How Group Music Lessons Enhanced Jess Homewood’s Teaching & Learning Experience
How Group Music Lessons Enhanced Jess Homewood’s Teaching & Learning Experience
I recently spoke with Jess Homewood, a piano teacher who transitioned from teaching 60 private students each week to fully embracing group music lessons. Initially, Jess, like many other teachers, had doubts about whether group lessons could match the quality of one-on-one instruction. However, her journey demonstrates the incredible benefits of group music lessons and how sometimes change can lead to amazing outcomes.
Burnout and the Shift to Group Music Lessons
Teaching 60 private students a week may sound ideal, but it quickly led Jess to burnout. The countless hours spent on instruction, administrative tasks, and planning left her feeling overwhelmed. She was missing out on family time and struggling to maintain the quality of her teaching. Something had to give.
Jess considered raising her tuition or cutting back on students, but she didn’t want to make music education inaccessible. That’s when she started exploring the benefits of group music lessons. Though skeptical at first, Jess soon discovered that group music lessons offered many unexpected advantages.
The Benefits of Group Music Lessons
One of the most impactful benefits Jess found was the connection and camaraderie between students. In a group music lesson, students don’t just learn from the teacher—they also learn from each other. They motivate, support, and even inspire one another to practice more. This type of collaborative learning mirrors methods used in respected educational ideologies, such as Montessori.
As Jess implemented group music lessons, she noticed her students building independence. “With less one-on-one attention, students had to problem-solve and think critically on their own,” Jess explained. This independence not only improved their in-class learning but also carried over to their home practice. Parents reported that their kids were practicing more frequently and enjoying it!
Simplifying the Administrative Side of Music Lessons
Beyond the teaching benefits, switching to group music lessons drastically improved Jess’s work-life balance. By teaching multiple students at once, she reduced her teaching days from five to three, giving her more time with her family.
Jess also streamlined her studio operations by adopting studio management software. This allowed her to automate administrative tasks like invoicing, saving her significant time and reducing errors.
Group Music Lessons Make Planning Easier
Lesson planning is another area where Jess saw the benefits of group music lessons. Planning for 60 individual students was exhausting and time-consuming. But with group music lessons, lesson planning became more manageable, allowing Jess to create engaging, fun lessons without the pressure of prepping individualized plans for every student. This is one of the biggest group lesson benefits for music teachers looking to streamline their workload.
Pricing Group Music Lessons
When it comes to pricing group music lessons, Jess chose to price them about 20-25% lower than her private lessons to make music education more accessible to families in her area. Despite the lower price point, she noticed no negative impact on her income, as the larger class sizes allowed her to maintain a profitable studio.
Jess also emphasized that when pricing group lessons, it’s essential not to simply divide your private lesson rate by the number of students. Group lessons offer a different kind of value—students benefit from your teaching and from the community aspect of learning together.
Group Music Lessons Create a Fun and Engaging Environment
Jess believes that keeping lessons fun and engaging is key to student success. She developed her "No Printout Playbooks" to make lesson planning easier and to create interactive lessons that require minimal preparation. These resources, along with a dedicated “Game Time” block in her group lessons, have made learning more enjoyable for her students.
Why Group Music Lessons Might Be Right for You
If you’ve been considering group lessons but feel unsure, you’re not alone. Jess was hesitant too, but her journey shows that group lessons can provide just as much value, if not more, than private lessons. Beyond the practical benefits of balancing your schedule, group lessons create a sense of community, foster independent learning, and keep students excited to come back.
There are frameworks and tools out there—like the ones Jess uses—that can guide you through the process of moving from private to group lessons. If you’re ready to explore group teaching, start small, lean into existing resources, and watch how your studio and your students thrive.
If you want to dive deeper into Jess’s teaching methods, check out her No Printout Playbooks. These resources are a fantastic way to streamline lesson planning while keeping students engaged and excited about learning.
And if you’re looking for more tips on running a successful online studio, be sure to join our Teach Music Online membership community, where you can connect with other teachers, access courses, and find the tools you need to grow your business!
Here’s just one success story from Chulani, a member of Teach Music Online:
"Teach Music Online is a fabulous program. I was thrilled when I found Carly’s podcast three years ago, and after much hesitation, I signed up for the program earlier this year as I was moving countries. This course has changed my life and the way I teach online. Carly Walton and the TMO community have been incredibly encouraging and supportive. I've learned so much from her and other teachers, and now I am a more relaxed and confident teacher. Thank you, Carly, for being an amazing mentor!"
Thank you, Chulani, for sharing your experience! We love hearing how the TMO community has helped you become a more confident teacher. Whether it’s through our courses, live calls, or the supportive network of teachers, we’re here to help every step of the way.
If you're ready to take your teaching to the next level, join us at Teach Music Online Membership and start building the studio of your dreams!
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