I've been swinging backwards and forwards over the last few months and still can't decide whether to enrol on the next CT ABRSM course. I've searched the existing threads but not really found much of what I'm looking for yet, which is:

The insider view from people who've done the course, on whether they think it revolutionised their teaching, and whether they think they got more work afterwards through having the qualification.

As I see it, the obvious negative is the cost (which is a LOT for me), and the plus side seems a bit nebulous - some of the quotes I've read mention it introducing techniques (like keeping a teaching diary) that I already do, so I don't want to end up being told things I already know... not that that would take long!

I'm also interested in how much input there is - I've heard it's a lot of work, which is fine as long as there's a fair amount of input too, and I'm nervous that there aren't that many contact days. What I think I need to improve my teaching is guidance and new information/ways of looking at things, rather than mentoring through a few months of introspection/self-study, as I don't feel I need extra motivation to analyse my own teaching, and can study piano pedagogy (ie the theory) for free on my own...

Any comments from people who've done the course would be very welcome! Just can't come down off the fence

I haven't done the course, but it does have a very good reputation. So I will leave it to those who have taken it to comment.
What I will say, though, is that whatever it does for your teaching, it does not improve your own ability on your instrument.
I am currently teaching a lady who has recently done this course in singing, and raved about it. She has a piano diploma and teaches piano. She also, I understand, has a small number of singing pupils. She has not, however, had any singing lessons since taking grade 8 several years ago. When she first came to me she was still singing at grade 8 standard, although not distinction standard by any means, and she was unable to explain to me fundamental singing technique. This is not her fault - it is just something she has never been taught.
Now, it is possible to get grade 8 without a cracking technique, but the challenge comes when you start to teach other people, which is why, generally, I don't approve of people teaching with "just" grade 8 - and that is a whole can of worms that has been opened many times on here. She has wisely decided to move on and work for a performance diploma in singing, which, together with the CT ABRSM will give her a great foundation to build her teaching practice on.
I don't hold with the idea that you don't need to be able to do to be able to teach. I argue that if you can't do, then you probably don't know how to - or you would be doing it - so how can you teach it?
That's a long-winded way of saying that if, at the moment, the cost of the course, good though it may be, is prohibitive, then another way around it would be to continue your own lessons, use your teacher as a mentor for your own teaching (as my lady is doing), and use your lessons partly to improve on your own technique and knowledge of repertoire, and partly to learn teaching skills. Then maybe take a teaching diploma. This way you spread the cost and have double benefits.
One can always improve - I still have lessons and use my teacher as mentor for my own teaching. She fills me with inspiration and this rubs off on my students. Keeping up/raising your own standards is one way of keeping your students and gaining more.

I agree, and the cost is certainly prohibitive, I would be quite interested in doing the course but there is no way I can afford that level of output - If anyone from the board is reading these threads, when they first launched it they had a slow route, over 2 years paying for a module at a time, which I think is far more accessible and I would certainly consider.

I also agree that you should always strive to improve your playing, as I find the more I study for my own pieces the more I learn and the better and more thorough my teaching becomes.

I did the CT course a couple of years ago. Yes it seriously changed the way I teach and undid some mindsets - I enjoy lessons much more and so did the pupils. I'm sure I'm a much more effective teacher for it. Better income? I'm not sure. My pupil numbers seem to creep up but I could not honestly say whether not the course has paid for itself.

I don't know that you can really compare the CT course to a teaching diploma or one-to-one mentoring by your own teacher. To my mind its strength is in the fact that you are not only learning from the course leaders and your mentor but also listening to tips and views of fellow teachers. Your teaching is assessed on several occasions and you do at least one video project which is commented on by your mentor and several students. There are several challenging and provocative lectures - my course included a lively session from our own Cyrilla and a fantastic talk on instrumental teaching and dyslexia from Sheila Oglethorpe. (I even got to meet Richard Crozier!)

I found the mentor support really helpful - I'm still in touch with my mentor and consult her from time to time. Yes, there are quite a lot of assignments but I enjoyed doing them so much it honestly didn't feel like work - the more I progressed through the course the more my mind seemed to expand and the more enthusiastic I became.

It's true that the CT course does not aim to improve teachers' performance skills. However, you spend quite a lot of course time in group sessions discussing teaching techniques, and from time to time playing in front of other students. The mentors are all experienced, competent musicians, skilled in the field in which they are mentoring. I would have thought that if any teacher's technique had serious or basic holes it would become evident quite quickly in those group sessions. That's my perception anyway, but AnnC has raised an interesting point - I'd be interested to hear the views of others who have done the course about this.

Lastly (and this was a big plus for me) it was such fun and so sociable - I met some lovely people and sharing deadlines, concerns and encouragements all made the learning experience so much easier.

Gosh. I didn't know I DID 'lively'!



PS For what it's worth, from what I know of them (never having done either), I would choose the CT course over a teaching dip any day..it really seems like my sort of course, and I've never heard anyone be less than enthusiastic about what they have learned.

I've just spent £2,000 that I don't really have going to Hungary for a three-week course, and I dread to think how many thousands of pounds I have spent on my own training over the past 25-odd years - but I don't begrudge or regret a single penny. I think it is essential for any teacher to continue their own training throughout their career and I never, ever stop learning...

So it seems the ideal scenario is to do the CT and continue one's own lessons.

I think I read somewhere that the CT is not a recognised professional qualification. Does anyone know if this is correct, and if so why?

It isn't cheap but it is definatley worthwhile. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it highly

I would agree with all the positive points that have been put forward. You can't compare the CT course with the Dip ABRSM (teaching) - there is so much more involved. I found the assignments quite time consuming - not because they were lengthy in words, but because you need to put in research time, and the most difficult part is deciding what to leave out. The interaction with the other course members is an essential part of the course, and great socially as well as professionally. Having the CT qualification has not increased my income - as a private teacher, I have hardly ever been asked about qualifications - but I have the satisfaction of having passed the course (standards are high!) and it has made me think about my teaching from several different perspectives. It also made me realise that I needed to change my own teacher if I was going to move forward and this too had a beneficial effect on my teaching as my new teacher geared lessons to include looking at things from the teaching point of view. If you can possibly afford it, go for it - you won't regret it.

Cyrilla - yes, you definitely do lively!

The CT doesn't seem to have as high a status as a teaching Dip but people who have done both usually say the CT is ultimately better.

Before I did the CT (2001-2) I had five pupils - since the CT my student numbers rocketed and have stayed consistently high ever since. I would not be the teacher I am today if I hadn't done the CT, and can honestly say it has changed my teaching life completely, 100% for the better. Worth every penny and more, and I think it should have a much higher status.

Oooh yes - I remember being particularly worried about Cyrilla's afternoon - and as for remembering what to do in the songs !!!!!

Have just signed up!!! v v excited! Thanks for all the helpful comments. Looks like it'll be a lot of fun and REALLY what I need.

Could anyone tell me what standard you have to be to take the CT course. Also, do you have to do any performing on the course as I love teching but hate performing?

When I did the course there were a couple of piano teachers who had grade 7. They were the lowest exam standards that I remember from among the students on the course.

We did a little performance on the course, but I took it in 2001 and I think things may have changed now.

I too remember a couple of people being grade 7. Most in my group were grade 8 or above, but I don't think there is any actual grade requirement to do the course - I think it's recognised that there are many fine musicians who don't go down the grade route.

There was some performing of grade pieces required but it was done within small groups and was not intimidating.

The requirements (from their leaflet, will be on website too) are:

UK resident
have min 5 pupils who you teach regularly
have min 1 year's teaching experience
be over 21


There aren't any specific qualifications you have to have...

Is anyone on the London course this year?

If so, please come and say hi after my session this coming Thursday...!

I did the course in 1995 and it really awakened my teaching methods and gave me a lot of fuel to make the lessons much more interesting for my pupils. The Course Leader in London, David Barnard, was brilliant. Also, another pat on the back for Cyrilla who gave a brilliant insight into Kodaly techniques for young ones which is particularly useful if you teach infants.

Yes the cost is a lot, I believe I spread it over a year but even then it made me gulp every time I saw the money come out of my account!

I've also made a few friends on the course that I stay in touch with so I consider it money well spent. It also did tax my brain, having not written essays for about 10 years prior to doing the course. It was quite challenging to juggle a full-time job with the written work, and I must admit, now that I have a baby, I am not sure I'd be able to fit this course in right now.

There was only a bit of performance infront of your group which is usually about 6 CT students. I think we just played a short piece or two.
On the final day, there was the option to perform infront of the entire CT course, but there is no pressure to do so.

Great! Will do

Nice to meet you today, Dove!

Hope you enjoyed the session...

Yes it was great! Although my list of things to train in just keeps getting longer... was a pretty hectic week, only just getting back into my normal routines again!

Many thanks for your session, was a great insight.

Aww...I'm so glad you enjoyed it and that the session was insightful for you!

Yes, defo add Kodály to your 'list of things to train in'!!

Tiny deviation from topic, but does anyone know if there are any sources of funding for this sort of course? I am finding the AB, ESTA and similar courses are all excluded from funding such as ILA, part-time fee waiver, low income scheme, etc. I can go to a university and do a certificate of unit credit in instrumental teaching but it doesn't give me any well-recognised qualification even though content is almost exactly the LRSM syllabus. I can do the courses on my own money, but I don't have it. I know that ESTA has a charitable grant programme, but I only just joined so it does seem a bit much to make an application having not really put anything in yet, besides if the government is funding law courses and geography courses how come such a specifically employment-based professional development thing should be excluded? I'd dearly love to do this course, I wanted to do it from the moment it was first conceived of and the very first brochure came out. I'd also love to do the new online course or one of the day courses, but London is a long way and adds yet more expense to the course. I'm not ready for the CT yet because I need to get a practice going first, but when you have to meet deadlines for grant applications and things it can become quite a lengthy process to sign up for anything.