Welcome!

Welcome to my website!

I’m Sarah Cashmore, a piano teacher with a PhD in Education. I believe the most important question in piano education isn’t how to play at the highest level, but how to fall in love with playing in the first place.

My resources are designed for adult beginners and returning players: people who always meant to learn piano, or who learned as children under conditions that made it feel like a chore rather than a gift. If that’s you, I hope to show you another more sustainable approach to learning piano is possible!

Changing the script on beginner piano

Most piano teaching — and piano teachers — treat beginner lessons as a necessary hurdle on the way to something more impressive. Not me. I’ve chosen to specialize entirely in beginner piano, applying everything I know about education to one question:

What could learning piano look like if it began,
and remained,
rooted in joy and delight?

Experience has shown me that a sustainable relationship with piano isn’t built through discipline and performance pressure. It’s built through curiosity, emotional attunement, and learning to trust your own internal experience of the music.

Every lesson, video, and blog post I create is intended to enact my wish for aspiring musicians:

1. That you love the music you play

2. That your practice is full of joy and delight

3. That you experience growth that is consistent and reliable

4. That playing piano feels like spending time with a good friend

If you grew up taking lessons where the goal was always the next recital, the next grade, or the next piece, this approach might feel unfamiliar. But experience has shown me that a drastic departure from traditional piano-learning mindset is necessary for the piano — and your musicianship in general — to feel like home.

My teaching background

I started teaching piano in 1998 and spent years working with students of all ages before I decided I needed to understand why some teaching worked and others didn’t. That question to me through a Masters in Education, certification as an elementary school teacher, and eventually a PhD in Philosophy of Education where I researched student empowerment and won two research awards for my work. I went on to teach in teacher education programs at Lakehead University, Niagara University, and the University of Toronto, certifying over a thousand new teachers and supervising hundreds of graduate research papers.

What I kept coming back to, through all of it, was the same thing: learning thrives when students feel empowered to follow their own curiosity rather than perform for someone else’s expectations. I built Piano with Sarah around that conviction, and around my belief that beginner piano — approached with patience and joy — is one of the most rewarding things an adult can take on.

What I offer

My digital resources include Guided Sheet Music (beginner adaptations of classical pieces with detailed study notes on hand placement, music reading, and technique), beginner compilations, and courses on topics like songwriting and playing by ear. Everything is designed for independent learners who want to go at their own pace, in their own time, without pressure to play for anyone but themselves.

If you’d like to explore my teaching philosophy further, I share a lot more on my blog and YouTube channel. There you’ll find guidance on how to bring a more joyful, affirming approach to your piano practice whether you’re just starting out or finding your way back after a long time away.

Thank you again for visiting my site, and I hope you find everything you need to get started learning piano. Have fun at your piano this week! ✨🎹✨