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It’s a new school year, and it’s also the time when many have started to explore piano education for their kids. But how do you make the decision on which teacher to go with? And even if you already have a piano teacher, how do you evaluate if he or she is effective?

How can you tell if a piano teacher is effective?

1. What is the level of the students in his/her studio?

As you attend a recital or watch videos online, question the level of playing of the students. Are they all beginners? Are there any kids playing at a more advanced level in the studio? You can also ask to observe a lesson. Seeing advanced students is evidence that the teacher has the capability of bringing the kids to the next level.

2. What qualifications must a piano teacher have?

Unfortunately, being able to play does not equate to being able to teach. Teaching involves creatively troubleshooting problems for other individuals. An effective teacher is one with the student’s best interest in mind. It is easy to “tell” a student to do something, and sometimes even if the student understands what is asked of him, it can still be difficult for him to translate those words into action. An effective teacher would research and try different methods to help achieve that action.

3. Should we use cost to determine which teacher to go along with?

Yes and no. Lesson costs typically do not vary much per lesson, but it sure can add up over time. It may appear to be a wise economical decision to choose a teacher who charges less when you’re not sure if your child will continue to pursue piano education. What you may not understand is that it doesn’t matter what the teacher charges, the quality of piano education one provides can differ greatly.

I have personally observed an expensive piano teacher who simply sits behind the student throughout the whole lesson taking notes with no demonstrations on the keyboard. The high price tag might be intended to help parents perceive they are paying for a better service. This is another good reason for parents to attend the lesson.

Time spent studying with an ineffective teacher can deeply ingrain bad habits that would take months to fix. To relearn the techniques and basic knowledge is a demotivating process for a child to go through. It takes greater effort to correct a bad habit than to learn a new skill.

The first couple years of learning may not necessarily be all fun, but they are crucial for foundation development. It is only after putting in the hard work and effort, that the child realizes his or her true potential and then playing the piano will start to become more exciting. Piano lessons are associated with academic success, because children learn to focus, work hard, coordinate and control, troubleshoot, to be patient and to be goal-oriented.

4. I have no musical background. How can I tell if the teacher is effective?

A good teacher would encourage you to attend your child’s lesson. Take advantage of this and learn with your child at his/her lesson. You can ask questions to clarify. Play what he or she plays. If you still can’t figure it out, see if your child can explain it to you. If you’re both constantly confused, it may be a good sign that there’s an issue that needs to  be addressed. Keep in mind, the teacher will always say that your child is doing a good job. It is the parent’s responsibility to make good observations on whether your child understands the lesson, and whether he or she is making good progress.

A good teacher will also focus on your child’s musical journey, and not the clock. There are teachers who schedule students back-to-back and stop lessons on or before the dot, but there are ones who would give you a little extra time to complete the lesson and attend to your questions.

5. What should my child learn in the first years?

A way to know if you have an effective teacher is to evaluate what your child has learned as a beginner or what the teacher plans to accomplish. Here is a list of what I try to accomplish with my beginner students. It may take one or two years to achieve depending on the student.

• Know the clefs. They must know that the treble clef mainly uses the right hand, and the bass clef the left hand. They must also know how to draw the clefs.
• Know their fingerings on each hand.
• Able to count or clap the simple rhythm of a piece of music with whole notes, half notes, dotted half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes and their rests. The goal is to be able to count evenly and know how to subdivide and not estimate the rhythm. They must be able to identify the time signatures and understand what the numbers mean.
• Able to read treble clef and bass clef notes of two octaves on the staff and on the keyboard. It doesn’t matter if the students are slow in identifying the notes, it is more important they know how to. Students must be able to recite the letter names of one octave (C to C) ascending and descending. This is essential in developing their sight reading skills.
• Learn to play with curve fingers. The first years are also crucial in developing finger strength. Students can easily develop bad habits with collapsed fingers, flat fingers, high wrists and unnecessary high lifts of fingers. Without special attention, students will have difficulties playing evenly in speed and tone. Such bad habits also cause tension which will hinder them from developing finger strength and speed necessary for advance pieces. Having an acoustic piano is important in developing this skill.
• Able to join notes. This is by far the most common problem I encounter among transferred students – students have trouble joining the notes, being able to play legato. This skill is more difficult than it looks, but much easier to accomplish as a beginner than a transferred student.
• Know the meaning of half step and whole step, and identify sharps, flats, and natural.
• Play one to two octaves of scale – C major, G major, D major, F major, A minor, D minor and know their key signatures. Students will learn how to put their thumbs in and turn their fingers, and prepare their fingers before playing. They will learn the degree of scale, their intervals and triads.
• Learn to identify ties and slurs, and phrasing.
• Learn basic musical symbols and terminologies. such as piano , forte, dim, ritardando, cresc, adagio, allegro etc.

It is true there may be more than one way of learning the piano. However, whether your long term goal is for your child to have fun playing the piano or to provide him/her the opportunity to become an advanced player, these music fundamentals are unavoidable. If your child has been with the teacher for 1-2 years, and he or she has not been taught any one of the above, it may be time to re-evaluate your investment.

I hope that this post will help you finding an effective teacher for your child. Good luck.