Partner Lessons: My Favorite Way to Teach Beginner Piano Lessons

I dare you to try partner lessons in your studio this year.  I would bet you’ll want to partner up more and more piano students once you see the many benefits!

I’ve been teaching partner lessons for eight years.  In this article, I’ll answer the seven most commonly asked questions I get about partner lessons:

• Why partner lessons?
• What does a partner lesson look like?
• How do I get started teaching partner lessons?
• How much should I charge for partner lessons?
• How do I sell partner lessons?
• How do I match up partners?
• What do I do if a partner is absent?

I’ll also share my exact lesson plans for the first six weeks of beginner partner lessons.

Why partner lessons?

Partner Lessons are the Perfect Setting For Beginners

In my experience, partner lessons are the perfect setting for beginning piano students starting their journey.  

Partners encourage each other, push each other, teach each other, make each other laugh, and make lessons more fun and engaging.

Parents love partner lessons because their child gets to experience music with a buddy and they pay a little less in lesson tuition.

And you get the joy of working with two students in a setting that still fosters their individual needs and talents while reaching more students within your limited teaching hours.

It’s just a win for everybody!

Partner Lessons Can Help Advancing Students, Too

Partner lessons are not just for beginners!

There are also times when I find it beneficial to switch an existing student from private lessons to partner lessons.

If their interest seems to be waning or they express a desire to play a duet or meet up with another piano student, that tells me it’s time to try a partner lesson!

If two of my students seem to hit it off at a recital, festival, studio party or workshop, they might enjoy learning together on a weekly basis.

Another scenario where partner lessons may be worth trying is when a student used to practice consistently but their progress has become stagnant.  The unspoken competition of having another student working on the same pages in the same book can encourage them to step up and practice.

In some cases, just a few months of partner lessons can do the trick.  And in other cases, a long term switch to partner lessons makes sense.

Benefits of Partner Lessons

So to recap all of the benefits of partner lessons:

• Peer encouragement
• Peer motivation
• Partner activities (anything can become a game in a partner lesson)
• Fun and friendship
• Camaraderie amongst pianists (as piano lessons can often be an isolating activity)
• Lower cost tuition for parents
• Increased hourly income for you, the teacher
• Re-spark interest
• Healthy pressure to practice consistency (so as not to fall behind)
• Duets!

Challenges of Partner Lessons

Like any teaching scenario, partner lessons are not without their challenges.

• More prep time (sometimes, not always)
• Shy students may take a while to open up with another student
• Awkwardness if one student starts to really fall behind
• Scheduling two students who are similar age and level
• Handling absences and make-up lessons

What Does a Partner Lesson Look Like?

A partner lesson is two students of similar age and ability level meeting together for a weekly piano lesson.

Typically, a lesson time longer than 30 minutes is ideal for partner lessons.  My most popular lesson length for partner lessons is 40 minutes weekly.

Much of the activities that make up a partner lesson are the same as a private lesson, but the duties are shared between two students.

Here are some example activities and how I adapt them for partners:

1. Warm-up – In most cases we trade off and on to play through warm-up exercises or scales
2. Playing Previous Assigned Pieces – I vary the way we do this.
   1. Some pieces will be played in their entirety by one student, and then the other.
   2. Sometimes the students will play the piece as a duet (variations include: both students play the exact same thing at the exact same time, one student plays right hand and the other left, students play different parts that work together, or they trade off line by line).
   3. Or occasionally, each student will play one piece to save time (in other words, they won’t both play the same piece)
3. Sightreading New Pieces – Again, I vary the way we do this.
   1. Sometimes I’ll play a portion, then have one student play the same portion and then the other.
   2. Sometimes I’ll have them put on headphones and try it out for a few minutes independently.
   3. And sometimes I’ll have them pass it back and forth measure by measure.
4. Theory Activities or Writing Assignments – Just like in private lessons, I’ll teach a new theory concept and we’ll complete a writing assignment, either in class or at home.
   1. Games are frequent and so much more fun with a partner!
   2. I might grab dice and turn something into a game, such as testing an interval by rolling to see which one they have to demonstrate. Anything can become a game when you have a partner!
   3. Sometimes I have them check each other’s writing assignments. It’s amazing how kind they are to each other.
5. Performance Preparation – When there is a recital, competition, or festival coming up, having a partner means a peer audience is always present!
   1. If students need some individual coaching on a piece, I will split up our lesson time to work with each student for a bit. One student will practice with headphones while I’m working with the other. 
   2. Partners get to perform their pieces for each other and practice performance etiquette while the other learns about audience etiquette!  This and duets are probably my favorite advantages to teaching partner lessons.

How Do I Get Started Teaching Partner Lessons?

It can feel overwhelming to change up how you market and run your studio!  But luckily, there are some low-risk, easy-to-implement actions you can take to try out partner lessons in your studio this month!

Host a Studio Get-Together

Host a multi-student get-together at your studio.  This will be a one-time event or occasional class.  Make it a small group of similar age and level students.  You can even narrow it down to just two students (just like a partner lesson!).

Market the get-together as a “Game Day” for students.  And feel free to call it a “Theory Class” for parents.

You can charge a small fee for this additional class, or host it for free.

This will allow parents to get used to the idea of their child learning piano in a group setting.  Their child’s enthusiasm and positive feedback about the experience will help prime them for the possibility of partner or group lessons in the future.

And you can get your bearings planning ahead for multi-student activities. 

You can also observe how students interact with each other for future partner pairings.

Overlap Lessons

Another idea is to offer overlapping private piano lessons for two students that are similar age and level.

Of course, scheduling is a factor here.  But if you are able to cross-over 10-20 minutes of partner lesson time, you can try out teaching partner lessons in a low-risk setting.  If it doesn’t work out for any reason, it should be fairly easy to switch back to private lessons without disturbing your teaching schedule too much.

You can upcharge both students just a little bit for the additional time spent with you.

During the overlapping lesson time, pick one activity to start with for the first few weeks. 

Here are some ideas on how to spend that time:

• Teaching a big new theory concept (major scales, chord progressions, key signatures, etc). Make your lesson interactive with animated lessons, a whiteboard, related demonstrations, student activities, flash cards, etc.
• Playing theory games that reinforce an area they could both use some review on (notes on the staff, for example).
• Learning a duet
• Performance practice leading up to a recital or competition
• Music history or music appreciation lessons 

Now You’re Ready to Offer Partner Lessons

When you feel ready to dive headfirst into teaching weekly partner piano lessons, here’s what I would suggest doing:

First, sign up two brand new beginner students into your studio as partners.  Beginning students are the easiest to partner up because they both have the same exact amount of experience–zero!

Second, pick two existing students who are in the same book and are similar age.  Contact both of the families to set up a trial partner lesson.  If all goes well, schedule a weekly partner lesson for them!

How Much Should I Charge for Partner Lessons?

This is a subjective topic given the area you teach in, your experience, your current rates.

But as a general rule, take your current private lesson tuition rate and reduce it by 15-20%. This is how much each partner will pay you.

How Do I Sell Partner Lessons?

I was worried about this when I first had the idea for partner lessons a decade ago.  I put it off for a long time because I thought people only wanted private piano lessons.  I thought I would really have to sell them on partner lessons.

As it turns out, this was definitely not the case.  Although most parents are not aware that partner lessons are an option, when given the opportunity, many will jump at the chance!

I have hardly had to sell the value of learning with another student to my potential partner customers.  I hope you find a similar scenario!

How Do I Match Up Partners?

Keeping the age and level very close to each other will make your partner lessons go much smoother. 

While it is possible to pair up two siblings of different age, or two students who are at different points in their piano journey, it will definitely be more challenging on your part as the teacher.  You’ll likely have to get creative planning out a curriculum that accommodates both students’ needs and abilities and doesn’t leave anyone feeling bored or left behind.

So, if you’re new to teaching partner lessons, I would stick to:

• same AGE 
• same LEVEL.

Beyond that, there are two other things to consider:

• Scheduling – kids are busy and these two potential partners will have to agree on a day and time that also works with your schedule.
• Personality – some personalities just mesh better than others.  A casual trial lesson is a really great way to get an idea of how two children work together.

What Do I Do If One Partner is Absent?

Absence Policies for Partner Lessons

Absences do happen.  Likely, you already have a make-up or absence policy in place.  And, likely, you’ll be able to keep the same policy for partner lessons.

If your current policy is no make-up lessons, you’re set.  You can just enforce this rule for partners as well.

If your current policy is to offer make-up lessons on a predetermined day, then you’re also set.  Just schedule a make-up lesson for your partners that works for both families, assuming they’ll probably both miss a lesson at some point.

And if your current policy is to offer make-up lessons scheduled on an individual basis, then you’ll have to decide what to do.  Will you open up private lesson slots for partners if they have an absence?  Or will you only schedule a make-up lesson if both students miss?  Or offer a limited number of make-up lessons throughout the year?  Whatever you decide, just make it super clear to new partner students so they know what to expect.

How I Handle Partner Absences

Personally, here’s what I do.

My make-up policy allows for 1 or 2 make-up lessons per trimester if a parent signs up for one of my openings on the MyMusicStaff calendar.

The same make-up policy applies to partner lessons.

This means that I would end up teaching two private lessons if one partner is absent and schedules a make-up.  I don’t mind this.

I find that the occasional absence allows me one-on-one time with the student who shows up!  If there is something they need a little extra help with, we can dive into that skill or topic during that lesson.

Sample Lesson Plan for Partner Lessons

Because this article is already quite long, I’m going to share a sample lesson plan on a different page!

Check out the Sample Partner Lesson Plan here!

This lesson plan is just one example of how I schedule beginner partner lessons.  Based on the individual students and the situation, I may vary the books used or pacing of the progression.

What Piano Method Books for Partner Lessons?

Here is a quick list of piano method books I have used successfully with partners (click any title to go to an in-depth review):

• Piano Skill Set Writing & Technique Books
• Wunderkeys Preschool
• Wunderkeys Primer
• Piano Made Fun for the Young
• Faber Piano Adventures