Last week, I taught a brand-new beginner her very first piano lesson.

Cora is 5 1/2 and is quite mature for her age. She is the youngest of three—her two older brothers also study with me. In fact, the oldest started with me when he was 5, a few weeks after Cora was born, so it’s kind of a full-circle moment.

I have a list of 12 things I like to get through in the first lesson. Twelve activities may sound like a lot for a 30-minute lesson, but at this age, we move pretty quickly.

I’ve adjusted my first lesson plan through the years; if you dig into my blog archives, you’ll find my “go-to plan for first piano lessons” from way back in 2015. The lesson plan I’m sharing with you today looks a little different, though I was surprised and pleased that some elements are the same after all these years.

In this episode, you’ll get my 2024 go-to plan for first piano lessons including a few ideas from master teachers and teaching strategies I’ve developed through practice.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

My Go-To Plan for First Piano Lessons (2015 edition)

Inspired Piano Teaching (Marvin Blickenstaff)

Piano Safari Friends

Piano Safari Level 1

Rhythm Keeper, Vol. 1 (Musikal Husky)

Ep. 055 - Begin Again: The Case for Experimentation in Your Music Teaching

Ep. 059 - 7 Ways to Practice Rhythm

Ep. 067 - Six Things I’m Documenting in the Studio

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