6 Mistakes New Music Teachers Should Avoid
Mistakes are inevitable. New teachers make them. So do experienced ones. If you’re a newly minted piano teacher, you don’t need to stress about perfection. You have a lot to learn, but you already know enough to get started.
Musicians are famous for paying dues with early lean years and starving artistry. But, that’s a cliche that you need not fall victim to. The Harmony Road Music Course method and materials help you get off to a successful start. Whether you’re interested in teaching toddler music lessons, children’s piano lessons or adult group keyboard classes, we can help.
Use our curriculum to avoid these common mistakes made by new music teachers.
1. Not Choosing Age-Appropriate Music
Engage your students with a repertoire which they can relate to. Little children enjoy repetition and respond to songs and music they know. Our course materials take both age and skill into account. For toddler classes, lessons are built around contagious melodies, simple rhythms, finger plays and opportunities to dance and sing. As skill and level goes up, so does complexity. At every level, it’s important to keep students challenged and interested with music they love.
2. Avoiding Group Music Lessons
Teaching group piano lessons is an ideal way to begin your career as a music teacher. Group lessons have benefits for students, including mastering teamwork and learning social skills. Students learn to listen, take turns, collaborate, help one another and get comfortable with performing. For you, group courses offer a higher hourly wage and the potential for a reliable income stream. Our courses are designed for group instruction because we believe this is the best way to learn music.
3. Not Requiring Parental Involvement
Parents are key and should be involved in lessons from the start. Without a parent’s involvement, students don’t have the support they need to continue long term. Parents don’t just sit and watch in Harmony Road Music Course classes. They sing, play the keyboard and learn everything their children learn. When the family goes home, they continue enjoying music together. Our method develops the whole child and strengthens family bonds.
4. Neglecting Marketing
Get the word out about your studio. There are easy ways to start. Use social media. Make yourself a simple website. Post online video of yourself and students (always get permission from parents before using images with their kids). Marketing isn’t difficult, but it can take time and energy. When you use the Harmony Road Music Course, we’ll assist you with marketing materials and advice.
5. Not Having a Plan
Music teachers need a few different types of plans. You’ll need a business plan for your studio. Also important are lesson plans to keep your students progressing through classes. We’ve developed complete lesson plans to use with our course materials. Our lesson plans ensure you stay organized and saves you time which can be better used for teaching and running your business. We’re also here to assist you with business advice and a strong teacher network.
6. Using Trial-And-Error to Develop a Curriculum
A new piano teacher could develop her own curriculum over weeks, months or years. When you start out, it’s better to have a curriculum in place. It’s one less thing to worry about and makes your life easier.
The Harmony Road Music Course is the life work of musician and teacher Jan Keyser. First developed in the early 80s, the curriculum has been tested in hundreds of classes worldwide and refined by Jan over the years. The course is ideal for new teachers because it provides a proven path and is a highly regarded and marketable program for toddler music lessons, children’s group piano lessons and adult lessons.
Do you have a plan to start you music education career? Request a free music kit here and start building your music business.