Where to Find a Piano Teacher

Because the piano is such a well-known and popular instrument it isn't difficult to find a piano teacher. In major metro areas or suburbs you'll likely find plenty of choices. However, in more rural areas finding a piano teacher is sometimes a little more difficult. In these areas you may need to accept the fact that you or the teacher might have to travel a bit more than you would like. Below are some suggestions for finding a piano teacher in your area.

The Internet

The internet provides the easiest and best means for finding a piano teacher. In the past decade the vast majority of piano teachers have used the internet in some way to promote their services, so you shouldn't have a hard time finding one here. Some maintain their own websites, blogs, etc. Some advertise their services in search engines. Still, others list their services on classified sites like Craigslist or review sites like Angieslist. At the very least, virtually all piano teachers have included themselves in some sort of web directories or piano teacher directories. Here's a list of a number of them:

• Take Lessons is our favorite site for finding a piano and other music teachers. They have a large database of piano teachers in nearly 3,000 US cities. Their interface is really easy to use - just enter your zipcode and you'll get a list of local teachers along with their credentials, contact info, student reviews, and much more. Because the teachers are contracted with Take Lessons, all payments and bookings are conducted through the website instead of between teacher and student. Take Lessons requires all of their teachers to be highly qualified (music degrees, teaching experience, background checks), so you can feel confident that you're getting quality instruction.
• Private Lessons has been around for a while and they have an extensive database of music teachers. However, their site is a little dated and not as user-friendly as Take Lessons, but they do have teachers in Canada as well as the US. This site only provides listings of piano teachers, which are provided by the teachers themselves. They don't guarantee the quality of any teacher or involve themselves in payments between teacher and student.
• Piano Teachers provides listings of piano teachers and music schools located throughout the US and Canada. They have recently begun branching out internationally and have included sections for piano teachers in the UK and South Korea. Piano Teachers allows visitors to directly contact any teacher listed and takes no part in arranging payment or bookings between student and teacher. As an added quality measure they do require and confirm that all listed teachers hold a degree in music and are actively involved in teaching, performing, or lecturing.

Word of Mouth

Word of mouth recommendations are a great place to begin your search for a piano teacher. Word of mouth suggestions often come from people that know you and have a good idea of what kind of teacher would be suitable for you. The things they can tell you about their firsthand knowledge and personal experiences with a teacher are very valuable, ultimately saving you a lot of time in coming to a final decision about a teacher.

However, not everyone knows someone who has experience with a piano teacher. So, it might be a little difficult to find a teacher this way. It is more likely that you may know someone who knows someone with a piano teacher recommendation though. The best thing to do is start asking around amongst your family and friends, you might be surprised what you learn.

Local Organizations

You can often find piano teachers that are associated with local music organizations, public schools, churches, and even chambers of commerce. The best thing to do is find these organizations in your area and make some calls to them. They will often be able to give recommendations or point you in the right direction.

You should definitely be able to find plenty of piano teachers using the methods above. If not, then you can always try the old way - The Yellow Pages or newspaper classifieds.