Chances are you don't just love playing the piano. You also want to teach others how to play this wonderful instrument too. Unfortunately, since not all pianists are great teachers, you must master the art of teaching separately after learning how to play the piano.
As expected, this involves many steps, challenges and discipline. But nothing beats peeping at how it could look before you plunge yourself and resources into it. Once you understand your expectations, you will know if becoming a piano teacher is the right career path.
Superprof isn't leaving you in the dark. Read to the end to see how you can learn the piano as a beginner and advance your skills by becoming a professional piano teacher in Canada.
Piano Teacher Requirements and Qualifications Needed
Parents and aspiring pianists do not want to leave any gap in knowledge to avoid potential frustration later on. Therefore, as an aspiring professional pianist or a piano teacher seeking a rounded piano education is highly recommended to teach others this using your piano skills effectively.
Here are some qualifications piano teachers should strive to have if they are serious about becoming piano teachers in Canada. They provide proof of training and expertise and are priceless when bidding for highly paid piano teacher jobs in Canada.
To become a piano teacher in Canada, you must hold a Bachelor's degree in music and a Master's degree from any university that offers music studies in Canada.
1. RCM Qualification
Holders of the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) certification demonstrate that they have undergone training and offer piano teaching services according to RCM standards. You can become an RCM-certified teacher by completing the prerequisite examination or completing the RCM piano teacher course in Canada.
After you become certified, you will gain access to fellow RCM certification holders in a closed community and benefit from idea sharing. You will also receive online access to professional development resources in the industry that could help strengthen your piano teaching skills.
2. Diploma in Music
After your RCM certification, you may consider enrolling on an online or onsite college diploma program to study Music. Generally, these programs do not exceed 18 months, and you could apply for teaching jobs immediately with your skills and certification.
3. Bachelor and Master's degree programs
Suppose you want to take a step further in your career pursuits. In that case, you may consider enrolling on a Bachelor's program in music and, after that, go for your Master's program in any university that offers music studies or music education courses in Canada.
However, if you live in Toronto, the RCM Glenn Gould school offers training to piano teachers parallel to the activity you may receive at the bachelor's and master's levels. The only difference between their music courses and that provided at the university is that the former focuses more on practical performance on the piano. In contrast, the latter focuses more on academic study and classical music theory.
Top Music Studies in Canada
| Ranking | University | School/Department | Location | Program features | Degrees offered |
| 1 🥇 | McGill University | Schulich School of Music | Montreal, QC | One of Canada's top music schools. | Bachelor of Music, Master of Music. |
| 2 🥈 | University of Toronto | Faculty of Music | Toronto, ON | Recognized for music education and leadership. | Bachelor of Music, Master of Music and PhD. degrees. |
| 3 🥉 | University of British Columbia | School of Music | Vancouver, BC | Highly recognized for performance and composition. | Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and PhD. degrees. |
| 4 | The Royal Conservatory | Glenn Gould School | Toronto, ON | Top for classical performance and internationally recognized. | Artist Diploma (ADP), Performance Diploma (PD) |
| 5 | Western University | Don Wright Faculty of Music | London, ON | Recognized music education and leadership. | Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, and PhD. degrees. |
Piano Teacher Salary in Canada
Even though the profession is not as lucrative as many others, the salary expectations for piano teachers in Canada are attractive. This means professional piano teachers may earn more than an average salary in Canada. But how much do piano teachers make? A piano teacher could achieve as low as C$58,000 and as high as C$121,000 in Canada.
Factors That Affect Piano Teacher Salary
As expected, piano teacher salary in Canada is not fixed. Instead, it varies depending on many factors such as:
🤝 Teaching experience
Teachers with many years of experience under their belt usually earn more than those just starting their piano teaching profession. If you have up to 15 years of experience as a piano teacher in Canada, you could earn as much as C$ 120,000.
🧑🏫 Qualification
With a degree in music with a piano education major, you could apply for piano teacher jobs with reputable music training schools in Canada. Such jobs come with good pay, benefits and vacations.
📍Location
Many piano teachers in Toronto and Vancouver earn more than piano teachers in other cities. This may be due to the high cost of living, the number of students interested in piano lessons Calgary and the scarcity of professional piano teachers in these busy cities.
🎹 Job type
Generally, full-time piano teachers earn more than part-time teachers. But on the other hand, full-time piano teachers that work with music training centers may make more than freelance teachers that work remotely.
✨ Skillset
To become one of the highest-paid piano teachers in Canada, you must learn top-notch skills. Many music schools in Canada aren't ready to settle for less. They want to hire the best talent to teach their pupils how to play the piano.
A piano teacher could achieve as low as C$58,000 and as high as C$121,000 in Canada.
Other Careers for a Piano Teacher in Canada
Piano teachers can assume several roles, as there are many professional opportunities in Canada. You can explore them to grow your career as your time and resources permit.
What Skills do You Need to Work as a Piano Teacher?
Even though there is no clear-cut prerequisite set for piano teachers like many other professionals, this doesn't mean you can come out of the blues and tag yourself "a piano teacher." You may not achieve the success that way. With more people interested in becoming piano teachers in Canada, the onus is on you to set yourself apart. If not, you might get drowned in a pool of similar attributes and fight for relevance for years in your piano teaching career.
Undoubtedly, learning unique piano teaching skills is the best way to distinguish yourself. That way, you could have clients coming to you instead of using a torch to look for them daily. So here are some skills you need to become a great piano teacher in Canada.
Patience
Imagine teaching s kid how to play the piano, and the child repeats the same mistake after you correct them several times. It could be frustrating enough when the child eventually refuses to learn after several attempts to master the notes.
This is where your skill of patience comes in. without patience and perseverance. You can't tolerate the excesses of your students. Therefore, it may not be easy to encourage or motivate them too.
Flexibility
A great piano teacher is a professional that can tweak their schedule to fit into the busy lifestyle of their students. This skill is essential when teaching adult piano lessons or teaching homeschool families.
Passion
Most times, your effort on a student may not pay off until later in their piano lessons. You will face many challenges teaching beginner lessons to students with slow learning progress. However, passion will help you move on despite the odds and hope for the best in your career.
Goal setting
As a trained piano teacher, you must understand the importance of goal setting in your career. Learn how to set milestones in your career and tick them off your to-do list when you smash those goals.
How to Teach Piano?
While deciding to learn the piano, it's normal to consider many factors. But many piano enthusiasts fail to consider one crucial element – the time it takes to learn the piano. After completing several lessons, it's not surprising to find many students overwhelmed by the work and time required to become professional pianists.
Generally, it could take 5-10 years to become a professional piano teacher with the necessary license and qualifications. Remember, you have to learn piano playing skills first, which could take as much as three years before you begin to focus on the skills necessary for teaching the piano to adults and kids.
Why Should You Hire a Good Piano Tutor?
Do you know that the expertise of your piano teacher could influence your experience on the piano? Unfortunately, too many students have given up on their dream of becoming professional pianists because of the mediocre way their music teachers taught them. Finding a piano teacher near you is an important decision.
If you are ready to learn the piano and become a professional, you should consider hiring a piano teacher from Superprof. There are hundreds of piano teachers with different skills and qualifications. So, it's easy to find the one that meets your needs.
Also, these piano teachers understand the importance of using a personalized approach to teaching piano skills. Hiring a piano teacher from someone means hiring a professional that knows what they are doing. And if you want to take your skills further by learning piano teacher skills, you will find help from professionals with like minds.
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