What to look out for in a competent piano teacher?

Nothing beats leaving a piano class with a smile and looking forward to the next lesson. It’s a sign that the time with the teacher was probably well spent. Everyone wants a good piano teacher, someone who understands us, encourages us, and inspires us to grow. However, finding a teacher whose personality and teaching style meld well, is not an easy task.

At JoyWaltzAcademy, we firmly believe that the right teacher is someone who fuels the passion for piano, illuminates paths for growth, and unlocks the musical aptitude in their students. What sets our school apart from others lies in our carefully selected team of highly qualified teachers (minimum Grade 8 qualification) who possess a flair for relating to their students. Read on to learn more about the three essential qualities we look out for when screening and selecting our teachers:

1. Approachable

All students look forward to having an approachable teacher where they feel at ease with and with whom they can ask questions freely without being judged. The numerous positive reviews from parents stating the strong rapport between their children and our teachers stand testament to the warm, friendly, and patient disposition possessed by our teachers.

More importantly, a strong rapport indicates that students place utmost trust in our teachers.

2. Communicates well with both students and parents

Teachers, students, and parents are collaborators in this journey of learning the piano.

Sparking conversation with students is a breeze for our teachers. This ensures that the student and the teacher are on the same page.

Additionally, at the end of every lesson, our teachers will update parents on their child’s progress by summarising what the child has achieved and what areas require more practice. At the same time, parents can voice their concerns or observations that they have witnessed from monitoring their child’s practice at home.

3. Extensive experience

Teaching children around the ages of 3-5 requires a different set of skills compared to that of teaching graded or professional level students. At our academy, teachers undergo intensive and extensive training to be well-equipped in teaching students of various ages.

For beginners and young Pianist Prodigy students, teachers utilise a specially crafted curriculum to introduce the fundamentals of piano in a simple and fun manner. This curated curriculum blends customised illustrated materials with hands-on activities such as interactive games, singing, story-telling etc to provide an immersive and engaging learning experience for all beginners.

For students on the graded track, our teachers are trained in assisting students with widening their repertoire, developing rigour, and deepening music and aural interpretation skills.

Conclusion

To summarise, a good piano teacher is someone who a friend, a mentor, and a teacher all at once. As choosing a suitable piano teacher is a highly personal decision, doing ample research and attending trial lessons might help accelerate the search for the right one.

Najiha Safudin