By Nicole McCray
Piano teachers know that playing the piano has many benefits. Relieving stress, expressing yourself, improved social skills, building confidence and increased hand-eye coordination are just some of the wonderful benefits that students find when taking piano lessons. Music enriches our lives in numerous ways, and teachers have had to find ways to be more innovative and creative in the online world since the break of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For those who instruct piano, many have been playing for a very long time, probably years and years. They have already benefited from the things that the piano can give them. Teaching for them is a rewarding job, for them to share all of their knowledge and skill with their students.
However, there is always room to improve. There is always a chance to be better and learn more. Here are some ways that Piano teachers can continue to further their own education, and why they should.
BE A LIFE-LONG LEARNER
One of the best ways to inspire and take on being the best example for your students is to always be open to continue learning and advancing in your craft, skills, and techniques. Open yourself to learning new things, because society and ways of doing things are always evolving, always changing.
No one, in any profession or position, can get to the point of knowing absolutely everything there is to know about one thing. Even as teachers who share our expertise, we never should stop wanting to learn more, because there’s always something we might have missed, or hadn’t considered. You never know when the time comes that you may need to adapt, so if you already have the mindset of being that way, of knowing that you are open and willing, you’re ready to take on whatever life throws at you.
To be more specific, here are some of the things that piano teachers can do to take on and learn more about, furthering their own knowledge and helping their students:
TAKE ON NEW MUSIC
Don’t ever stop trying to learn a new piece that may be difficult. Challenge yourself, evaluating your piano skills as you go, and identifying your problem areas. You can do this fairly easily by trying out a new music genre that you aren’t used to playing, or playing a song that maybe has always felt intimidating to you or hard to achieve. Reward yourself when you have been able to master it and acknowledge that you have done something to further your piano knowledge.
Maybe you know chords very well but you want to work more on your finger coordination, or vice versa. Maybe you know that you need to practice sight-reading more or explore a difficult part of music theory. Expanding your skills can only help you to become more equipped and more helpful to your students.
TAKE MORE PIANO LESSONS YOURSELF
Yes, you can, and you should! With the pandemic opening up opportunities for customized, online lessons for the piano from music schools that used to specialize in in-person education, you now have your pick of experts to choose from that will help you to find more challenges with your instrument at home from your own computer. You can even specialize in areas that you know you need to improve upon, such as composing or arranging your own pieces of music, or working to be better at sight-reading sheet music.
The best part about working alongside another instructor that teaches piano is that you can pick their brain to get valuable tips and tricks that they utilize in their classroom. Collaboration is a great way to establish new and exciting ways of doing your lessons. Check out webinars, Facebook groups, or even local teacher organizations where you might gain some more insight and see what others are doing. Your students will appreciate it too because you will come out with a better understanding of what they are experiencing, which will allow for more individualized and targeted learning.
TAKE ONLINE COURSES
Online learning is on the rise, so you should take advantage of the opportunities in front of you. Check out Skillshare, a site where you can browse thousands of free online tutorials and courses to take. Better yet, look for online resources specifically for piano teachers so that you can create new goals for your students and yourself to work towards in your lessons, as well as establish new objectives for yourself and what you want to accomplish next in your own business.
Another take on online courses with a goal in mind is to get a new certification in teaching. Connect with other piano teachers and see where they might have studied, and explore different methods and might apply to you or help some of your students that you can take on.
EMBRACE NEW TECHNOLOGY AND LEARN NEW SOFTWARE
This is a big one. As mentioned before, online learning is on the rise, and you should take full advantage of this. So many music teachers and instructors have had to pivot their businesses and studios (especially if in-home) to adapt to the changes since the coronavirus pandemic has many of us still at home. Learning and embracing technology could take your business to new levels.
Many instructors out there have organized virtual recitals, virtual performances, and online workshops on top of continuing to teach online music lessons. Most schools have gone virtual and many music classes have been cut, so these are all helpful avenues for students so that they can continue to grow, develop and keep music enriching their lives.