Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Teaching, some questions.

Hi, this is Bruce Pennington out here in Colorado Springs, CO. I just joined the website and am enthused about learning some new things for my students and myself.

My big search now is to find a software setup to read anything from the standard rep., that I can find as a MIDI file then play along with it. Of course, I'll need to adjust the tempos for varying degrees of difficulty. It would be ideal to have the software give an accuracy rating.

Synthesia has something like "Guitar Hero" but I haven't heard anything about the program using standard notation yet.

Any ideas?

Yes, start a new thread for this question on the ABF. There is not enough activity on this thread, but over there are some real Nerds who are very helpful with this sort of technical stuff.

And

Sorry, I'm not very proficient at this kind of thing. What is ABF and how to I lind to it?

Sorry, I'll explain better. It's another of the subforums in Piano World. You'll find it under Most Popular Forums (button at top) and it's full name is Adult Beginners Forum.

Once there, choose New Topic button near top of page and create a new thread, give the thread the title "piano software for reading standard repertoire" and you'll get lots of responses. There's nothing at all wrong with posting here it's just that I know that it doesn't get much traffic these days. The only reply you've had so far is me, and I have no idea how to answer your question

I hope that helps

Once again, let me apologize. I'm not a beginner, I've played jazz piano all over the US and even alittle in Europe. I've taught Jazz at the college level. I've changed from playing gigs for a living to teaching and alot of piano tekking.
Most of my jazz piano students including myself do not read as well as we would like. So I'm looking for a way to put real piano music into a computer so that we can attempt to read real music in time (more or less)and have the end product evaluated. Something I think would be a useful tool.

I know the best way to improving sight reading skills is to work at it in a real situation ie., accompanying at church, dance classes, etc.. Many of us poor readers don't have that opportunity, even getting together with another pianist of similar reading skills have trouble getting together.

Hi Marianne -

Before you get started, I would recommend doing a market analysis. Call at least 15-20 teachers in your area and find out how much they charge, what type of instrument they teach on, what their training/education in music is, what their requirements for incoming students are, and what associations they are affiliated with.

Compare yourself with their qualifications and start getting some ideas on how your pricing can compare with theirs - i.e. if they have a Masters in Piano Performance, they'll be able to charge a lot more than you will.

Then, speak with a number of parents and find out how much they'd be willing to pay for lesson and what their expectations for their kids would be, given your qualifications. If you find out that parents in your area are only willing to pay $125 a month for lessons, and the average teacher charges $100-$150 a month, then why would you ask for $190 a month? You'd be pricing yourself out of the market.

Really understand what your potential 'customers' would want, and that'll answer all of your questions.

Hi. New to the forums here. This is actually my first post

Just thought I'd swoop in and agree with you Bruce. I'm a piano teacher and I get my students to pay 4 weeks in advance, this way if they don't show up to a lesson, they have paid for it anyway, so you aren't sitting doing nothing for 20 minutes (or however long) and not getting paid for it.

A few friends of mine also teach, and one in particular, gets her students to pay at the end of each lesson. But she is always going on about them not showing up and the hassles of sorting out money every lesson, etc. In my opinion, if the pupil has already paid for the lesson, they are MUCH more likely to show up. Otherwise, you leave them the opportunity to just not "feel" like going to their piano lesson and "pulling a sicky".

I teach for 20 minute lessons, as thats all Ive ever known. But I find it to be just the right length of a lesson, as over that amount of time, from experience, the kids start to loose concentration and not really listen to what you are saying, making the end of the lesson a waste of time and money.

However, I live in Ireland, and thats the standard lesson time for every teacher I know over here, I wonder is the status Quo different were other people live?


keysmccarthy

Hello,
I'm a bit young to be giving advice, but I've been teaching piano for about three years and can tell you how I've done that. I only charge $7.00 per half hour and people are happy to pay it. I don't have that many students due to school but could easily have more at that price. There will be a fair amount of turnover. I have a new student's parents sign a contract stating they will lose their money for the lesson if no show-no call. I start students out with Bastien Piano Basics for the Young Beginner. I learned on it so it is comfy for me to teach out of. Hope this helped.
Dakota

Other posters have given some good advice regarding books. Here's another one that you may not have thought of: Teaching Piano In Groups. Even if you plan to teach individuals, there are many useful teaching strategies here that work with individuals, i.e., how to teach note reading, rhythm, etc. My blog has many other resources that you might find useful.

My best advice: Remember that you are dealing with individual beings, each with a different set of learning abilities. Some will be more aurally gifted; others will be more visual or tactile. So, try to incorporate a variety of teaching strategies into your lesson plans.

Best of luck.

I suggest using the John Thompson's Modern Course For The Piano, Teaching Little Fingers To Play. It is a book in which the pieces progressively get harder. I recommend it as an excellent start for beginners of any age.

As for the length of the lesson, I believe that varies on the skill of the student, and the progress they make each week. I recommend times of 3O, 45, and 60 minutes.

The price depends on your choice. I know of a teacher who charges $80 for 45 minutes. Really, it depends on the skill of the teacher.

As for advertising, I'm not quite sure. My former piano teacher gained her students by friends and through friends.

Best of Luck,

Joy

I highly recommend the piano teachers' yahoo group to learn a lot about teaching piano. Their top recommended methods teach music with the landmark/interval method. The popular ones are: Celebrate Piano, Music Pathways, and Music Tree. I've taught a few kids with Celebrate Piano and Music Pathways. Both are great methods, but Celebrate Piano is geared toward the 6-8 year old. I'm very impressed with Celebrate Piano. My son is 8 years old, has played for a year and a half and can play in the key of F# major without flinching. He can even do it while reading the piece in the key of D flat. He can transpose better than I can and play lots of accidentals better than I can. He will be starting with a new teacher in the fall, who uses Artistry at the Piano. (Since she developed and wrote it.) I've heard glowing reports of how awesome Artistry is. I'm looking forward to learning more about it. Remember to buy the teacher's manual for any method you want to use. Also, offer lessons longer than 30 minutes. After a year, kids need longer lessons to be able to learn everything. Learning piano isn't just about playing the notes on the piano, but learning basic musicianship, composition, ear training, transposition, and so on.

Just to chime in with a lot of the all ready great advice -

Marketing

Website - definitely a must have now days
Facebook Account - great way to extend your network digitally as well
Business Cards - yup
Schools - let them know you exist, if parent's ask they may have a list they distribute
Music Stores


Methodology

I use four different methods for kids and the Alfred Adult All in One. I've found that certain children do better with different methodologies. As soon as it's practical and there's an interest, add additional music and excersises. I've found that my older child students gain a renewed interest when they don't feel that they're in a "kid book" any more.

I'm interested in teaching piano & voice again after several years hiatus (I've been teaching elementary music/choir in the meantime). However, it seems as if there's a piano teacher on every block here in Dallas, but it's still what I would love to do, and we're in no position to move. I'm thinking of trying to advertise and see if I can cultivate some interest, but I'm already feeling discouraged and a bit intimidated. Does anyone have any advice specifically for teaching in what seems to be a saturated market?

@MrsCostco - Contrary to popular opinion, saturation is Excellent! People that move away from saturation and competition don't know how to express their value.

That is the perfect time to clean up and make a splash!

It's all about confidence and positioning.

The short answer: See what everyone else is doing...and do the opposite. You can do it!

@Joe: Thanks for your encouragement. That is an interesting way to look at it!

I totally agree with Josh - a good website is absolutely necessary! As far as I'm concerned, internet presence is the name of the game.

I think music is a best way to less our depression, tension, pressure & all and piano is one & only instrument which is create a beautiful environment of joy & happiness I know because I an also a good piano player lolz....

There is always a need for good music teachers... you just need to be different and get your name out there. A great website is a must.. that is how I get the majority of my students. I have doubled my studio size this last year, and grown 400% in the last two years... and that's with the crummy economy! I learned a lot about website design, search engine optimization, metatags, and more from www.musicacademysuccess.com. It is a coaching program designed for music school owners to improve and build their schools. I built my website on my own, with no previous experience, and I am now #1 in the Google rankings for my area. This is HUGE, and it is worth the investment in Music Academy Success right there. I have also made substantial improvements to the studio and have become a much better business owner and teacher. I would definitely recommend checking it out!
I wish you the best and hope you find your niche. Let me know if you have any questions or want to discuss ideas... I'm always looking for better ways to do things!
karen

Marianne,
I have been teaching for 12 years. I love using the Alfred series for children! I know I saw several posts about them, there are several to look at. They also have a series for young children called Little Mozarts. That curriculum is set up like a story line with characters named Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear learning the piano as they go. The teachers kit comes with a stuffed bear and mouse, I have the bear sitting on the low end of the piano and the mouse sitting on the high end of the piano, this visually helps children in knowing the different ends and you can ask them if the sound is low like a bear or high like a mouse.

Not every child is going to learn the same way, so it is a good idea to try out a few different methods and see what you like most and what strengths or weaknesses are in each. Don't think you have to stick to just the books in a curriculum either, teachers often supplement with different kinds of music that the students are interested in learning. (I do Disney, Christmas, Pop, etc...)

I hope this helped!

Tracy Hall
www.trhmusic.org

"I rather have the feeling that the art of music is something deep inside the mind and senses that you either have or have not got."

I think music is equivalent to reading. No one says that you are a reader or not a reader. We expect everyone to read. It is just that some enjoy it more than others. I think that everyone should learn music. Not everyone will become musicians, but all will benefit from it.

"So many times I have seen children being taught the piano only to drop it eventually."

There are many reasons to stop something. As a kid, I quit piano at least twice, once because my teacher made me hate it. If she had been my first teacher, I never would have gone back to piano. Perhaps it isn't the student but the teacher? I don't take lessons now, partly because of cost and partly because I don't need lessons to learn at this point in my life. The point I'm making is that learning music should be motivating. I teach children from age 3 and they love their lessons.

"I wonder sometimes if the children got too much music in the house."

Are you serious? Is there such a thing as "too much music"?

I think it is very sad that you never learned to read music. There is so much music out there that you will never be able to play and so much more to music than just jazz. You obviously have an affinity toward music, why limit yourself to just one area? I teach my students how to play by ear as well as how to read. Both skills are important!