Choosing a piano teacher is a bigger decision than it looks. The right teacher can give a student a lifelong relationship with music; the wrong fit can end it in six months. Having taught piano for over a decade — and having been a student myself through two music degrees — here's what I'd tell any parent or adult beginner to look for.
Playing well and teaching well are different skills. Ask where the teacher studied, what they studied, and whether they've taught students like you — your age, your level, your goals. A teacher with formal training has been through the pedagogy themselves and knows the difference between a bad habit that's harmless and one that will cause problems three years from now. I'm happy to share my own background with anyone who asks, and any good teacher should be too.
Beware of one-size-fits-all method books applied identically to every student. A book can be a fine spine for lessons, but the lessons themselves should bend around the student: their goals, their taste in music, their pace. A nine-year-old who loves film scores, a teenager preparing for a college audition, and an adult who wants to play jazz standards should not be having the same lesson. When you interview a teacher, ask: "How would you adjust lessons for my child specifically?" The quality of that answer tells you a lot.
Classical technique is the foundation and I teach it seriously — but students practice music they love and avoid music they don't. A good teacher finds the overlap: pieces that build technique and that the student actually wants to play, whether that's classical, rock, jazz, or pop. If a teacher dismisses the music your child cares about, keep looking.
Ask whether the teacher holds recitals. It seems optional; it isn't. A recital gives students a goal to work toward, a reason to polish a piece to completion, and — most importantly — the experience of being brave in front of an audience and being celebrated for it. My students perform twice a year, and I consistently see the confidence from those afternoons carry over into school and everything else.
The best teacher in the world doesn't help if lessons keep getting skipped. Think honestly about the drive, the schedule, and the cost. This is why I teach in students' homes across the northwest suburbs: no commute, no waiting room, and the student learns on the same instrument they practice on all week. Whatever teacher you choose, make sure the arrangement is one your family can sustain for years, not weeks.
You wouldn't buy a car without driving it. A first lesson tells you more than any website or review can: does the teacher connect with the student, does the student leave excited, does the teaching style fit? I offer the first lesson free for exactly this reason — both sides should know it's a good fit before anyone commits to anything.
If you're in Chicago's northwest suburbs and want to see how I'd answer these in person, reach out — the first lesson is free. And if you're deciding when to start a young beginner, I've written about what age children should start piano lessons.