career advice

[chris30]

Hi
As well as working I was thinking of starting to teach maybe just to  one or two students at the weekend, I have a grade 8 and diplcm would these be sufficient qualifications?

[pianist0285]

Hello Chris,
I am a piano teacher and have GRade 8 and BA Hons Music. I think what it really comes down to is - how good you are at teaching.

When I first started teaching I had a couple of people I taught - really as a hobby. I have found over the years that not many people worry about the qualifications/bits of paper. I would say one way I get around is by inviting them along to see me teach a lesson (they then can see I am perfectly capable) , also something else I do is give them a free assessment session of 15mins. It is enough time for me to see if I can teach them something and also gives them a chance to see if they think I am good at teaching.

I would advise you to join the ISM or a professional body if you can - I am an ISM member and they have brilliant advice for people on careers, a legal department, tax advice and help, counselling etc. as well as fantastic courses.

It depends how many people you are thinking about teaching - if it's not many (less than 5) then stick with what you have. Otherwise, you could always do the CTABRSM course with ABRSM..

Hope you find this helpful... Best of luck!

[asuhayda]

Hi
As well as working I was thinking of starting to teach maybe just to  one or two students at the weekend, I have a grade 8 and diplcm would these be sufficient qualifications?

Hi.

No qualifications needed to teach piano.  You need to have skill (obviously) and a knack for teaching as well as a slight savvy for business.  You also need patience and a good attitude.

I know people who have PhD's in Music who are terrible teachers and I know hobbyists who are awesome teachers.  Just depends.  Being able to Teach and being able to Play are related yet not completed mutually inclusive.  They are seperate talents.  You need to have the ability to break pieces down in order to explain them to students.

There are also teacher's certifications you can get.  For instance, in the states, there is the MTNA certification.  That's the one that I'm working on now.  It takes a year to complete.  I'm sure that different places have their own versions of this typs of certificate.

Good luck with your teaching.