There's no doubt that learning to play the piano in a group situation is fast becoming the most popular way to learn. There are many advantages to using this system, especially for the pupils who enrol in such courses. Probably the main advantage for the pupil is, you are not alone, there are many like minded people with you all aiming for the same thing and because of the nature of learning to play the piano there is no element of competitiveness but rather a positive I can do this attitude and the fact that others are with you learning the same thing is extremely liberating in that the pressure of learning to play is reduced dramatically and absorbed by the whole group rather than on one individual learning one to one.

Normally in a group situation, up to 12 pupils will attend each provided with their own piano, these are normally electric so as to make use of headphones. Some courses also offer a communication system that can isolate each pupil privately via headphones.

Now there is a new resource, video, this is starting to be used in many piano learning groups and like all great ideas it's so simple. All the teacher needs is a DVD player, a TV and the Learn and Master Piano course by Will Barrow. This course provides an incredible amount of teaching material for teachers and pupils alike. The course is designed for beginners and advanced players and with the use of DVDs provides piano lessons and practice time all with the help of video and Will barrow who is the courses teacher.

This course is not expensive which means every pupil can buy their own copy and because the course is so detailed, teachers can create separate groups of pupils with different abilities. This again has the effect of reducing pressure on any individual, because you are always going to be in a group with the same ability as yourself and if you are a quick learner you can move on to the next level in a different group still using the same course. I think its brilliant and I do think many piano teachers are going to start using the Learn and Master Piano course. It's probably the best teaching resource since the invention of the electric piano.