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Laurie Richards, Nebraska

Hi Evan,

I’ve coached several teachers who wanted to transition from lessons of 1 or 2 students into all (or mostly) larger groups. I’ll answer your questions individually below and then offer a few general thoughts:

1. How many students did you have before and after your consolidation?

n/a – I started with groups

2. How did parents and students react to the consolidation?

If you have decided that this is how you want to run your studio, try to focus more on  how you will most effectively communicate the change independent of reactions.  You know that this is a better learning environment, and you simply need to communicate that.  You might just mentally plan on losing a few  students over it, but keep your long-term goals in the forefront.  These are what will benefit your studio and your students the most.  I am not saying that you should disregard their reactions, just that you stand firm enough in your reasons for the change that you are okay with whatever the outcome.

3. How did you prepare your students and studio parents for group lessons?

I suggest having a face-to-face conversation in class to communicate the upcoming change and have a chance for discussion.  I would include something like ”Our goal is to give students the absolute best possible experience, to retain music as a lifelong companion. One step we are ready to take toward this end is increasing class sizes to _____ students.”

Then talk about the many benefits of a larger class size. There are so many, but a few I would recommend (these are tops for me) –

• We take piano lessons out of the isolating environment it has been in and put it in a social environment where music belongs.
• Because of this, students are much more comfortable playing with/for others, which increases the likelihood that they will feel the significance of what they are learning.
• You get more minutes in class and more brain power/ideas/insights from everyone else.

(The list of benefits is very long – take your pick of what you feel will speak most to them)

I think the most important thing here is that you are coming from a place of sincerity, that you truly believe you are giving your students a better experience with this change. If not, they will sense it and likely be unconvinced.

4. How much time was required for the consolidation?

It doesn’t need to take a lot of time. But there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Just pick a date to institute the change, allowing enough time to make any adjustments you need in terms of scheduling and matching up classes.

5. How did you accommodate students (or parents) who would not cooperate?

I don’t. It’s your territory, your business. Honestly there is no need for anyone on either side to cooperate OR accommodate. Either it works, or it doesn’t work. I feel like I always sound harsh, but I’m simply saying if you do not want to teach one-on-one or one-on-two, then that’s totally your prerogative. The way I always communicate this (which only happens with new inquiries, tho) is that I am not interested in teaching that way because it produces inferior results. I only consider private lessons in special circumstances.

It’s possible you may have a student who is a good student with supportive parents, and you are hoping to keep this student, but they react negatively.  I would take some time with them and ask where their reservations come from, and discuss them.  Most likely they can be answered by you with the content of the Foundation Session.  In the end, “Are you willing to give it a try?  I’m just asking you to trust me in this, to believe that I wouldn’t be making this change if I weren’t convinced it is absolutely in your best interest”.

6. Is there something you wish you had known that you did not know until after the consolidation?

I will say that every teacher I have coached through this process has been ecstatic with the results of transitioning their studios to larger classes. It frees up your time, it gives your students a better experience, it’s very energizing for you, and most students really enjoy the camaraderie.  I think many of them would say “I wish I had known it wouldn’t be as scary as I made it out to be in my mind.”

7. We have prepared a document which shows where each student is in the program and what needs to be done to either accelerate them or slow them down so that they can fit into a particular group that we would like to create.

a. Does this sound like a good way to prepare a consolidation?

Yes – with 50 students to consider, you need to have a way to look at your studio in a snapshot format.  I do something similar for the teachers I coach using a spreadsheet. I don’t go into that much detail – just what level they are in, early mid or late in the level, and learning pace (slow, typical, or fast).  Matching the learning pace is very important.

b. Or, is there a better way to consolidate students into groups?

For me, that is what works best.

c. Did you “black out” specific time slots in your new schedule so that those slots would be available to future students?

If you are consolidating groups, new time slots will naturally emerge, right? Just depends upon your availability. Combine what you can feasibly, and leave openings where you are available.

d. Did you set up “sections” for particular Levels much the way that colleges offer multiple sections of specific classes on specific days and times of day?

I have not, because I think it would interrupt the flow of a class and provide a natural ending point where they would be more likely to consider “taking a break”.  If I am reading your question as intended.

Are there any other issues that we need to consider?

Be prepared to run larger classes perhaps a bit differently, and give your students a heads-up about it so they know exactly what to expect. Some of those might be:

• Spending less time on repertoire review in class (you don’t need to hear every song in its entirety every time). However, every so often you can use an entire class to do nothing but repertoire review for a more thorough check.
• Spending less time in class processing new material that is on the SHM video. Example: everyone learns Light Blue LH on practice pads. Then they come up for round robin. Have one or two students play through the first line of 12bb, then ask “Does everyone have that? Do you understand what to do in the LH?” (They should by then). “I will let you all process through that at home this week.”  It’s on the video, they’ve done it on the practice pad and heard and watched one or two students play it. The real learning happens at home – kitchen analogy.  Foundation session.
• Keeping everyone involved at all times so they have no down time – they will see this as a waste of time. Basically because it IS a waste of time.

Those are my thoughts, long-winded as they are.  Take this as I intend it – ideas I have found to be effective, but not the only answers.  Good luck!

Cheri S., Utah

Laurie, that’s the best summary of how to be efficient in group lessons that I’ve ever heard! Thanks.

Evan, when it comes to WHY you’d switch to group lessons, in your post you focus on the business side (too many students, consolidating time). In order to most effectively transition students, you’ll want to be really convinced yourself that it’s the best way for THEM to learn, not just the most efficient business practice. Laurie lists several excellent reasons. Here’s how I put it in my studio policies:

“Simply Music temporarily delays note-reading until students have a strong musical foundation. This frees students to focus on the music, their hands, and the keyboard, mastering a single skill at a time. Because of this, we can take advantage of all the benefits of shared lessons.

“In real life, music is social. It’s easy and natural, plus more fun and effective, to learn with a group. In shared lessons students engage in active, multisensory learning; encourage and mentor each other; and gain ongoing performance experience in a relaxed, familiar environment.”

Evan H., Kansas

Thank you both for your helpful replies! You’ve given us quite a bit to think about, and we’ll be analyzing it and meeting over it in the coming weeks to determine the best course of action.

Laurie: Wow! What a detailed response! What stood out to me the most was the learning speed. Before, I had been thinking of more of a Montessori model, in which ages and learning speeds are apparently mixed within the same group. The idea is that the older and faster students help to teach the younger or slower students. The fast students learn patience and how to explain concepts, and the slow students do not feel left behind (and they acquire some of the fast students’ learning tricks and become faster themselves). However, I see where you’re coming from, and I’ve seen some groups disintegrate because of vastly different learning speeds. On the other hand, I’ve seen some groups love it. Is there a way to make different learning speeds work? Or does it depend on the individuals in the group?

I will probably have more questions later, but that’s the one that jumped out at me. Thanks again!

Cheri: Those are GREAT ways to explain the idea to students. We should definitely implement those. We’ve been trying to articulate those truths, but you’ve articulated them in a very concise way. Thanks! And to answer your question, both reasons are true for us. The business reason is to allow us to teach more students in less time (and to have more timeslots free for new students), and also because we believe group lessons are a superior learning environment, even if they sometimes slow down very gifted students. (Do either of you have a solution for that? Private lessons seem to be the only way to truly challenge and retain these students, since group sessions tend to move too slowly for them. I don’t want to lose them, since they are incredibly fun to teach and it is exciting to see them develop.)