Supporting Your Piano Pathway
Written by Andrew Eales
Please note: this article has been written in the context of UK education.
The regulation and politics of music teaching in other countries varies, but the basic principle of our right, ability and freedom to learn applies globally.
The thorny question of whether piano teachers should be legally required to have particular qualifications before ‘being allowed’ to teach regularly crops up online.
It is surely obvious that gaining qualifications should be a basic goal for all professionals. However, it seems equally evident that here in the UK, music teachers enter the profession via many different but complementary routes. A background in performing, the knowledge and skills developed in other professions and through our lived experience all contribute to who we are as teachers, and that’s a virtue which many rightly celebrate.
I believe it is a mistake to conflate good teaching with qualifications in a simplistic way. Most of us remember qualified teachers from our school days who weren’t very good. Similarly, many of us will have met truly inspiring music educators who have little or no formal training.
While the current piano education system in the UK is certainly problematic, and the frustrations and concerns of many good teachers are understandable, intervention by the government could prove disastrous.
Minimum qualifications could only be mandated effectively if the whole profession is regulated and private tuition is rigorously monitored. I very much doubt politicians have an appetite for imposing such regulatory oversight on private tuition and musical activity in the community.
Nor could instrumental tuition be singled out: consistency would demand that similar regulations be imposed equally on all extra-curricular activities, hobbies, clubs, societies, community classes, and educational pursuits. The social implications are stark, ultimately touching on our basic educational rights and even our freedom of thought.
But for the benefit of those who remain interested in the idea, let’s take a few moments to consider what a regulated music teaching profession might look like, and how that might impact educational opportunity and community music making…
A Regulated Profession
As a general principle, the UK government closely oversees state-sponsored activities while allowing private enterprises to self-regulate within a democratically agreed legislative framework.
National bodies exist to oversee various professions such as the medical and legal, as well as certain trades where a lack of regulation might put the general public at significant risk. In some cases, the government maintains an active interest through the agency of an independent inspection regime.
Were a similar model adopted for regulating piano teaching, the process would first necessitate establishing a national regulatory body, which would have responsibility for:
- maintaining a compulsory register of those deemed to be qualified to teach instruments and/or lead music activities.
- ensuring members can evidence regular, approved CPD, checking certification as appropriate.
- inspecting accommodation used for teaching and rehearsing to ensure it meets required standards.
- raising public confidence in the quality of music teachers’ work, e.g. by commissioning regular inspections by Ofsted.
- investigating teachers when professional concerns are raised, e.g. where learners or parents aren’t happy with examination results.
- undertaking disciplinary proceedings, suspending or disqualifying teachers from the profession where appropriate.
Membership would necessarily be mandatory for anyone who wanted to teach the piano, as well as for all who are involved in delivering private music education and/or related community music activities. There would inevitably be an annual registration fee that teachers would have to pay (for reference, nurses currently pay £120 for theirs each year).
Bearing in mind the regulatory function of the national body on the one hand, and our continuing need for legal representation on the other, teachers and community musicians would still need to be members of an independent professional association such as the ISM, EPTA, or the MU. The roles of these organisations could obviously not be combined.
Teachers would then need to budget for any requirement to undertake regular professional training, which would likely be for a few days a year (in line with classroom teachers), possibly including a stipulation for regular ongoing certification as in other regulated professions. The cost of training, time commitment, and loss of earnings would all need careful consideration.
Lastly, any national regulatory framework for instrumental tuition and music education would no doubt require teachers to evidence pupil ‘outcomes’, adding pressure on students to regularly take Graded Exams, or even making them compulsory. There is no doubt that this would put many off learning to play an instrument.
Careful What You Wish For…
When I hear teachers advocate regulation, it fills me with more than a little apprehension, along with a strong suspicion that they may not have very carefully thought it through.
We would all do well to ponder the full implications and recognise that such a change would cause very significant disruption to music education and community activities.
Across the profession there are many inspiring musicians for whom teaching is part of a larger portfolio career. Weighing up the costs and commitment, many excellent instrumental teachers are likely to decide not to sign up to the new regulated system, instead discarding their teaching commitments to concentrate on their other professional activities.
Meanwhile, research published by ABRSM in their Making Music 2021 report suggests that some 70% of instrumental teachers teach for less than 20 hours per week. Many of these indispensable part-time teachers could find or conclude that the annual registration fees, ongoing CPD costs, added professional and time burden are prohibitive.
And sadly, there are many outstanding professionals who, to the dismay of their students, would (despite their considerable professional and musical experience) not meet the formal qualification threshold for registration.
For those who want to teach, and are deemed to be qualified to do so within this new regime, we must also wonder what the requirements would be in terms of teaching facilities.
There would surely be minimum standards, and inspections, which might make working from home problematic for many who currently do so without issue. The cost of bespoke teaching premises, venue hire, and additional piano provision and maintenance would drive many more away from the profession and push the cost of tuition ever higher.
I think that we need to recognise that the issues and problems posed by regulating the profession would especially impact instrumental music that isn’t rooted in the formal classical education tradition, and so disproportionately impact breadth of opportunity, diversity, and inclusion in music education.
Those immediately and very seriously affected by the imposition of a regulatory framework could include:
- local music hubs, peripatetic services and cooperatives (who often significantly depend on “unqualified” and part-time teachers)
- rock, pop, and performing arts schools
- brass/silver bands who tutor young players in their community
- choir trainers, and community music groups
- church worship leaders, and the many who give musical instruction within temples and other religious contexts
- folk musicians transmitting their heritage
- performers giving occasional masterclasses
- musicians and teachers visiting from overseas
- those who teach online, and who are accessible to UK learners whether based in this country or overseas
Alongside the possibility of so many disrupted musician’s lives, the depressing reality is that many aspiring players would also find themselves abandoned, unable to find or afford suitable provision.
The impact would undoubtedly be felt by communities throughout the UK, and would seriously damage our already-fragile cultural life. I doubt many in the profession really want to see piano education and local music-making hit by such a devastating blow.
Future Society?
A decision to regulate private music teaching would have significant implications for many other professions and private activities which presently benefit from a lack of government regulation and interference. Indeed, any shift towards regulating out-of-school activities, leisure pursuits and private tuition should be greeted as a cause for national concern.
If piano teaching becomes a government regulated profession, why not basket weaving, martial arts, or pottery classes? What about religious education in temples, churches, synagogues, and mosques? Are any of these to be considered of lesser importance?
At some point a line must be drawn between those activities which the government regulates, and those which it doesn’t.
Here in the UK we are blessed with the freedom to choose what we learn, how, where, and with whom. Throughout our lives, from cradle to grave, we have liberty to pursue our interests and passions. The loss of autonomy and imposition of government regulation on any of our volitional activities would represent a huge societal shift.
Regulating instrumental teaching would not only restrict who can teach, but also fundamentally limit who can learn, and potentially, what they can be taught. Is this really the future society any of us want?
Government control of any private teaching activities might thus be totemic of a withdrawal of educational opportunity from ordinary people, a restriction of knowledge and skills that could easily be viewed as a limitation on people’s basic freedoms.
The Real Question…
If we want to find a more positive way to support effective music education in all our communities, and overcome the frustrations caused by poor music teaching, we must begin by asking what the distinguishing characteristics of a good teacher are.
I have no doubt that most would agree that being able to play to a high standard is an essential and very basic pre-requisite. Experience performing, teaching in another context (e.g. classroom music), a good standard of academic education, and a solid understanding of how to run a business are all important considerations.
Most will tick some, but not all, of the above boxes. Wherever there are gaps in our training, ability, or experience, we must of course address them in a professionally responsible way, and encourage colleagues to do likewise.
Inspiring performers may lack teaching qualifications and experience working with students across different levels and age groups. Meanwhile, some whose career has exclusively been within the education sector might not be experienced performers, or have the same advanced repertoire knowledge.
Continuing our training, attending conferences and courses, piano lessons with advanced performers, further development of subject knowledge, networking with colleagues, and where possible finding a supportive mentor can help enormously, and must not be considered optional.
And alongside all of this, joining a professional organisation such as the ISM, EPTA or the MU is in my view essential. These organisations have such an important role in helping us to self-regulate as a profession, offering necessary support, advice, networking, and career development.
But there is still more: we must consider the people skills, competencies, and personal characteristics which define good piano teaching. There are certainly other aspects of professionalism and character that must quickly be added to the above list.
Pianists and parents searching for a suitable piano teacher should consider all of the above, and be particularly alert to gaps in the information provided by teachers when marketing themselves online. Better to ask for personal recommendations where possible, and to recognise that doing a little homework before signing up for piano lessons can go a long way.
Supporting our profession
Finally, those of us who have an established reputation and are well qualified must remember the importance of supporting colleagues, and growing our professional community, rather than being possessive, dismissive, and professionally selfish.
The world of music should surely always be an inclusive one. Let’s get our priorities straight. Let’s never become gatekeepers erecting yet more barriers to the musical progress of others.
Those of us who have both the qualifications and the experience to make a positive difference need to focus on supporting, encouraging, and equipping new or struggling colleagues, rather than judging them. They are just a phone call or email away.
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