by Amanda Tero Matthews | Nov 28, 2022 | Music Teacher Support
Do you want to give up teaching piano?
Are you losing the zeal you once had for piano lessons?
Do you just want to fire all your piano students and quit?
You’re not alone.
Teaching piano is not always easy, especially when administrative and “client satisfaction” issues seem to consume most of our time.
To give up teaching piano is a very real consideration.
Before I give you 12 reasons why you shouldn’t give up teaching piano, I will make two exceptions.
First, not all musicians are given the gift of teaching.
Maybe you’ve tried teaching piano and hated every minute of it.
Don’t make yourself do something you don’t love if your only reason is obligation (e.g. you started teaching, so now you have to OR someone asked you to do it and now you feel like you can’t stop).
If you’ve never loved teaching piano and always dread piano lesson days, then you have full permission to stop teaching and find the thing you are passionate about.
It’s okay to say you gave teaching piano a solid try and it wasn’t for you.
Teaching piano isn’t for everyone.
Secondly, you have put in your teaching years and are considering retiring.
There is no shame in retiring from piano teaching.
I think you’ll know when the time is right for you to teach your last student.
If it’s that time for you, you have earned it.
You can let the next generation take over teaching piano.
But what if you DID love it… and now want to give up teaching piano?
This blog post is for those teachers who have been passionate about teaching piano and are considering giving up something they once loved because of the endless hassles that come with teaching.
For you who are overwhelmed, here are 12 reasons you should not give up teaching piano.
1) You have something uniquely special to offer
I love learning about business.
One thing I hear over and over from successful entrepreneurs is that this world is big enough for all of us and the unique talents and gifts we have to offer.
There are students you can help that other piano teachers cannot.
And yes, I will say it: you can offer something that quick-teaching music apps and YouTube tutorials cannot.
Personal one-on-one tutoring in piano is undervalued and underappreciated, but you are doing it and you are worth it.
2) You are investing in others’ lives–not just musically
Remember, teaching piano is more than just music.
Sure, there are those annoying students who show little to no respect (I affectionately and in private call them my “little monsters”).
One day, those “little monsters” will grow up.
What will they remember from lessons?
They probably won’t remember notes and theory; but the patience, laughter, games, smiles, and joy you exhibit as a teacher will impact their lives in ways you will never know.
You are influencing every student who walks in your door, even if you don’t feel like you are. And you can influence each student for good.
3) There is a reason you started teaching piano
Of all the reasons to teach piano, yours is unique and special.
What was it?
How did you feel after teaching your first lesson?
When did you first smile and say, “I love teaching piano?”
Remind yourself of that moment.
Your reason for teaching may have shifted throughout the years, and that’s okay too.
What is your reason for teaching piano today?
Write it down and read it every morning.
You have a purpose in teaching piano.
4) You never know the future of your piano students
Sometimes the piano student that gives you the most headaches grows up, matures, and becomes the next famous concert pianist or starts a thriving studio where they continue to share music with the next generation.
You find fulfillment in watching students grow.
Maybe they grow slowly, maybe they grow quickly, but all piano students are growing.
And you never know where they’ll end up.
5) You are sharing–not just teaching
Music is an art.
Piano playing is something beautiful to share.
You are not just teaching notes, rhythms, technique, and theory.
You are sharing a unique experience with your piano students.
6) You are opening a door for your piano students
I sometimes have to stop and reflect in awe that the 7-year-old who can drum out one of those repetitive Level 1 pieces would know nothing about music if I hadn’t taught them.
That is an honor and responsibility I do not take lightly.
Opening the door of musical potential in students is a gift we as piano teachers have.
For me, it’s one of the driving forces being my passion for teaching piano.
You have the key to unlock doors of music your piano students have no idea about.
7) You are passionate about music
If you’re teaching piano, surely you’re passionate about music.
Students need to learn from someone with your passion for music.
If you’ve lost your passion, maybe you need to find a way to get it back.
What do you love about piano?
Which pieces do you love playing?
What good memories do you have of piano?
How can you create new memories today?
8) You can keep learning
The beauty of teaching piano is that you–the teacher–are always learning.
Teaching piano helps us become better students ourselves.
Even if you are fifty, there is something you can learn from your five-year-old student.
Maybe you’ve lost that spark for learning.
Reignite it by allowing yourself to be curious again.
Find the joy in learning as you teach.
9) You are more than your scheduling woes
This is a hard one.
I know that scheduling, administration work, and communication with parents takes a huge mental chunk out of your schedule.
But your piano teaching is more than all of that.
You as a piano teacher are more than just a scheduling machine churning out lessons back-to-back.
You are a musician, an artist, an influencer.
10) You can adapt your piano lessons for this season
Maybe your discontent is just proof that you need to grow.
Try something different in piano lessons (we give you three ideas here).
There is no rule book about teaching piano lessons.
We often focus on changing things up to invigorate our students, but maybe you need to shake things up for you.
Here are some ideas:
- Teach virtually
- Teach group classes
- Host duet recitals
- Throw a piano party where you and students just have fun
- Bring your students to a nursing home to play
- Introduce games into your lesson plans
- Learn how to improvise and teach students to improvise
- Break away from lesson books
- Teach fun music (pop, music themes, etc.)
- Have themed piano lessons
- Hire a second teacher you can oversee
- Hire out the admin tasks (virtual assistants can help here)
- Take a full week off
- Consider alternate teaching options (private piano lessons, school piano lessons, private school piano lessons, junior college piano lessons, university piano lessons, adult piano lessons)
11) You are not alone
You might feel like you’re alone in teaching, but you are not.
There are many piano teaching groups you can join (our favorite is Piano Teacher Central on Facebook; you can also join MTNA).
If you feel alone, find a way out of it.
Intentionally message a local piano teacher (or, if the competition is too heated, find a piano teacher states away to message).
12) You still have tomorrow’s excitement ahead of you
I love the song “Tomorrow” from Annie (Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin).
The sun will come out
Tomorrow
So ya gotta hang on
‘Til tomorrow
Come what may
Maybe you did have a bad day today.
Maybe you had a string of bad teaching days.
Today’s difficulties will not last forever.
Your students won’t always be stuck in a rut.
You’ll get that eager student who loves practicing.
You still have the excitement of tomorrow ahead of you.
If you give up now, you will never experience tomorrow’s excitement.
How to get that piano teaching spark back
While I sincerely hope these 12 reasons motivate you to keep teaching piano, maybe you need some recharge ideas.
Ultimately, invest in yourself.
This will look different for different people.
Here are just a few ideas to get you started:
- Read self-help books
- Read inspirational books
- Not into reading? Listen to audiobooks
- Listen to piano teaching podcasts
- Take a walk with NO music, NO podcasts, NO distractions
- Hire someone to help you with the tasks you hate
- Spend 5-10 minutes a day playing piano for yourself
- Take a week off to recharge
- Learn deep breathing techniques
- Go to bed before 10:00 p.m.
- Use calming essential oils or candles
- Curate a playlist of music you love
- Meet up with a music friend
- Practice intentional thankfulness
We brainstormed a whole list of 101 Ideas for Piano Teacher Self-Care that can help you.
Right now, I want you to get a pen and paper and write down three things you will do for yourself this week to recharge so you can be the best teacher possible for your students.
Then, block out time in your schedule to apply those three ideas! You’ve got this!
Your turn to share!
I have so many questions for you!
Pick one and reply in the comments so we can help each other out on our burnout days.
- What special value do you alone add to your piano students’ lives?
- What is your #1 reason for not quitting teaching?
- What keeps you teaching piano when you want to give up?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Don’t miss out!
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Or… get ALL the teaching inspiration and game ideas we share: sign up for our newsletter and don’t miss a thing!
More blog posts to help you as you teach piano:
Pin this image
by Amanda Tero Matthews | Nov 14, 2022 | Music Teacher Support
It’s Thanksgiving month in the States, when we usually stop and think about giving thanks and realize whether or not we’re practicing gratitude as a piano teacher.
Or, maybe you haven’t actually stopped to think about whether or not you have a grateful piano teacher heart.
I know I’ve been guilty of just plodding along in life, teaching my students, and not actually stopping to “give thanks in all things.”
Today, I want to reflect specifically on how thanksgiving can apply to us as piano teachers and how we can cultivate and maintain a grateful piano teacher heart.
Why? Because gratitude is essential to our well-being as piano teachers (I’ll share more on that in a bit).
My personal thoughts on practicing gratitude as a piano teacher
Honestly, I have a pet peeve about celebrating Thanksgiving only in November, as if the other eleven months should be haphazard with gratitude.
I love Thanksgiving Day and intentionally slowing down to reflect and be grateful. But I also believe that intentional gratitude should be an everyday part of my life.
This is not intended to be a spiritual article; however, I am an evangelical Christian so gratitude plays a very important role in who I am as a believer of Jesus Christ.
Personally, I can’t separate gratitude from my beliefs, so they may shine through as I write.
Every day, God showers me with blessings. I just neglect to pause every day and count those blessings, which in turn affects whether or not I’m thankful.
Regardless of what you believe, I hope this will get you to thinking about gratitude and being intentional in maintaining a grateful heart as a piano teacher.
Why focus on gratitude as a piano teacher?
Life gets to us sometimes.
Especially as a piano teacher, where we have to be president, CEO, administrator, public relations person, marketing manager, not to mention the aspect we actually signed on for: teaching piano and solving students’ musical problems.
I know you get overwhelmed, discouraged, burnt out, and frustrated.
There are students who won’t practice, parents who forget to pay, families who want rescheduling even though your policy states you don’t reschedule…
I’m pretty sure you’re making a mental list of the difficulties of being a piano teacher.
It’s real and it’s hard.
And that’s why we should focus on gratitude.
Gratitude doesn’t necessarily change our situation and solve our problems, but it will change our perspective and attitude–and having a mindset shift then enables us to more effectively deal with the daily problems we face.
Gratitude is scientifically proven to aid our overall well-being physiologically, mentally, and spiritually (if you want to read more on this subject, I found these fascinating articles: How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain and The Neuroscience of Gratitude and Effects on the Brain).
In fact, if you write down what you’re thankful for, it will benefit you far more than writing down all the frustrations you’re facing (see Giving thanks can make you happier by Harvard Health).
I don’t know about you, but if I can emotionally and mentally feel better about my life, it’s worth making an effort to give thanks.
5 Ways to Practice Gratitude as a Piano Teacher
I like practical lists.
There are many “how to be thankful” lists out there.
But here is a list of 5 ways you can give thanks in a way that specifically relates to you as a piano teacher.
1) Write down 7 things you’re thankful for each night
This is my personal lifeline.
Every night before I go to bed, I write down 7-9 things I’m specifically thankful for that day.
Sometimes, it’s easy and I’ve doubled the count.
But sometimes I write down two things and have to stop and think hard to find something to be thankful for.
Sometimes, I’m just grateful for what didn’t happen that day (my car tire didn’t go flat, the internet didn’t glitch on me, etc.).
Your 7 things don’t have to be related to piano teaching (though, music often slips into my gratitude journal).
It’s just anything you’re thankful for.
The big things (like signing on ten new students), the small things (a struggling student who finally remembered a musical concept), and everything in between.
2) Express gratitude to your piano students
When was the last time you told a student you were thankful for them?
That question makes me cringe, because I can’t remember telling my students “I appreciate you” or “I’m grateful for you” (I’m planning to change that soon!).
I just don’t think about expressing my gratitude to my students.
There are many things I can thank a piano student for. Their good attitude, their hard work, their attentiveness, their smile…
Even if it’s a “problem student,” I can be creative and still find a way to be grateful for them.
I can be thankful for the opportunity to make music with someone else (even if they don’t particularly want to be there).
3) Express gratitude to your piano parents
It is easy to communicate with piano parents only when problems arise.
But what about just sending them a genuine, heartfelt note of gratitude?
I know that I couldn’t be a piano teacher without others entrusting the training of their children to me.
I am very grateful for each parent and grandparent who gives me the opportunity to be a piano teacher.
Why not take it a step further and let them know that I’m thankful?
4) Write a thank-you note to those who have influenced your musical life
We are surrounded by those who have influenced our lives, especially in the music world.
Private teachers, college professors, colleagues, parents, children, friends, churches…
Take a moment to pause and write down five people who have impacted your musical life.
Then, plan to write them a thank-you note (or email) and express gratitude.
You never know how they might need that bit of encouragement. It will bless you and them both.
5) Start a gratitude train
Take gratitude a step further and encourage a heart of thankfulness in your piano students.
This month, ask them what they’re thankful for.
If you want to be creative, print out some music notes and have each student write something they’re thankful for and hang them on the wall to make a “gratitude wall” for this month!
Sharing our thankfulness with others only brings encouragement and keeps the spark of gratitude flowing.
Share what you’re thankful for… now!
Are you ready? You probably saw this coming: I’d love to hear what you are thankful for today!
And what I’d really like to hear is how you can be thankful for the challenging students & families in your studio.
Piano teachers are a creative bunch, so I imagine you can make a negative situation shine with thankfulness somehow.
Give it a try because I want to hear!
How are you thankful for a challenging student or family?
Don’t miss out!
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Or… get ALL the teaching inspiration and game ideas we share: sign up for our newsletter and don’t miss a thing!
You may also like…
by Amanda Tero Matthews | Oct 17, 2022 | Music Teacher Support
When you’re busy teaching piano & juggling schedules, sometimes you neglect to take care of yourself and just need some good, solid piano teacher self-care ideas to get you started.
Yes, you need self-care as a piano teacher
Maybe you are well aware of your physical, mental, and emotional needs and have obtained the perfect life/work/rest balance. If so, I congratulate you (come do a guest post and teach us all!).
But maybe you’re in a season where you feel like you’re burned out. You can’t breathe. You feel like you’re drowning. You end each teaching day wanting to cry.
If so, I urge you to do a HUGE favor for yourself. Try out some self-care ideas. You are worth it. Your family is worth it. Your piano students are worth it.
Why piano teachers avoid self-care
One of the biggest misconceptions about self-care is that it takes too much time.
Time is a precious commodity. It’s something you can never get back once spent. And time is something all of us feel like we need more of.
So of course, when we think of adding anything to our schedule, it adds stress, because we don’t have that kind of room in our piano teaching schedule.
Piano teacher self-care doesn’t have to be time-consuming
Self-care does not require loads of extra time. Self-care can be just five minutes to actually sit and enjoy coffee. Taking a deep breath. Turning off your phone–completely–for ten minutes.
It is a simple reallocation of time. Instead of skimming social media for ten minutes, intentionally use that time for something that is mentally refreshing & rewarding (and if you don’t realize you’re spending time scrolling social media, set your phone to have app time limits).
Another misconception is that self-care means forcing yourself to do something you don’t like because “it’s good for you.”
On the contrary, you need to do something that appeals to you and feels rewarding and rejuvenating. If an idea doesn’t resonate with you, try something else.
To practice self-care, you do not have to make drastic changes.
You don’t have to completely revamp your life in order to rest & recharge.
You just have to be intentional.
Questions to consider for piano teacher self-care
I’m about to give you a whopping list of 101 self-care ideas for piano teachers. It’s an exciting list!
But here are some questions you can ask as you go through the list to help you land on the self-care ideas that fit your life.
- What makes your life easier?
- What eases your stress?
- What brings you joy?
- What helps you to rest?
Different people recharge in different ways.
Not all of these ideas bring joy & rest to everyone. For instance, going to the mall would not be a recharge for me! However, turning off my phone and music and reading a fictional book totally gives me rest and relieves stress.
You might be a mall-goer (no judgment here!). You might be a coffee drinker. A runner. A spa-day fanatic.
My goal in collecting this list is to give you tons of specific self-care ideas that fit into a piano teacher’s schedule so you can grab a handful to try out.
I’m positive there’s at least one thing on this list you can do today to help you rest & recharge, even if you’re in the middle of a busy season.
And get ready, because when you reach the end of the list, I definitely want to hear which one(s) you’re planning to try out!
101 Ideas for Piano Teacher Self-Care
These self-care ideas are divided into categories to make it easier for you to skim through multiple times if needed.
Special thanks to the Piano Teacher Central group for sharing how they intentionally practice self-care. So many of the ideas they shared made it into this list!
Music-related self-care ideas
- Play a piece you love (play for yourself)
- Learn a different instrument just for fun (not professionally)
- Jam with friends
- Turn on your favorite playlist
- Listen to different genres of music
- Compose original music
- Arrange a favorite song
- Take music lessons again
- Improv (jazz, anyone?)
- Attend concerts
- Perform where it brings others joy (e.g. nursing home, assisted living, hospital, church)
- Attend workshops
- Join a community choir
Non-musical self-care ideas
- Copy a poem by hand
- Copy a Scripture verse by hand
- Adult coloring
- Write down 7 things you’re thankful for
- Craft (knit, crochet, bead)
- Draw
- Creative writing (poetry, fiction)
- Take art lessons
- Take cooking classes
- Collect something (vinyls, books, vases, comic books, snow globes)
- Write a letter or postcard
- Scrapbook
- Cook/bake
- Create visual art
- Read/watch history
- Play Wordle
- Listen to inspirational books or podcasts
- Play video games
- Listen to a non-teaching podcast
- Listen to a fictional audiobook
- Watch a movie
- Read a book for entertainment
Sensory self-care ideas
- Turn off all noise/enjoy silence
- Light and enjoy the ambience of a candle
- Turn off your phone
- Delete social media apps for one day
- Meditate/pray
- Turn off all devices by 8:00
Physical self-care ideas
- Coffee (stop to enjoy it)
- Tea
- Pedi/mani
- Spa day
- Massage
- Chiropractic care
- Sleep (aim for 7-8 hours)
- Eat well
- Exercise
- Bath (add essential oils or bath salts if desired)
- Walk
- Run
- Breathing techniques (box breathing, Wim Hof method, etc)
- Garden
- Swim
- Time in nature
- Ride horses
- Yoga
- Drink water
- Bike
- Jiu Jitsu
- Tennis
- Therapy
- Soccer
- Lift weights
- Kickboxing
- Facial
- Pilates
- Hot shower
- Sauna
- Ride bike
- Take a drive
Traveling self-care
- Park
- Theater
- Zoo
- Historical site
- Mall
- Nature site
- Picnic
Schedule & Systems self-care
- Schedule breaks throughout the day
- Take the weekend off
- Automate something (e.g. autopay, auto messaging)
- Set clear boundaries
- Stay organized
- Establish systems
- Use templates
- Reserve one morning for self
- Schedule admin time
- Have designated workspace/play space/chill space
- Vacation time
- Quiet time before/after teaching
- Spend first five minutes of morning doing something you love
- “Fire” difficult students
- Teach 4 days instead of 5
- Get a second phone for business only
Community self-care
- Pets
- Friends
- Family
- Connect with other music teachers (join local group/association)
- Connect with non-musicians
Now that you’ve got a list to work from, you have no excuse to keep you from caring for yourself.
How to incorporate piano teacher self-care ideas
At the writing of this blog post, I’m reading Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear. It is a book I highly recommend for developing good habits with self-care.
One simple method Clear uses is the “2 minute rule,” which is: “When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
Start small with self-care.
If you’re planning to try walking for self-care, just walk for two minutes (it sounds ridiculous, but it’s possible; I just did it this morning).
If you want to enjoy your coffee, set your timer for two minutes and do nothing else but enjoy coffee.
In addition to starting small, the “2 minute rule” also encourages “that nearly any habit can be scaled down into a two-minute version.”
What is the very first step you need to take to develop a self-care habit? Before you go out to play tennis, you need to find your tennis racket. Or put on your tennis shoes.
Before you listen to an audiobook, you need to decide which audiobook you’ll listen to.
Before you get a pedicure, chiropractic care, massage, or cooking class, you need to make an appointment.
Once you do the first, 2-minute step, the following steps become easier.
If you need the extra boost, write down an appointment with yourself to make the choices you need to make self-care possible for you as a piano teacher.
Your turn!
What self-care ideas would you add to this list?
And, for the big question, what are you planning to do TODAY for some intentional self-care? What is your 2-minute step to be sure you do it? (if you absolutely cannot start today, then find a time on your calendar and schedule it right now)
Don’t miss out!
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Or… get ALL the teaching inspiration and game ideas we share: sign up for our newsletter and don’t miss a thing!
