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The Five Faces of Piano Teacher Planning for a New Year

Are you looking ahead to next year yet? I have been for some time now – and that’s because I want to help YOU have the most amazing year ever in 2018.

How to plan ahead as a piano teacher How to plan for a new year as a piano teacher Tips for piano teacher planning to keep the balance

Having a successful year shouldn’t be just about money, or student numbers. It’s about balance, inspiration and satisfaction too.

There are five aspects of piano teacher planning that are key to achieving this.

This post contains some affiliate links. Buying from one of these links does not cost you anything, but I do receive a small referral fee for sending you which goes towards the cost of running this site.

You

You come first.

You know the over cited example of putting on your own oxygen mask so you can help others? Well, that applies to piano teaching.

You need to look after yourself because otherwise you’re no good to anyone else.

If you don’t eat right and make time to exercise – you’ll have less energy. If you have less energy, you’ll be less enthusiastic the next time your student plays their piece with all the dynamics or with fantastic phrasing. And your student will feel it.

So if you can’t look after yourself for your own sake, then do it for others. But also…do it for YOU. It’s your life.

Your Students

Who do you want to be teaching? If you could design your ideal student, what would they look like?

This exercise isn’t about not accepting the students you have. Nor is it about turning down students when you need to fill spots in your studio. I get that you can’t do that.

But, if you know who you love teaching the most – your marketing can reflect that.

If you love teaching adults, then why advertise in preschools? If (like me) you love crawling around on the floor playing games, then you can make yourself the go-to teacher for the under 6 crowd.

2018 planning for piano teachers

Your Teaching

There are many (very) different great teachers in the world. Some teach the students who end up on the concert stage, and some teach those who jump to the piano to accompany a sing-a-long at a party.

These teachers are equally fantastic in my eyes. Both types inspired a new generation to love making music and gave them a lifelong passion.

So – what type of teacher do you want to be? What do you want your students to be able to do when they graduate from your studio?

Knowing this overall why behind your teaching will inform everything else you do, and the professional development you choose.

Your Music

We all have too much music – and much of it is irrelevant once we really hone in on our objectives for our students.

Once you have this set, it’s time to reevaluate the music you have and the music you need. Whether you end up giving it all away to a charity shop, or just storing reorganising by how much you use it, this will mean you can make better use of your collection going forward.

I keep almost all my advanced classical repertoire (read: Bach, Debussy and other fantastic but intimidating men) out in my office. I just rotate in the ones I’m actually working on to beside the piano. The space beside my piano is better reserved for the likes of Christopher Norton and Jennifer Eklund.

Your Business

The final aspect of your piano teaching that you might want to rethink or reflect on for 2018 is your business. Is there something that’s not working for you about your business structure?

It could be that you’re still offering endless makeup lessons, charging at each lesson, or maybe just don’t have a clear plan for where your business is headed.

Piano Teacher Planning with the Piano Pivot

No matter what it is that’s not quite right about your business at the moment, we can help you with it in the Piano Pivot.

Piano pivot workbook

This free challenge is on right now and Tim Topham and I would be delighted if you could join us. We’ll take you through all five of these parts of piano teacher planning for 2018, and help you have amazing success and a happier and more balanced life next year.

I’m excited to see you there and chat to you in our daily live videos in the Vibrant Music Studio Teachers community on Facebook.

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