If you love music and want to spread your knowledge, you might want to consider becoming a piano teacher. Here's a step-by-step guide to making your way as a piano teacher.
Step
Step 1. Understand and have the ability to play the piano
You need to have experience playing the piano before becoming a teacher. Most piano teachers learn the skill to the fullest and enjoy it.
Step 2. Decide how many lessons you want to teach each week, how much they charge, and how long each lesson lasts
Most piano lessons last 30 minutes, especially for beginners. Find out how much other piano teachers charge in your area. As a new teacher, your rates should be lower than theirs. Many novice teachers charge a low rate of around IDR 250,000.00 per lesson and increase the rate by a few rupiahs every two to three years. When you're deciding on the number of lessons to give and how much time to teach each week, keep your time commitments in mind with your students. Are they still in school? Are they students? Do they work from 9am to 5pm? You have to work on those schedules. Don't forget to set aside time for a lunch or dinner break.
Step 3. Decide where you will teach
You can teach at home, at your students' homes, or in other places such as a music supply store or music community center. Make sure there is a piano and chairs for you and your students. The equipment should be clean, easy to use, and easy to obtain for you and your students.
Step 4. Find students
Advertise in the newspapers, hand out flyers in your neighborhood, and tell everyone you know. If your city has a community center, find out if there is a music program you can join. This will give you more credibility. Musical equipment stores are a good place to find passionate students. Ask if there are possible places such as a bulletin board, window, or desk where you can post flyers.
Step 5. Plan a piano lesson
If you already have students and the first lesson is scheduled, plan what you will teach your students during the first lesson. Introduce yourself and ask your student some basic questions about him or her. Find out if he has studied the piano before and how much he knows. You can also ask them to play a simple song. Do they have goals or songs that are being studied? Why do they want to learn to play the piano? What kind of music do they like? You'll want to know when lessons are scheduled if your student is new to the piano so you can recommend books to buy before starting the lesson. The Alfred Piano Course books are an excellent piano basics series, but there are many other book series to choose from. As a teacher, you must be familiar with these books. Some teachers buy these books for their students (students pay for the books in the first lesson) so they can play the songs themselves and can provide helpful hints, skip the songs that don't fit your teaching principles or things other.
Step 6. Do the first lesson
Learn from your students and change the way you teach for each one. Teach according to the ability level of students. Start lessons from your students. They pay for the lesson. You want them to understand the reasons behind various musical techniques. Start with what they know and build on.
Step 7. Encourage your students often
Let them know when they are progressing and what they have succeeded in doing. Give only constructive criticism.
Step 8. Join a local, state, or national association of music teachers
You will be able to connect with other teachers and be informed about new teaching methods and publications.
Step 9. Invest in professional skill development
This includes private lessons from teachers who are more advanced than you, reading music teaching literature, attending concerts, rehearsing and studying new playlists, or surfing the internet or YouTube for ideas and inspiration. Remember, a good teacher is also a good student.
Step 10. Implementing a reward system while practicing is beneficial for younger students
You can give them small gifts (candy, pens, toys, etc.) when they succeed in accomplishing the goals you set for them.
Tips
- Look for songs that appeal to your students. There is a huge variety of piano books of various genres for all levels. If they enjoy the songs, they will practice harder.
- Try not to bore your students with just talking, but try to get to know them. Begin the lesson with “How are you this week? Was the practice easy?” They will find it easy to tell which parts are frustrating for them and you will know why they practice as much as they do. If their grandmother died and they had to attend a funeral, they might not have much opportunity to practice. If this is the case, change the lesson theme to “How to Practice Effectively.” Tell them your ways to learn songs quickly and ask them to show you how they practice.
- Be patient with your students. Some people need more instructions while others are easy to understand in simple sentences.
- If you don't buy piano books for your students, be sure to recommend titles for them to buy. For beginners, all books look the same, just different colors.
- Teach your students the tricks and hints that will help you become a good pianist.
Warning
- Students may sometimes not want to practice. If they tutor weekly with little or no practice since the last lesson, you should remind them that they won't make any progress unless they practice between lessons. With younger students, try asking their parents for help. Create a practice calendar for them to fill out and practice ahead of time in front of their parents each week. Note that not all students are honest.
- Don't force students to practice boring songs longer than necessary. Many beginners stop learning because they are forced to play simple songs 50 times for more than 30 minutes each day.
- If a student has learned everything you can teach, don't bind him. Release your students and tell them to find another teacher who is more proficient. You will be able to find other students to fill in the blanks.
- Don't pretend to be someone else. Professional piano teachers have at least the equivalent of a baccalaureate degree with a piano teaching course load. A professional teacher must know how to sequence and teach musical concepts and how to develop technical skills and hand structure as they grow.
- While it's illegal for anyone to advertise as a piano teacher, it's important to realize that teaching the piano is a skillful job and usually takes several years to practice. Just because someone has mastered a few basic techniques and has a basic idea of how to play the piano, doesn't mean that person is capable enough to teach. Make sure you are prepared to do this work before jumping into it.
