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Hi,

Are there any specific requirements you need to start teaching? I am currently studying grade 5 piano and one day I would really would like to be a piano teacher. That would be my dream job. Perhaps I could get there in another 8 - 10 years.

Im in my early 20s at the moment and If I keep working at it, I want the grade 8 standard.

Do you (yourself) need to be a fantasic player to teach though?

What would you say the minimum requirement is to be able to teach beginners?

An example of this is perhaps my current teacher. I like his style, I like his methods and he is a very good player. But,

He is not the kind of player who can rattle of big difficult pieces eg Polonaise 53 or Liszt etc.

That doesnt make him a bad player, but he can still teach well. Without perhaps being a really great player with amazing
technical facility.

Teaching piano and performing are two different things. However, a teacher must have the ability to play the repertoire they are teaching. This doesn't mean they need to be a concert pianist, as there are many concert pianists who are not gifted in teaching.

Perhaps you should wait a bit before taking on beginner students, but you can start preparing now. I would say be at least in Grade 7 (if I'm thinking of the right repertoire, I'm not that familiar with the grades) to teach beginners. I don't think it would take 8-10 years to get there, but that all depends on you.

Think of the things you feel are important for a beginner student to learn. I think you should think about the average 7 year old as a beginner for now, then think on how you'd make adjustments for older beginners, younger ones, and adults later on. Look at methods books available and see if any of them fit into your ideal. There will always be things you want to add to them, as no method is perfect for every teacher. You may even decide not to use a method at all.

Also consider things like lesson plans, assignments notebooks, what sort of practice requirements you'd like to see from your students, etc.

Once you have an idea of these things, think of more practical things like how do you want to run your studio? You'll need a written policy, and decide how often you want parents to pay: weekly, monthly, per semester. There are many good books on this stuff, and I highly recommend to read as many as possible,e as they all have different angles on things and it will help you establish in your mind what you think is best.

No matter what the preparation, though, nothing substitutes for experience. A lot of what you will learn about teaching just comes from doing it. This sort of thing can't be taught or learned in a book or class. You just have to take the plunge at some point and go for it. Even after many years of teaching I still run into things that make me scratch my head! But that's the charm of the business, it always keeps you learning!