THE ESSENTIAL COURSE FOR ALL PIANO TEACHERS
Piano Teacher Pedagogy and Practice
A practical course for emerging and experienced piano teachers, bringing together piano pedagogy, how students learn and the work of running a professional studio.
IS THIS COURSE FOR YOU?
A course for piano teachers who want consistent, outstanding results.
Whether you are establishing your teaching practice or have taught for years, the course helps you examine what you teach, how you teach it and how you run your studio.
It is relevant to teachers working independently or within a school or music studio. You do not need to run your own studio to benefit from the sessions on professional conduct, child safety and legal obligations.
Your starting point
Places are strictly limited to the first 45 teachers who enrol. If you are unsure whether the course suits your experience or musical background, pay a deposit to secure your place. After you enrol, the Institute will call you to make sure the course is right for you. Your deposit is fully refundable for seven days; after that the full fee is payable.
The founding course at a glance
- Starts
- Monday 1 March 2027
Monday evenings, 6–8.30pm - Format
- Ten weeks live online and a two-day practical intensive in Sydney
- Learning
- 40 core hours of teaching plus course materials
- Assessment
- Six assessed projects, leading to MTA certification
- Independent work
- Allow two to three hours a week
- Founding cohort bonus
- Ten extra tutorials
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
The music, the learning and the professional practice.
The course has three parts, taught in sequence. Each is designed to make you into a serious, professional teacher, equipped with strategies to plan effective lessons, sequence material, cover technique, aural, sight-reading and theory in every lesson, and cover a wide range of repertoire with your students.
Each learner is different: you will build a teaching toolkit that will ensure consistency.
Choose explanations and activities that meet each student where they are, informed by learning, development and motivation.
- Understand why students need different approaches
- Adapt explanations and learning activities
- Choose challenges that are achievable and purposeful
- Review the student's response and adjust your approach
Plan a logical sequence of learning to support your students' progress.
Build a logical learning sequence, choose achievable challenges and evaluate whether your teaching has worked.
- Develop key skills – technical, aural, musical, theoretical – in a sequential process
- Plan and sequence effective lessons
- Choose repertoire and activities that support quick, predictable learning
- Set clear goals and explain progress to parents
You wear many hats: teacher, administrator, finance, marketing, legal, regulatory.
Bring practical business knowledge and clear professional standards to the work around your lessons.
- Fees, financial practices and studio administration
- Marketing and student acquisition
- Parent communication, studio policies and contracts
- Legal obligations, business structure and child safety
THE COURSE
Live learning, practical teaching and assessed work.
Ten weeks of live online classes
Covers the pedagogy content you'd expect to find in Bachelor of Music, Graduate Certificate in Instrumental Teaching and Masters programs, along with business administration, legal compliance, financial administration, studio policies and marketing.
A two-day practical intensive in Sydney
A live, interactive workshop on style, character, shaping and lifting student performances from good to outstanding. Across the course, over 100 pieces from Preliminary to Grade 8 are covered in detail.
Six assessed projects
Successful completion of the six projects covers five of the seven standards required for MTA certification, and makes significant progress towards your CTMusA and ATMusA submissions.
Ten extra tutorials: the sprint to assessment success
One extra group tutorial each week, giving you targeted advice, work and support to complete your six course assessments and your CTMusA or ATMusA submission.
Bring your own questions and examples from your assessment preparation and work through them in the session.
- Complete all six course assessments
- Make headway on your CTMusA or ATMusA submission
- Your own questions and examples, answered
CERTIFICATION
Complete five of the MTA's seven standards and prepare for AMEB teaching diplomas
MTA certification is guaranteed on successful completion of the six course assessments, with proof of Grade 8 practical and Grade 5 theory or musicianship.
CHOOSE YOUR OPTION
Fees and study options
All prices in Australian dollars, including GST.
Self-study
- Course guide and guides to all six assessments
- Course assessment fees included
- One year of MTA membership included
Live 10 Week Course
Enrol by 30 November. All paid by 31 March 2027.
- Ten weeks live online
- Two-day practical intensive
- 40 core hours, six assessed projects
- Course assessment fees included
- One year of MTA membership included
Live 10 Week Course
- Ten weeks live online
- Two-day practical intensive
- 40 core hours, six assessed projects
- Course assessment fees included
- One year of MTA membership included
Private Mentorship
- The full live 10 week courseOnline classes, intensive and six assessed projects
- 10 extra tutorialsGroup tutorials for your assessments
- 40 one-on-one sessions with AnthonyOver a year
- Guided ATMusA submissionWith recital preparation
Founding cohort limited to the first 45 teachers who pay the $400 deposit and agree to the payment plan, or pay in full.
MTA certification is guaranteed upon successful completion of the six course assessments and proof of Grade 8 practical and Grade 5 theory or musicianship.
Enrol by 30 November. All paid by 31 March 2027. Travel and external certification or diploma fees are separate. The Institute calls you within two working days of enrolment. Payment plans close on 20 January 2027; the earlier you enrol, the smaller the instalments.
Scholarships may be offered by MTA(NSW) for travel and accommodation. You apply as part of your enrolment, and the Music Teachers' Association of NSW can answer questions about eligibility.
BEFORE YOU ENROL
Questions teachers ask
Anything else, email office@musicpedagogy.com.au or ask when the Institute calls you.
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Experience gives you a lot to draw on. This course helps you see why a student gets stuck, choose what to teach next and build a clear learning sequence. You will also work on the business, legal and communication skills behind a professional studio.
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A $5 lesson-fee increase across 25 students for 40 weeks adds up to $5,000 in gross revenue. That is more than the $4,600 full-payment cohort fee. This is an illustration, not a promise: your fees, student numbers and costs will affect your result.
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We are dedicated to every student's success, particularly in the first cohort. You will have opportunities to present work in progress, ask questions and receive feedback during the course, including the ten extra tutorials. Each of the six projects is submitted once, with no resubmissions, which is why the tutorials are there: to help you get it right first time. You receive written feedback and detailed advice on your assessed work.
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Parents may not know the name of a certification scheme. You can explain what it means: your teaching and professional practice have been assessed against clear standards. The course helps you communicate that value in plain language.
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Pay the $400 deposit to secure your place, and the Institute will call you to talk it through. You have seven days to decide: your deposit is fully refundable within seven days of payment.
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You do not need to be a technology expert. You will need a device with a camera, microphone and a reliable internet connection. Try a Zoom call before the course starts, and raise any questions in the call from the Institute.
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You'll learn to set clear, achievable goals, plan the steps between them and show parents what their child can now do. That gives you a way to explain steady musical progress instead of relying only on the next exam grade.
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The cohort has 40 core hours across ten weeks of live online learning and a two-day practical intensive. Allow two to three hours a week for independent work, plus the ten extra tutorials. In-person attendance is required if you teach within 100 km of Sydney; discuss a remote alternative before enrolling if travel is genuinely impossible.
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MTA certification is guaranteed once you successfully complete the six assessed projects and show Grade 8 piano practical and Grade 5 theory or musicianship, or equivalent. The course also prepares you for AMEB CTMusA and ATMusA, which need separate AMEB assessment.
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The founding cohort is $4,600 paid in full, or a $400 deposit plus 8 fortnightly payments of $562.50 ($4,900 total). Enrol by 30 November. All paid by 31 March 2027. Payment plans close on 20 January 2027; the earlier you enrol, the smaller the instalments. Self-study is $3,000. Private Mentorship with Anthony is $15,000, including the full course, the ten extra tutorials and 40 one-on-one sessions with Anthony over a year.