#18 Start Your Groups in the Space You Already Have
With Victoria and Akera - two Group Piano University graduates started with the spaces they already had.
I've been doing pre-enrolment chats with piano teachers lately, and something keeps coming up.
So many teachers have done other courses on group piano teaching. They understand the model. They believe in it. They're excited about what it could do for their studio and their life.
And they still haven't taught their first group.
When I ask what's stopping them, it almost always comes back to the same thing.
Space.
"I can't start until I have the right space."
And I get it. I really do. I've been there myself with both perfectionism and that creeping feeling of not being quite confident enough yet. But here's what I've learned after more than 30 years of teaching groups.
Both of those things are a trap. And not having a space is often a roadblock that doesn’t need to be there.
Two Teachers Who Started Teaching Groups Before They Felt Ready
Victoria spent the last few years raising her young family and decided, rather than going back to her professional career in law, she wanted to build something of her own.
That meant starting from scratch. Zero students, no existing teaching reputation, no studio, no waiting list. Nothing.
She found Group Piano University, completed the course, and secured a church hall on Thursday afternoons - because that was the only day it was available.
That was her starting point.
Akera is a piano teacher in the US who started her very first group classes in her lounge room. She rearranged all her furniture to fit four keyboards in. She taught her first groups while her husband slowly came around to the whole idea.
Neither of them had the perfect space.
Neither of them waited until they did.
And I want to tell you what happened next.
What is Imperfect Action?
I have a name for what Victoria and Akira did.
Imperfect Action.
Not waiting until everything is lined up. Not holding off until the space is bigger, the waiting list is longer, or the confidence is higher. Just making a decision, finding the space that's available right now, and starting.
Victoria's church hall was only available on Thursdays. So she taught on Thursdays.
And then the enquiries started coming in for Saturday lessons.
She could have said - I'll wait until I find a space that works on Saturdays too. But she didn't.
She rearranged her family room on Friday evenings. She set up the keyboards. She taught on Saturdays.
"There's nothing like just doing it."
That’s Imperfect Action. And it changed everything.
The Space You Already Have Can Work for Groups
Here’s the thing about space that I want every piano teacher to hear.
You probably already have it.
Victoria taught in a church hall with folding keyboards on X-frame stands that she set up and packed down every single class. She rearranged her family room on Friday nights to teach Saturday morning classes.
Akira taught in her lounge room with the furniture pushed back and four keyboards squeezed in. She ran summer camps in her backyard with water games.
Both of them made it work even though they didn’t have the “perfect” setup or space. They decided the students in front of them, and the group piano curriculum, mattered more than the space around them.
Piano teachers are creative and inventive creatures! We find solutions to problems in our teaching all the time. The studio space is no different.
What Happens When You Just Start Teaching Groups
Victoria's church hall classes grew. Her Saturday classes grew. Her Google reviews grew. Her enquiries were ramping up.
Nine months after starting in her lounge room, Akera found a space nearby - a room she spotted on a local Facebook group, at a rent she could afford - and moved in. Six digital pianos around the walls. Her baby grand in the corner. Movement space in the middle.
Their classes are filling up.
Neither of them is where they thought they'd be when they started. They're further ahead.
Because that's what happens when you take Imperfect Action instead of waiting for the perfect moment.
You start small. You learn as you go. You solve problems as they come up. And before you know it, you look around and realise you've built something you're genuinely proud of.
"I'm probably up to about 30 students. I'm very happy with that and I plan to grow it even more." - Victoria
So, Do You Have the Right Space for Group Piano?
So if you've been telling yourself you can't start groups because you don't have the right space - let me ask you something.
What space do you actually have right now?
A lounge room? A dining room? A lounge room? A spare bedroom? A church hall one day a week? A school classroom? A studio room? A rumpus or play room? A garage?
That might be the perfect place to get started!
You don't need a purpose-built studio with eight keyboards and perfect acoustics to teach your first group of four students. You need four keyboards, a bit of floor space, and the decision to start.
Everything else can grow from there.
The space doesn't make the teacher. The teacher makes the space!
Listen to Episode 18
Victoria and Akera share their full stories - including the spaces they started in, how they found new spaces as they grew, and what they'd say to any teacher who is waiting for the right moment to begin.
🎧 Listen to Episode 18 - Start Your Groups in the Space You Already Have
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Want to see what group piano actually looks like first? 🎉
Our free Group Piano Breakthrough Series is the perfect place to start.
Part 1 shows Paul teaching a real group in action - no headphones, just kids completely engaged in the whole learning process.
Part 2 covers the logistics - how much to charge, how to work groups into your schedule.
Part 3 outlines the four foundations to long-term success with groups.
It's free. And it's exactly what Victoria and Akira watched before they decided to go for it.
Ready to start your group piano journey?
Our last live Group Piano University cohort for the year starts October 4.
