If I Can Teach Piano, So Can You!

My name is Jan Hazell and I’ve been a successful piano teacher in the North of England, UK, since 2004. I have a full timetable (and a waiting list), a good reputation and an excellent examination success record. I thoroughly enjoy my job and – considering I only work part-time – always manage to earn a reasonable income. I now want to help others to teach piano too.

There is a lot to learn about becoming a piano teacher but – if you love music and you like the idea of teaching others and working from home – it’s all good fun. So, if your first question about teaching piano is not: ‘how do I do it?’ but: ‘is it worth doing?’ then the answer is ‘definitely yes’.

As the name of this website suggests, I teach piano mainly in my own home, although I also give lessons in a local primary school. (See Teaching Piano in Schools). Through the experience I have gained over the years, I have plenty of advice to offer if you’re considering teaching piano as a full-time career – or as more of an interest.

I advise on how to become a private music tutor – from improving your own piano-playing ability and gaining more qualifications to preparing your home for your piano-teaching business. I offer tips on buying a piano or electronic keyboard, finding pupils, choosing books, planning your lessons, teaching pupils to read music and entering students for examinations.

All You Need to Know

There is everything you need to know about how to run a successful home piano teaching business (including information on tax and insurance for piano teachers), how to teach piano to adults and children – whether they’re beginners or more advanced pianists – and how to teach kids who practise regularly … as well as those who don’t. If you want to find out how to teach students with learning difficulties, how to teach your own children and even how to teach yourself to play piano – it’s all on this website.

To read more about one particular aspect of home piano tuition, just use the drop-down menus under the subject headings: PREPARATION, TEACHING, etc. on the header strip along the top of this page. Each section is packed full of advice and – if you plan to enter pupils for practical music examinations – you will find detailed articles on teaching scales, pieces, sight-reading and music aural. There is also a section on music theory examinations.

When reading my articles, please note, I have used the pronoun ‘he’ – rather than ‘she/he’ – where I am writing about matters relating to both male and female piano learners.

When I first thought about becoming a piano teacher, I wasn’t sure if I could do it. I couldn’t afford an expensive course and I couldn’t find the right book or a website full of information like this one. I wondered if my piano-playing was good enough; I wondered if I’d have the right skills and temperament for teaching piano to beginners; I wondered if I’d earn enough money. The internet had little to offer in terms of advice but re-affirmed what I’d been told: there is no set path for prospective piano teachers to follow – ‘anyone’ can do it. So, in the end … I just did it.

… And if I can do it, so can you!