What does a piano instructor do?
A Piano Instructor is responsible for teaching piano lessons. They organize recitals, prepare students for contests, and evaluate student progress.
Piano instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real piano instructor resumes:
- 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 ...
Piano instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Piano Instructors are proficient in Music Education, Voice Lessons, and EAR Training. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Piano Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Music Education, 21%
Worked underneath the founder of Yellow Cat Music Education to teach elementary school students piano.
- Voice Lessons, 16%
Provide individualized instrumental and voice lessons for beginning to intermediate-level students from age 4 to adults.
- EAR Training, 15%
Incorporated elements of general musicianship, such as ear training and theory, as well as instrumental technique and interpretation.
- Piano Performance, 14%
Design curriculum for beginning and intermediate piano performance classes.
- Music History, 7%
Prepare lectures for Piano techniques, interpretation of literature, music fundamentals, & music history.
- Private Voice, 5%
Teach private voice and piano lessons to students age 4-75, all levels.
Most piano instructors use their skills in "music education," "voice lessons," and "ear training" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential piano instructor responsibilities here:
Interpersonal skills. The most essential soft skill for a piano instructor to carry out their responsibilities is interpersonal skills. This skill is important for the role because "postsecondary teachers need to work well with others for tasks such as instructing students and serving on committees." Additionally, a piano instructor resume shows how their duties depend on interpersonal skills: "designed coursework and lectures in public speaking group communication and interpersonal communication. "
Speaking skills. Another essential skill to perform piano instructor duties is speaking skills. Piano instructors responsibilities require that "postsecondary teachers need good communication skills to present lectures and provide feedback to students." Piano instructors also use speaking skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "organized and created music theory materials to support the three different learning styles presented by students. "
Writing skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of piano instructors is writing skills. This skill is critical to many everyday piano instructor duties, as "postsecondary teachers need strong writing ability to publish original research and analysis." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provide instruction, upon request, in special topics such as music theory and songwriting. "
The three companies that hire the most piano instructors are:
- MacPhail Center for Music6 piano instructors jobs
- The Salvation Army5 piano instructors jobs
- Associated Recreation Council3 piano instructors jobs
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Compare different piano instructors
Piano instructor vs. Voice teacher
Dance Teachers are responsible for leading dance classes to teach individuals or groups of people various dancing techniques. Dance Teachers are required to help their students improve their dancing skills by participating in amateur or professional dance competitions or performing in social events such as high school reunions. They must teach one or more dance genres such as ballet, ballroom, or hip hop. They must also be physically fit and should possess a good sense of quality music.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, piano instructor responsibilities require skills like "voice lessons," "piano performance," "private voice," and "k-12." Meanwhile a typical voice teacher has skills in areas such as "kids," "stage presence," "music lessons," and "warm ups." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Voice teachers tend to reach similar levels of education than piano instructors. In fact, voice teachers are 4.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Piano instructor vs. Dance teacher
Piano Teachers are responsible for teaching piano lessons and sustaining student progress by explaining and demonstrating various piano techniques. They develop and execute class plans, and prepare course materials such as syllabi and homework assignments.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real piano instructor resumes. While piano instructor responsibilities can utilize skills like "music education," "voice lessons," "ear training," and "piano performance," dance teachers use skills like "hip hop dance," "role model," "front desk," and "dance program."
Dance teachers earn a lower average salary than piano instructors. But dance teachers earn the highest pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $51,036. Additionally, piano instructors earn the highest salaries in the start-up with average pay of $50,648 annually.In general, dance teachers achieve lower levels of education than piano instructors. They're 8.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for piano instructors in the next 3-5 years?
Helen Callus
Professor of Viola, Northwestern University
I imagine this might become part of the framework that we offer in the future. Students should understand how to present themselves in these situations, understanding sound and picture quality devices (what microphones and cameras are best), internet speeds, ethernet cables, router devices, lighting, etc. But it is an excellent opportunity to understand the media of film/video and how to create best a sound video recording for competitions, summer festivals, or college applications. We were already using that medium for prescreens, so this is a chance to refine that skill as, without doubt, that will be a part of our future.
Piano instructor vs. Private music teacher
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a piano instructor is likely to be skilled in "music education," "piano performance," "k-12," and "musical theater," while a typical private music teacher is skilled in "mathematics," "language arts," "cello," and "in-home."
When it comes to education, private music teachers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to piano instructors. In fact, they're 1.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Piano instructor vs. Piano teacher
Even though a few skill sets overlap between piano instructors and piano teachers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a piano instructor might have more use for skills like "piano performance," "k-12," "musical theater," and "vocal technique." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of piano teachers require skills like "pianos," "suzuki," "music studio," and "guild. "
Piano teachers enjoy the best pay in the media industry, with an average salary of $55,390. For comparison, piano instructors earn the highest salary in the start-up industry.The average resume of piano teachers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to piano instructors. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 3.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.Types of piano instructor
Updated January 8, 2025
