Group Lessons: My SECRETS Revealed
Teaching group piano lessons can be one of the most rewarding ways to engage students—but it requires a unique approach different to 1:1 lessons to keep everything running smoothly. While many teachers are used to teaching one-on-one lessons, where their routine is well-established and tailored to each student, group lessons introduce additional dynamics like classroom management and transitions. If you try to apply your 1:1 structure to a group, it can feel overwhelming fast.
The Problem?
By the time a piano teacher becomes interested in teaching groups, they have usually taught 1:1 lessons for years. Whether they realize it or not, they have their own routine and expectations for how they want that private lesson to go. When they start diving into group lessons, they bring those same expectations with them and often end the lesson feeling overwhelmed and disappointed.
👉🏻👉🏻 Just as you set manageable expectations for your students, you need to do the same for yourself in a group lesson. Especially in the beginning, you shouldn’t try to cover every single task that you typically cover in a 1:1 lesson in your groups. Group lessons, however, come with added challenges—keeping everyone engaged, managing transitions, and addressing different levels of progress.
One may argue that because a group lesson typically runs longer than a 1:1 lesson, you should be able to fit everything in + the unique aspects of group lessons. Coming from someone who has taught 50+ students in group lessons, I can say it doesn’t add up quite that nicely - so let me reveal my #1 secret 🤭
The Solution.
The trick is to keep things as SIMPLE as possible. I built my framework by writing down everything I would typically fit in a regular 1:1 lesson, and circled my “non-negotiables” in a lesson (the tasks that I felt were crucial to my students’ education) ➡️ Then, I crossed off the “unessential” elements that I felt weren’t necessary for my students until we all felt comfortable in our group lesson routines.
This doesn’t mean that I never have my students do those tasks again, but I gave myself permission to postpone them in my groups until my students and I got the hang of the non-negotiables first. Breaking it all down into a simpler framework helps prevent becoming overstimulated and ensures that you’re setting both yourself and your students up for success.
Loved This Discussion?
I dive more into this topic in a recently released video that I did for my mini-video series leading up to the FREE training: "100% Conversion: 3 Steps for ANY Piano Teacher to Transition to Group Lessons, Earn MORE, and Work LESS" ✨✨
If you watch this video, I want you to go into it imagining THIS ⬇️
What if...group lessons could be EASY?
Because when you learn the right tools to set up a successful framework for your group lessons, that's exactly how it will feel. Watch "The SECRET to Teaching Group Lessons" here.
You can also get on the list for my FREE training to explore how group lessons can 2X-3X your income, cut your teaching schedule by 50%, AND give your students an experience worth RAVING about…
Hi, I’m Jess!
For years, I was working late hours, during nap times, etc.…I did it ALL to squeeze in as many possible students in order to increase my income.
But, it didn’t leave me any time for myself, or my family. And even with all the hours I was working, our budget still felt tight.
In 2023, I decide that group lessons could be the solution I desperately needed. So I converted 100% of my studio to groups, DOUBLED my income, and cut my schedule in HALF.
In The Group Conversion Collective: 1:1 to Group in 60 Days, you will learn the EXACT strategies to transition to group lessons in the SIMPLEST way possible, so you can finally double your income, cut your teaching schedule in half, & give your students an experience worth referring their family & friends to!
Learn how I break down the transition to group lessons in the EASIEST way possible, so you can finally take the leap & avoid feeling over scheduled, financially capped, & just plain exhausted.
Hope to see you there! :)
