Many applied music lessons are driven by habit and intuition, but few teachers have an evidence-based way to see whether their lesson structures truly support student motivation, autonomy, and self-efficacy. The Reflective Studio Music Teacher: Using Motor Learning Principles to Design Better Lessons is a comprehensive online course for applied music educators—across all instruments and voice types—who want an evidence-based, learn-by-doing way to change that. You will design teaching techniques matched to specific learning levels, analyze the composition of your applied lessons, and create an actionable plan that addresses both student and teacher goals. Through motor learning principles viewed from both teacher and student perspectives, the course culminates in a framework for ongoing reflection, empowering you to investigate the effectiveness of your teaching, meet students where they are, and move them toward autonomy, motivation, and self-efficacy.

Soprano, researcher, and teacher Dr. Michaela Kelly is Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Previously, she taught as lecturer at Scripps College and Chapman University. Michaela was a recipient of the 2024 Emerging Leader Award from the National Association of Teachers of Singing and served as Vice President of Programs for NATS - Los Angeles. Her article “The Composition of a Voice Lesson: How a Motor Learning Classification Framework Affects Teacher Effectiveness” was published in the May/June 2025 edition of the Journal of Singing. She has presented her research at the Pan-American Vocology Association Symposium, North Carolina Music Educators Association Conference, Cal-Western NATS Conference, and NATS National Conference.