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Last year, I posted about teaching piano lessons at home. I h
ad no idea that people would be so interested! I just thought I was sharing something helpful that a few readers might enjoy. It is my third most popular blog post of all time.Ā I thought it was time for an updated post! It is kind of funny to me that I actually published the post MONTHS after I wrote it because I wasn’t sure my readers would be interested. I’m happy to be wrong!
The first post still has great tips, but I wanted to add more. Visit the other piano lesson posts (with more guides)!
- Pre-Reading & A Series – How to Teach Piano Lessons at Home with Free Lesson Plans
- B Series – Teach Piano Lessons at Home with {FREE Lesson Plan Printables} — THIS blog post
- C Series – Piano Lessons at Home (FREE Lesson Guides)
I still stand by all of my tips and recommendations in the original post (READ HERE), but I have a few more to add to the mix.
And I have NEW LESSON PLANS!!!!!
Here are a few of the things I’ve learned about teaching piano lessons successfully at home –
1. Put It On The Calendar: Okay, technically this tip is in my other post, but seriously, I can not emphasize the difference this will make. Set a regular lesson time just like you would if you hired a teacher. Remember, it is only a savings to teach the lessons at home if you actually teach the lessons at home! Make a deal with yourself, that if you skip too many lessons, you will hire a piano teacher for your children. That worked for me!
2. Teaching Multiple Children:Ā I teach my three daughters. If I average 30 minutes per lesson, that means piano lessons will take about 1.5 hours. It can be difficult to find a consistent 1.5 hours each week that always works. And it can be hard on my toddler to be without my focus for so long (his sisters take turns playing with him during lesson time).
What seems to work for us is to assign each child a specific piano lesson day of the week, spread out over the week. It is easier to make a 30 minute piano lesson part of an after-school routine 3 days a week than it is to do 90 minutes one day. Plus, my patience is fresh for each child, which helps!
3. Using the Lesson Plan: I might be biased since I created it, but having the lesson planĀ makes the lessons so much easier.
- I just get out my clipboard, flip papers until I have my current student, and then look at plan. That is all the preparation required!
- The Lesson song is what I use as the bookmark to where a child is at. Whatever Lesson Book song they are assigned to practice during the week, they are also assigned all the other practice in the supplemental books to coordinate.
- We start the lesson by passing off the previous week’s songs and homework.
- Then, we learn the new Lesson Book song together and build on that with all the other books.
- I write down the practice and homework assignments in the student’s piano notebook.
4. Piano Student’s Notebook:Ā My piano teacher wrote all my assignments in a notebook. I think this is pretty typical, but I’m still going to mention just in case. I write down everything they need to do during the week. Something unique I do in regards to the Technic Book practice is to assign them to play the song a specific number of times, and it doesn’t matter to me if they do it all at once or spread it out. I draw a little box for them to check off each time they play it through. Often, I’ll write down the specific thing to focus on while doing it, because there is a specific function to all of those exercises.
5. Keep Your Piano Area Organized: Before I created this piano book holder (SEE HOW HERE), piano books were all over the place. It was ‘okay’, but added a bit of stress to practice and lessons to have to search for every book. We also keep a metronome, crayons, and pencils close by. Often the Notespeller, Theory, or Activity & Ear Training books will involve written homework/coloring.
So, those are my new tips. Here are the Lesson Plans! I do plan to take pictures of the front covers of the Lesson Book so you can see exactly which type of book these plans refer to. Your local music store should have these, they are very standard.
- Alfred Prep Course Level B Lesson Plans (NEW)
- Alfred Prep Course Level A Lesson Plans (Updated)
- Piano Adventures Course, Pre-ReadingĀ
- It took me a long time to collaborate all of the different books, so please respect that these PDF files are only for personal, non-commercial use and should not be distributed by anyone for any reason unless my permission is specifically granted for each individual case. (copyright 2014 by Mary Johanson of MaryOrganizes.com)
Amazon carries the books that I used for this.Ā
I am so excited to share the new lesson plans with you today. I hope this post is just as helpful as the last one! And if you want to be sure to always get my helpful tips in the future, make sure you are subscribed below!
From my home to yours,
Mary
Hey Mary. Forgive me, I see the lesson plans link, but I’m not finding a link or information for the books you are using. I did go to amazon and happened to see (based off your lessons plans heading) the name I believe. However, they have a lesson, theory and recital book and I’m not sure if I need just the lesson plan or all 3. did you list that somewhere on here and I just might be missing it? Or could you specify a link with the lessons plans for the actual books you are referencing? Thank you! š
I don’t give links, because I want to encourage people to actually go to a local music store. I don’t want to see those kinds of stores disappear. But I just updated the post with a picture of my books. The most important are Lesson, Theory, and Technic, and the others are supplemental. I use all of them, because my girls love piano lessons.
Thank you so much for compiling this information! You are so wonderful! I grew up playing piano, also using the Alfred books, and felt like I probably COULD begin lessons with my two kiddos… but felt really overwhelmed as to where to begin. I just ordered all of the Prep Course books and cant wait to start using your lesson plans! Thanks again so much! š
Yay! That is awesome! Good luck!
Wow you are an amazing person and a mother! Just wanted to let you know how great it is to be able to find something like this online. Great information, well written out and organized. Thanks for caring enough about people like me out in this world to put your time, effort and knowledge to help us out! God bless!
You are so sweet! Thank you!
Thanks so much for this! Would you recommend these same books for an adult learning or are they more for children?
I would recommend Alfred’s books that specifically say they are for adults. There is a series of 3 targeted for adults. They are very very good! You could do this and schedule a once a month lesson to check on progress and give tips!
on the lesson plans I’m assuming you are meaning 1 line per week? I’m just trying to follow what you have here? I want to start my 2 boys, ages 7 and 10. I’m also hoping I can just buy 1 set of books and not 2. Any ideas? and also I just wanted to make sure it seems that 1 book will take a year if it is 1 line per week. thanks for any input š
Jen
Yes, one line on the sheet is what I go over in 1 week. I buy each of my children a separate book for the ones they write in, but have them share the ones like Lesson, Technic, and Solo books.
Just found this site and am so excited to follow your plans! Thank you so much for all the work you put into this and your generosity to other parents who want to save money/time and be involved in their kids’ music development! As a classroom English teacher, I know the work/skill this takes to put together lesson plans/materials and I appreciate you sharing your talent with others no strings attached! =) Can’t wait to get my girls excited about this and the recital idea is so great to keep them interested!
Thank you so much! Good luck with the girls!! š
Hello Mary and thanks for this post.
I teach the piano, and am just right now, surfing the net and looking for different ways of keeping track of my lessons plans for the next year and a chart for each student looks like a really great idea!
I blog my piano teaching techniques – mostly on how i talk to kids, discipline them and handle different kinds of personalities in piano class. My blog address is
http://anitaelise.wordpress.com/
I would love to have feedback from you….
Your website seems like a great website for people interested in teaching piano. Thanks for sharing. š
Thank you so much for this post! I am about to start teaching my 5 and 8 year old. Is the Piano Adventures book “My First Piano Adventures”? And is it by Faber? I keep looking up “Piano Adventures” and it brings up “My First Piano Adventures”. Not sure if that is the same book. Thanks!
The Piano Adventures ones I already got rid of, and all I remember is they were purple and called “pre-readers”. Your 8 year old should be ready to start with the other series (the orange one in the picture).
Great posT! I just started my daughter last week. I love the books, too. I do have a question about “homework”. How do you know what to give them for homework? I’ve looked through the books and can’t find anything on that. Thank you.
I assign them to practice each of the songs, nothing too serious. For the Technic book, I just say “play this song this many times”, like 5 times. Hope this helps!!
Do you have a photo of the piano adventures book? I’m trying to find it and not sure if its the right one. Who is the author? Thank you!
I am so sorry, I don’t have those books anymore. They were purple and said clearly “pre-reader”. Good luck!!
I’m am super excited that I stumbled upon your post! I’m starting a 9 and 6 year old – do you recommend using the level A books for both? Or would level B be more appropriate for the 9 year old? Thank you for sharing your technique and plans on teaching piano lessons. This is so helpful, I always wanted to teach piano lessons to my kids but didn’t know where to begin. Thank you so much!
I’d try level B for the nine year old, but just don’t push too hard. I think your older child would probably like feeling like they had a more advanced book, even if level A would work for them too.
Thank you for this! We are starting this week.
Good luck!
Thanks so much for providing this. I am ready to start teaching my 5-year-old, but it’s hard to plan where to start. I still have many of my beginner books from when I was a child, but these lesson plans will be invaluable. Thanks again!
I’m so glad this could help. š
I would like to use your lesson plans, but cannot seem to find the link to get them. I know I must be missing it somewhere…
Well, never mind! I found them! I thought the links were to the books, not the lesson plans! š
Glad you found it!
Do you have any lesson progress charts for the Faber My First Piano Adventures method?
Found it! Haha
Glad you found it! š
Quick question: do you start with the pre-reader or is it interchangeable with the Alfred Level A?
I started with the Pre-Reader because my youngest daughter wanted to start with her sisters and she didn’t read yet. Really, I’d skip the pre-reading if possible.
Hello Mary, I have two girls. One will be 5 next month and the little turned 3 in June. You said to skip the pre-reading ones altogether but they can’t read yet. I guess I’m a little confused. I have a piano similar to yours and I’m very much interested in learning myself and teaching my girls along the way. Please help and thank you for this post! š
My personal opinion: focus on learning yourself and just “playing” with music with the girls. If you want more structure, do a search for pre-reading piano books and just work through those as you can. The only reason I did the pre-reading at all was because my daughter was begging to do it like her older sisters. Normally I’d like to wait for structured lessons at a post-reading age. As for your learning yourself, I really like the Alfred series made specifically for adults. It is 3 big spiral books to work through. Good luck!
Are you still doing piano lesson plans? I see you did one in 2014. I would love to try this with my kids.
I have the Piano adventures level 1. They are red. What is the “pre-reading”?
Pre-Reading would be like level 0. It is hard to find, I had to search very hard for it. If you have a reader, skip it.
I haven’t done any recent less plans. Sorry! This year has been a bit hectic.
Love it!!! I have 3 to teach, plus I homeschool, and babysit my 3 yo grandson…looking forward to beginning with my children…. ā”
You sound like a super mom! Go for it!
I am thinking about teaching my 7 year old son how to play. I personally don’t know how to do play the piano but he wants to try. I was wondering if you at all used some kind of tabs or marking on the keys to help remember which is what key.Would it be helpful to use something like this? Do they come in the lesson books you have? Thanks.
I’m not sure what the official word is on those key stickers. I’ve never used them because I am worried they would become a crutch. Also, I don’t want my kids to look at their hands while they play, just the music. Sometimes I will take a piece of paper and cover their hands so they are forced to rely on their memory of where the notes are. š
Maybe I have missed it, but where do you get those books from? TIA!
I got mine from a local music store.
I’m homeschooling and trying to teach piano for a few minutes each day to each child, as part of school…(They were able to learn the basics from a friend who taught them for the first bit – I have been doing it off and on since then) The oldest two have just finished level A… and my issue is… since I am not a proficient piano player myself… am I doing an injustice to them by me trying to teach them?? Any suggestions? Thx so much for the printables…Also, your blog is helping me to declutter… š I’m a pack-rat by nature!
Okay, I’m going to tell you the truth because I think you are honestly seeking it. If you are teaching your children the piano to give them some experience with music and to just have fun with music as part of your homeschooling, kind of like a music class during school time, then you are probably fine working through resources and doing the best you can. If you are hoping your children will play the piano one day, they will do better with a teacher who understands the ins and outs. There are a lot of bad habits that can start young and that are hard to un-train in older students, and if you don’t know how to see those habits, you won’t know how to help them. Does that help answer your question?
I’m so glad you’re getting some good decluttering done! Less clutter has got to make a school day go by easier!
Will you be doing a plan for Piano Adventures 2nd edition level 1 (red books)? My daughters piano teacher just stopped teaching and I have not been able to find a replacement teacher. I was looking into teaching her myself when I came upon your blog. She has just finished the purple books. I know this is probably ahead of where you are at but any kind of help would be great.
I’m so sorry, but I won’t be doing that. If you look at the date I wrote this post, you’ll see that it was actually a few years ago. My girls are actually using that red book right now, but we just started with a piano teacher. Things got too tricky with my toddler son – he really didn’t understand not to interrupt piano lessons, lol. š
Thank you so much for posting new lesson plans! I took lessons for 7 years when I was younger. Now I’m teaching my 10 year old daughter! We are getting ready to have our own piano party and start level B!
You are welcome!
Hi Mary. You’ve done a great job on this website! I’m thinking of teaching my 12 year old grandson piano lessons. I’ve taught before and have a classical piano background but no actual teaching instructions. Do you think teaching a grandchild (or child) is good idea? Thanks for your help. (Also, it would seem awkward charging for his lessons since he’s my grandson).
Absolutely I think a grandma could do this! It is a great idea. And I agree not to charge your grandson. It is time with him that you will both treasure.
Wow, this is incredible. Thank you so much for taking the time to create something so time-intensive and valuable, and then share it! I took piano lessons for over 10 years and would love to be able to teach my own children. It can be really overwhelming to know where to start and how to format the lessons. I think that’s what would have kept me from trying. Thanks for sharing!
You are so welcome! Good luck with your lessons!
I am going to teach my 4yo boy to play piano at home. I read your plan. Your plan is wonderful. Thanks a lot.
You’re so welcome!
Great blog about piano teaching! Just ordered the Alfred books and will get started when they arrive. I have a question. How often do your kids take the lessons? Once a week? Or does it vary based on progress. I have a 7 year old that picks up things quick but a 5 year old that has a hard time learning anything.
I set a once a week appointment, but you should do what works for your schedule. Don’t be afraid to individualize to your kids needs. š
Hi! Thanks so much for this post! I’m going to read more things you’ve written.
Just curious: how much do you think kids should practice every day when they are beginners? I want to start to teach my 7-year-old daughter and I wonder how you would recommend getting her into good practicing habits.
Thank you, from Sweden! š
I don’t focus on a certain amount of time, but a certain goal. So, like “practice this song 3 times”, “do your scales 5 times”, etc. š
Piano practice is a part of our daily routine and is on the same checklist as chores.
I’ve been playing piano since I was 5, but I’ve been kind of at a loss as to where to start to teach my kids. I think I just needed someone else to write out the steps for me – teach this lesson this week, do these theory pages. So thank you for sharing this! So perfect! I learned using Alfred, and I still have Lesson Book A from when I completed it. So excited to teach my kids using the same book.
So glad to help. I still love Alfred!
Hi! I love your website and all of your information on it– I think it is great for teaching!! Although I am having trouble clicking on the links to the lesson plans; for some reason whenever I click on them it opens a blank tab. Any idea how to open it another way that may work?
Thanks!!
Can you try again from a different browser, or refresh your current browser? The link is definitely working.
Hi Mary, thank you for sharing your experience, tips, and resources. My two boys – 6 and 4 years – have been asking me to teach them to play. My 6 year old reads extremely well, while the younger one has just started to read a bit more independently.
I think your “Pre-reading” lesson plan would probably work well for my 4-year-old.
However, from your experience, do you think it’s okay to kick it off with my 6-year old with Prep Course A?
Yes, it is totally okay. Just be ready for learning piano to take a little longer, with a lot more patience, at this stage.
Hi! Thank you so much for sharing this! Iām getting a bit confused. I got the Alfred basics prep a course so I have the technic, notespeller, and theory books. It also came with a ālesson bookā. There isnāt a solo book or an āactivities and ear trainingā book. What am I missing?
You don’t have to use every single book. You can definitely pick and choose. The ‘solo’ book and ‘activities and ear training’ are additional Alfred books that you could add to your lessons. š
Never mind! I figured it out. š
Oops! I was just answering comments in order and didn’t see this before I responded.
I just subscribed, but realize I gave the wrong email. How do I change this? Thanks
You can just subscribe again with the right email. The wrong email will never get confirmed by you, so no harm done.
THANK YOU so much for sharing your hard work. This is exactly what I need to get started with my boys. So excited to get playing with them!
You are so welcome! I’m happy to help!
I just found this page. It’s June 2022. Not sure if you’ll read this, but THANK YOU for the Alfred check off lists. I just spent a lot of time making my own lists for a couple of the Alfred Basic levels. very similar to what you’d done here. I’ve been wondering why they don’t have this available already. This is how my mind prefers to see it, all laid out. THANK YOU so much for sharing these. I will use them with love, knowing just how much time it takes to put it together.
I love this comment so much. Thanks for saying thanks!!!