New Teacher - Any Thoughts?

[theone7]

I am a Grade 7-level pianist...I play primarily as a hobby and not for income or competition or anything. Recently, I've developed the itch to teach, and have had a few people indicate interest informally.

I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts regarding taking the first steps toward teaching. I don't have a degree in music, or any sort of teaching certification, but then again neither do all those old ladies in churches and choirs everywhere who give piano lessons. All I have is my ABRSM graded examinations. Should the lack of formal certification stop me from teaching?

Finally...does anyone have any tips as far as lesson plans? I've got some good thoughts myself, but never hurts to ask around. Its August now...I'm thinking of starting at the beginning of next year.

Thanks, all!

[dan101]

You could probably teach young kids. Always make it fun and have a lot of patience. I would also suggest that you obtain grade eight (and beyond), because the higher your grade level, the more likely you will be able to hang on to your students for longer. Good luck.

[fenz]

hi theone7, i'm the pianist that have same problem with you (i play piano as a hobby and only have ABRSM grade exam).

the problem is i have difficulties in understanding psychology of my students (i only have 2 students - all beginner level and still kids). how can i make lesson interesting? because one day they can follow lesson enthusiastically, but another day they look bored although i use same method. what should i do to motivate them? can anyone teach me how to make lesson plan please?

thanks a lot.

[theone7]

Hey Fenz...

I've made a bit of progress in the development of lesson plans, and you might find some of this useful. I figure I want my lessons to be about 45 minutes in length, and here is what I've decided to do:

1) 5 - 10 minutes of theory exercises, especially for the base beginners. Just note recognition, clapping to indicated rythm on sheet music, learning musical terms and recognising dynamics.

2) 10 - 15 minutes of scales and exercises. I'm actually just stealing these from the ABRSM syllabus, and having students play the ABRSM required scales for their grade level. The exercises from Smallwoods and Hanon might also be useful yet.

3) 30 minutes of learning pieces and building repertoire. For this it might vary from student to student. For the youngest, we can work piece by piece through the Alfred's Courses books, and for older students, I develop a sense of the sort of music they enjoy, and select classical pieces at that grade level. This site is pretty useful for that, actually...it has a massive list of pieces, sorted by grade level as well.

Anyone else have any thoughts or inputs regarding this plan?

[theone7]

Also...scratch what I said before. I've gotten a few things on my plate out of the way, and I'd like to start teaching now. Whats the best way to go about finding students? I live in Manhattan, and I think it would be nice to find 5 students here.

I look at a lot of teachers who post online or have websites...they all have like 5+ years of teaching experience and have won piano competitions...I feel silly posting as a teacher on the same site as they do. Plus these people do this mostly for a living. I'm doing this because:

1) I love the piano, know how much value its added to my life growing up and would like to share that.
2) Because my teacher says teaching is a good and fulfilling way to reinforce the basics in myself.
3) Because charging $40 a class for 5 students means an additional $200 every week or two weeks. Thats always useful living in NYC.

But again...I'm not sure how to go about finding these 5 students, and a bit nervous about how to post online without coming off completely unqualified. Any ideas, anyone?

[fleetfingers]

I am also a new teacher with no degrees or certifications. What I do have is business savvy, a friendly and nice personality, dedication to my students, good communication with parents, experience with children, theory knowledge, a solid teaching philosophy, and, of course, competent pianistic skills. I am also a member of a local teachers association and am always working to improve my piano playing and knowledge of music/piano/teaching/etc.

What I did was look online and ask around to see what other teachers in my area were charging. If they have degrees, they will include that information in their ad. My strategy was to charge a bit less than the degree-holding teachers do. Although, I was very careful not to charge too little...you don't want the cheapskates who won't take lessons seriously to be knocking on your door. I have attracted families that are looking for an average price - they want a good teacher, but not necessarily the best one in town (simply because they charge too much and it's not worth it to most people).

I am on several piano teacher directories online, but ALL of my students' parents found me on craigslist.org. Except my most recent ones - they were a referral from another family I teach. Hence, I would highly recommend using craigslist.org. I first posted an ad there in January of this year - I post a new one every week or two - and I now have 12 students. The times of the year that I received the most calls were in Jan/Feb and Aug/Sept. My theory is that with the kids going back to school after summer and winter breaks, parents naturally start thinking about what kinds of activities their children should be involved in.

I hope to get more referrals and to gain a good reputation. The teachers who have degrees might  attract more students from an online ad, but everyone knows that word of mouth is the best form of advertisement, so strive to be a good, quality teacher and people will take notice. Don't feel silly posting as a teacher next to others whose profiles are more impressive. You might have to initially charge less to get people to notice you, though. Be upfront when they ask you about your musical background, but express confidence in your abilities!

I hope you find some of that useful. Good luck!

[tdow]

But again...I'm not sure how to go about finding these 5 students, and a bit nervous about how to post online without coming off completely unqualified. Any ideas, anyone?

You'll have to figure out what will set you apart from the rest of the teachers.  Advertising works best if you advertise to a niche market - choose a specific type of student that you want to teach and "go after" them by directing your advertising to that group and then distributing your advertising where they congregate.  If you market yourself as an expert in a specific area of teaching, then you'll have less competition amongst the other teachers.  Offering a free term of trial lessons is a great way to hook students and get them through your door.  Then, all you have to do is deliver a fantastic lesson experience!  The last time our studio offered free trial lessons, we signed up 10 students in 3 days.  9 of them remained after the trial period.  It costs you nothing but your time and it works!  There are more ideas on my blog below.

________________________________________
The Art and Business of Piano Teaching
www.teachpianotoday.com

[drorperl]

I also think that its not about the degrees or competitions, if you love teaching piano you should definitely give it a try. I think that the more you know the more you have to offer to your students.  that's why acquiring a degree (and the knowledge that comes with it) is only a good thing, however you can definitely be a great teacher without one. one tip i can think of is: don't get locked with only one method book and use it with all of your students, always look for new materials to keep it fun and exciting for your students, have them transcribe the music that they love thats always makes it fun for them and keep them motivated. remember, not everyone has the same interests and abilities and therefore you'll have to be sensitive to your students needs and find a way to make each one of your students motivated & learning. try to recognize their strong points, and polish & develop them, but also try to recognize their weakness and help them work on those as well.

lots of luck,



-------------------------------------------------------------
Dror Perl. Pianist, Composer, Teacher.

https://www.sheerpiano.com/

Sheer Piano: The First Full Color Piano Music Books
simple jazz & contemporary compositions that are fun for beginner pianists & up

[fenz]

Hey Fenz...

I've made a bit of progress in the development of lesson plans, and you might find some of this useful. I figure I want my lessons to be about 45 minutes in length, and here is what I've decided to do:

1) 5 - 10 minutes of theory exercises, especially for the base beginners. Just note recognition, clapping to indicated rythm on sheet music, learning musical terms and recognising dynamics.

2) 10 - 15 minutes of scales and exercises. I'm actually just stealing these from the ABRSM syllabus, and having students play the ABRSM required scales for their grade level. The exercises from Smallwoods and Hanon might also be useful yet.

3) 30 minutes of learning pieces and building repertoire. For this it might vary from student to student. For the youngest, we can work piece by piece through the Alfred's Courses books, and for older students, I develop a sense of the sort of music they enjoy, and select classical pieces at that grade level. This site is pretty useful for that, actually...it has a massive list of pieces, sorted by grade level as well.

Anyone else have any thoughts or inputs regarding this plan?

thank you so much for your advice 

[asianpianoer]

great topic me too

I finished grade8 two years ago.
and I would love to teach for even just half the price other teachers charge - and it would still be at least 4 times what my friends earn at this age.

I was thinking of teaching beginners - who's parents just want to try out if, not that serious. but if they become serious I would of course reccomend that they move on to a better teacher.

an idea that i did was - teach my mum, for free
just to get some experience first.

[pianoplayjl]

You should teach young kids and have a small fee since you don't have a teaching qualification.