Why I never wanted to be a piano teacher!

I'm reflecting on 4 years of being a piano coach online, how I NEVER wanted to be a piano teacher and what I’ve learned about today's piano students (that shocked me!).

Reflecting on 4 years of Piano Picnic has made me face facts - I would not be a piano teacher at all if I hadn't started this business!

Why didn't you want to be a piano teacher?

Despite my parents suggesting it as a career path, I never wanted to be a piano teacher. I wanted to be a musician the most - I wanted a career in music publishing but also didn’t think that would really happen given that New Zealand isn’t known for it’s printed music publishing houses!

But I went and did a music degree anyway and discovered that music publishing was probably my best bet – which I did for 10 years.

What is it that made you change your mind?

When I moved back to New Zealand after living in London for 7 years, I’d had enough of working in office buildings and I was tired of still contributing to the same traditional piano methods & sheet music (and dare I say, classical snobbery!) that had been prevalent for so long.

I thought that the best job for me would be helping other people to find joy in playing the piano creatively and wondered if there was anyone out there who would even want to learn what I had to teach!

Now I’m excited every day that I get to coach pianists into their creativity and had to admit to my parents that they were right!

what has surprised you along the way?

Piano students today WANT creativity, vibrancy, exploration, adventure & the online landscape of readily available basic training only makes them more shrewd for seeking out training that SUITS THEM.

I’m shocked and impressed that piano students today know what they want to learn and are sick of settling for tired teaching methods that don’t align with their preferences or learning style.

The pianists that find Piano Picnic do so because they are hungry for creative skills and they want creative training to suit that.

How has it changed you?

Here’s a list of things I do now with confidence that I couldn’t before:

Talk live on camera, create video courses from scratch, graphic design, social media, online marketing, email campaigns, website design, copywriting, customer service, accounts!

AND more than all of that, I’ve become better at the piano and more confident as a teacher as I go along.

I’ve also made a ton of incredible friends both with the wonderful students I get to serve and interact with and the industry peers who’ve supported me from the get go.

Thank you for coming on this journey because Piano Picnic wouldn’t be the same without you!

Find out about how you can join the Creative Pianist membership today!