Do you see a lot of students start piano but then quit? I’ve got tons of ideas to help beginner students stick with piano. You’ve heard me say it before, but I’m saying it again. Small Group Lessons! These aren’t just a new thing, they are the real thing. But it’s more than just teaching…
What determines an intermediate student for you? Is it a song? A skill? Time in lessons? I recently had a mom tell me her 9-year-old child was at an intermediate level when trying to find a class here for him. He’d been playing for 2.5 years. They came over to meet, check out the studio…
What does your wait list look like? Do you want to be that teacher who always has a wait list of students to get in your class? Adapt your teaching methods (or use mine) to help you teach in small groups. Once you do, the results are stunning Students enjoy coming to class more than…
Having a difficult time filling up your teaching schedule? Looking for ideas on how to add more students? Here is how I helped 2 teachers expand their studios and find teaching more fun. 2 teachers I helped transition to small group classes only had 10 and 13 students respectively. While it was fabulous to take…
The letter that convinced 100% of parents to switch from private to small group lessons It was early in 2003. It took me 20 days to get the courage to write it, then 2 hours to pour over myreasoning as logically as I could, because this was a seismic shift. And I felt more emotionally…
8 Piano students in 4 hours can make lessons productive, but boring. 32 students in 4 hours are synergetic fun and time just flies. Do you want your workdays to fly by? Consider trying my small group lesson approach. I used to see 8 students a day and it took 4 hours. Since 2003, I’ve…
Start with two That’s my easiest suggestion for beginning to teach small group lessons. Pair 2 students who are close in level and age, then have them come prepared to play their song for the class. Practice happens (with genuine motivation) knowing someone else will be hearing what they did (or did not do) during…
Do my students all work on the same song in a group lesson? Nope, we all learn, practice and progress at different rates, so I cannot imagine keeping students all on the same song. It would not be effective teaching. (Well, maybe if they were doing an ensemble, then learning the same piece would be…
They teach while they learn in small group lessons Small group lessons were the impetus for this big hit. It started simply enough. Bryan brought a piece to class he wanted to learn but it was probably 2 years ahead of his level. I know that students who choose their favorite music work harder to…
Musical Magic It is wonderful to watch someone master a piece and feel that joy and confidence that comes from working hard. I remember that feeling. But it was always quickly replaced with a brand-new assignment challenge so there wasn’t much time to relish the success. I realized one day that I needed to be…