Piano teacher goals tend to take a backseat behind student goals. Take this blog as a reminder to think about your year ahead and what you want to achieve!
Piano teacher goals tend to take a backseat behind student goals. Take this blog as a reminder to think about your year ahead and what you want to achieve!
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Happy New Year, fellow piano teachers!
Was your December jam-packed? Full of joy, family, gatherings…busy, busy, busy! And being a musician, it was probably full of concerts, rehearsals, and just a tad of blinding chaos!
Hopefully you were able to find some joy and peace within all that craziness, and you’re now enjoying a bit of relaxation before 2024 kicks in.
This is such a magical time of year.
New beginnings, new goals, new perspectives.
When lessons start up again, you’ll make plans for your students. Perhaps you’ll even give them a yearly roadmap of what you hope for them to accomplish.
You’ll set goals for their learning and help them set their own goals, too.
But what about you?
It’s easy to get caught up in your students’ musical journeys and forget about yourself and your continued growth.
Even if you’re an active performer, you could be more deliberate and purposeful about your personal musical goals.
January is the perfect time to take stock of your goals for your studios and your students – similar to how you do at the beginning of each new school year.
But it’s time to turn your mind to setting goals for your personal growth as a musician and teacher.
This is where it gets fun! What will you resolve to accomplish in 2024? The possibilities are endless and unique – no two teachers will want to achieve the same exact things!
Use this short list as a jumping-off point.
And remember: just like you tell your students, goals must be clear and attainable. Set yourself short and long-term goals.
(But be warned: you may find it harder to set goals for yourself than for your students!)
Probably the most obvious one, but it’s a good starting point!
As a piano teacher, you are constantly telling your students to develop a practice routine. Practice makes progress, after all.
But when was the last time you followed your own advice?
You could set a goal to practice a certain amount of time each week (hey, even practicing once might be more than you have been!)
Or you could get specific:
Do you need to be more disciplined about taking time to sit at the piano?
Or is there a specific area (composer, genre, or piece) that you’d love to focus on this year?
Maybe it’s the year to get into reading again. Those pedagogy books by your bed have gathered dust for the past year. You bought them for a reason – time to delve in!
Or maybe you’d like to read about the lives of the great composers or great pianists so you can share the stories with your students.
Here are some suggestions – please add your own suggestions in the comments!
Did you listen to lots of new and diverse music last year? No? Then, make this year the year you expand your playlist!
Familiarise yourself with some new pieces, composers, artists, and bands.
A good starting point would be those songs your students told you about that you brushed off because you’d never heard of them. Impress your students this year by suggesting songs before they do (you’ll get cool teacher points for that!)
You could even stylistically compare performances of the same piece for inspiration and new ideas.
Will this goal indirectly benefit your piano students? Yes.
But will it also benefit you as a piano teacher? Absolutely!
If you find yourself teaching the same thing every year, and it’s starting to feel too easy and comfortable, it’s time to explore what else is out there.
Teaching on auto doesn’t let you be your best teacher self.
This year, try something new!
This could be
We recommend thoroughly studying a method book before trying it out on your students – you’ll feel more confident and your students won’t feel like guinea pigs!
There’s definitely more work involved when you switch up your usual teaching methods, but you can learn so much!
And remember: you shouldn’t place your ease and comfort above what might be better for your students.
For yourself.
You heard me – you should perform more!
Don’t let your musical talents be hidden. Show the world how great you are!
Or, if you don’t feel up for that, attend more performances. Watch and marvel at other musicians – you never know, they might inspire you!
You’re an awesome teacher. But sometimes you don’t feel it.
You’ve had moments in this past year where you’ve felt a bit meh.
Maybe it was a remark made by a parent that made you feel down. Or perhaps a student asked a musical question and you floundered over your answer.
Make this next year a year where you feel like the superhero teacher you are!
There are SO many ways you can do this:
Whatever goal you give yourself for 2024, or even if you decide you’re happy as you are, take a moment to reflect on 2023 and be proud of your accomplishments.
Successes come in all shapes and sizes and should be celebrated no matter what!
Good luck in all your new endeavors in 2024!
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