Can i teach piano lessons

Karen Marshall. I enjoy getting them to make their own music on their first lesson — having spoken about topography, the patterns of black notes and white notes, they will be able to find middle C, and indeed, all the Cs on the piano.

I ask them to make up their own piece using Cs up and down, and anywhere, on the piano using short, long, loud, quiet notes, Cs individually or two Cs together. They usually opt to hold the pedal down while doing this. They are always delighted with the big sounds and variations of sounds they can get out of doing this.

I then ask them to work on their improv at home. Your email address will not be published. The Name , Email and Comment fields are required. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

How do I get a good grasp of their capabilities? How do I make this fun? What do I need to take with me? Are there any books I could read for guidance? These are great questions! For example, Twinkle Twinkle would be written as follows: It is essential that your student learns a song by the end of their first lesson! Good luck! Work For Piano Power We are always on the lookout for outstanding piano, guitar, voice, and drum instructors.

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Feel free to connect using this form, or call us any time at Location where you would like lessons to take place. They are good and they have a good theory book with them. The book you get will depend on the age of the student you're teaching. Teens can do the adult book. I'd recommend going to a local music store if you have one to see what they carry and you can always tell them the age of your student, they'll know what books are popular and common in your area.

When you start to get a few students - like 5 or more I'd say, organization of lesson times, who's payed what, who needs a make up lesson starts and more starts to be an issue. Music Teachers Helper is a great resource for piano teachers and other music teachers as well.

It's a great resource that I've recommended for years and many piano teachers have found it an absolute life saver especially as life can be busy! Check out Music Teachers Helper here.

I used to take any any student who was willing but I learned the hard way not to do this. Unless a child is a bit on the prodigy side haven't had any of these I teach kids ages 6 or over.

In most countries when you learn classical piano, there is a piano grade that people consider the grade you can start teaching. If you've reached that, you're totally fine to start teaching. If you haven't reached that point of learning, it'll be up to you to determine whether or not you think you can teach students well. Many parents aren't too picky or understand about the teachers level but you may want to be upfront regarding your own ability.

How you charge for a piano lesson will depend on a few things, your area including country and currency , your ability and your experience.

But what do you charge to start off with? I'd suggest about 1. This may be too much in some areas while just right in others. You can always take a look online at what other teachers in your area are charging as well as stop in at your local music store and ask them. They'll have a good idea of the going rates. This is one of the best things about teaching piano. Once you have your resources on hand, there's really not much prep work to be done.

You also don't know ahead of time what your student has practiced and how much and if they'll need to move on to new songs or not. It is important to have your home tidy, piano ready, piano light on, and things like that.

That is about the extent of my prep work unless I know a student will be learning a certain topic soon and I want to have an "off-piano" activity or resource available. If you'd like to see the general flow of how my lessons are laid out, visit the how to give piano lessons piano page. If you are planning on teaching piano at home, you'll do as most piano teachers do.

Here are a few tips on this. Have a dedicated space where you will always teach and have your resources stored.

This will minimize the time spent setting up for a piano lesson. If will also give you flexibility during the lesson to pull a resource out that's needed. Article Summary. Part 1. Practice playing the piano often. Teaching piano is a skilled job! It will be harder to recruit and teach students if you do not have extensive playing experience.

If you have been playing piano for a long time and have a significant repertoire under your belt, you are probably already qualified to teach. That said, you should still practice playing the piano daily so that your skills stay fresh and up to date. A degree is not necessarily required if you have a high playing skill level. However, most successful piano teachers are highly trained with the equivalent of a bachelor's degree in piano with coursework in piano pedagogy instruction.

Advertise the genres of piano music that you're qualified to teach. Learning classical techniques is helpful for increasing overall playing skill and are necessary for aspiring concert pianists or future teachers.

Brush up on your music theory. While some students take piano lessons to show their friends their favorite pop songs, others may learn piano to make a career out of it some day. In either case, being able to explain and demonstrate technical knowledge of scales, chords, intervals, clefs, meter, phrasing, and harmony is essential to their musical development.

Invest in professional development. This can include taking private lessons from teachers who are more advanced than yourself, reading music teaching literature, attending concerts, practicing and learning new repertoire on your own, or browsing the internet or YouTube for inspiration. Remember that a good teacher is also a good student. Join your local, state, or national music teacher's associations to network with other teachers and be informed about new teaching methods and publications.

You can also learn about various pedagogical techniques and select the method that you think will work best for you and your students. Part 2. Make a business plan according to your time allotments. If you plan on making music instruction your full-time occupation, a thorough business plan is absolutely essential. If you are more of a hobbyist in your teaching, you will still need to prepare, but it may require less time and effort depending on the size of your studio.

Set your rate. Lessons for beginners are typically 30 minutes long and will increase to an hour as the student becomes older or acquires more skill. Keep in mind that the rate you charge is dependent on many factors, including your educational pedigree, playing and teaching experience, references from your students, and the city you live in. As you gain experience, it is recommended that you increase your rates a little each year.

This is to discourage skipping lessons, and it increases desire to make up missed lessons. Find a place to teach. You can also rent a space at a music store or community center. Be sure to use a space that will allow you to keep as much of your earnings as you need while being clean, welcoming, and conducive to learning. Factor the time and cost of travel into your fees if applicable.

Purchase books at the level of piano you will be teaching. Use a well-developed method, such as the Suzuki method, if you prefer its teachings or if you are having trouble finding a place to start. Some methodologies require official certification before they may be taught for commercial purposes, so research the certification costs and requirements before using that method in your pedagogy.

Write out your studio policies. Make a comprehensive list of policies for your studio including information about payment schedules and amounts, weather and holiday cancellations, lesson make-ups, notice of termination of lessons, and attendance and practice expectations.

Share this with the parents of your students at their first lesson, and ensure that both the student and their parents understand all of your policies.

Advertise your services online, in print, and in person. Ask to place fliers on the bulletin board in your local community buildings such as a recreation center, church, or library. Reach out to local school music teachers. Introduce yourself, and offer free workshops and accompaniment for concerts and musicals. Be sure to stress that you want to help their program, rather than insisting that they send their students to you for piano lessons.