Upfront Cost of Teaching Small Groups
What is the upfront cost of teaching in small groups?
There are 2 upfront costs when you begin teaching in small groups.
The biggest one is not a financial burden but a very different approach to preparing to teach your piano lessons.
Let me explain.
When I used to teach private lessons, I never kept records of what material my students had covered because it was all laid out in front of me each week. I never even had to think of where I wanted them to “play” with their piano because I had my own curriculum ladder for them to climb. Playtime just wasn’t even considered or included. Imagine being a teacher who only instructed and never included ideas for playing the piano for fun outside of lesson material!
In small group lessons, I find keeping track of each student’s progress paramount to their success. This way, when they come to class, I never have to wonder if they’ve reviewed accidentals before moving into the G chord songs. I am prepared ahead of time by thinking of their needs, considering where they are, what would make things fun this week, and how I can meet those needs.
I do it ahead of lessons. Not as I’m sitting there listening to them play. I couldn’t begin to take the time to think these things through with one student while I have a group there.
I have applied enough time management from my business world experience and know better than to be unprepared in a small classroom.
So to summarize, the biggest perspective change for me came in prepping ahead of time.
Another upfront cost
There is one other upfront cost for small groups and that’s gathering the equipment. I used to use 3 pianos. A studio upright, my grand piano and a full-sized weighted digital piano. After a year of those 3, I expanded to using 3 Yamaha Clavinovas with my grand piano. (The big piano was the one they all performed for the class on.) When they went to their individual digitals for practice, the classroom was totally quiet for independent work.
Digital pianos don’t have to be brand new. You’d be surprised how many people buy them as gifts for someone, but they don’t get used. Check your local classifieds or Facebook Marketplace for some affordable deals.
With the digital pianos, you do need headsets to keep it a quiet classroom for valuable working time while students are learning new pieces and figuring out difficult parts of current assignments. I’ve learned (the hard way) that the top-of-the-line headphones are not going to last any longer than much cheaper ones out there. My experience is that the more comfortable headphones last the longest because they aren’t constantly tugged and adjusted by the students.
Benches to assure good posture at the keyboards are my last of must-have equipment. These are available at your local Walmart, Target, or Amazon. They also contribute to proper posture since students need to sit up straight, not slouch in a chair.
These days, things have become more portable. I have students play in front of the class on a Clavinova. then the rest of the time they are playing on simple lightweight Yamaha keyboards that are inexpensive and very simple to carry or move. Students aren’t at my studio for more than 30 minutes a week and these lesser instruments are sufficient. There are a variety of set ups you can use. There is no right or wrong way.