you’re ready and work at your own pace.

Will this course give me ready-made lesson plans?

No. This course focuses on helping you develop your own teaching framework, philosophy, and strategies—not providing pre-packaged lessons. You’ll learn how to design meaningful lessons and curricula that suit your specific students and teaching scenario.

Do I need a teaching certification or degree to take this course?

Not at all. This course is perfect for musicians without formal education credentials who want to grow their teaching skills and confidence based on solid pedagogy and practical application.

Will I get any kind of certificate or professional development credit?

I don't have a way to offer college or professional development credit at this time, but I'd be happy to send you a Certificate of Completion (upon request) at the end of the course, including the number of hours of work it represents, if that's helpful.

What do I need to get started?

Just an Internet connection! This course is taught exclusively online. Immediately after purchasing, you'll receive an email with details on how to login to a members-only website where you can access the course. Access the content 24/7 from any device. All course content and materials will be delivered in digital format: audio and video lessons, PDF downloads, and web links. Nothing physical will be shipped to you.

Will I get support during the course?

Absolutely. You can ask questions and get feedback via the comments section inside the platform or email.

You’re a good musician, but that doesn’t mean teaching comes naturally.

Being an effective teacher takes more than good intentions. It requires strategy, sequencing, and a clear philosophy behind your approach.

Build the foundation and frameworks you need to teach with clarity, creativity, and purpose.

Plan with intention. Teach with confidence.

Here’s what’s inside:

  • ✔️ 12 core video lessons + 2 checkpoint videos
    Released over 8 weeks (approx. 20–25 minutes each)

  • ✔️ 54-page printable workbook
    Reflective prompts, planning templates, and sample assessment tools

  • ✔️ Template library
    Ready-to-use tools, spreadsheets, and resources you can tailor to your teaching situation

  • ✔️ Built-in support
    Ask questions and get answers as you work, inside the program or via email

  • ✔️ Self-paced, lifetime access
    Start anytime and review whenever you need it

Let's fast-forward.

By the end of this course, you’ll have a thoughtful teaching philosophy, a cohesive curriculum, and a toolkit of proven strategies rooted in how people actually learn music.

But more importantly, you’ll feel like the teacher you’ve always wanted to be.