Composer and piano teacher Chrissy Ricker joins us today to share insights into her creative process, teaching philosophy, and passion for composing engaging music for students of all levels. She discusses how she integrates improvisation into lessons, the inspiration behind her compositions, and the importance of creativity in piano education. Chrissy also introduces her latest publications, shares free resources available for teachers, and offers practical tips for helping students build confidence in their musical expression.
Chrissy Ricker is a pianist, teacher, and composer from North Carolina. She holds a Master’s degree in music with a concentration in piano performance and pedagogy. A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM), Chrissy enjoys sharing her ideas with other piano teachers. Her articles on piano teaching have been featured in American Music Teacher magazine, and she blogs regularly about piano teaching and composing at her website, chrissyricker.com.
A prolific composer and arranger, Chrissy specializes in creating exciting music for piano students of all ages and skill levels. She has published over 40 collections of piano solo and duet music for students that are available from Piano Pronto Publishing and Neil A. Kjos Music Company. Chrissy is also a “Signature Artist” arranger with Musicnotes.com, where she has a catalog of over 1,000 arrangements, from video game themes to pop songs, for pianists at every level.
