Here at KeyNotes HQ we have turned our attention to adult groups, and we know we're not the only ones! SO many of you are telling us that you are also thinking about launching your adult group classes this fall! So let's get straight to the 6 things we think you should know, before launching your...

Headphones get a bad rap when it comes to group piano.

It is assumed that your groups are either simply mini private lessons, therefore everyone wears headphones, or your groups are collaborative, everyone learning the same song, in which case there are no headphones and everyone plays out loud.

There is a real buzz going around when it comes to group piano and I have spoken to so many teachers who currently only offer private piano lessons, but are thinking about starting their beginners in groups.

Why are they thinking about groups? I see two main reasons: time and opportunities.

Many...

On Friday 30^th April (2021), it will be 5 whole years since I taught my first ever group piano class. I remember so clearly, both the excitement and the concerns, and after five years, only the excitement remains! I would love to share with you what those concerns were all those years ago, just...

IN my last blog post, I talked about the importance of nurturing independent learning skills in our groups and what that might look like.

In this post I am going to talk about how crucial it is that we set up the learning to ensure that our learners can be independent. The very success of our...

When I first started teaching group piano, I did lots of research about what the recognised benefits are. This was mainly because I, like so many people, had only ever experienced individual instruction when it comes to piano learning, and I needed to convince myself, as well as all the...

I am all-in on groups. I only teach groups, and my groups serve a very specific type of piano student: one that thrives in peer engagement, that learns best through creative means, and one who engages in music-making for the joy it can bring. 

And you know what? I think 2021 is going to be a...

The holiday season is a great time for those one-off mini projects that help everyone get into the spirit of Christmas! Most people, whether they are music students or not, would agree that music is such a key part of the season! So how about offering your group classes a mini one-off...

INCLUSIVE

Are your lessons inclusive?

Like truly inclusive? And what does that actually mean?

Is this even an aim of yours?

Well I can tell you, it is certainly an aim of mine. Perhaps my number 1 aim. 

And I think if we, as music educators, truly believe in the empowering role of music in...

As we near the end of our term/semester here in the UK, and government legislation is allowing us to go back to in-person teaching, I have turned my attention to what a group lesson needs to look like now, in the new (and temporary) norm.

Whilst I am writing a risk assessment to share with both...

Never ever did I think I would be saying this, but my kids have had three months off school!

Three months!

And by the time they go back it will be six months.

What a journey it has been, and we are not yet at the end, but as with any good journey, there have been some learnings along the way. And...