How To Help Your Students Have More Fun When Learning Piano
Being a piano instructor comes with the challenge of making your lessons enticing. Find out how you can help your students have more fun when learning piano.
As a piano instructor, you are likely well-versed in the ups and downs of learning how to play this magnificent instrument. While you love the piano now, there were likely a couple of lessons in your past that left you staring at the clock, waiting for it to be over. If so, you can likely relate to the difficulties students may face during a piano lesson—or any lesson for that matter.
Students thrive when given the opportunity to have instruction and lesson plans that excite and entice them to want to know more. You might think achieving this is an overwhelming feat, but it is actually easier than you think. Try these tips and tricks to help your students have more fun when learning the piano.
The Role of an Instructor
Many of us had an instructor in our formative years that had an extremely positive influence on our education. We might still think of these amazing teachers because we don’t know where we would be without them.
Learning anything new comes with a few challenges that one cannot traverse alone. That is where instructors come in with the knowledge to guide their students on the path ahead. We cannot underestimate the role that an instructor can have in all facets of our lives.
Your Responsibility
As an instructor, you might be feeling the weight of that pressure on your shoulders. But it’s also a great responsibility and privilege. You want to guide your students along their journey in a way that leaves a positive impression. Thankfully, there are many ways you can help your students have more fun when learning piano.
Offer Freedom
Students often feel restricted when it comes to learning new things because they must follow a proper lesson plan. That structure is important as you can’t escape having to learn the fundamentals. However, a little freedom won’t derail your lessons, and it’s a fantastic option that your students will appreciate.
Have Them Choose
Your students can often find themselves in a rut when you only provide them with simplistic music to learn that they have never heard before. Thankfully, there are many more options available. Consider allowing your students to pick their favorite pieces to work on.
If you’re wondering where you can find a wide range of music for your students to learn, then choose Piano Marvel. When you use our piano lesson programs to assist with your instructing, you gain access to over 25,000 pieces of music in a variety of genres and levels. Your students will feel exponentially more invested in learning when they have the freedom to play their favorite tunes.
Get Creative
We all know that learning to play the piano takes consistency and dedication day in and day out to notice any progress. But it’s easy for students to find themselves lacking inspiration. You can inspire your students by getting a little creative.
Record Music
We are a very visual society, which makes sense as most of our favorite social media apps involve videos and photos. With parental permission, if applicable, you might consider appealing to your students by having them record music videos playing their favorite pieces. Many of your students will have a blast directing, filming, and editing a fun piano music video. The best part is that they can upload their videos to YouTube or TikTok for friends and family to enjoy.
Write Your Own Compositions
One of the best ways to offer a fun yet educational twist to your lesson plan is to encourage your students to write their own music. Writing and playing their own music may enhance your students’ ability to read music as well. Your students can upload their compositions to our Piano Marvel app. This unique feature will also allow them to learn and practice their custom music at their own pace.
Color-Coded Keys
If your students are younger, getting them to sit still and focus might be more of a challenge. That is why you might consider color-coding those ivory keys to draw their attention downward. Additionally, color-coding your keys can serve other purposes. For example, the colorful keys can entice younger students to sit down at the piano, while the color-coding helps them remember the names of each note.
It can be beneficial to use color-coding as it challenges students to remember the letter associated with each color. You can usually purchase color-coded stickers at your local office supply store.
Offer Rewards
Sometimes your students will reach a plateau in their progression that can be hard to break through. If you ever have that experience, you might consider offering incentives to move them forward. You might be apprehensive about offering rewards, but reward-based incentives can be beneficial in the learning process.
Fun Treats
It’s important for an instructor to encourage and motivate their students so they feel more inclined to practice. One of the best ways to praise your students for a job well done is to give them a fun treat like cute and sparkly stickers. It may seem simple, but the thought of receiving an eye-catching sticker on their lesson book is sometimes all your students need to push ahead.
Make sure you continue to offer verbal praise as well throughout your lesson plan. Learning to play the piano is a challenge, so a little encouragement goes a long way.
Party or Field Trip
Offering a party or field trip is a fantastic way to excite your students and keep them focused on the road ahead. However, because this option requires a little more investment, funds, and time, you might consider offering this as an incentive toward the end of the semester. Many instructors will offer a party or field trip if every student finishes their lesson plan or if the entire class maintains a minimum average. You might consider reaching out to parents, if applicable, to inquire if they want to assist in planning the event or donating any funds towards it.
