A 6-Week Curated Listening Series for Piano Lovers
Listening deeply, with intention, is one of the fastest ways to grow as a musician.
But most of us don’t know where to start. We hit “play” on a random piece, zone out halfway through, and wonder what we’re supposed to even be listening for.
Piano Lit is a six-week mini-course featuring a curated list of music to listen to each week. Each weekly module is designed to sharpen your musical ear, introduce you to essential repertoire, and help you feel more connected to the music you love.
Each piece of music is accompanied by historical background and listening notes to help guide your attention as you listen.
Whether you’re a pianist, a teacher, or a lifelong music-lover, Piano Lit is designed to take you on a journey through music written for the piano.
Over the course of six weeks, you’ll train your ear, expand your musical vocabulary, and discover pieces that just might change how you approach the piano.
As a pianist and teacher, I’ve spent years helping students connect more deeply with the music they play by listening with intention. At the university level, piano majors take a Piano Literature course as part of their curriculum. It consists of weekly listening assignments that are designed to expand their understanding of the repertoire.
Piano Lit brings that experience to you. Instead of being designed in a “survey” format, Piano Lit is built around a weekly theme. Each theme is a “big idea” that connects all of the pieces.
It’s like getting listening lists from a six-week piano literature class!
What began as summer listening lists for my students has grown into this guided exploration of repertoire that I’m excited to share with you!
🎧 6 weekly modules
🎶 A curated set of 6-8 pieces in each module
📖 Historical context for each piece
🎼 Listening notes for each piece
👂 Weekly listening tips
🎥 Video links to hand-picked performances
📚 Recommended editions to purchase
📱 A playlist of each week’s pieces on Spotify and Apple Music
When you sign up, you’ll immediately have access to your first week’s listening list and guide.
Each week after that, you’ll get access to the next module in the series. This gives you a full week to explore and enjoy the music connected to that week’s theme.
Each module is anchored by a big idea: a theme that ties the pieces together.
You’ll hear how composers across centuries responded to the same artistic impulse in radically different ways.
All material is embedded into the course page for your convenience – everything is in one place!
👉 You are a pianist who wants to expand your knowledge of piano repertoire.
👉 You are a music lover who wants to listen with more depth and focus.
👉 You are a piano teacher looking for fresh inspiration.
👉 You have ever thought, “I want to get to know more piano music, but I don’t know where to start.”
Piano Lit is a $37 one-time payment. For a fraction of the cost of a single piano lesson, you get six weeks of guided listening you can revisit anytime!
Yes! You’ll get access to one new module each week, but you can listen on your own schedule.
No. This is a mini-course designed to deepen your listening skills, and there will be no video instruction.
Plan on about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours of music total per week. You can spread it out across a few days—or dive deep in one or two sittings.
The selections in this mini-course are pulled from lists of “standard” classical music composed for the piano. The pieces are at the advanced level, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy listening to them!
No, sheet music is not provided. However, some recordings will be video performances with scores.
You’ll also receive links to purchase recommended sheet music editions if you’re interested in diving deeper into any piece.
Nope. The course is designed with a focus on piano music, but anyone who loves music will find it enriching.
No, never! Once you buy the course, you retain lifetime access to it.
If you’re not satisfied within 6 days of enrolling, just reach out for a full refund. No hard feelings!
“This course brought me SO much joy! I discovered through this course that I never intentionally listened to the degree that I do now. The listening notes really gave me something deeper to listen for. The artists were very well chosen as well as the music pieces. Thank you Dr. Boyd!” – Anne Marie W.
“Easy to use format, great value for a wealth of content, clearly and thematically organized, can learn at your own pace. Its been tremendously helpful in my learning to play more expressively by gaining an understanding of the emotion and phrasing intended by the composer. This awareness has enriched my appreciation and enjoyment of the music as well as motivating me to play even these simple pieces more “musically” and expressively. Love this class! Thank you Ms. Boyd for sharing your expertise and enthusiasm with all of us.” – Lauri M.
“The course introduced me to music and composers I’d never heard of before. A précis of each piece is given alongside tips on what to look out for although as a beginner, I couldn’t always make things out on first listening but, as the access to the course is for unlimited time, I can go back and replay as many times as I need. This is a 6 week course, each week covering a different theme such as ‘folk influences’, ‘virtuosity’ and ‘reflections’ with 7 pieces in each, all accompanied by concise explanations. The pieces themselves vary from a few minutes to over an hour via YouTube, apple or Spotify playlists and are easy to access from direct links provided. I’ve really enjoyed this very reasonably priced but great value course and I’m sure I’ll return to it again and again as my musical experience and knowledge deepens and I am able to listen with even greater appreciation. Thank you.” – Donna M.
“This is a wonderful course. There is a remarkable diversity of piano music and as I work my way through all the modules I’m amazed at the detail in the accompanying notes. To say the price for this course is a bargain is an understatement. My knowledge of the piano literature has increased exponentially. The Piano Prof is a great gift to all pianists and all piano music lovers.” – Richard
📫 Other questions? Use the “contact” link above to reach out.