Group lessons are a fantastic addition to your piano studio. Not only do they bring a social element, but they allow students to enjoy making music together.
Group piano lessons are a fantastic addition to your studio.
Not only do they bring a “social” element to piano lessons, but they also allow students to perform in an ensemble and enjoy making music together.
(And let’s not forget those happy students bring in extra income. Parents will be thrilled with the “extras” you offer and they’re more than likely to tell their friends!)
But how do you add group lessons to your studio?
How do you market them so your students will jump at the chance to attend?
And how do you know if you’re doing things right?
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This is a pretty easy way to add group lessons to your studio.
Once or twice a term or semester, hold a group lesson for anyone who missed their own lesson.
Students can play games as well as perform for one another. Parents will feel like they’ve got their money’s worth and your students will love it!
“But what do I do in group lessons?”
Check out this blog for tips and suggestions.
“But would I have to host different group lessons for certain ages and abilities?” Not necessarily!
Click here for Ideas For Teaching A Multi-Age Group Piano Lesson
Click here to listen to Dorla Aparicio talking with Tim about How Multi-Level Group Teaching Works
Once or twice a semester or term, invite ALL your students to a group lesson.
Make sure you have a fun theme, games, and maybe even a little craft.
If you’re feeling generous, you could even offer pizza and turn it into a pizza piano party!
“This sounds expensive. How do I pay for it?”
Good question! Many teachers include the cost in their registration fee. Others charge a small fee for students to attend.
“I’ve never hosted a group lesson before. What sort of things should I expect?”
Another good question! We’ll let Marie Lee (group teaching expert) answer it in the blog How To Teach A Group Piano Class.
Yup, you read that right.
“But how would I even do that?!”
Marie Lee lived by these five tips when she converted from private lessons to group lessons:
Intrigued by what she means by all these? Click here to read more.
“But can you still focus on individual students?”
Melanie Bowes chats to Tim about that very subject in this podcast! Listen to her tips on how to manage individual learning in group lessons.
If you’re introducing group lessons to your studio for the very first time, it can be daunting knowing how to market them to your existing students.
The key is presenting them with solutions.
How often do you hear these comments from parents?
If you present your group lessons as a solution to these problems, parents will jump at the chance to sign up.
There are times in every music teacher’s career when they feel tired.
They start doubting whether they made the right decision. They feel they’re spending every minute of every day either thinking about teaching, or teaching. They want their time back.
Group lessons have helped so many teachers get their teaching mojo back and fall in love with teaching again.
Read Janna Carlson’s story about how she revitalized her studio with group piano teaching.
And listen to Christina Whitlock reflecting on how group lessons have given her her time back.
Making mistakes is how we learn (I’m sure you’ve told your students that once or twice!)
But it always helps to research and have a solid idea before you start something, which is why we have some excellent tips and advice from group teaching experts:
Mistakes To Avoid When You Start Group Teaching
Always good to learn from other people’s mistakes!
5 Secret Ingredients To Successful Group Piano Teaching
Having these tips in your toolbox will set you in good stead!
Listen to three group teaching experts discuss their experiences and advice.
A Chat with Mayron Cole, Pioneer of Group Teaching
When Mayron Cole started offering group lessons there was no one else doing it. Listen as she shares her story of learning on the job!
How group lessons can transform your studio with Paul Myatt & Gillian Erskine
Listen to Paul Myatt and Gillian Erskine as they talk to Tim about the group lessons they offer in their piano academies.
We get it. Jumping into group lessons can feel scary.
But we’re here to help!
TopMusicPro has a whole bunch of resources, courses, webinars, teaching demos, and lesson plans to help you introduce group teaching into your studio.
