Sell Piano Parents (and Yourself) on Group Lessons!

Do you have too many students? Perhaps you don’t want to teach as many long hours? Group piano lessons could help! Both private piano lessons and group piano classes offer distinct advantages to both you and the learner. Understanding those differences and benefits will help you educate parents how to best help their learner meet their piano goals. The best part of being an Independent Music Teacher is that you’re always the boss and you can decide for yourself if offering group lessons is for you!

Making the case for group lessons:

Group lessons offer some unique advantages. You may decide that they will cost less than private lessons. Personally, I charge as much for a 45-minute group lesson as I do for a 30-minute private lesson. You may desire to have more free time and try to get as many students as possible into group lessons. This is an easy way to give yourself some additional time off each week. Group lessons have the added benefit of helping kids learn social skills and make learning piano feel like a team sport; they’ll have a sense of comradery and learn to support each other. There are some activities, exercises, and games that you can incorporate into group lessons that you can’t use in private lessons (and if you can find appropriate multi-level duets & trios you’ll have even more fun). Accordingly, group lessons are arguably more fun for most kids. Additionally, if you’re planning on offering ongoing group lessons, learners in group lessons can make friends with whom they’ll progress through classes or levels in the future. I always include a discount for the first month when learners bring a friend to help fill up group classes. If you’re a newbie to offering group lessons, you may desire to only target these students:

• Learners who already have the basics: If your potential group lesson student can locate keys on the piano, knows landmark notes and some theory basics from piano or another instrument, they’re likely ready to keep building their skills in a group environment.
• Learners who prefer group social dynamics: Some even do better when they have peers, friends, and fellow learners to play with, learn with, and even compete with.
• Learners who are more independent: You can always ask piano parents if the learner will be comfortable practicing and refining skills while you help another student, if so, they’re probably ready for group lessons.

What should I buy?

When I started teaching group lessons I didn’t know what I was doing. A case of imposter syndrome had me buying all kinds of resources I didn’t really need. However, in my quest to look professional, I invested in a keyboard and ipad for each learner. I created a completely silent piano lab, however in doing so, I ended up with learners who didn’t feel connected as a group. When I started my next round of group lessons a year later, I decided to have groups of 3-4 learners with a piano and keyboard only. Some learners would be practicing while I worked with theory or other off the bench skills with another learner. While my first piano lab was impressive, I had better results with learners in my small group setting where they were hearing each other play, and I was finding ways to modify games so all learners could have a valuable lesson, while working together. Some purchases I made that did help are:

101 Ideas for Piano Group Class By Mary Ann FroehlichPiano

For preschool and elementary learners:

Classroom Music for Little Mozarts By Donna Brink Fox, Karen Farnum Surmani, Christine H. Barden, Gayle Kowalchyk, and E. L. Lancaster

Music for Little Mozarts: Rhythm Ensembles & Teaching Activities By Christine H. Barden, Gayle Kowalchyk, and E. L. Lancaster

Music for Little Mozarts: Meet the Music Friends Curriculum Book By Christine H. Barden, Gayle Kowalchyk, and E. L. Lancaster

Music for Little Mozarts: Meet the Music Friends Music Workbook (one per learner) By Christine H. Barden, Gayle Kowalchyk, and E. L. Lancaster

Alfred’s Basic Group Piano Course: Teacher’s Handbook for Books 1&2 By Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus, and Amanda Vick Lethco / adapted by Gayle Kowalchyk and E. L. Lancaster

Alfred’s Basic Group Piano Course, Book 1 By Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus, and Amanda Vick Lethco / adapted by Gayle Kowalchyk and E. L. Lancaster

For older learners (middle school and up):

Alfred’s Group Piano for Adults: Ensemble Music, Book 1 Selected by E. L. Lancaster and Kenon D. Renfrow

Alfred’s Basic Adult All-in-One Course, Book 1 By Willard A. Palmer, Morton Manus, and Amanda Vick Lethco

Browse more group piano resources here.

Language to share with prospective piano parents:

Group lessons encourage learning in a “team” and each group lesson includes 1:1 instruction, playing in a group together, and fun learning games. When musicians play together, they develop an inner sense of rhythm and learn to play pieces without stopping.

If you plan to have multi-level groups: Learners are intentionally placed in multi-level groups to encourage learners to reinforce what they’ve learned as they share with less experienced students. Less advanced learners are motivated by those who have cultivated more piano skills as a result of practice.

All learners develop musicianship. If your learner has trepidation when performing in front of others at recitals, group lessons will help dissolve that fear. As a parent with a busy schedule, These group lessons are at prime times, offer more learning time than private instruction, all for a lower cost. Hopefully, this information will help you make the right choice for your learners needs, goals, and learning style.

My last pro tips:

• If you have group lesson times to fill, ask your best piano parents if they have any relatives or friends who may be interested. A quick email or placement in your newsletter will also work. You may also wish to target students in private lessons to add group piano lessons in addition to their weekly private lesson.
• If you end up with a larger group, you can enlist an advanced student to come and help you.
• Have a plan for students leaving or joining at any time. Regularly advertise groups in a monthly newsletter.
• If you require a year commitment to private lessons like I do, consider a shorter (always paid) trial period for trying group lessons.
• If you have a learner who is continually distracting, annoying, or bringing the group vibe down, let the parents know that you think private lessons would be a better fit for this learner.
• Be okay with the fact that you will not be able to cover the same amount of material in the same amount of time as in private lessons.
• Always meet each learner where they’re at and know that all piano learning can be claimed as a success!