So. . . your child wants to try piano lessons and you really don’t have a clue about how to start! First, ask friends or relatives for recommendations. Neighborhood online bulletin boards are also an excellent source, such as NextDoor.com . Once you have a couple of candidates, here are the questions you want to ask:
How much teaching experience do you have?
Do you specialize in a certain age group or level?
Where did you study?
Do you have recitals for your students? If so, how often?
How is Music Theory incorporated into your instruction?
Where have your students gone to college?
How do your students fair in auditions and competitions?
Do your students participate in any festivals, or competitions such as the Piano Guild, The Royal Schools of Music, Trinity College Exams or National Federation of Music Clubs?
What is your philosophy about practicing, and your expectations of the student?
What are your goals for your students?
Here are examples of two very different teachers.
INSTRUCTOR 1 has a Bachelor of Music Degree from the local university and studied with some fairly well-known teachers. She has 10 years of teaching experience and participates in the Piano Guild Competitions. Recitals are once a year. INSTRUCTOR 1 also plays for events such as weddings.
INSTRUCTOR 1 charges $120 a month for 4—1 hr. lessons
INSTRUCTOR 2 has a Ph.D. from an Ivy league university. He has studied with world famous teachers and performers from Juilliard, the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, etc. He has 35 years of teaching experience at all levels, including graduate school. INSTRUCTOR 2 has many students who placed well in Competitions, have won awards and who have gone on to colleges and universities. Recitals are once or twice a year, as time permits. Students are encouraged to write their own music and to participate in the Royal School of Music Exams, but not required.
INSTRUCTOR 2 charges $100 per hour, but is willing to take younger students for 30 minute lessons.
WHICH TEACHER IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
INSTRUCTOR 1 may be a pretty good teacher. If your child is not able to focus for 30 minutes or is not motivated with goals. Do you know what your end goal is for your child? Are you looking for just a beginning exposure to piano and to learning music? Is learning one or two songs a month an acceptable pace for you? Do you feel that fun is equal or more important to the amount of material that is covered?
If this sounds like your goal for your child. . . then INSTRUCTOR 1 is probably a good fit for you.
INSTRUCTOR 2 has serious goals for your child. His students work hard and achieve progress rapidly. Work ethic is developed along with high expectations of accuracy and completion of goals. If this is in line with your thinking, you should go with INSTRUCTOR 2. However, even though this may be a more serious and progressive course of study, this does not mean that there won’t be smiles and fun during lessons and enjoyment through learning, accomplishment and goal achievement.