THE TEACHER’S
GUIDE TO:

piano

Helpful advice and tips from experienced piano teachers

Teaching piano can be one of the most joyful and rewarding career paths for a musician. 

But, as a solo piano teacher, you might find it difficult to find the time to do things such as experimenting with new learning techniques and swapping good-practice ideas with peers.

Some of the best training you can get as a teacher is gained by simply talking to other professionals. That’s why we reached out to piano teachers from around the world to ask them for their top tips.

Overcoming challenges

1
What is the biggest challenge for piano teachers? How do you overcome this challenge?

Making warm-ups effective

2
What are your most effective warm-up exercises? Do you use different types of warm-up according to ability?

Choosing repertoire for new students

3
Which pieces do you find particularly useful to use with new students (regardless of ability level)?

Preparing for technical exercises

4
How do you prepare candidates for technical exercises in a piano exam?

Preparing candidates for exams

5
What advice do you give students when they are preparing for a graded piano exam?
song1

Get students to help choose appealing music. Regularly set a new, easier piece to learn to mix up with challenging ones.

Sheila Collins 
Private teacher

What piano teachers told us

With more than 80 respondents from across the globe, this research has proven an insightful, fascinating exploration of piano teaching. Whether it’s reassurance that your methods are practised across the profession, or innovative new techniques to try with your students, we are confident you’ll find plenty to encourage and inspire in this comprehensive guide.

It was interesting to see the themes that emerged, and we have used these groupings to structure this guide into five significant areas. Do you want to broaden your non-exam repertoire? Do you struggle with teaching improvisation? Or do you need some ideas to encourage students to practice?

You’ll find plenty of ideas you can use right away and a number of wider strategies that can expand your approach to teaching piano.

Using this guide

‘The Teacher’s Guide to Piano’ is divided into five sections – one for each of the areas we asked teachers about. You’ll find the guide easy to navigate, according to the topics which most interest you.

We have designed this resource to be an accompaniment to your teaching which you return to time and again, rather than trying to process the advice and trial the tips all at once. We recommend taking one idea and trying it out, gradually building up your bank of resources over time.

Our hope is that this guide offers you a number of ways to fine tune your practice – it is not intended as a full-scale makeover.
song2

Goal setting, reviewing goals and practising time management all make a difference.

Nerissa Lobo 
Private teacher

Learn more about Trinity’s range of piano qualifications

The advice in this resource will be useful regardless of which exam board you’re using, or whether you’re even entering candidates into exams at all.

If you’d like to learn more about Trinity’s latest Piano 2021-2023 syllabus and supporting books and resources please visit the Trinity website.

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Overcoming challenges