Julian Toha - Oclef Blog

April 29, 2025

This next-level Oclef Notation tutorial dives into three essential moves every beginner needs—but few are ever taught well: stretches beyond the basic five-finger frame, folds that reshape the hand mid-phrase, and jumps that navigate the keyboard with control and confidence. These aren’t just technical fixes—they’re foundational patterns. And once you learn how to notate them, your students will stop guessing and start feeling the right motion. Whether you're in Kaizen or running your own stu...

April 29, 2025

The Missing Link in Piano Teaching — Fixed.

Oclef Notation isn't just a better way to mark music. It's a visual system that turns confusing movements into clear, teachable steps. Most beginners don’t naturally connect sheet music to what their hands need to do — and that disconnect slows everything down. In this quick video, we’ll show you how to bridge that gap by marking crossovers, pivots, and shifts on the score itself. It’s like giving your students a GPS for their fingers. Whether you're inside a Kaizen session or leading your ow...

July 10, 2024

Unlocking Potential: How Oclef's Stage 4 Students Are Redefining Education Through Passion and Purpose

🎧 Listen to this Blog In the 21st century, education is undergoing a metamorphosis. No longer is it sufficient to follow a linear path of study, graduate, and enter a predetermined career. Today's world demands creativity, adaptability, and a fusion of diverse skills. At Oclef, we're witnessing this transformation firsthand through our Stage 4 students—young visionaries who are leveraging their years of piano education to craft platforms that not only enrich their lives but also create value...

July 07, 2024

How to Help Your Child Love Piano: A Parent’s Guide Beyond Practice

As a long-time piano teacher at Oclef, I've seen the full range of emotions that kids bring to their piano lessons or to any learning, for that matter. Some walk in excited, fingers itching to play, while others sit reluctantly on the bench, waiting for the timer to go off. The question I often get from parents is, "How do I get my child to love piano, not just do it because I ask them to?" It's a tough one, and if you're a parent who's invested time, energy, and resources into your child's ...

July 04, 2024

The Digital Native's Dilemma: Balancing Screen Time with Real-World Skills

In 2010, Nicholas Carr's The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains sparked a debate that still rages today: how are digital technologies shaping our minds and lives? For today's children, the "digital natives," technology isn't just a tool—it's the water they swim in. At Oclef, we're navigating these waters daily, balancing the power of tech with the irreplaceable value of real-world skills. The average child now spends over seven hours a day in front of screens. It's a statisti...

July 01, 2024

Rethinking Screen Time: The Hidden Power of Active Digital Learning

In the world of parenting, few topics ignite more debate than screen time. It's the boogeyman of the digital age, blamed for everything from shortened attention spans to the decline of face-to-face social skills. But what if I told you that not all screen time is created equal? That, in fact, some forms of screen time could be the key to unlocking your child's potential? At Oclef, we've observed a fascinating phenomenon: the power of active digital learning, particularly in the realm of onli...

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June 28, 2024

The Piano Player's Secret: Turning Mistakes into Music

Imagine your child sitting at the piano, fingers poised over the keys. They start to play, and suddenly - oops! A wrong note. What happens next could make all the difference in their musical journey.

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June 25, 2024

“Dare to How”: Embracing Discomfort is the Key to Growth and Innovation

At Oclef, we believe that the path to excellence is paved with challenges. Our faculty members don't just teach music; they embody a philosophy of continuous growth and innovation that sets the tone for our entire organization. This approach isn't about being comfortable – it's about thriving in discomfort and using it as a catalyst for extraordinary achievement.

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June 22, 2024

How Oclef's Piano Lessons use Community to Strengthen Family Bonds

As I sit at my desk, reviewing our upcoming events calendar, I'm struck by the vibrant tapestry of experiences we've woven for our Oclef families. From the summer BBQ Blues & Bash to the whimsical Valentine's Masquerade, each event is more than just a date on a calendar—it's an opportunity for families to come together, share in the joy of music, and create lasting memories. At Oclef, we've always believed that music education is about more than just teaching notes and rhythms. It's about fo...

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June 19, 2024

The Digital-Physical Harmony: Revolutionizing Piano Education for the Modern Student

Take Netflix, for instance. The streaming giant that once disrupted the traditional movie rental business is now venturing into the physical realm with its ambitious "Netflix House" project. These massive entertainment complexes, set to open in 2025, will allow fans to step into the worlds of their favorite shows, from waltzing in a "Bridgerton" ballroom to tackling the glass bridge challenge from "Squid Game."

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June 16, 2024

Teaching Children to "Love the Journey" through Piano

This aligns with the work of James Clear, author of the bestselling book "Atomic Habits." Clear argues that the key to developing lasting habits is to focus on the process, not the outcome. By falling in love with the journey of daily practice and incremental improvement, we set ourselves up for long-term success and fulfillment.

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June 13, 2024

The real gift of learning piano

At Oclef, we believe that learning piano is about more than just mastering notes and rhythms. It's about unlocking the full potential of each child, nurturing skills and qualities that will serve them not just at the keyboard, but in every aspect of their lives. Central to this philosophy is our commitment to regular performance opportunities.

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June 10, 2024

The Unseen Symphony: Unveiling the Hidden Dimensions of Piano Learning

In the realm of piano education, there's a silent revolution taking place. It's a revolution not marked by grand gestures or sweeping reforms, but by a quiet, persistent quest to understand the intricate workings of the learning mind. At the heart of this revolution is a concept that we at Oclef have come to call "unseen learning."

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June 07, 2024

"10 Seconds of Nothing": A simple, yet powerful way to be better

In the whirlwind of learning and perfecting a new skill, it's easy to get caught up in the constant push for progress. We often equate unrelenting effort with faster improvement, believing that the more we practice, the better we'll become. But what if I told you that one of the most powerful tools in your learning arsenal is, paradoxically, doing nothing at all?

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June 04, 2024

The Paradox of Failure: Why Our Worst Moments Define Our Best

Consider the story of Beethoven, one of the greatest composers in history. Many people don't know that as a young man, Beethoven was a mediocre violinist. He was often overshadowed by other musicians, and his early compositions were met with criticism and rejection.

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June 01, 2024

Navigating the Musical Cosmos: Lessons from the Frontiers of Science

As I sit at my piano, my fingers dancing across the keys, I find myself lost in thought. The music of the cosmos swirls around me, from the ethereal melodies of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" to the thunderous chords of Holst's "The Planets." And as I play, my mind wanders to the frontiers of science, to the breakthroughs and discoveries that are pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible. One story in particular has captured my imagination: the recent research into warp drive technol...

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May 29, 2024

The Power of Struggle: Embracing the Growth Zone in Piano Lessons

In the 1970s, psychologist Noel Burch introduced the "Four Stages of Learning" model. The first stage, "Unconscious Incompetence," is where we all begin. We don't know what we don't know. But as we start to learn, we move into the second stage, "Conscious Incompetence" - we become acutely aware of how much we have to learn. This is where the real growth happens, but it's also where almost everyone gives up. They hit a wall, get frustrated, and decide it's too hard. But here's the thing: that...

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May 26, 2024

Why Piano Lessons are great for children and their developing mind

““Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better” - Samuel Beckett from Worstward Ho (1983)”

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May 23, 2024

Why Multiple Teachers Works Best: The Power of Diverse Perspectives in Piano Education

The study produced an interesting statistic that has caught the attention of both researchers and practitioners: the mortality rate of patients rises significantly when they are seen by fewer healthcare providers. This finding was reported by EClinicalMedicine in 2021 and it shows the importance of having multiple perspectives on a patient's health when they are in the care of healthcare professionals. This multi-perspective approach helps to make sure that no aspect of a patient's condition ...

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May 06, 2020

A piano school where kids actually practice daily and find purpose in music

This all started back in 2014 when I was finishing a 6 month long touring season as a concert pianist. My Aussie tour manager, Tim, had just left to return back to London and this time I decided I wasn’t going back. I decided I was done with touring for multiple reasons, but mainly because I didn’t see myself expanding to a 9 month schedule after 5 seasons of intense preparation and constant travel.

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October 01, 2019

Piano Education at 7AM

Walking into our school to setup our Kaizen Piano Class at 7AM yesterday and seeing 7 kids already practicing on their sight-reading books made me think about how far we’ve come as a piano education company. I quit my career as a concert pianist after my last tour in 2014 and had this crazy idea that piano education could be “fixed”. Traveling from city to city I’d meet people and when they chat with me on planes, hotels or random interactions, it would always be the same story. “Wow so you’r...

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November 20, 2018

A Tree grown from Dreams

And knowing as many parents and kids as I do, I talk with them. I listen to them. I ask them.

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November 15, 2018

Harley-Davidson figured out a secret.

But if you look deeper into what they do, it’s so much more. I admire their company so much. It’s unbelievable what they’ve created.

November 09, 2018

What’s the best way for a child who is five years old to learn a new language?

If the parent doesn’t speak the language, then that child should setup 4–6 times a week with a native speaker or teacher of that language. They would speak that language to the child as often as possible, engaging with them, and teaching them to understand step by step. And those daily lessons would be about 15–20 minutes at most (especially during the early years). It would also be smart to teach that child’s parent some fundamentals and help them understand how to help their child at home i...

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November 04, 2018

Food is important.

But they really need daily watering and care. If you consistently water and care for your crops, the total success of the harvest will be bigger. More crops will survive and grow properly.

November 02, 2018

Why are there levels for students learning piano?

First of all, for those wondering, these levels are all made up. Some group of people decided a while back to start categorizing pieces by difficulty and then organizing them into 10 levels. Level 1 is the easiest and 10 the hardest.

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October 31, 2018

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

Over the last 4 years I’ve also learned so much about group format and see it as an integral part of this new model. This new daily model would include a classroom where 4 students would come to practice for units of 20 minutes (with unlimited sign ups allowed). They would have access to top-of-the-line electronic pianos, comfortable headphones and friendly teaching fellows or a teacher always available to help.

July 10, 2018

Two Steps Forward and Three Steps Back

Clothing sizes. Politicians. Cats. What do these three things have in common? Inconsistency. No offense to cats, which I love, but they don’t exactly have a consistent way of treating people. These three unrelated objects are often annoying or even harmful when they are inconsistent. We fall under this category too. Whether it be our relationships or our commitments, we have been inconsistent at some point in our lives.

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July 05, 2018

Become the Music

If a student is detached from their music, there is no music. If they play enough times without passion, they develop a habit of detachment. Eventually, the student is merely pressing black and white plastic keys for half an hour every day.

July 04, 2018

A Study in Impatience

“Rome wasn’t built in a day.” You could build a miniature replica of Rome in a day, but it wouldn’t be as glorious as the real thing. “Good things come to those who wait.” Then again, you have been waiting for your concert tickets for over an hour so you could leave and enjoy something else in the meantime. But, now you would be missing out on what would have been an awesome night. “Patience is a virtue.” Impatience is a vice.