Have any of you teachers out there taught your own children?

If so how many years did you manage it for and what grade did your child achieve. What benefits are there for you and your child?

I only managed the early grades with my two older sons, and my youngest one has just done grade 1. I have not found it easy as they didn't want to be corrected - very fraught! My oldest son is now learning with someone else and my middle son gave up to concentrate on another instrument but he now really wants to get back to piano again. Should it be with me or someone else is the question?
There has been a thread on this before - you might like to do a search.

im not a teacher and don't have kids!! but im trying to teach my mum a bit of sax! she wants to do her grade 1 before i go to uni next year!

I taught my oldest son, but it was difficult. He took his Grade 5 in Primary school and when he moved over to Secondary we decided it best that he continued with the peri piano teacher there. He liked her, but she was only interested in doing exam music and the once regular practice become shorter.

I was going to take him back, but I decided that I wanted him to reach adulthood eventually. He was never very keen anyway.

My youngest son is 12 and is about Grade 6 (though he hasn't taken his Grade 5 yet). We get on well in the lesson and he doesn't mind being corrected. As I am so often teaching when he returns home from school, he enjoys our time together at the piano.

One thing I did learn was to make his lesson just like my other students...a set day and time. When it was 'when I've got a moment', lessons were erratic and if I said "after X lesson and I've come out and got a cup of coffee", we would find other distractions. Now he knows to come in a 7:30pm when I've finished a student and to get his books out ready to begin just like the others do.

I don't think it works to teach your own children. I didn't consider teaching mine. My experience was the other way round - my mother, a piano teacher, tried to teach me. In short, I would not do what I was told and she quickly gave up and sent me to an outside teacher. I think it needs a different kind of relationship, teacher to pupil. A child is unlikely to play up on a one to one basis with a person with which there is no other relationship. Do find a good teacher though. The early years of learning are so important. Good luck.

good to hear other people have tried it.

I have 3 children all boys !!! The eldest is 8. I have been teaching him the violin and he has just got a distinction in his grade 3. It is battle to get him to start his practice but then after 5-10 mins flapping he absolutely loves it. Just wish he would just get into it straight away. There again he is like this with any form of work
He is learning trumpet with a peri at school and gets down to practice on his own no fuss on this instrument. He has only been learning this since Jan and his teacher told me he would sit grade 2 at christmas. Seems to have progress quicker on this instrument, just wondering whether he would benefit from having a different teacher for his violin. Would it inspire him more? I have a feeling in the next grade or so he will move onto someone else for another point of view. The peri at school has changed every term he has been there so I haven't even given that option any thought as I like continuity.

My middle son is 7 he is learning the piano with me he has just got a distinction in his grade 3 too. He loves his piano and has just managed to work out Fur Elise all be it at his varied tempo as he can't reach an octave or the pedals yet. I don't have any problems teaching this one as he absorbs everything like a sponge. He doesn't care who teaches him as long as it is interesting and there is variety. There are no peris at the infants and they don't offer peri piano at the junior school in our county so it would have to be private. I enjoy teaching him at the moment so don't know if I would give it up yet.

My youngest is just 5 and he loves the piano too but he is progressing at a much more average rate and is just happily sailing along. He is not bothered about music just as long as he can tinkle when he wants. I

I have absolutely no idea. I am only 14 and don't have children. But my sister tried to teach me piano when I was doing grade1. It turned out horrible.(screams and shouts)
We also tried a trial exam and when I came into the room and saw her, I started laughing.
This happened many times until she got fed up.Once I tried my best not to laugh and my face turned all funny. I could only last through a few scales and I broke into laugher. lol
Anyway, I turned out to a better pianist than her.

I too am only 14 and don't have children, but I did try teaching my sister piano, she got to grade 2 and then we started arguing too much and we couldn't go on!!!

I taught my two children (who are both adults now) recorders and piano. Both had passed their Advanced Certificate on recorders and Grade 8 on piano by the time they went off to uni, and both still enjoy playing. They also learnt violin to Grade 8 standard, but not with me as a teacher.
In the main it worked OK, though there were some fraught occasions along the way, and it did save a good deal of money - in fact, if we'd had to pay for three lots of music lessons each, we just couldn't have managed it, and they wouldn't have gained all the skills they now have!

When I teach from home the boys are upstairs in another room playing. They understand the importance of quiet while others are learning as they know it is hard to concentrate with the noise. I teach when their dad comes home from work, when I teach late I go out to the students house.

When I teach the boys they all warm up on their own and then I listen to them one at a time. They are pretty independant now at practice. They all wander about quietly while the others are practicing. Don't really have a problem with this at the moment considering how old they are.

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I`m a single mum and my mother looks after my boys.However my s/dad is just recovering from a major op so my eldest is staying with me at the moment (cos they fight together).I work straight through from 4 till late.I don`t know what I`ll do without my mother as childminders would have children after 6.30.

Mine play in another room as well, they are very good and have never been any trouble, the only time I did have to shush them big time was when they decided to do Cello and Violin practise in the room next door

I make sure I factor in plenty of short breaks when I know they will be home though even it just means time to sit down with them for 10 mins watching the tele.

As for the original thread I only lasted 2 weeks teaching my eldest it was a complete nightmare - might try with the youngest though as she's a different temperment.

can't get the quotes to work

QUOTE (Digby @ Aug 9 2004, 01:04 PM)

the only time I did have to shush them big time was when they decided to do Cello and Violin practise in the room next door

Yes my eldest hears things on the violin that he has played before and then copies them upstairs while I am teaching. Can't really hear it well but it is like an echo in the distant. I think only I am aware of it. But sometimes he does his trumpet practice upstairs and he forgets to shut the door.

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Yes my eldest hears things on the violin that he has played before and then copies them upstairs while I am teaching

Oh that would drive me insane, good job I teach piano and we only have one.

Although that might have to change after she turned round to her teacher and said that she hadn't practised because mummy's always on the piano - I wouldn't mind except she had, at least half an hour a day

I have taught my two boys, now aged 15 and 12 the piano. I am currently helping the older one prepare for his Diploma and the younger one is hopefully taking grade 7 in December. I have found that I have got more patient and less stressed out the older they have got. Also they are much more motivated now. My feeling was that I wouldn't be able to cut off sufficiently when they practiced if they had another teacher so I might as well teach them myself and save the money. Actually I have really loved it and have been able to experiment a little more on them than I would on any private pupil. They both also learn the violin and cello with an outside teacher. I don't see too much difference in their attitude here. I think it all depends on your child. Mine were always happy to be taught by me although I do have two pupils whose parents could have taught them but chose not too. Its a personal thing.

Thanks Margaret

Glad to hear that someone else has tried it and succeed so well with their own child. I do have the usual ups and downs with the boys but it is very rewarding. Your children have both done extremely well for the age.

I am now approaching a problem now with the 7 year old, he is now approaching grade 4 piano and the pieces all have octaves and/or pedalling in them and I can't see him growing very quickly. What advice have you got for me on this one? At the moment we just avoid these pieces as he can't physical reach either. I am thinking of just letting him mature and then hoping that in 18 months time he has grown enough physical and emotionally to just take grade 5. I haven't experienced a child so young before at this stage most children I teach are just starting at this age and size.


I have experimented on both the older boys too and they do enjoy it otherwise I would have stopped by now, I do feel that if I sent the boys to someone else I may not be able to butt out when required or wonder if I could do a better job for less money.

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the pieces all have octaves

You can get round this one, I think- when I took grade 2 piano my hands were too small to play octaves so my teacher phoned up the Board and they said it was alright to play just one note of them, as long as I told the examiner that when I went into the exam. I got 27 for that piece.