'My mum would just make us do it': The piano arms race driven by second school applications, bragging rights, and peer pressure
By the age of 11, Jonathan Lim was living the dream of many parents: he had attained a Grade 8 in piano – the highest grade – with distinction, and won the junior piano category at the Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition.
Mr Lim's "tiger mum" enrolled him for piano lessons, aged four, after seeing others do the same. She recorded his practice sessions with a handycam, and Mr Lim ate his meals while watching the videos to spot mistakes.
Piano training was "military style": he followed a strict schedule set by his mother, and any deviation would be punished. With no time for friends, games, or relaxation, resentment soon followed.
"My opinion doesn't matter. My mum would just make us do it," recalled Mr Lim, a 35-year-old financial analyst and part-time piano teacher.
A means to an end
Mr Lim's experience reflects a broader culture in Singapore, where piano lessons have long been seen by eager parents as a pathway to achievement for young children. The steady stream of students has made piano teaching a sustainable livelihood for many pianists.
In February, the role of a piano teacher was ranked second by job portal Indeed's Best Jobs index for 2026, based on "median wage, postings volume, wage growth, postings growth, and remote work availability".
Callam Pickering, Indeed's senior Asia-Pacific economist, said that the role ranks high as demand for music instructors in Singapore remains steady, and performs well across multiple job quality dimensions like compensation, consistent postings, and flexible working arrangements.
Increasing demand in the past decade
Mark Ng, 37, is founder and director of The Happy Pianist, a local platform that connects parents with piano teachers. When it was founded in 2014, 50 instructors made up the teacher pool. Some 12 years later, this has multiplied sixfold to more than 300 teachers, said Mr Ng.
The salaries of piano teachers can vary greatly between music school teachers and private instructors. Depending on qualifications and experience, full-time piano teachers in music schools can earn around $2,500 to $4,000 per month, helming 25 to 40 students at any given time.
For private teachers, monthly lesson rates are determined by their experience, ranging anywhere from $180 to as much as $500 per student.
All this demand is ultimately driven by parents with very different motivations from love of the piano.
It begins in primary school
The moment their child begins primary school, parents begin to chart a timeline to obtain certifications and move up grades.
The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), a globally recognised exam board, divides piano certification into eight graded levels. Each grade takes about a year to complete.
The ultimate goal: Attain Grade 8 – the highest grade level – and successfully enter a secondary school through Direct School Admissions (DSA), where a student's practical and theoretical skills are assessed. The applicant should also show considerable passion for music through participation and achievements in competitions and music festivals.
"At the primary school level, if the students are learning just for the fun of it, you can't really see the progress. Eventually, the parents will say, 'I'm wasting time and money'. There needs to be an ROI (return on investment)," said piano teacher Patricia Teoh, who has been running the Music with Pat school for a decade.
It also helps that the piano is one of the easiest instruments to pick up. The straightforward way of playing the piano — simply pressing down on black and white keys — makes the musical instrument a beginner-friendly choice.
Many children begin learning around the age of four to six, when they can follow instructions and verbalise their thoughts about learning piano, said Ms Teoh, whose student pool consists of preschool and primary school children.
Final push in Primary 4 and 5
Mr Ng told Stomp that he usually sees an uptick in enquiries from parents whose children have reached Primary 4 and 5. They are seeking more experienced teachers who can improve their children's skills before DSA application in Primary 5.
Though students at that age are commonly at the Grade 5 or 6 level, parents may target Grade 8 by the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) to "get it out of the way" before heavier academic responsibilities in secondary school kick in.
Likening it to an O-level certificate, Mr Ng explained that Grade 8 holders are qualified to teach piano. Many parents also hope that their children can eventually fall back on teaching the piano in an unsteady job market.
The chase for certifications instead of cultivating a genuine interest in the instrument has dismayed Mr Lim. "Very few parents say they want their kid to experience the joy of learning a musical instrument without an agenda. But those that do, you can see the kid enjoys it more."
"In Singapore, we study with the aim of passing exams, not to learn. Seeing that mentality being transferred to music is quite heartbreaking," he added.
Bragging rights, parental guilt
"What is your child doing outside of school?" is a common question asked in chat groups for parents and curious relatives during family gatherings, invoking a sense of pressure among parents, said Mr Lim, a father of two.
Mr Ng added: "If you say you don't send your child for any enrichment, it feels like you're bringing up your child incorrectly. Other parents may see that you're not investing in your child to learn new skills outside of academics."
He has also seen parents create social media accounts on their children's behalf, where they showcase their child playing at public pianos locally and abroad.
It almost seems to be a secondary consideration that music and sports lessons actually teach children to work outside of their comfort zones, helping them develop the mental fortitude to overcome obstacles.
'A skill that will stay with them for their life'
While Mr Lim describes demand for his lessons as "steady", both Ms Teoh and Mr Ng are seeing an increase in lesson enquiries. Last December, Ms Teoh even resigned from her job in the education industry after she saw enough demand to pivot to being a full-time piano teacher.
Mindful of his own painful experience as a child, Mr Lim tries to instil a lifelong interest in the instrument in his students, rather than forcing results. When screening new students and parents, he checks if he is aligned with their mindset and attitude before accepting them.
Mr Lim told Stomp that he cannot imagine a life without music.
"I enjoy seeing students get better and teaching them a skill that will stay with them for their life. Learning music is like watching television in colour for the first time. Would you want to go back to black and white? It's fulfilling to teach them to see in colour."
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