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Piano Teacher

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Explore Being a Piano Teacher

Musical backgrounds5cz: Briefly describe your job.

I teach private piano lessons in my home.

cz: How long have you been working in this field?

I have been doing this off and on over the last 25 years.

cz: When and how did you decide to choose this career?

I wouldn’t consider this my exclusive career. I’ve been doing this in addition to my full time career to supplement my income and to keep my hand in something that I enjoy.

cz: What education and training did you receive before entering your field?

I don’t have a formal college degree in music. I have taken 8 years of private lessons in piano and voice.

cz: How did you begin OR what was your first job in the field?

I began teaching my own friends when I was in high school – some were interested in learning how to play the piano very well and others just wanted to read music so they could sing or play other instruments. I continued to teach through college and kept a steady group of students throughout the last 20 years.

cz: Describe a typical day on the job?

Most students are in the early school years so their schedule calls for lessons after school hours or on weekends. Most of my lessons begin after 3pm and go until 9pm. I specialize in beginners so many of my students are accompanied by a parent who stays through the lesson.

cz: What do you like most about what you do?

I love working with younger children – seeing them discover their own talents and abilities. I also enjoy watching children go through the process of learning and mastering new skills on the piano.

cz: What has been the most rewarding experience so far in your career?

I had one student who began with lessons and after a few months, lost interest in practicing. It was very challenging to think of ways to encourage her to become interested again. After working with her on a daily basis and exposing her to music she enjoys listening to and playing, I was able to get her back into practicing and eventually mastering the music she liked. It was obvious that she used playing music as a stress reliever and a source of personal enjoyment so I was glad she stuck with it.

cz: What do you like least about your job?

Trying to convince a student who doesn’t want to practice to stay with it. Sometime my efforts work and sometimes they don’t.

cz: What is the biggest challenge for you in this job?

Aside from dealing with the student who loses interest, it would be the challenge of attracting more students. That involves advertising and doing other things to get your name out there. It is somewhat competitive too.

cz: What would you like to say to someone considering this career?

It is very difficult to make a living at teaching piano. I would suggest doing it for fun or as a second job unless you are willing to advertise heavily or come up with unique ways to deliver musical instruction. If you were really serious about making it a full time job, you could work for a music store as an in-resident teacher or for a music school who hires music teachers. That way you could get students without having to worry about advertising on your own. If you took on more advanced students you could command a higher hourly rate but finding a large number of advanced students might be challenging unless you became widely known and were personally referred by reputation.

cz: What are the most important personal and professional skills necessary to succeed in your field?

Having great musical skill is an obvious one. If you can perform simultaneous to keeping a full complement of students that will keep your skills at a high level and keep you in demand as a teacher. As far as personal skill I would suggest having a great deal of patience, ingenuity, enthusiasm, perceptiveness so you can be in touch with what motivates your students, and an easy-going way with parents so they develop confidence in you as a teacher.

cz: What would a person interested in entering this field have to do to get a good job in it?

It is fairly easy to qualify to teach privately. People don’t usually test you or insist you are a Julliard graduate. I think people are looking for someone who will be patient and kind to their child. But if you are really interested in being a serious teacher, it is best to get a college level degree in music, maybe go onto a masters. This will qualify you to teach the advanced levels and get higher pay.

cz: What could someone who is interested in this field do to learn more about it right now?

The internet is a great source of information both formal and informal. There are websites that feature forums where you can interact with other teachers and learn what they do to motivate and instruct their students. I’m sure there are professional associations that could help you find out more about music education in general. I would keep an open mind and not restrict yourself to just private instruction.

cz: Is there any general advice you would like to offer to students on making a career choice or on work life itself?

Think about what subjects you are good at now and apply them to a profession. Also factor in hobbies and passions. If you can find a combination of what you love and what your good at and turn it into a career, that’s the best thing possible.

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