Piano instructor vs private music teacher

The differences between piano instructors and private music teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a piano instructor and a private music teacher. Additionally, a piano instructor has an average salary of $53,474, which is higher than the $53,216 average annual salary of a private music teacher.

The top three skills for a piano instructor include music education, voice lessons and ear training. The most important skills for a private music teacher are mathematics, language arts, and cello.

Piano instructor vs private music teacher overview

	Piano Instructor	Private Music Teacher
Yearly salary	$53,474	$53,216
Hourly rate	$25.71	$25.58
Growth rate	12%	4%
Number of jobs	24,512	55,993
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

Piano instructor vs private music teacher salary

Piano instructors and private music teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Piano Instructor	Private Music Teacher
Average salary	$53,474	$53,216
Salary range	Between $34,000 And $83,000	Between $38,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	University of Rochester	-
Best paying industry	Start-up	-

Differences between piano instructor and private music teacher education

There are a few differences between a piano instructor and a private music teacher in terms of educational background:

	Piano Instructor	Private Music Teacher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Music	Music
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Piano instructor vs private music teacher demographics

Here are the differences between piano instructors' and private music teachers' demographics:

	Piano Instructor	Private Music Teacher
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%	Male, 42.7% Female, 57.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 9.5% White, 59.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 8.5% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between piano instructor and private music teacher duties and responsibilities

Piano instructor example responsibilities.

Own and manage a small business as a CPR and first aid instructor and consultant for diverse clients.
Serve as choral director and drama instructor.
Cover the fundamental concepts of chemistry and biology including cell biology, metabolism, microbiology, genetics, evolution and histology.
Instruct adults in a variety of topics including; emotional psychology, biological psychology, anatomy and physiology, motivational psychology ...

Private music teacher example responsibilities.

Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
Challenge students to master basic math concepts through implementation of manipulative graphing, and charting exercises that develop problem-solving skills.
Challenge students to master basic math concepts through implementation of manipulative graphing, and charting exercises that develop problem-solving skills.

Piano instructor vs private music teacher skills

Common piano instructor skills

Music Education, 21%
Voice Lessons, 16%
EAR Training, 15%
Piano Performance, 14%
Music History, 7%
Private Voice, 5%

Common private music teacher skills

Mathematics, 20%
Language Arts, 14%
Cello, 11%
In-Home, 8%
Music Theory, 6%
Piano Lessons, 5%

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Piano Instructor vs Private Music Teacher

Updated January 8, 2025

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