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For those of you with several adult students, you may consider having Piano Parties once a month.

I have a piano teacher couple as piano tuning clients (husband and wife) who have up to 80 students in total. They have monthly piano parties (second Sunday each month at 2:00PM) where each student who comes plays a piece for the group. Average attendance is about a dozen people.

After that, they eat.

They trade off hosting among themselves. It works out very well. It inspires the students to prepare a piece for performance, each and every month. And it is a good social outlet for like-minded people. No politics or religion is ever discussed.

I'm not sure how well this can work out for a child-based clientele. But for this particular couple, the monthly piano group helps to build their business and inspire confidence in their students. Occasionally, child students attend, but primarily it's the adults that attend on a regular basis.

I go because I enjoy listening to other people play piano. To me it is a very satisfying experience. I even give up watching football for one day per month. (hey - that counts for something, doesn't it?)

That sounds very similar to my "For Pianists Only" group session which occurs once a month. Students play for each other. Only, I don't feed them. I suppose that if I did, attendance would be higher, but as it's included in their tuition, and I stress attendance, it generally runs close to 80%.

I'm part of an adult amateur group who meets monthly. However, no one is required to play something each time they attend. For me, because of limited practice time, to get something performance ready each month would mean only working on one piece at a time and never on longer pieces. I generally play every few months, by stuff that is polished (more or less and memorized). Those who, due to personal inclination, play each month do not generally memorize.

It would be great to perform more often but currently that would mean a trade-off to easier, shorter pieces in order to have a new piece each month. If I were a full-time music student it would be possible to get something worked up each month but I'm not.

Of course for a teacher-run gathering, where you could choose the focus (ie-play things that are 'in progress' or something similar) then it wouldn't be a problem but for a voluntary informal gathering managed by the participants, I think the mandatory participation would weed out worthy attendees.

I *wish* my teacher did something like this. Even if it were just a once-a-semester adults-only piano party. I prefer it to be a bit more on the informal, comfortable side (no pressure, no forced performing, lots of support, good practice for playing in front of people on a strange piano )

But overall, I think it sounds like fun, and a great way to meet other piano people...

"I *wish* my teacher did something like this. Even if it were just a once-a-semester adults-only piano party."

You don't need a teacher to make this happen. I've had two in the last year (not once a month, though I like that idea). It's not so hard: run the vaccuum, put out some refreshments, and have the piano tuned.

One good thing about it is that, with a room full of people, the piano won't sound so loud. Living proof of what acoustic management can do for you.