There are so many ways to look for tutors and teachers of all different calibres that you can be sure to find one who fits all your needs as a student! Whether you're a beginner or advanced, there is a teacher who can help you learn more skills to play the piano.
No matter which approaches you take, finding the right piano teacher can be a rewarding and enriching experience for those learning to play the piano. With a little bit of creativity and resourcefulness, you can find a teacher who can help you achieve your musical goals and unlock your full potential as a pianist.
Read on to find out more info about choosing an in-person or virtual teacher.
In-Person Lessons: Pros and Cons
Of course, the traditional route for learning piano is to have an in-person tutor. There are a few options when it comes to utilising this style of learning.
Location
Pro:
You can usually either have a tutor come to your home or travel to their location, which might be their studio or home.
At home, you obviously get the comfort of being within your own four walls, and you have no commute time.
If you travel to the tutor, you will likely have access to a quiet space where you can practice without worrying about whether you’re bothering your family or neighbours.
Con:
When you have someone come into your home, it can feel a little awkward, at least at first. You also may not have the best environment for lessons, especially if you have a baby in the home (or in a neighbour’s home), or dogs who like to sing along.
Another thing to consider is if there is ever another worldwide crisis that requires a lockdown, you will not be able to practice with your tutor unless they have a way to move lessons online.
Equipment
Pro:
If you don’t have a piano or keyboard of your own, your teacher might have a keyboard they can easily bring with them for you to use, or have one at their studio if you travel to them.
Con:
If you don’t have your own equipment, and your prospective tutor doesn’t have anything to lend you, then you either can’t use that tutor or you need to buy your own.
And, if you don’t have your own equipment, you will not be able to practice the traditional way on your own. (Although you can practice using a keyboard made of paper to rehearse your hand movements.)
Cost
Pro:
Once again, if you can borrow your teacher’s equipment, you’ll be saving money that way, even if you have to pay a little extra per lesson.
Con:
Lessons with an in-person piano tutor might be more expensive than online lessons because you need to compensate them for their commute if they come to your home. Not to mention that a private, in-home tutor is likely to be costly anyway!
Attention
Pro:
When you have a tutor at your side, you can be sure that the help you receive will be detailed and immediate. They can physically make corrections and see your hands and feet better as you play.
Con:
In this case, there really aren’t any! Unless you have a teacher who just doesn’t provide adequate attention, you should be getting plenty.
Overall
In-person piano tutoring is great if you want more hands-on help. It can also be the better option if you aren’t able to have an instrument of your own and need to use the teacher’s. However, you are limited to learning only from the teachers in your area.
Online Lessons: Pros and Cons
Online classes are picking up in popularity due to their convenience, accessibility, and range of teachers available for any subject.
Location
Pro:
One of the biggest advantages of finding a piano tutor online is convenience. You can learn anywhere, whether it's from the comfort of your own home, while travelling, or even during your lunch break at work.
You don’t have to worry about commuting for you or for the teacher.
Con:
If you don’t have access to a good place to practice at home, you’ll have to take your lessons under less-than-ideal conditions or find somewhere else to hold your sessions. If you have a keyboard, you might be able to bring it to a study room in a library or school/university if you ask permission, and then you can use headphones so nobody is disturbed by your playing.
Else, you may have to consider renting a space for practising, which may not be cost-effective.
Equipment
Pro:
If you aren’t able to shell out for an expensive piece of equipment, you may be able to find a company that rents. Or, you could look around and try to find a usable instrument secondhand. Maybe you have a friend or family member who can either let you use their piano at home, loan you their instrument, or sell it to you for a good deal!
Con:
If you don’t have your own equipment, and you can’t find a way to have access to any, sadly, you will not be able to take piano lessons remotely.
Cost
Pro:
Virtual classes tend to be less expensive due to the nature of the distance between you and your instructor. They can’t physically be in the room with you, so the dynamic is changed slightly from a traditional class.
Also, compared to a tutor who uses a rented space to hold classes, you might find the class cheaper since the tutor doesn’t need to pay for rent for this separate space.
Con:
Investing in your equipment may be a hurdle up front.
Attention
Pro:
You can expect the same level of attention from a remote teacher as you would have with any other teacher. If they are giving you less than that, it’s not due to the setup, they may just be inattentive.
Con:
While you may be getting all the attention you need, it still might be hard for the teacher to give you all the feedback they would if they were in person. There are a lot of subtleties in the movements of the hands and feet when playing the piano, and it might be hard to see them through a computer screen. They also won’t be able to help you physically adjust your hand placement or posture.
Overall
Virtual or remote piano lessons are fantastic for your schedule. If you’re only available very early or very late at night, you can find a teacher who can accommodate those hours, since your teacher can be anywhere in the world!
Another great benefit is being able to find a tutor who specialises in a certain type of music that you want to learn; a speciality that might not be available in your physical area. Whether it’s classical, jazz, rock, pop rock, blues, or any other style of music, you can find a teacher who loves to teach it!
The biggest downside is that you absolutely must have a way to find access to an instrument on your own.
How to Search for an In-Person Piano Teacher
Now: how do you actually find a tutor?
When you’re looking for a local, in-person piano teacher, you have myriad ways to begin your search and find information about your potential choices.
Word-of-Mouth
A great way to ensure you’re getting a good teacher is to ask around. If you know anyone else in the music world, ask them for some leads. Teachers and professors, leaders of a local youth centre, and friends-of-friends are good places to ask around. You never know what gem of information one of these people might have!
Scouting
One creative approach is to attend local music events and performances. This will give you a chance to see different pianists in action and potentially connect with teachers who may be willing to take on new students. You can also visit local music schools or conservatories and speak with their faculty members to find out if they offer private lessons or know of any reputable, professional teachers in the area.
Look for Ads
You can always take the laid-back approach and search your local newspaper and bulletin boards for piano teachers advertising their services. Check online as well, especially on Facebook, Google, and MusicTeachersDirectory.org.
Through a Local Program
Ask the schools or universities near you if they have extracurricular music programs and see if those teachers would be willing to take on a private student. You can also check youth centres or adult education centres (regardless of your age) for the same type of information.
Bonus Method: Via Superprof!
Did you know that you can search for both virtual AND face to face piano teachers on Superprof? Well, now you do!
Check out how to find your perfect tutor online in the next section.
How to Vet a Potential In-Person Teacher
If you don’t already have a recommendation from someone personally for that tutor, ask around and see if anyone has heard of them. See if you can find that tutor online if you haven’t already, and if they have a Facebook page or website, look for reviews. If you can’t find any but you’re interested in working with that person, you could contact them and ask if they have any testimonials you could read.
How to Choose an Online Piano Tutor
When you’re searching online for a virtual tutor, you need a slightly different approach to researching and choosing.
Internet Search
A basic internet search will show you hundreds of thousands of options of teachers and places to find teachers. You might get a little overwhelmed, but it can be a good place to start. Get an idea of fair rates and how the most expensive teachers compare to the most affordable.
With Superprof
Superprof makes it easy to find online tutors by keyword, rate, and level of instruction. You can see who has provided credentials for authenticity as well as read real reviews from former and current students.
You can of course use another service if you feel the need, but be sure to check their credibility and reviews!
How to Vet a Potential Virtual Teacher
Obviously, you will need to read the reviews of any person you might be working with, but how can you be sure the reviews are genuine?
Read a website’s review policy to see who is allowed to write a review. For example, only students who have had contact and/or a session with a teacher may leave a review, and the review is audited before it is made public. This way, no fake reviews are allowed.
Some websites don’t have this kind of structure in place, leading to a lot of false positive (or negative) reviews which can influence your decision. So make sure to be diligent in your research!
See if you can find information about this instructor in more than one place to corroborate the facts.
Both in-person and online teaching are great ways for you to learn how to play the piano. Ultimately, the most important things to consider are factors like location, teaching style, music preference, and pricing. If it works for you, then it’s the right choice!
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