Unleash Your Inner Musician: How Teaching Private Music Lessons Can Take Your Musicianship to the Next Level
There’s one thing to be able to do something, but teaching others, that’s a whole new ball game. I remember when I decided to start teaching, I literally sat down at my piano and thought, “how the heck did I learn how to do this?” Because, I don’t really remember the first few years of learning. It was just something I went to and didn’t become an enjoyable passion until I was in 7/8th grade. By being a teacher you have to internally reflect and always learn changing ways to help students excel.
You have to learn how to explain musical concepts and techniques clearly to your students. And as it’s an ever growing and learning experience you will develop new techniques over time as you evolve as a teacher. Don’t feel boxed in that you have to teach a specific way. Create what works for you that conveys the proper information.
Sit at your instrument and work through it. How did I learn to play this? How do I do this? When did I learn scales or other techniques? How do I show someone how to…The list goes on.
Plus don’t just sit with your instrument thinking, you have to lead by example. Rework your own technique. Sit down and drill out those scales. Revisit some old songs you learned back in the day. How can you improve them now. Or learn a new song or 2. Just start back into your own playing.
Is there an organization you can participate with? A music club, community ensemble, band, choir, orchestra. Join those groups for the experience of rehearsing and performing on a regular basis.
🎶 Each teacher will have their own style in how they present ideas. Some people refer to “ C” as home note, or the C scale. For my younger kids I teach positions before I teach pentascales or full scales. We call it C Position, “CPOS” or Middle C Position “MCP” (when the thumbs are sharing middle C) and as the student progresses I teach the full meanings terminology. Your goal is to create terms that work best for your students.
Remember, your goal as the teacher is to teach as much as you can in the time you have available. Each student is going to learn differently and you have to lean into that as a teacher. Just keep trying new ways that work for you and your students.
Happy Teaching!