How do you find the Perfect Piano Teacher?

Finding that perfect fit piano teacher can make all the difference to your piano studies.

So I tend to be a DIYer (Do-it-Yourselfer).  I like to save money when I can, and feel reasonably competent at looking up YouTube tutorials to show me the basics.  And while my simple projects like painting a bedroom or hanging a picture look ok if you don’t look too closely, many of my larger projects have been…expensive disasters.  I’ve come to appreciate that understanding the rough basics of installing a toilet or laying hardwood floors is completely different from having experience and wide-ranging knowledge in these tasks, and that working with a professional would have been the smarter thing to do.  

Enter your piano teacher.  Ideally, this wonderful expert can show you your path to achieve the type of playing you aspire to, motivate you when you’re feeling uninspired, help you when you’re stuck, give you tips to fix spots you didn’t even know were a problem, and point out blind spots in your playing.  These important pieces of your piano-playing journey can only be obtained through a good teacher.  

But there’s the challenge, right?  How do you find a “good teacher?”  Or rather, a “good fit” teacher for you?  It all boils down to three easy steps:.

Step One- Determine What, exactly, are your goals at the piano.
There are four ways you can make music at the piano, and each of these four requires a different toolbag of skills to accomplish: 

Do you want to play the music that others have composed or arranged? In addition to a basic knowledge of the instrument, the ability to read standard staff notation is also necessary to play the music composed by others.  Technique (proper hand/body position) is also important, especially if your goal is to play classical music someday.  In short, you’ll need a teacher who can teach you to read music with good hand position.

Do you want to improvise your own music? Improvising requires a bit of structure, a lot of abstract creativity, and a good sense of fun.  If your goal is to improvise in a particular style (jazz, blues, rock, gospel), a knowledge of the genre’s style elements + some music theory are important to have.

Do you want to arrange your own versions of songs?  Taking others’ music, either originally written for piano, originally written for a rock band, or originally the background music on a popular meme, primarily takes a good “ear” (the ability to play by what you’ve heard before, and have the ability to hear potential other paths for the song).  And a good teacher in this area knows how to help you develop your ear!  But in addition to a good ear, arranging is made so much easier if you have a solid understanding of theory- keys and chords, structure (melody + harmony, form), and an understanding of different genres’ style elements.

Do you want to compose your own music?  Composition requires structure + creativity.  Composing is so much easier if you’re able to read and write on the staff, you know your keys (scales) and chords, and have a basic understanding of different style elements.  Do you want your composition to sound like new-age music? Mozart? Or the Blues Brothers?  In addition, a good composition instructor can help you find a good balance between abstract creativity and structure, while also helping to encourage you through fits of frustration and simultaneously pointing out weak areas in your budding creations.

So maybe your goal at the moment is doing just one area listed above, or maybe several.  Or maybe you have no idea what your goals are.  That’s all ok, just be aware that there are many ways to “play the piano,” and keep this in mind as you are talking to potential teachers.

Step Two- Determine what kind of teacher will get you to your musical goal(s).
Piano teachers in the United States have the wonderful double edged sword of complete freedom in our profession.  We don’t have a board that decides what we teach or how we teach it.  We work independently, without a supervisor overseeing our work.  The positive side of this is that it allows for a wider variety of piano players with varied backgrounds to share their knowledge with potential students.  The downside is that it allows for anyone, and I do mean anyone, to declare themselves a piano teacher and offer their services.  Students will want to make sure they know what their potential instructor’s background, professional experience, and focus is. 

Let’s think about it.  If you want to play Chopin, and the instructor you sign up with is an expert at playing keyboards in rock bands, you both might become frustrated very soon.  Or, if that instructor you sign up to learn Chopin from has limited knowledge of proper technique, you will not physically be prepared to play those Chopin pieces, and may instead develop a painful tendon or carpal tunnel injury!   

Here’s a situation I’ve experienced a few times as a piano teacher; a student tells me that they want to “play jazz” like what they hear in a piano bar.  Now jazz is primarily an improvised form of music.  Jazz pianists will most often play a tune, then either improvise over the tune or arrange the tune and/or chords in their own style.  This requires a solid knowledge of chords and scales in a very style-specific way (or in other words, many, many hours of practicing specific scales and chords).  Several times I’ve started a student down this arduous path, only to find out several lessons in that the poor student simply wanted to sit down and play something prewritten out on staff lines that sounded “jazzy”. 

There are a few professional organizations that some piano teachers choose to belong to.  Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) is a professional organization that helps piano teachers develop their professional skills ongoing, while also offering events for students to participate in such as adjudications and competitions.  Teachers involved in MTNA can elect to have their teaching evaluated by hired professionals annually.  The National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC) is another, which focuses on promoting American composers through festivals and competitions.  There are many excellent piano instructors who are not members of either organization, however knowing if your instructor is or isn’t, and why, is worth considering.

You are hopefully starting to understand that there are no “one-size-fits-all” types of piano teachers.  As you’re looking through a piano instructor’s web page and starting a discussion with them, see if you can get a sense of what type of music-making they focus on, both professionally and in their teaching studio.  What is their background?  Do they have a music degree?  How about a teaching degree or a healthy amount of teaching experience?  Are they involved in a professional organization?  Here are a few sample questions to help start a discussion:

• What are your short and long-term goals for your students?

• What type of music do your beginning students play?  How about your advanced students? 

• Do you coach improvising or composing, or just reading pieces on the staff?

• What piano curriculum do you use, if any?   

• Do you currently play much?  What do you play?  Do you ever play with others?

Step Three- Practical considerations.
Now you’ve narrowed down what you want to play, and the type of instructor you need to play it.  You’re starting to hone in on the perfect fit instructor.  But wait!  Let’s think about some practical considerations now:  

-What will motivate you in the short and long term?  Your motivation will ebb and flow over the months and, fingers crossed, years ahead of your studies.  What will keep you going?

-Do you need a gentle approach, some tough love, or somewhere in between?  I personally find I need all three when I am a learner but at different times.  What about you?

-What about performance opportunities?  Yes, recitals.  The idea of a recital can be scary at the start of your piano learning journey, but consider this: many of us instructors see a vast difference in progress between students who perform regularly throughout the year and those who don’t.   Does your instructor offer them?  And how will they coach you through any anxiety that comes up?

-Are you OK with a less structured schedule, or do you need your weekly appointment set in stone?  If your instructor is an active performer, they may need you to be flexible with your weekly lesson time.  If you don’t have that flexibility in your schedule, it’s best to sort that out at the beginning.

-Do you need your instructor to write out detailed lesson notes, or record your sessions for you?  Every instructor I know has different ways to summarize what was accomplished in the lesson, and what you should work on between sessions; this can range from nothing to a very detailed action plan.  What do you need, and does it work with your instructor’s teaching style?  

And some last thoughts:  

Once you’ve made your selection, settle in, do the work, and trust your instructor’s process.  Treat them as professionals, and try to understand, and apply, the advice you get in each lesson.  Think of your instructor as a good map; they will point you in the right direction and get you where you want to go, but only if you put in the work at the piano between sessions to get there.

Make sure you find a lesson time that works for your schedule, and understand their policies as far as missed lessons go.  Many good instructors teach professionally to earn income.  We have full teaching schedules and have come up with our attendance policies to help us survive, both financially, and from professional burn-out.  Respect their policies, and only sign up for a lesson time that works for both your and your instructor’s expectations.  

And give your teacher a chance by speaking up if you have a concern with your studies.  Learning to play the piano will not happen overnight.  But, if after a reasonable period, you see things pop up you’re concerned or frustrated with, voice your concerns.  Your instructor is not a mind reader!  Give them a chance to explain, or come up with a different path forward, before starting your search again.

If you do find that it’s time to move on, do let your teacher know before you start with a new instructor.  In the piano teaching profession, it is considered unethical for an instructor to work with a student who is also studying with another instructor.  

To wrap up: This is a lot, I know.  But taking the time to process this, determine your goals and needs, and then start looking for a teacher will ensure that you are getting the most bang for your buck in your lessons.  

So now that you are armed with knowledge, go out, find the right-fit instructor, and learn to play.  Enjoy the process, do the work, and send me a recording of your next recital performance.  I’ll help you celebrate your wise decision to seek professional help with your studies, and I bet your recording will be a lot better than the floor I installed in my home without the aid of a skilled professional!