Reading up about what topic in particular would have helped you when you were newly embarking on the adventure that is teaching piano?

Next semester at uni I have the option to pick a subject where I can undertake a 4000 word research project on any topic of my choice (provided i can find a supervisor to oversee it) and I'd love to use it as an opportunity to improve my teaching.

I'm trying to think of a meaty topic that i can sink my teeth into that won't just be writing an assignment to get a grade but that will really help me become better at what I do. Any ideas?

Neurophysiology of piano technique.

Psychology of music is always interesting, particularly in regards to performance anxiety and how you can help students address this issue. It is quite a growing field and you'd have plenty of resources to choose from.

Another idea is how to teach piano to a younger child, where you can do all sorts of research in early childhood programs and incorporate the ideas in a private piano lesson. You gotta have a passion for working with the young ones for this, though .

Based on some of the comments we've seen lately, perhaps a study into teacher-parent relationships would be fruitful.

I'd start browsing the "What's New in Pedagogy Research" columns in AMT. It would be a good overview of what's being done and who's doing it. Read the last year or so of those columns and you'll have a good idea of where the field is headed.