Group Piano Lessons: The Not-So-Lonely Life of a Piano Student

We all know how solitary the life of a pianist can be: hours spent practicing alone in an empty room, only occasional lessons with a teacher, no real performance opportunities, no real opportunities to play in an ensemble with fellow pianists…

Not so fast!

Group piano lessons can provide a uniquely musical environment in a setting that is both highly effective and surprisingly social.

Traditional instrumental music instruction can sometimes follow a guru-like format: one all-knowing, all-seeing teacher blessed with seemingly mystical powers of artistic benevolence and comprehension dictates to students exactly what to do and exactly when to do it. No democracy here, the student is expected to regurgitate everything the master teacher tells them to do or risk failure. It is an unapologetic hierarchical system and it has served musicians well for literally hundreds of years (present author included). Beyond a shadow of a doubt, it has its advantages as an effective path towards musical mastery.

Group piano lessons, however, are a different beast altogether.

One instructor can’t possibly micro manage a room full of students working separately or together on headphones, nor should they. Group piano lessons provide a wonderful counter approach that features a more social, collaborative emphasis while at the same time giving students more performance opportunities and a healthy dose of positive peer pressure. Best of all, students working in pairs become incentivized to use critical thinking and musicianship skills to help their partners while making music.

Each player brings different strengths and weaknesses to the rehearsal relationship—playing with different pianists forces the student to adjust on the fly to new situations. In short, it encourages a certain musical and mental flexibility.

And what about those shy students who sit quietly at their keyboard, never asking questions, never taking musical risks, and thus never putting themselves in a position for real growth? Working collaboratively draws out the shy and encourages a more proactive, thriving approach to music making.

How Does it Work?

During the learning stages of a new piece, I’ll allow my students to rehearse the work together, focusing on clearly defined small goals. In a beginning class, this may take the form of one student playing the left hand while the other student plays the right hand, creating a duet out of a solo piece and familiarizing the totality of the music to each. Infinite rehearsal possibilities exist with this approach.

Even with little to no directive from the teacher something magical happens—students spontaneously start helping each other and working together to make music! Suddenly there are a roomful of teachers giving assistance where previously there was only one. And because nobody wants to be the weak link, students feel a positive peer pressure to work harder and fix problems more quickly. (Note: the instructor walking around the room checks the progress, providing a quality control element to the playing and advice given.)

Desensitizing Performance Anxiety

Switching partners quickly forces students to adjust on the fly and keep their egos in check. It forces them to work together with strangers to find common ground as they quickly become accustomed to sharing their music in a public format. Students soon develop a camaraderie with their fellow students as they bond over shared vulnerabilities. Learning a new skill can be scary and very humbling—the increased social/musical interactions reinforce the idea that they are all working together for a common good.

I’ve seen friendships born that last far beyond the classroom.

Another technique to use when students are more comfortable with their music involves performance critiques. Here’s how it works: students take turns playing their entire piece for three separate fellow students. The student listening to the performance offers feedback and critique, while the performer also assesses his/her own performance. Before the start of the third performance, I challenge students to choose at least one element of their performance they can correct or adjust during the final performance.

After all the students have performed three separate times, I give the students 5 minutes to write down the 3-5 things they can work on during the week to improve their mastery of the music. I then ask students to share some of their findings with the class to create a shared sense of progress and accountability.

Group Piano techniques such as these give students multiple performance opportunities and encourage them to take a more honest, mindful approach to their study. As teachers, we all want to share the joy of music making and creativity in action with our students. Group piano lessons by their very nature contain important tools that can assist students to become more complete musicians.

In an age where collaborative relationships in school and work are more important than ever, group piano lessons provide an important template for musical mastery and success in life.