The Teacher's Perspective: What is your piano teacher doing during your child's lesson?

Hello there! Thanks for stopping by. Today I wanted to share a super quick blog post outlining my process as a teacher during piano lessons and lesson planning.

When I first started teaching piano, I relied heavily upon the lesson books. They are extremely important and not only provide the information that each student needs, but does so in an organized and timely manner. That being said, since then I’ve made a lot of discoveries, and have come to the conclusion that the lesson book should not create the lesson plan for each student. The teacher should.

When I got to about thirty students in Salt Lake City, this became pretty difficult. Even with my much smaller studio of twelve in Evanston, I can tell you that keeping track of everyone and what they need has proven to be a challenge. I want to make sure that each student’s individual personality is being catered to, that I’m effective at getting them the information they need, and that they’re having a good time along the way!

I am not a person that can remember everything about each individual lesson, and that’s why this next resource I’m going to share has been a lifesaver in a lot of ways! Since implementing this into my studio, my lessons have been far more effective and organized, and my brain doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall out.

So if you’re a parent wondering what goes on for me on the “teacher-side” during lessons, or a teacher looking to improve their own studio – this information might be interesting to you.

Found on the following link: https://www.theplayfulpiano.com/?p=113 is a great “Teacher Tracker” that has changed my life! This resource allows me to track the dates each student attended their lessons, (and when they missed if any) keep lesson notes about what I’m working on with that student, list materials needed for the following week, and track tuition owed/payed. I have a separate sheet in a small folder for each student, so I can keep all of their information in one accessible place, and get their printouts or handouts ready for their next lesson.

This resource has helped my lesson planning to come a long ways since I began as a teacher. Instead of just taking things as they came up during the lesson, I’m able to review my notes on each student at the end of the week and make a plan for what we need to cover during the next lesson. Whereas before I may have had a vague idea that “so-and-so” needs to practice their note-reading, I now have a way to plan ahead for that, and a huge library of physical and online resources to support each of these plans. I’m also able to look ahead and notate that, (for instance) during lessons on the week of February 14, each student will have level-appropriate and personalized Valentines Day-themed music activities.

So for those piano parents who sit-in during lessons – that’s what I’m always writing on during the lesson! Outside of the student’s assignment notebook that is.

Thanks for stopping by! Hop on next week to read for information about the Young Musician’s Festival – taking place in Evanston on March 28, and for some helpful information about how to prepare your student for music competitions and adjudications!