Interview New Piano Students: Questionnaire and hints for success [Printables]

The story began before I’d even closed my studio door.

I was about to begin an interview with a potential new student and parent, and we’d barely said hello. And the child was already spilling over with enthusiasm to tell me about the special items they’d brought to show me.

This was a new experience for me and took me a little by surprise.

In the past I’d had piano lesson interviews in which the majority of the conversation centred on the adults. I would ask the parent verbal questions, then read through my handbook to explain policies. Usually the child waited through most of the meeting.

Does this sound familiar to you?

With my decision to include the child more in the interview I’ve experienced the smash-hit success first hand. The changes I made were simple ones that led to amazing new results. Also, the questionnaires I developed for parent and child help provide valuable insight about a potential working relationship.

Here’s the new outline of how I now conduct my initial interviews, as discussed below:

1. Student show and tell
2. Questions for the student
3. Double-purpose colouring activity
4. Questions for the parent
5. Questions for the teacher

1. Student show and tell

The moment I invite a parent and child to a piano lesson interview, I ask the child to bring several things with them. The list may include:

• Art that they have drawn or made.

• Their favourite toy.

• Their favourite books to read.

• An object that is important to them.

Nothing breaks the ice with a child like asking them to talk about something they know all about–themselves! Allowing them to show you things that matter to them unlocks their voice, banishes shyness and gives them a healthy sense of their own intrinsic value.

Moreover, the show and tell builds an instant connection to you, an adult person they don’t know yet, and helps them to feel comfortable.

You will come to understand this little person as an individual. When this kind of connection is kindled, you’ll teach with a personal touch. You’ll learn about the child’s interests and favourite things. This may help you choose music that fires them up.

There’s also an educational, observational component to this introduction.

The art they bring might show you one of their interests. It will also give you clues as to their fine motor control and how they use pencils, crayons and perhaps scissors.

When you hear about their favourite toy, you’ll get a rare glimpse into their playtime, pretend world and their imagination. I’ve seen well-loved stuffed animals and detailed Lego creations.

When you see their favourite book, you’ll be able to glean lots of information about them. Have they chosen fiction or nonfiction? A picture book or a novelette? What is their reading level? Maybe if you’re very lucky, they’ll read for you. This will help you to understand what kind of reader they are and maybe a little about how they process visual information.

If they bring an important object, you may learn about their family, heritage or their last vacation. I’ve seen seashells and rocks and so many sweet things. As they speak, you’ll get a sense for how the child uses language, their vocabulary and level of confidence.

Not only is a show-and-tell informative, but it immediately helps the child open up to you and puts them front and centre at the beginning of the interview.

Look, smile, ask questions and listen.

2. Questions for the student

Next you may find it helpful to ask a few questions of the student. I like asking the child first to minimize influence from the parent. Sometimes the parent chimes in or the two will discuss the topic, but it’s the child’s honest and spontaneous answers that count at this time.

For the questions to the child, they may be able to fill in some of the answers themselves. It’s helpful to write down their more detailed answers on your own paper during the interview. I’ve provided a printable, Questionnaire for New Piano Students.

• How old are you?

• What is your birthday?

• What are your favourite holidays?

• What other activities do you do?

• Whose idea is it for you to take piano lessons?

• Are there any piano pieces you’ve heard that you’re excited to learn?

• What do you think it means to practice the piano?

• How do you feel when you make mistakes or something goes wrong? Are you able to try again?

• Have you ever tried playing the piano? Would you play your music for me?

You may follow the questions with a few copy-cat games. You might sing a short sol-mi tune (similar to the tune of Rain, Rain Go Away) and ask the child to sing it back. Do they sing in tune?

Or, you may clap a short rhythm and ask them to clap it back. Do they have a sense of timing and rhythm? How accurately are they able to clap it back?

Some teachers use these games to assess and choose students based on their musical aptitude. Some students wouldn’t be accepted by said teachers if they didn’t do well. However, I simply use the games to help me understand the starting point for each child.

3. Double-purpose student colouring activity

There comes a time in the interview when I outline my policies regarding payments and attendance. I introduce the parent to my Piano Handbook and use what’s printed there as the basis for explaining how my studio works.

This conversation involves only the parent and myself, so I ask the child to colour a picture while they wait.

I pull out several musical colouring books about composers and let them choose a page and colour it.

This activity has two purposes. The first is to give the child something to do during the adult conversation. This allows a certain amount of freedom to cover important administrative tasks.

Second, it allows me to observe the child doing a creative activity on their own without adult input. Does the child show independence with choosing a picture and the colours? How developed are their fine motor skills?

Some very young children have an exceptional ability with colouring, staying within the lines and choosing appealing colours with care. Other children who are older colour less well. There is no predictable result based on gender or age. Each child proves to be an individual.

Several children I’ve met with have had no interest in colouring at all, and in hindsight that in itself was interesting.

Meanwhile, with the parent…

If you’d like to have a glimpse into the studio policies that I discuss with the parent while the child is colouring, here are some blog posts on those topics:

DIY Piano Dictation Book: your professional communication tool [Printables]

Piano Student Attendance policies that avoid teacher burnout

Piano Teacher Attendance policies that work for parents, students and you

Besides explaining attendance, I go over tuition payments, child protection policies, materials and my teaching philosophy. Then I flip through the piano method I use with beginners.

4. Questions for the parent

In an effort to keep the meeting to a reasonable time, the questions to the parent are on a form. It is provided in my Printables section, Questionnaire for New Piano Parents. This may be printed on paper, filled in after the meeting by hand and returned, or if you have the tech abilities to create an online form, may be filled in and submitted online.

The first questions are about goals. The questions are designed to learn more about the parent’s view of piano lessons. Their answers will help you know whether this family is a good fit for your studio and teaching focus. Knowing their expectations can help you create a track to run on.

• What are your goals for the child? What do you want them to achieve with music?

• How involved can you be with piano lessons? (Actually attending lessons.)

• How do you see yourself being involved with piano practice? (You might add, “Are you willing to…” and fill in how you want/expect the parent to participate at home.)

• Are you able to oversee that practice takes place __ days a week?

The following questions ask how piano fits in with their schedule. The primary aim with these questions is to find out as much as you can about the role music will play with the parent, child and their home life.

• What other extracurricular activities are your child involved in throughout the year?

• How many hours (or days) of the week are taken up by these activities?

• How will you prioritize your child’s activities and where will piano fit?

Then, about music at home, as well as family life. The question about holidays informs you when making music selections at certain times of the year.

• What kind of practice instrument do you have at home?

• Do you have any other instruments at home, too?

• Does anyone in your family play a musical instrument? Who? Which instrument(s)?

• Are there any holidays that you don’t celebrate?

Finally, questions about how the child learns:

• Does your child require corrective lenses?

• Does your child have any allergies, food sensitivities or accommodations that I should know about?

• I like to personalize my teaching style. Have you noticed anything about your child’s learning style that you think might help?

• Has your child been assessed? If yes and you are comfortable, please share.

• Are you open to hearing from me if I notice something about the way your child learns?

5. Questions for the teacher

This is the moment in the meeting when you can ask if they have any questions for you. Be sure to suggest that they may also contact you after the meeting with any further questions.

The first meeting with the parent and child is much more than a chance to discuss your policies and payment procedures.

This meeting can have multiple purposes. Not only will you get to know who they are as people, you’ll be able to watch the rapport between parent and child–how they interact. This dynamic is key and can make or break the piano lesson experience.

You’ll get a sense of their expectations for piano lessons. Is the parent enthusiastic or pushing? Is the child excited or reluctant?

You’ll be able to detect what the child may need from you. Do they seem gifted or like they’ll need extra accommodations, or somewhere in between?

The first interview is your chance to listen carefully. Ultimately, you’ll have enough information to decide whether you can see yourself working with this parent and child–you’ll see signs of a match or a mismatch.

Not discussed in this post is the fact that the interview allows you the chance to explain your goals as a teacher and what you can offer students. Because there are so many individual teachers, I’ve left that for you to cover for yourself.

The best changes I’ve made to my initial interview have been finding a way to allow the child to introduce themselves and creating questionnaires that provide valuable information that can kickstart the very best piano lesson experience.

If you have any further questions or topics that you cover in your initial meetings, please share in the comments below!

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Video of the Week

Spinning a Web (Early Elementary Rote). Spinning a Web is a delicate ‘impressionist’ pattern rote piece for piano beginners. It features a four-note pattern which repeats up the piano, a ‘spinning’ rhythm and doesn’t require any reading. Written to be played non legato to develop good technique. The changing harmonies in the teacher part offer a rich soundscape. Available as the studio-licensed Spinning a Web eSheet!