Today on the podcast, I’m joined by two remarkable musicians, educators, and collaborators — Jen Teh and Kate Schirmer.

Jen and Kate both live deeply in the world of music education. They teach, mentor, conduct, and inspire musicians at many levels. At the same time, they continue to create and perform their own music, bringing years of experience from classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and stages into the work they do today.

Kate Schirmer is a Lecturer in Music and Singing at the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre at Griffith University. She also serves as Artistic Director of the Queensland Show Choir, where she conducts their award-winning young adult ensemble, Voiceworks. Kate presents nationally and internationally to singers, teachers, choristers, and actors, and she’s also an experienced crossover performer. Her career spans opera, big band, musical theatre, cabaret, contemporary commercial music — and even a gig with the Rolling Stones.

Jen Teh is a singer, conductor, and music educator with more than twenty years of experience across classrooms, choirs, studios, and stages. She is the founding director of Hush Little Baby Early Childhood Music Classes and specializes in early childhood music education. Jen teaches in both the School of Music and the School of Education at the University of Queensland and serves as an accredited lecturer for the Australian Kodály Certificate in Music Education. At the heart of her work is a simple belief — music should belong to everyone.

Together, Jen and Kate are stepping onto the stage with a brand-new cabaret show that celebrates the music of the late 1990s and early 2000s — the iconic Triple J era. The show blends nostalgia, storytelling, and beautiful cabaret-style arrangements of songs by artists like The Whitlams, Missy Higgins, You Am I, and Lior.

The show is part of the Anywhere Festival and will feature six performances across two Brisbane venues — The Raven in West End and New Tricks in Albion — in early May.

In this conversation, we explore their journeys as educators and performers, how this show came to life, what it feels like to revisit the music that shaped their younger selves, and why staying connected to creativity beyond the classroom matters so much.

Let’s jump in.

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

⭐️ www.hushlittlebabymusic.com

🎶 https://www.queenslandshowchoir.com.au/

🎤 www.winemumanthems.com

💻 https://kodaly.org.au/

👉🏼 https://anywhere.is/

Where to find me:

Crescendo Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crescendocommunity
Official Crescendo Page: https://www.facebook.com/CrescendoMusicEd/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CrescendoMusicEd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/crescendomusic
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-o-shea-62a3741b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CrescendoDeb

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Welcome back to part two of my conversation with Nicola Cantan, piano educator and founder of Vibrant Music Teaching.

In part one, we explored Nicola’s journey and her philosophy around creativity and musicianship in the piano studio. In this episode, we go deeper into practical application and teacher mindset.

We unpack what it really looks like to move from “toe-dipping” into fully “swimming” with Kodály-inspired ideas in piano lessons. Nicola shares simple, manageable ways teachers can begin strengthening musicianship without abandoning repertoire or overwhelming themselves.

We also talk about confidence — because shifting your teaching approach takes courage. Nicola offers honest insight into the mindset changes that matter just as much as the strategies.

And of course, we wrap up with her Nuggets of Fabulous, advocacy advice for piano teachers working solo, and her powerful soapbox moment — the one message she wants piano teachers around the world to hear right now.

Let’s jump back into the conversation.

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

💻 https://colourfulkeys.ie/blog

💻 https://vibrantmusicteaching.com

💻 https://vividpractice.com

🎙️ Why I Almost Quit Teaching Music (But Didn't)

💻 Bigger Better Brains

Where to find me:

Crescendo Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crescendocommunity
Official Crescendo Page: https://www.facebook.com/CrescendoMusicEd/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CrescendoMusicEd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/crescendomusic
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-o-shea-62a3741b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CrescendoDeb

Support the show

Today on the podcast, I’m joined by Nicola Cantan — piano teacher, educator, author, and the creative force behind Vibrant Music Teaching.

Nicola helps piano teachers move beyond traditional, note-by-note instruction and into lessons that feel playful, musical, and deeply engaging. She blends strong pedagogy with practical, studio-ready ideas that teachers can implement right away. She’s especially known for applying Kodály-inspired principles to piano teaching in a way that feels clear, accessible, and doable — not overwhelming.

Through her blog, podcast, and professional development resources, Nicola supports thousands of piano teachers around the world. I’ve been especially inspired by the way she describes teachers “dipping their toe,” “paddling,” and eventually “swimming” when it comes to Kodály philosophy in the piano studio — a framework that makes growth feel possible at every stage.

In today’s conversation, we explore her teaching journey, how creativity and musicianship transform piano lessons, and how teachers can build confidence while creating more independent, musical thinkers.

Nicola, welcome to the podcast. I’m so glad you’re here.

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

💻 https://colourfulkeys.ie/blog

💻 https://vibrantmusicteaching.com

💻 https://vividpractice.com

🎙️ Why I Almost Quit Teaching Music (But Didn't)

💻 Bigger Better Brains

Where to find me:

Crescendo Community Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crescendocommunity
Official Crescendo Page: https://www.facebook.com/CrescendoMusicEd/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CrescendoMusicEd
Twitter: https://twitter.com/crescendomusic
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-o-shea-62a3741b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CrescendoDeb

Support the show