Piano Guidance
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What grade piano do you need to teach?

You don't technically need any qualifications to teach piano as it's not a regulated profession. However I would say the generally accepted minimum is to have at least a Grade 8 standard of performance, not necessarily a Grade 8 exam certificate but to be able to play at that level.

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Posted 06 April 2013 - 17:11

The short answer: none, private teaching is entirely unregulated and you can teach with any level of qualification (including none at all) so long as you can find students prepared to learn with you. In which case all you need to do is check your home insurance covers you to teach from home and register for tax and national insurance (don't listen to people who say you don't register unless you earn enough to pay tax, you need to register and submit a tax return demonstrating that you don't need pay anything) The long answer: most people round here see Grade 8 as a minimal stepping stone and that one should probably not investigate teaching until Grade 8 is at least on the horizon, as you often don't see what technical errors you have until you are playing really advanced repertoire, and you don't want to pass those errors on. But to a certain extent, your performance grade is nowhere near as important as your ability to teach: Can you break things down easily? Do you have 5 ways of explaining something in case a student doesn't understand the way you put it first time? Do you have a good grasp of beginners' repertoire? Do you know what music you would choose for a beginner 5 year old? A 13 year old? A 55 year old? What you would choose for someone who has never played any instrument before and what you would choose for someone who has played a few instruments before but is learning piano for the first time? Someone who is perhaps fluent in one clef but doesn't know the other one. Will you teach theory alongside practical? If not, where will your students learn their theory? Your communication and organisation skills are probably more important than your playing skills. The Introduction to Teaching course from ABRSM runs at multiple venues around the country and you may find it useful, but I would brace yourself for a lot of negative reactions to the idea of teaching already, it's fairly equivalent to asking if you can become a school teacher as soon as you finish primary school.

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What is the best age for a child to start piano lessons?

6 and 9-years-old What is the best age to Learn TO play piano? The best age to start piano lessons is typically between the ages of 6 and 9-years-old. While older students may have an easier time learning to play, students as young as 6-years-old can also learn since the keys of the piano are easy to operate.

Many children are drawn to the piano from a young age. It’s easy to play, fun to explore, and depending on whether you have a piano vs a keyboard, it can make a lot of different sounds! All fun aside, many parents often wonder what age their child should start piano lessons, especially if they want their kid to get good. At School of Rock, our instructors teach thousands of students how to play the piano every day, and know a thing or two about determining when a student is ready. And while it’s true students of almost any age can learn to play piano, the best age to learn depends on factors unique to each student.

What is the best age to Learn TO play piano?

The best age to start piano lessons is typically between the ages of 6 and 9-years-old. While older students may have an easier time learning to play, students as young as 6-years-old can also learn since the keys of the piano are easy to operate. Depending on the student, even very young children under the age of five can begin to explore the piano. After all, Mozart famously started to play piano at 3-years-old!

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