This post is a long due post because from the time I came to Bukit mertajam and got to know that piano lessons are given on a 2 students to 1 teacher (2 to 1) basis, I was really shocked! So with this post, I am going to write about why I insist on giving an individual lesson instead of a 2 to 1 lesson.
1. Learning piano is about hands on
Playing the piano is not something you can do by reading or listening to people talk about it. You have to do it yourself to understand it. This is where individual lesson is important. Kids who just started out learning should get as much time as they can to feel or play the piano. Most beginners do not have a piano at home and the only time they get to feel their hands on the piano is that precious 30 minutes - 1 hour during their weekly lesson. This is exactly why they should get access to the piano fully during their lesson time without feeling embarrassed in front of other fellow student.
2. Piano lesson is not only piano lesson
This statement is not easy to grasps. When I say piano lesson is not only about piano, it means that during lesson, student do not only learn about music, but also having a person listening to them no guiding them. In this case, a piano teacher does not solely teach the piano, but also mold a student into a better person. Very often, I would listen to my student's playing and hear what they are feeling or going through that day. Then, after confronting them, they will share with me their problems. Hence, it is very important that the lesson is an individual one because a student would not want to share her problem with the teacher when there's another person in the room.
3. Piano lessons progress differently
This simply means that there is no syllabus that suits everyone. If that's the case, who are we, teachers, to combine 2 students in a class and expect to teach them both at the same time. Some teacher who has been teaching 2 student simultaneously might say that both students at being taught separately where each will be given 30 minutes of practical and 30 minutes of theory. Then. My point is, how are you going to teach both at the same time? Does it means theory is of least importance than practical?
4. Insufficient time
Back in JB, piano lessons are 45 minutes, 30 of practical and 15 of theory. Even with 45 minutes. I sometimes find it insufficient. I can't finish what I want to teach that day and very often, would have to steal some theory time. Now that it's 30 minutes of practical and 30 minutes of theory (both shared), I can't imagine how it'll be like.
These 4 points are what I can think of right now. They are of course not convincing enough for people to stop doing what they are doing. In fact, I heard from my ex student who come from Kuching that this is also what they are doing in Kuching. From business point of view, implementing this 2-1 lesson is in fact more efficient and less time consuming but from a teacher's point of view, this practice will slow down a student's progress and does not carry any benefit for student.
With this, I hope that parents will consider the pros and cons of 2-1 lesson. Do not think that it is cheaper, look at the bigger picture and you will soon see that this method is seriously flawed. You get what you pay.
Next time round, I hope to write about how to find a music teacher that suits your children. Hope I can get it down soon :)
