Hi, I’m Leila.

Thank you for letting me be a part of your conference!
I empower teachers and pianists to move beyond the page through creativity, improvisation, composition, and practical musicianship.

Session Titles and Handouts

Striking a Chord: Resilience in the Face of Tragedy

Hear Carter Viss and his mother, Leila, speak from their hearts as they recount the accident that took his arm and how they harnessed the healing power of music. The session uplifts spirits, affirms our teaching profession, links creativity with healing, inspires resilience, and offers hope to those who grieve or struggle to overcome.

Does Your Feedback Need Fixing? How to Find Words Matter

Communicating meaningful feedback is directly related to student progress. Learn three reasons why typical feedback often falls short and take away six steps that flip feedback to effective “feedforward” that keeps students coming back for more.

Turn Practice into Progress: The Power of Problem Solving and Brain Training

Practice isn’t repetition—it’s problem solving and brain training. Discover engaging strategies, creative tools, and habit-building systems that turn practice into progress and fuel motivation.

From Noodle to Masterpiece: Your Go-to Toolkit for Composing

What if creativity weren’t a rare spark but a skill you could develop? In this interactive session, discover practical strategies, improvisation tools, and mindset shifts to help you and your students confidently improvise and compose.

During the session, you “klipped” while following along to experience Klipit Quizzes.

Try using the student-tested-and-approved Klipits:

• before improvisation

• before composing

• before learning a new piece

• for a quick theory review

Tip: print the Klipit Quiz Cards on cardstock or laminate them. Print double-sided and cut. Make sure to keep your Klips in a safe place so they don’t get lost!
Tip: print the paint strips and laminate them so you can use them with a dry-erase marker and use them again and again.

Win the Creative Teaching Bundle

Grand Prize: Creative Teaching Bundle (over $100 in value)

Includes:

• Pretty Prelude Jumpstart

  Learn a simple, creative framework to help students compose expressive preludes using patterns, chords, and musical choices that sound beautiful on the very first try.

• Smooth Transitions Modulation Workshop Replay

  Discover practical, hands-on strategies for teaching modulation and key changes with greater confidence through creative exercises, progressions, and playful exploration.

• The Caregivers’ Guide for Budding Musicians

  A practical and encouraging guide designed to help parents support productive practice habits, motivation, and musical growth at home with bonus PRACTICE STRATEGY CARDS.

• One Month of Space to Create Cultivate Tier Membership

  Explore my Space to Create membership for one month with access to creative teaching resources, Jumpstarts, live trainings, and practical ideas that inspire students beyond the page.

Three Runner-Up Prizes

• Pretty Prelude Jumpstart

  Learn a simple, creative framework to help students compose expressive preludes using patterns, chords, and musical choices that sound beautiful on the very first try.

• Smooth Transitions Modulation Workshop Replay

  Discover practical, hands-on strategies for teaching modulation and key changes with greater confidence through creative exercises, progressions, and playful exploration.

• Found in the Wake

  Found in the Wake is a true story of rescue, recovery, and resilience with gripping testimonies by Carter, his mom’s candid reflections, and his father’s raw narratives. Their perspectives weave an inspiring tale of loss, surgeries, doubt, faith, doctors, boating safety, music, dive flags, sea turtles, miracles, and forgiveness. The book serves as a catalyst to enhance ocean safety for swimmers, divers, snorkelers, and boaters alike.

PS. MTNA invited me to chair this one-day virtual event dedicated to creativity and improvisation.
The lineup of presenters and the experience is like none other. I’d love to see YOU there!