This past year I started holding group lessons once a semester for all my students. Though I have always known the advantages of scheduling studio wide group lessons, I wasn’t sure how my students would respond.
In the past whenever I thought about group class I remembered being a young piano student. For me group classes were boring and were always scheduled on a weekend which I didn’t like much. I had a wonderful loving teacher who tried to plan great group classes but for some reason they didn’t click with me. We didn’t play very many games, instead it was mostly a performance class and back when I was 6 and 7 I found this boring. I have no doubt that the group classes were beneficial for me, but I didn’t find them fun and exciting.
But last summer a colleague convinced me to try hosting a few group classes. She told me all her students loved group class and they were not boring classes at all! After asking her tons of questions on how she structured her group classes I decided to give it a try. And after hosting two weeks of group lessons this past school year (one last fall and one this spring), I have found that students do love coming to group class you just have to plan the right kinds of activities. In fact, when I recently reminded one of my students that group class was the following week she responded by announcing “I love group lessons, they are so much fun!”
I highly encourage every teacher to consider the benefits of occasional group lessons in their studio. Over the month of April and May I will be discussing the essential steps of hosting successful and exciting group lessons.
If you are wondering what is so wonderful about group lessons and if you should really give them a try, here are five benefits of including group lessons in one’s studio and why you should mix things up a bit.
Builds Camaraderie
Providing group lessons allows students to meet others around their age and ability level who are also learning piano. Learning an instrument can be challenging. Music is an additional language children must learn to read and learning the technique required for playing an instrument takes hard work and persistence for even the most talented students. Meeting others around one’s age can encourage and inspire students to persevere. Group lessons provide a great way for students to meet others in the studio and get to know each other in a fun learning environment. This also keeps recitals fun because you’re just performing for a group of friends!
Prepares Students for Playing in Public
At group lessons in my studio each student plays a song they are currently working on, oftentimes what they plan to play for the recital. This mini performance opportunity for one’s peers provides an opportunity for students to sort out the initial ‘bugs’ in their piano piece such as checking memory and phrasing. Playing in a small group class also allows new students and those hesitant to play in a recital, a way to experience some of what recitals are like while building confidence.
Helps Teach Students to Listen to their Playing and Others Objectively.
As students become more advanced, part of group class not only involves playing for each other but also giving each other encouragement and constructive feedback. After each student has played I ask them to share one thing they liked about their performance and one thing they would like to improve. Each student then shares one thing they liked about each other student’s performance and a kind suggestion or encouragement.
Gives You the Opportunity to Provide an Intensive Theory Session
Group lessons are all about having fun in a group learning environment. For group class I like to pick a theme such as rhythm or sight reading and structure the majority of the classes’ games around this skill. The possibilities for this are endless. I have reviewed scales, note identification, chords, time signatures, complex rhythms, and even composition. By having an intensive one hour session focused on a specific skill or two I find students learn and solidify information better and faster.
It’s Just Way More Fun Learning in Groups than alone!
Piano can be a solitary instrument to learn at times and it is important for students to have a social aspect to learning an instrument. Students who are able to socialize while learning are more likely to maintain interest in piano for a longer period of time and it is far more motivating to learn if you have a friend learning alongside you!
Mixes the Regular Schedule Up a Bit
After spring break, do you find teaching gets just a little too predictable? There are no exciting holidays or events around the corner. In the fall, there is the excitement of Halloween and right on its heels follows Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentines. Once spring rolls around things can start to become a little too predictable. But by scheduling a group class in the spring it helps change things up. In fact, you may find your students enjoy the change so much they talk about group class for months afterwards, mine do!
Encourages Students to Participate in a Summer Camp.
If you are planning to offer any summer camps in your studio, group class can expose students and parents to how fun and beneficial it can be to learn musical skills in a group environment. In my studio, students who have not participated in a camp before often sign up for camp simply because they enjoyed participating in group class.
