Analysis and comparison of most popular piano teaching method in Iran

The aim of this research is to review and analyze the prominent piano pedagogy methods used in music teaching studios / institute/ centers in Tehran, Iran. For this purpose, supported by library research method, a questionnaire -consisting of pre-designed questions- was distributed among piano teachers in music teaching institutes /studios/ centers in Tehran, quantitatively. The analysis of the obtained results showed the selection of two widely used methods from the methods used resulting from the outcome of the questionnaire and the description of their generalities and details in a qualitative manner. Besides, the findings obtained from the semi-structured interview forms made with the academicians in the field of piano pedagogy are presented with quotations in the tables in the form of themes and sub-themes with content analysis. The results indicated that along with the expansion of communication and the increasing availability of piano teaching methods in Iran, piano instructors do not limit their instruction to merely one or two methods as in previous decades and by updating educational methods, they have been trying to helping students benefit from a more efficient pedagogy as compared with methods used in previous decades. Based on these considerations, the authors obtained the results of the survey through a questionnaire and found that the two piano course lesson books i.e., “Basic Method for Piano” by Michael Aaron and “Easy Piano and Organ Training Course” by John Thomson are teaching methods, much more preferred/accepted by piano teachers and more frequently used in free music studios in Tehran. The authors also tried to analyze the two educational methods in the process of this research to determine the obvious aspects and reasons for the acceptance of these two methods by analyzing each lesson. Therefore, it should be indicated that the two methods of Aaron and Thomson have tried to teach all the executive and theoretical structures of music together from the beginning, considering education for young beginners, and this prominent feature should be considered as the key to their success.