How to compose and teach a piano lesson in 10 easy steps

Creating a lesson plan for each piano student can be tricky, especially if you’re just starting out. Fortunately, you can use these 10 steps to compose and teach an effective piano lesson that will give you the results you want and keep your students coming back for more. Follow these steps every week and soon you’ll be on your way to becoming a successful teacher!

Choose your favorite song

Start by choosing your favorite song. You can choose whichever you want, but it should be something that is memorable and fun for you to play. Be sure to pick one that will be appropriate for the level of the student.

Next, put your fingers on the keyboard so that they are poised over each key (don’t worry about playing anything yet). There are three things you need to think about when deciding where your fingers go:

1. What is the melody? Which hand plays what part of the melody?
2. Where does each note live on the keyboard?
3. How many times do I have to hit this note in order to get through my entire song?

Set up a plan

Set up the plan. It’s important to figure out what the scope of your Piano lessons will be before you start composing them. Will they be open-ended or scripted? Be sure to include details such as how long each session will last, how often they will take place, and what subjects you’ll cover. You can also set up some ground rules like what materials are allowed (for example, no cell phones). Once you’ve got your plan all mapped out, it’s time for step three.

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Get students into the music

Once they know the basics of how music is composed and taught, it’s time to show them how fun music can be. They should start by making up their own melodies with chord sheets. Next, they should read an explanation of what each chord sheet means in comparison with what they composed themselves. After that, students can work on composition lessons that help them play different pieces on the instrument of their choice. Some students might prefer for you to play for them so that they have something familiar that they can follow along with. It’s always good to compose and teach from different perspectives so everyone gets out of it what works best for them.

Ensure both hands are involved

One of the most important things for students to understand is that both hands are equally important. This means that when playing a melody with both hands, the pianist needs to make sure that they are involved on each hand. One way to do this is by using one hand as the melody and one hand as the accompaniment.

This can be used while teaching children songs where two hands play together such as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The first four notes of twinkle twinkle little star can be played by one hand, then the next four notes of twinkle twinkle little star can be played by another hand. By alternating which hand plays what note, this ensures that both hands are involved during practice time.

Use different pedagogical techniques

After the introduction, I use various pedagogical techniques to help students with different learning styles. For instance, for students who learn best by hearing the music, I play each hand separately so that they can better hear the sound of the notes being played. For those who need visual cues, I point out fingerings on the keyboard as well as what fingers should be used while playing chords. And lastly, I try to incorporate kinesthetic learning by having students actually sit at the keyboard while we are performing pieces together.

Emphasize flexibility

After the lesson is over, encourage them to practice what they learned. If they practiced, praise them for their efforts. If not, encourage them to try again tomorrow. Suggest that they try it at home if possible, but make sure you don’t pressure them into practicing more than they want to or are ready for. Some students might not be ready for independent practice yet and might need some assistance from parents or teachers before being able to do so.

Teach & Compose

Give helpful feedback

Feedback is an essential component of any teacher-student relationship. When giving feedback, it’s important not to give criticism; instead, try focusing on what the student did well and how they can continue to improve. For example, you could say You need to work on your accuracy more, or I really liked how you managed your tempo.

Introduce new concepts carefully

If you are introducing new material, it is important to keep your student from feeling overwhelmed. A good way to do this is by using the same idea as before but changing one or two things. This will help them understand that they are learning an entirely new concept while still giving them familiarity with what they have already learned. For example, if you are teaching & Composing the Major Scale, you could use the same melody but play it in different keys or change one of the chords so that it sounds like a new song. It might take your student some time for them to learn something completely new, so be patient and go at their pace.

Have fun with songs you know well (repertoire)

Don’t be afraid to have fun with your repertoire. I’ve found that the more I enjoy myself, the more people enjoy themselves. It’s hard for someone to feel inspired when they don’t feel like you’re having fun yourself! Although this is the last step of teaching a piano lesson, it’s still important to have some kind of ending or conclusion. You can do this by ending with a song that is less challenging or finishing with your favorite song!

1) Don’t be afraid to have fun with your repertoire. I’ve found that the more I enjoy myself, the more people enjoy themselves. It’s hard for someone to feel inspired when they don’t feel like you’re having fun yourself.

Always be learning and discovering new things about your instrument

To continue developing my skills as both composer and teacher, I attend conferences, workshops, and master classes. I also always have new recordings playing from pianists of varying genres. Finally, to stay up on recent literature for pedagogy on piano teaching, I subscribe to various educational magazines about the subject.

Start compiling some articles or publications that interest you! Be sure that you find something at the very least monthly or even quarterly (depending on what your level of engagement with this subject is). If it’s an area that interests you enough, be open minded about where those resources come from.