So you’re looking around for someone to teach your child piano lessons.
The first question I often get from an enquiry is, “How much does it cost?”. While I get that this is important; I am often alarmed at the lack of questions that follow on from this point; questions that would determine whether I am the right person for the job.
I feel there is a myth that needs to broken that just about any old teacher is fine for delivering piano basics to young children. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Before we look at that, let’s step sideways for a tick. Let's make the same kind of assumption in an area that most of us pretty are reasonably informed about: Driving a car.
Imagine you’re choosing a driving instructor for your first child.
You picked the cheapest one and you assume that regardless, they will know what they’re doing and that your child will learn the latest and most up-to-date road safety rules. A year goes by, it’s your number one’s 17th birthday and they go for their P’s. They don’t pass and they have no idea why.
What you didn’t know, was that your child had some not-so-ideal bad habits engrained in them - you don’t really have to stop at a red light if no one is around, its OK to do 75 in a 60 zone if its a one way street and pedestrians have to wait for the cars to pass at a crossing.
While you may have saved yourself a few dollars from selecting a less experienced instructor, you’ve now got to employ someone to correct all those bad habits, and your child probably isn’t too happy about all the re-learning they have to do.
What you didn’t know, was that your child had some not-so-ideal bad habits ingrained in them - you don’t really have to stop at a red light if no one is around, its OK to do 75 in a 60 zone if it's a one-way street and pedestrians have to wait for the cars to pass at a crossing.
you might look out for.
This foundation period is not a time to be asking “Who can do this the most cheaply?”, it’s a time to be asking “Who is the best person for the job?”. And if you have no idea about playing the instrument yourself, you probably need to chat to some friends and family about what you might look out for.
So back to the original question:
Is it safe to assume that anyone can teach the basics of piano?
The answer is: Not everyone is guaranteed to do it well.
Having learned something does not guarantee that you can teach it, and having learned an instrument definitely does not mean that you have the training in pedagogy that you obtain from a tertiary level Diploma or Bachelor in Education.
Like a lot of things in life, you get what you pay for.
Questions you could consider asking when seeking out a piano teacher are:
Do you have a Working with Children number?
How long have you been teaching?
What qualifications do you have?
What do you teach during lessons?
What is your approach? How do you do it?
How am I kept up to date with my child's progress?
About the author Justin McKee is the founding teacher for MJ Piano Lessons and has been teaching music in school and privately for over 20 years.
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