Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum At what level were you when you first started teaching?

At what level were you when you first started teaching? Also, would you have a problem sending your (beginner) child to a teacher who is only playing at a late intermediate level, first year piano performance major playing Mozart/Beethoven sonatas but without a degree and certifications?

I was at what I would call late intermediate/early advanced level when I began teaching. Teaching had been recommended by my piano teacher, and she was a mentor for me if I had any questions about teaching, which I took advantage of a lot.

So is this person worthwhile? You can only find out one way. Talk with them, see how they interact with your child, and then take lessons with them. If your child seems to progress, and the teacher seems conscientious then it's probably a good thing.

It depends.


I was 14, but I was already quite advanced.

I have a high school freshman playing at this level whom I'd like to teach a few beginners. Of course, I would supervise/evaluate, perhaps once a month, after she got going. Does that help you?

We all have to start somewhere. It won't be fair for me to tell you to NEVER send a student to someone still in college, or playing late-intermediate repertoire.

My first students were my younger cousins, whom I was teaching while I was still in high school. That didn't go so well.

Because I'm a piano teacher, I'd always recommend getting the best piano teacher you can afford. If that happens to be someone as you described, fine. But I would certainly aim for somebody with far more experience, piano performance experience, and pedagogical training.

I first taught when I was in my Bachelor's program, and then Masters as a TA.

Because piano teachers is such an unregulated industry, I will definitely not send a beginner child to a teacher who only attained advanced level. Why? Because, you know, a child learns bad habit quickly and it will take triple amount of time to correct it.

Some of us practiced without a license …. on our kids.

And some of you know how to play piano very well

Seriously, I would not be the teacher I am today if no one took a chance on me as a beginner teacher. Was I great? No, but my rate reflected that as well. I'd like to think that at the very least my students learned to have good beginning technique, good beginning reading and theory, and enjoyed themselves at the piano and at lessons.

What is the teacher's experience? Have they produced any beginner or intermediate players themselves? Have they had any long-term students with which you can converse? Can you ask to sit in on one of their lessons with another student? This may all be implied by the thread title, but then that may just be concerning your first question and so the ambiguity begs the question. I, as a student, personally couldn't be less concerned with my teacher's capabilities as a player beyond basic demonstrations where necessary because what I'm after isn't how well they can play, but how well they can help me to. That said, there's likely a pattern for truly great teachers' playing abilities. See a subjective hypothesis below (ignore the arbitrary numbers and focus on the percentages, or fractions/300):



Others are of course welcome to provide input

Sorry for being honest, teaching your kid vs. other people's kid, BIG difference.

I was in my first year of a Bachelor of Music. I was atrocious, and I kept being atrocious for at least another 2 years. I definitely wouldn't recommend anyone send their kid to someone with less than 5 years experience, just because I think it takes that long to start getting a clue about what you're doing.

So then how does a beginner teacher get to the point where they can have 5 years of experience? They can't live on that, and no one would study with them....sounds rather harsh, don't you think?

Hmmm...a lot of people have responded on the level the teacher has gotten to with repertoire etc.
I look at teaching differently.. I have friends who are advanced level and concert level pianist who CANNOT TEACH. I have studied under teachers who have Doctorates in Music and teachers who didn't have a degree and honestly learned more from teachers who didn't have a degree because of their approach.
While enrolled in college, my professor would ask me to take over and teach the class when she was absent. I also gained teaching experience from sitting under a mentor and also volunteering at a local performing arts high school.
All of those things along with my continuous drive to understand how a student learns allows me to have success with teaching. It's not so much the level that i'm able to play. Because honestly these days, I don't get to practice as much repertoire as I like. I am often busy practicing church hymns, prepping students for recitals and festivals etc. I don't have a lot of time to focus on my own music. So my teaching style more so revolves around can I get the message through to this child on what they need to learn? However, I do understand your point of view, often times you feel as though if you haven't done something how can you tell someone else to do it? But you have to remember that most of the students that are coming to you at that level, will be beginners and you have already surpassed the beginner stage and by the time they get to your level, you will have surpassed that stage.
~Happy Teaching!

Wonderful post, Nyshia! I couldn't agree more. And I have my doubts about Beth's assessment of her first years of teaching.

Sometimes a student, or a parent, just takes a chance on a beginning piano teacher, and lessons commence. Often it works out just fine, and a new teacher is launched.

Agreed! How could ANY of us have ever become teachers if "no one sent their kids to us before we had 5 years of experience"? Hm...I forsee a slight problem there...

And this does a great disservice to the private teaching profession. We should be encouraging people who want to be teachers, not discouraging students from going to them. Not all new teachers are awful, and some are even good despite lacking the experience. If we don't know them, we shouldn't dismiss them out of hand, I think.

From a parent of young kids.

At one hand, the teacher should have certain playing ability, I would not sent my kids to a piano teacher that I have not heard her/him playing. Passing the student exams (RCM level 10 for example) would be a reasonable expectation I think. At that point, the person has demonstrated certain level of dedication and skills. Before that, I would consider it tutoring, not teaching. The teachers we had all have university degrees major in music, but that wasn't a deciding factor.

At the other hand, the teacher's playing ability is clearly not of the up most importance. The enthusiasm toward music and the matching personality is. If the teacher does not show the love of music, not sure how she can help the kids to love music. If the kids don't get along with her and able to relax before her, I don't think they can get the best of the lessons.

I don't mind young and "inexperienced" teachers, they are often energetic, open minded and fun, eager to explore ways to improve teaching and enthusiastic at making progresses.

I tend to avoid the my way or high way type of self-proclaimed experts. And I don't count their trophies, since I am not chasing one. All I want is to have music be a part of our lives, and hopefully, when kids move on, a part of their lives.

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been quite a while since I've posted, though I've been lurking. I actually started teaching piano when I was a mid-intermediate pianist myself, on the encouragement of my husband who is a professional working pianist. (my piano playing is now early advanced, can comfortably handle most Level 9 RCM pieces that don't require more than an octave or maybe a ninth handspan) I had been teaching clarinet for almost 5 years then. My first piano student, a Level 2/3 pianist then missed 3rd place out of 18 or so competitors in a competition 2 1/2 months after I started teaching her. And I produced my first 90%+ candidate on clarinet within 1 1/2 years after I started teaching for money, when I was just 20 years old, and have had 6 students (2 piano, 4 clarinet) achieve those results between both clarinet and piano in 15 years, and it looks like 3 piano students of mine are on the road to helping add to that total, a couple years ago it was a Level 6 piano student who got a 93 I taught!) Sadly that last student moved back to Singapore with his mom last year. But the student said it was because of me he really learned how to read the pieces he was learning, learned most of his level 6 pieces within 2 or 3 weeks! We did theory too, and usually had 75-90 min lessons most weeks. He was such a great kid, and he only had a digital piano, and he so much wanted a grand piano, after playing on the church one, once for a lesson and once for a studio concert. (and I think he deserved it, though I knew he really needed at least a nice upright.

I did a lot of looking through methods, planning, and asking my own teachers for advice on method books before I taught my first lesson, including a sequence for more advanced skills like teaching trills and turns. Plus I read a lot of the pedagogy stuff and attend whatever music seminars I can teaching or otherwise music related. I've incorporated technology in terms of music theory, notation, and ear training software with students, especially for students with siblings also in lessons (one being at the computer, and the other having the lesson at the instruments) and one student has done so well with one of the music software that she no longer has problems finding the right black key for those notes that are on the black keys, within two weeks there was much improvement, and for a month I had her play 2-3 min of that key finding game, I found it greatly improved her key finding accuracy when she played her pieces, used to have trouble with that all the time. (she doesn't need it anymore, but sometimes will play it on her family's Ipad (it's a free app by Foriero called Music Keys and available for a variety of platforms, including regular laptops and Ipads.

So there's proof that not all young teachers are bad teachers...

Meri

In the RCM system, students may take classes towards a Piano Pedagogy Certificate after completing Grade 8 (that is, while also studying for Grade 9).

When they finish Grade 9, they can then take the "Elementary Piano Pedagogy" assessment. There is a 3-hour written exam as well as an oral exam. If they pass, they will be able to teach beginners from preparatory level to Grade 2 Piano.

If they wish to continue, then after Grade 10 (and at least one session as a teacher), they can take the "Intermediate Piano Pedagogy" assessment. Successful completion prepares them to teach through Grade 6 Piano.

With further experience, students may take the "Advanced Piano Pedagogy" assessment. They have to perform a recital with a mixture of pieces from grades 9, 10 and at least two pieces at the Diploma level. They have to fulfill all theory requirements such as counterpoint, analysis and music history. As before, they have to take both a written and an oral exam on piano pedagogy.

Passing the "Advanced Piano Pedagogy" assessment allows teaching up to Grade 10 Piano, and earns the student a Teacher's ARCT Diploma, assuming the student is at least 18 years old.