So you or family members have decided to take piano lessons.  You have gathered some names from friends, relatives or a local music store.  You are ready to start calling, but not sure what to ask.  I am always amazed at some of the questions I am asked and more amazed at the ones I am not asked.  Here is a list of questions I would recommend asking any professional teacher. 

1~What is your music educational background?

          ~You want to know this.  There are many teachers who do not have degrees in piano pedagogy, but have had wonderful teachers throughout their studies, so this should not turn you off.  If a teacher teaches many instruments, make sure they have a solid background in piano (not just a year or two of group lessons).  Some teachers will have advanced degrees.  This is wonderful, but make sure they are vested in teaching and not solely in performing.

2~What is your teaching philosophy?

          ~This will tell you quite a bit about the teacher.  What do they expect from their students?  Do they have goals for their students?  Do they follow a specific curriculum?  How do they interact with their students?

3~Do you teach online or in a studio?

          ~These days, this is also an important piece of information.  Some teachers are now only teaching online, while others teach only in their studios.  This will be a personal preference for you.  Some students do well with online lessons, where others flourish in a studio setting.  There are also teachers who offer both.

4~Do you require students to participate in events in addition to lessons?

          ~This will give you an idea of your commitment to lessons.  Most teachers will ask their students to participate in an annual recital.  Other teachers may require students to participate in a multitude of events which many include standardized testing, theory testing, community service, local festivals, and competitions.  There are so many options that it is important to know what is or is not expected.

5~How long have you been teaching and what ages do you teach?

          ~This will help you gauge the teacher’s experience level.  Some teachers only like taking beginners, while others only like teaching more advanced students.  The majority of teachers will take a variety of students from elementary school to adults.

6~What style(s) do you teach?

          ~Do you want to learn Classical Piano, how about Jazz or maybe Pop?  This is important to know, as some teachers are more suited to teach in one area than another.  Some will be able to teach in all areas, so see where their interests lie.

7~Do you only teach piano or do you encompass other areas of music?

          ~Many teachers only teach basic piano skills.  Others will also incorporate theory and music history.  Some will also have students learn how to compose and improvise, so there is a wide variety of areas to consider.

8~How often and how long are your lessons?

          ~Again, this is a personal choice.  Most teachers in the US give a single lesson per week.  Lessons can range from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the teachers studio or the age of the student.

9~Do you teach over holidays and summers?

          ~Some teachers take all major holidays and summers off, where others teach almost every week of the year. 

10~What is your tuition schedule?

          ~This should be the last question you ask.  Why?  Because, you need to gather information before making a judgment call on how much lessons cost.  There are as many different tuition plans as there are teachers: hourly rates, monthly rates, quarterly rates, semester rates and even annual rates.  Many teachers do a combination of rates.  Just remember, you get what you pay for and the least expensive is not always the best.

 

I hope this has helped as you embark on piano lessons.

It was bound to happen, social distancing is affecting so many businesses, especially the service industry.  Piano teachers have been scrambling to keep students on track during this time.  I know in my county, they have shut down the schools for the rest of the month and might shut them down for the rest of the semester.  If you are teaching one-on-one, this presents a dilemma.   Do you continue to have your students come to your studio, with the possibility of spreading the virus, do you also take a break or will you teach online? 

I started teaching online about 5 years ago.  My elderly mother was living with us and I didn’t want anyone sick to be in the house.  She has since passed away, but I have kept these measures in place.  If you are skeptical of teaching in this manner, don’t be!  It’s a little more prep time, but that’s really all the difference.  

I have a large IPad with a Klip tripod stand.  I put it to the side of my piano, so the student can see me and my hands.  I have copies of all their pieces.  I generally teach through Skype or FaceTime, but you can also investigate Zoom and Google Hangout.  I have the students call me as it keeps the lessons flowing.  Of course, you can call them as well.  Give yourself a few minutes between lessons to gather their materials before you connect.  

The student must have a laptop, tablet or phone in order for this to work.  Have them put theirs to the side of their piano.  They also need a pencil for writing their assignments in the books.  If a student is very young, you will want an older child, sitter or parent to attend the lesson and write the instructions for them.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.  You can reach me here or by email at elise@pcspiano.com  

I wish all of you the best of luck during this trying time.  

Well, the season is upon us and not only do we have to worry about getting the flu, but now we are worried about getting other viruses.  As the Corona Virus spreads, more schools will be closing and piano teachers are going to be teaching online, but what about Spring Testing?  So many students test in large testing centers.  This could cause concern and perhaps some cancellations or postponements.  All that hard work and then “poof” you can’t participate.  PCS Piano Proficiency gives you an alternative to testing venues.  You can test online without any fears any time of the year.  We have been doing this since the beginning and will continue after this crisis is over.  We are here for you in sickness and in health.  Reach out to us and see how we can help.  www.pcspiano.com

As we enter the season of crazy for piano teachers and musicians, I wonder how many of you are taking time to take care of yourselves?  This is SO important to avoid burnout and resentment.  During my first few years of teaching, I gave lessons year-round and only took major holidays off.  I discovered that students who were made to take lessons before and after these holidays had a poor attitude and did not want to be at lesson.  I was also very tired and lacked the energy to be my best self.  Once it dawned on me that I wasn’t doing anyone a favor by keeping this schedule, I adjusted.  I took a few weeks off, including Spring Break, Memorial Day (week) and two weeks at Christmas.  I noticed a trend in my students.  They were more excited to come to lesson after the short break and ready to get back to work AND so was I!  As the years have gone by, I take more weeks off, including the first week of school, exam weeks, 4th of July week and Labor Day week.  It works for me, that may be too much for you.  As you know, we don’t get paid for taking time off, so how are you going to accommodate for lost income?  I will go into that in a future post.  But for now, if you are not taking well deserved time off, please reconsider.  Everyone will be happier.

‘Tis the season, as they say.  This is an age old question for all piano teachers.  The dilemma is not how early you start, but how many pieces are you are going to teach?  My students play several venues over the holidays including a studio recital, so they have to have a variety of pieces ready to go by early December.  They begin in August, as some (the more advanced students) need to have as much as 20-30 minutes of repertoire ready to go.  If we waited until November to begin, then that would be all they were playing for weeks (and other events in the Spring would be compromised).  I prefer to start with a single piece in August and just add it to their other repertoire.  This way, it is not overwhelming to get the volume of pieces ready on time.  If you are not having any programs, then there is probably no reason to start before December and just enjoy a few weeks of saturated Christmas music.  Either way, you will have happy students and parents.  Oh, and just in case you haven’t thought of this, even my students who do not celebrate Christmas get into the swing of things.  They love the pieces and different arrangements and beg to play more.  So, how soon is too soon?  Judgement call on your part.

What is the significance of playing and identifying chords?  From the very first year of study, students learn how to play a triad and probably know how to identify several in root position.  HOWEVER, when the chord is in an inversion or spread out over the treble and bass clef, it becomes much more difficult for a student to recognize.  I think the best way to prepare students from the beginning is to learn chords and their inversions along with scales.  Once the student realizes how the chords works within the scale (key), reading and playing passages start to make sense and are much easier to master.

As I was growing up, I had many piano teachers (we moved quite often).  None of my teachers insisted scales be a part of my curriculum, and I was perfectly fine with that!  Scales were boring, you had to use specific fingering and quite frankly, I didn’t understand the importance.  As I went off to college and was accepted into the school of music, I learned that my previous teachers had done me a great disservice.  I was going to have to play catch-up and this was not going to be fun.

Learning scales is an intricate part of music education.  The process allows a student to understand the composition of a key and how best to finger passages.  Although students can learn to play the piano without this knowledge, it is an uphill battle as they become more advanced.

Because of my background, all of my students begin learning scales within the first 3 months of lessons.  We begin with 5-finger major scales.  They learn the proper name of each pattern, along with the respective sharps and flats.  I have found that as they progress, expanding their knowledge, they can easily decipher scale patterns in their pieces, playing them with ease.

So “why scales”?  If you put it into the context of the English language (because music is a language), scales are similar to learning how to spell (words).  Once you learn how to read the words, you can understand what the story is all about.

I love this question!  It is so wide open, yet every day, piano teachers grapple with the enormity of what they want to offer their students.  There are so many ways to go with this, but I want to share my philosophy.

I have always said that if I have three to five years with a student (any additional years is like gravy), it is my job to teach them how to read music, how to count and express emotions, understand terminology,  and hopefully impart the love of not only the piano, but music.  Now, you may think that is quite a long time to spend on these basic concepts, but in reality, it is not.  Oh sure, an average aged beginning student (6-7 years old) can grasp reading on the staff and counting simple rhythms, but that is not enough.  I generally takes about three years, before a student is confident and able to internalize reading and counting skills.  Regardless of what the end result is, as a teacher, I want my students to leave my studio and be able to pick up a piece of sheet music, hymnal, lead line and be able to play until their heart is content.  So, what do YOU want your students to know?