068: Piano Behind Bars with Florence Phillips

What happens when you bring piano lessons into a prison? Florence Phillips shares how a personal connection to the justice system led her to start a music program inside a Pennsylvania prison. With no template and plenty of obstacles, she built something powerful from scratch. Florence opens up about the messy first class, the transformation that followed, and the impact music had on her students and on herself. This is an episode about resilience, creativity, and what it really means to teach with purpose.

• Florence shared an overview of her multi-teacher piano studio.
• How a loved one’s incarceration opened her eyes to life inside prison.
• She discovered that there were no music programs post-COVID at a nearby facility.
• The logistical challenge of not being allowed to bring anything inside—not even a pen or notebook.
• How she prepared by sending lesson plans in advance and staying flexible.
• She shared about her first class feeling chaotic, with mixed levels and little structure.
• How she almost quit, but support from colleagues pushed her to try again.
• How her second class improved after she set clear goals and expectations.
• Structuring a routine with solo sharing, group work, and one-on-one help.
• How clapping and celebration slowly became natural for the group.
• Florence shared that the music gave the men something to look forward to and feel proud of.
• She reflected that teaching in prison changed her deeply.

Links Mentioned

• Florence's website: Florence Phillips Music
• Florence's Instagram page: @florence_phillips_music
• Florence's Facebook page: Florence Phillips Music

Today's Guest Florence Phillips is a pianist and educator based in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She founded her private studio in 2020 and works with a diverse range of students—from young beginners to advanced adults—providing a welcoming, creative, and supportive environment for musical growth. A native of West Chester, Florence is passionate about enriching her community through music. She holds both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Piano Pedagogy, the former from West Chester University, where she currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Wells School of Music. In addition to her university work, she teaches group piano classes at SCI Phoenix and remains active as a church musician. With over a decade of performance experience, Florence has appeared as a soloist, collaborative pianist, and orchestral performer. Her repertoire includes virtuosic works such as Balakirev’s Islamey, Ravel’s Ondine, and Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, which she performed with the WCU Symphony Orchestra. Outside of her musical pursuits, Florence enjoys spending time with her large extended family, exploring her hometown, and traveling with her daughter. About Rachel Ehring Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.