I asked Mignonette Aarons, one of the most successful piano teachers in the NW London the secret of her success

and here is her story –

I have been teaching music for over 30 years, and it still seems as
interesting and fresh as it did at the beginning.  Every new pupil is
a new challenge, and every exam result still brings the same excitement.     Each pupil is an individual (even the twins I teach)
and  has their own strengths and weaknesses.   As a teacher I have
to try and assess the needs of each one.

While being strict regarding the teaching, one has to have a good
rapport with each pupil.  Music is to be enjoyed -  no-one is forced to do it -, and I consider it  important to make lessons enjoyable.   And if I am enthusiastic and encouraging,  I hope this
will stimulate pupils to work with a will and improve.  It is necessary
for pupils to want to come to their lessons (as demonstrated during
the recent icy spell, when  they came driving  on icy roads
because their mother said they wanted to come)                   

I have been taught by teachers who have trained all over the world,
and am fortunate to be able to pass my knowledge on.  I do aim for
high standards and usually manage to achieve these, whether it be for children or adults and I always try to make everything clear so
that  students understand  exactly what they are doing.

I also like to introduce things of interest around the music, for example, stories about the composers or about the instrument. and
encourage them to go t o concerts and to play at school or for family
and friends .  One important activity is to play or sing at music
festivals, where they can  perform in front of  students of their own
age or ability or try out examination pieces.  This does wonders for
confidence, gives the student something to work towards and improves their performances.     I teach a little five-year old who
couldn.t count the music, and having played in a festival, he suddenly was able to do so,  or a forty-year-old adult who played
in classes among small children, and then went on to gain distinction
in his Grade 1 exam.  These are just examples.

Of course I perform at recitals and in opera and accompanying, and this in itself prevents me from becoming stale and keeps my  teaching and my imagination fresh.

Some of my students have gone on into the music profession, and
a recent singing pupil auditioned for 4 theatre schools, and among
entrants of thousands, was accepted by each.

I am very fussy how students study theory, and all have so far achieved distinction (the highest marks), many  1 00%.

A little bit about myself.   I had to give up music when I left school,
as the oldest of a large family I had to earn a living.  However, this
had always been my dream, so I went back to study after 25 years
as though I had been on the moon, and it took me a long time to
find my way round the libraries and find the right teachers.  I
studied all night long,  including piano, singing, history, harmony and learned all about composers and the periods in which they lived.
As I had children and teenagers who were also studying f or exams
I worked side by side with them and finally got my diploma, making
me an L.R.A.M. (Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music)

About Mingnonette Aarons - CLICK HERE