teaching young children in a group

[GS_piano]

Don't do it!!! I teach as young as four, but they need to be ready and would definitely not be able to concentrate in a group. Piano teaching is best done individually - each child will progress at a totally different book I have two children who have whizzed through Chester book 1 in a matter of weeks, but have others who are still on book 1 after a year.

Good luck

PS Why in groups?

[Danielle]

First of all there is nothing wrong with teaching in groups if it has been properly considered. There is infact a lot for both pupils and teacher to benifit from. I recently finished a degree in music and education and my final year dissertation was on group teaching versus individual teaching.

Group teaching is best done for children aged 8 upwards. A group lesson should have no more than four pupils in it and should last 40-45 minutes. I charge &10 per half hour lesson individually and &7.50 per child for a 40-45 minute group lesson. When group teaching you should aim to make more money than you would teaching individual lessons, otherwise it is not worth your time and effort.

It is very true that children progress at different rates and yes this can be hard to deal with in a group lesson but for the pupils they have the companionship of other lesson friends and they can work as a team also having that factor of performing which you don't get in individual piano lessons. One suggestion is for your pupils to have one group lesson each week and one individual lesson each week, that way they get to concentrate on finer points in the individual lesson and then learn performing aspects and have fun in the group lessons.

When group teaching my pupils don't spend all their time playing the piano, they do mini tests/games at the beginning of each lesson such as hangman where they guess musical words. There is so much you can do with your own ideas, you don't even have to follow a tutor book religiously. You can play duets, trios, there is so much you can do!

It's great fun...I say go for it!

[Gill the Piano]

The idea of teaching six five year olds at a time gives me nightmares; I agree with GS, one at a time is far more productive. In my experience the average five year old has the attention span of a gnat and a group of them will distract eachother. I speak as someone who spent ages explaining the difference between a tone and a semitone, and when I asked if there were any questions, was asked whether it had hurt me having my ears pierced three times. Imagine if there'd been six of the...m...!

[Gill the Piano]

I agree with GS; the idea of teaching six five year olds gives me nightmares! In my experience the average five year old has the attention span of a gnat and times that by six...AAAARGH! I speak as someone who spent ages telling a five year old the difference between a tone and a semitone and asked if there were any questions. "Yes", came the breathless answer, "Does it hurt to have your ears pierced three times?"
Don't do it! They'll only distract eachother, and one to one teaching is far more productive - you have a better chance to build a proper relationship and learn the child's strengths and weaknesses as an individual. And you'll need less Prozac...