Have you ever received a piano teacher report card? Have you ever asked your students for an honest evaluation?
It’s human nature to shy away from personal assessments. Deep down, we want to believe that we’re all like Mary Poppins: “Practically perfect in every way!”. When we walk out of a fitting room and ask, “How does this look?” we actually want our shopping partner to tell us that we look as though we belong on the runways of Milan. We don’t really want to hear, “Hmm… no, it doesn’t look great.”
But the funny thing about honest feedback is that it protects us from situations that are more uncomfortable than the feedback itself. Getting an honest fitting room opinion prevents us from later feeling self-conscious at a dinner party. Asking for honest feedback from your piano students prevents you from assuming student satisfaction and later being blindsided when students quit.
As uncomfortable as it may be, it’s important to check in with your piano students to find out how they are feeling about their piano lesson experience. While we all want to assume that the smiles we see in lessons are genuine and the practice problems we battle against are caused by overscheduling, it’s extremely important to know *for sure*.
It’s also human nature to want to please others, and so honest answers from your piano students likely will not come by asking them face-to-face. However, with the simple piano teacher report card we’re sharing today, your students will feel comfortable expressing their true feelings and you’ll get an accurate snapshot of your students’ attitudes toward piano lessons.
A Piano Teacher Report Card – Honest Feedback From Your Piano Students
As piano teachers, we spend a lot of time searching for self-improvement strategies. But what if we’re actually looking for all of the wrong things? What if you could improve your efficiency by honing in on what actually matters?
With honest feedback from students, you can save time and energy by improving upon that which needs it most.
In order to get this honest feedback from your students, it needs to be both easy to provide and anonymous. With the free printable we’re sharing in today’s post you’ll be able to quickly collect real answers that can help you adjust your piano teaching practices to ensure your students are happy and thriving.
If you’re concerned about opening a can of worms by asking for feedback, relax. You may be thinking… “Why would I stir the pot… everyone seems happy!” However, ignorance is not always bliss, and in order to have a thriving piano teaching business, you need to be accurately meeting the needs of your clients.
Asking for feedback doesn’t have to signal open season on picking apart your studio. The best way to avoid the negativity that you’re likely afraid of is to ask the students themselves, not their parents. Why? Because children are innately honest and are not easily influenced by other factors. Asking a child, “Do you practice regularly at home?” will often result in an honest “yes” or “no” answer that is not clouded by their own feelings of guilt, as it may be with parents.
And so today’s printable piano teacher report card is for your students only. Hand them the little questionnaire, busy yourself elsewhere in the studio while they fill it out, and then have your students place it into a shoebox. At the end of the week, open up the shoebox and gain some valuable insights into what you’re doing extremely well and what you can improve upon.
You can find the printable by clicking here on the image below. The setup is pretty simple and easy to recreate if you have further questions you’d like to ask your students.
What To Do With Your Piano Teaching Feedback
Once you’ve opened that shoebox, look for trends. Are there glaring categories that clearly need work? Resist the urge to feel defensive and instead be thankful for the insights.
Your students have told you that something needs to change… and Trevor and I are here to help! With over 1,400 posts on the Teach Piano Today blog we can help you solve those unmet needs so your studio will thrive. Almost any piano teaching topic can be found (for free!) right here on this page.
As you begin to make adjustments, make note of the results. Are they making a difference? Can you see measurable change? Which revisions yielded the most noticeable outcomes? These are important questions to regularly ask yourself until you once again seek student feedback.
The most important aspect of running a studio is learning to evolve, adjust expectations, and alter practices in order to best meet the needs of your clientele. Armed with the honest insights from your students you can take action more easily and build the studio you’ve dreamed of owning.
Are Your Students Bored With Their Music?
If the feedback you receive indicates that your students are bored with their music, it may be time to search out some exciting supplementary repertoire.
And these days, the most exciting supplementary repertoire is found in Andrea and Trevor Dow’s Very Useful Piano Library.
This series is leveled from A to Q and corresponds with concepts learned in early-primer, mid-primer, late primer, level 1A, and level 1B method books. Each book contains pedagogically perfect repertoire, imaginative illustrations, hilarious lyrics, note-reading activities, rhythm work, sight-reading practice, technical exercises, a practice tracker, and a certificate.
Click on a title below to learn more.
Rita Martin says
Make it anonomous?
Andrea says
Yes, absolutely. It’s the most effective way of getting “real” answers.
Janet Maass Fitz says
Perfect! Super quick for the student to fill out and drop in a box or folder on the way in or out. Thank you!
Andrea says
You’re welcome!