More Than Just a Lesson: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Life of a Music Instructor

by Teacher Grace, Piano Instructor, Principal at Key Signature Music School, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) - M.Arch

"Music teachers don’t just teach notes and rhythms; they inspire dreams, build confidence, and shape futures." 

In this article, we share more about what we do as music educators outside the classroom and how our music instructors at Key Signature Music School take pride and dedication in providing the best musical education experience for our students. 

1. Understanding music book series, teaching methodology and preparing our own in-house worksheets 

One of the things that all music educators would understand is that there are many ways in teaching fundamentals and key concepts in music. This varies from instrument to instrument, and some self-studying, teacher discussions and research is required to understand the differences in teaching using different books and material series. Furthermore, age plays an important and key factor in choice teaching methodology for young children. A piano beginner at 5 years old, 8 years old vs 12 years old learns at different pace and their capability of understanding, strength and attention span is different. At Key Signature Music School, we have our own in-house original worksheets and teaching materials that helps cover gaps and serves as alternative teaching methods to complement the existing music teaching books in the market. This is driven by teachers who find more control and room for improved teaching by creating their custom materials, self-arranged scores for better teaching. 

2. Understanding students learning style and matching teaching style

"The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you." – Dan Rather

Every student comes in with different personalities, learning styles, strengths and weaknesses. Some students are visual learners who learn best through visuals, tables, charts and drawings. This means that in our lesson, it may include activities like drawing the piano, working with blank paper and illustrations as well as teacher demonstrations in terms of posture, finger techniques and others. Other students may learn well with movements (kinestatic learners), where many repetitions come into play for them to get the rhythm and feeling of the music. Beyond learning styles, we have students who memorize well, while others learn best with pattern recognition. We also have a group of students who have musical strength in audio and listening, able to play by ear or improvise on their own. As music educators, we try to understand and learn how each student learns and incorporate teaching strategies that allow the students to learn music in the most engaging and effective way. 

At Key Signature Music School, we welcome students of any age, background, personality and background to pursue and explore music. Our team of teachers has various experiences and are trained to handle young children, students with special needs, active students with short attention spans, students who learn at a much slower pace or students who are older with less flexible fingers. As music teachers, we understand that the ultimate end goal for music learning is different for every student. Some are learning to prepare for competitions, DSAs, or in a music career or higher education, while others may be learning for leisure, a form of relaxation, work-life balance or a time-off from the stress outside of music. To some students, they simply enjoy the process and exposure to music with guidance and to play their favourite songs. The most important part of learning and teaching is to guide them in approaching music the right way and to bring them closer to their musical goals. 

3. Studying new syllabus for exam pieces

Many of our music instructors at Key Signature Music School take time outside the lesson to practice in our studio with our instruments. We strongly encourage music instructors to use our music facilities for them to improve, practice and upskill themselves in their musical craft. This is essential as music teachers are to learn the musical pieces before they can teach their students these pieces. In the context of ABRSM and other examination boards, music exam syllabuses change every 2 years and music teachers are expected to keep up and learn new pieces in line with the bi-annual changes in music exam syllabuses. 

4. Planning of learning milestones for each students - exam/ theory/ performances 

This is a really interesting one in my opinion, as music teachers are to plan, and monitor the timeline for a student’s progress and ensure they are on track towards their musical milestones which usually is a specific date, such as a date of the exam or a date for a performance. If a music teacher has 20 students, that is 20 milestones and progression to keep track! Similar to a project manager, or a planner, this aspect of music teaching requires organisational skills and adaptability as some students may progress slower or faster than what the music teacher expected and planned for. This means the need to push, motivate, encourage students to progress faster and practice more at home.

5. Finding suitable scores and lesson plan (leisure) 

At Key Signature Music School, we offer leisure lessons where students get to curate their lesson goals, playing songs of their choices instead of following official exam syllabuses from ABRSM or TRINITY. For such programs, our teachers usually work closely with the students to understand their learning needs and personalised goals, finding suitable scores and sometimes customising the lesson structure to cater to the personalised leisure lesson. 

6. Up skilling - attending concerts, masterclasses, further studies, performing 

Learning never stops! Music teachers are musicians as well, and we constantly learn from people who are more experienced and better than us. This can be in the form of musical technicals, highly-specific music genres, refreshers, or teaching related learning and upskilling works. Our music teachers at Key Signature Music School are active in the musical performance scene, where they are involved in gig performances, other kinds of teaching such as CCAs, corporate workshops, or service as worship musicians. Many music teachers within our community take pride in participating and maintaining their musicianship through performances. Music teachers at Key Signature Music School actively participate in our annual recitals in special teacher performances, piano accompaniment, and emceeing roles to hone their stage presence and skills. 

7. Keeping lessons fun and creating meaningful bonds with students! 

As a music educator, we play a significant and important role in the lives of our students. This is particularly so for young children who attend music lessons on a weekly basis from a young age all the way till their teenage years. Music teachers often find themselves watching a child grow up over the years, transiting from kindergarten, primary, secondary schools to tertiary education. Some of my students would ask me for general advice such as which CCA to choose or which subject to choose in their school. As teachers, we sometimes go beyond teaching, to remember each student’s birthdays, life wins, and external hobbies and goals. These little things add up to allow students to learn ….

From my personal experience, I remember having to teach my students not to speak vulgarities in class as they transition to secondary school or teenage lives. In my years and experiences from teaching, I also had students who shared about their life challenges such as not doing well for exams in school or getting scolded by teachers or injuries when playing sports. One of my personal favorite is when I witness children transiting from having to be picked up by their parents, to being able to travel by bus to music lessons. As educators, we are there to provide support, care and the right guidance to students, going beyond just music technicals. 

"To teach is to touch a life forever." – Jerry Whittle

8. Musicianship - Musical interpretations and “Signature pieces” for each teacher

This is one of my personal favourite aspects of music teaching, and being a music teacher. Music, being a universal language and a form of expression, there are no hard rules or fixed way of performing or playing a piece. Even at a professional level, musicians play and interpret pieces differently from one another. Things like dynamic, phrasing, speed changes and musical touch can vary and each musician gradually develops their unique style in the realm of musical expression. 

As music educators, we understand that different students may have different musical strengths and have a flair in certain genres or musical style. Some students love energetic, fast, detached, lively songs, while others may prefer slow, highly emotional pieces with a lot of dynamic ranges and pedal works. Some students, enjoy playing fast baroque pieces with interesting musical melodies across the songs while others enjoy jazzed- style, swing rhythms and groovy musical pieces. For a typical student going through the formal music syllabus training with ABRSM, TRINITY or other examination boards, they would have had gone through training to perform and explore pieces of various styles, allowing them to understand the differences, develop skills and playing techniques for each style and over time, develop a preference or discover their strengths in one or another. 

Every musician had their own unique journey and experiences in playing different musical pieces when they were learning. This also means that different music instructors at Key Signature Music School may have various must-teach pieces that are like a form of “Signature Piece” of the teacher. My personal favourite and must-teach piano piece is Fur Elise (1st Movement) by Ludwig Van Beethoven, and I find myself enjoying and allowing every one of my students to learn this piece at some point of their musical learning journey. Even in a simple piece like this, there are various ways of expression, and I sometimes share with my students the video performance by Lang Lang, who has a unique, slowed and relaxed way of performing Fur Elise. 

Hence, at Key Signature Music School, you may find yourself learning not just basic music techniques, but also understanding musicality from your music instructor. Every year, Key Signature Music School organises and holds annual recital where students have a stage to perform pieces that they had been working on or pieces they have passion for. Performance is such an important aspect in musicianship education and there is no better teacher than the stage and audience itself, as placing yourself in that setting takes courage, discipline, focus and determination. 

"The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see." – Alexandra K. Trenfor

9. Creativity in Teaching. 

Teaching is a craft and skill that requires creativity, exploration and experience. The ways to teach a child are endless and as a music educator myself for over 8 years, I personally still find myself trying and experimenting different ways to deliver the same concepts to students by trying new teaching methods. This element in of creativity, and exploration never stops in a teacher and keeps teachers inspired and passionate. Speaking for all teachers, there is a strong sense of fulfillment in realising that they way you teach and what you teach influences your students in a positive way and when students understand what you have taught them and are able to apply them accordingly. 

10. Positivity, Optimism and Energy 

Have plenty of rest and caring of well-being

"Teaching is the greatest act of optimism." – Colleen Wilcox

Every teacher brings out their own personality, communication style and energy into the classroom and influences their students in terms of learning spirits, classroom culture and atmosphere. It is important that teachers' well-being are taken care of, that they are well rested, find fulfillment and are happy with what they do, and bring this optimism and joy to their classroom. At Key Signature Music School, we seek to support teachers in various ways and understand and cater to their needs such as schedule, and preferred student load so as to ensure optimal teaching quality. 

Conclusion

Music instructors do more than teach notes and techniques—they shape confidence, spark creativity, and instill a lifelong love for music. Whether it’s your first step into the world of music or a journey to refine your skills, the right teacher makes all the difference.

You can also experience the magic of learning music with us! Feel free to book a trial lesson today and meet our team of music teachers who are ready to help you embark on your musical journey.