I’m a piano teacher now

After graduating with a music degree, I had to figure out what I would do for a living. One common career path in music is to go into music education, but I never felt drawn to that. I didn’t think I had the level of organization required to teach a class, and I didn’t really like the idea of wrangling a whole classroom of kids.

On the other hand, I do like to teach. It’s really fun to tell other people about things I’m interested in. I have two younger siblings, and I always talk their ears off about whatever I’m learning about.

A sidelong view of the keys of an upright piano. The inscription reads “Lester, Philadelphia, U.S.A.”.

In the past, I’ve taught a couple music theory & composition students. I didn’t always have the most organized lesson plans, but I used my propensity for yakking to tell them about all sorts of neat musical ideas they probably wouldn’t have heard of from another teacher, because they’re specific interests of mine.

For a while now I’ve had it in mind to do more teaching, in a one-on-one capacity. That format seems to work better for me than a classroom setting. Beyond theory & composition, I thought I could get some experience teaching piano & voice, and maybe one day open my own studio.

In 2024, I had extra time on my hands, so I found a private lessons program in a nearby town, and now I am officially a piano (and voice) teacher. I wasn’t sure how I’d do at first. I’m still not very organized, and I struggle with doing enough lesson planning beforehand.

But it’s been a really rewarding experience. I didn’t expect this at first, but I feel so proud of my students when they make progress. On any given day, it doesn’t look like much is happening, but when I look at where my students were at the start of the semester, I can see the progress. I love knowing that I am a part of these kids’ journeys as artists.

Have you ever taught music lessons? Have you taught lessons of a different kind? Have you ever done something you’re good at in some ways, but requires you to overcome other things you’re not so good at? Let me know your thoughts at my Ctrl-C email: gome ​@ ​ctrl-c.club.