This job pays well, is ‘almost recession-proof’ – and has nothing to do with AI
Once seen as a niche path, piano teaching is gaining ground as a flexible, resilient career choice, even though instructors work long hours and get uncertain income during times of economic crises.
Piano teacher Candice Choong (right) conducting a lesson in a room at her home on Apr 9, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Mak Jia Kee)
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
For piano teacher Clarisa Tan, there is no such thing as a day off.
With anywhere from 35 to 40 students to see each week – ranging from seven-year-olds to adults – she adheres to a tightly packed class schedule.
Her weekdays typically start at 1pm and end between 6pm and 9pm, while Saturdays are filled with lessons from 9.45am to 7pm. She "takes it easy" on Sundays, with two lessons.
Her only rest days are when she falls ill.
"I try not to teach on my birthday – like a little gift to myself – but I don't always keep to it," the 33-year-old said.
She left a career in law eight years ago to pursue piano teaching full-time.
Despite her heavy workload, Ms Tan said that she remains highly satisfied with her job and sees herself sticking with it for another 20 to 30 years.
By comparison, the average job tenure in Singapore was 8.2 years in 2025, data from the Ministry of Manpower showed.
In February, job-search website Indeed released its 2026 Best Jobs Index. It ranked roles by overall job quality across five factors: median wage, postings volume, wage and postings growth (both measured as percentage changes from 2022 to 2025), and remote work availability.
In Singapore, three more filters were applied:
- At least 20 per cent of the job postings had to include salary information
- Only roles with monthly or annual salary data were considered
- Each role needed at least 100 postings in 2025
The top 10 list of best job roles featured the usual suspects in finance and IT, as well as managers of one sort or another.
However, not many readers may have expected to see "piano teacher" on the list – much less ranked at second place, just under financial adviser.
In a job market rocked by threats of economic volatility and tech advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI), the role of piano instructor remains largely insulated from these.
It also offers a high degree of flexibility and job satisfaction – but income levels, while decent, remain vulnerable to external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
All the same, piano teachers told CNA TODAY that despite the demands of self-employment, they have no intention of backtracking.
"I am happy with what I'm doing," Ms Tan said. "I can't see myself doing anything else and I don't want to do anything else."
Mr Callam Pickering, Indeed's senior Asia-Pacific economist, said that the rising esteem of piano teaching as an occupation may seem surprising, but it "reflects a broader shift in how job quality is being defined in Singapore".
Traditionally, job quality was closely tied to salary, seniority and clear career progression.
Today, it is increasingly about how resilient and sustainable a role is in a changing labour market, he added.
STEADY DEMAND
Although there are no publicly available figures on the number of piano teachers in Singapore – many of whom work privately or on a part-time, flexible basis – several instructors told CNA TODAY that they have seen steady demand for lessons over the years.
Some noted an uptick in the last five years, particularly.
Mr Mark Ng is the managing director of The Happy Pianist, a platform that matches freelance music teachers with students based on their needs and availability.
He said that before 2022, the agency received about 80 to 90 requests a month from prospective students seeking piano teachers.
Today, that figure has risen to around 100 to 200 enquiries monthly.
Piano teacher Wong Wan Ying, 31, has seen "high demand" since she first started nearly 10 years ago.
"My friends who are also piano teachers often have fully booked schedules throughout the year, whether in music schools or private studios," she said.
"Even now, I still have to turn away students because my schedule is full or they cannot find a suitable time slot."
Mr Pickering from Indeed said that the stable demand for music instructors in Singapore has been supported by sustained interest in enrichment and early education.
Job postings for piano teachers also tend to be steady rather than cyclical.
The occupation is "almost recession-proof" to Ms Julie Tan, president of The Singapore Music Teachers' Association (SMTA). She noted that not all parents would stop lessons at the same time, unless as a last resort or in times of severe financial difficulty.
A lecturer at the National University of Singapore's Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, she added that students generally do not all quit at once, unlike in a typical job where one can be laid off and lose income entirely.
Piano teachers attributed the instrument's enduring popularity to several factors, including a growing emphasis on non-academic enrichment.
Ms Julie Tan said: "Many parents treat piano lessons seriously as a music education and they see the potential of piano teaching as a backup job option.
"This mindset is also boosted by (hopes of) Direct School Admission entry, where certain schools use the graded piano exam levels as an administrative entry yardstick."
The Direct School Admission programme under the Ministry of Education provides a pathway for students to gain admission to some secondary schools – based on their interests, aptitude and potential or talents – beyond their performance at the Primary School Leaving Examination.
Mr Ng from The Happy Pianist also pointed to the piano's appeal as a screen-free form of engagement in an increasingly digital world.
In his experience, parents who had taken piano lessons in their own youth are more likely to enrol their children, having found the experience enjoyable or beneficial.
FLEXIBILITY AND COMPETITIVE PAY, BUT WITH TRADE-OFFS
Mr Pickering from Indeed said that piano teaching also scores well on flexibility, with a high share of part-time, freelance and self-employed opportunities, alongside competitive hourly pay.
Some teachers interviewed by CNA TODAY said that they earn between S$5,000 (US$3,900) and S$10,000 (US$7,800) a month, depending on the number of students and the levels they teach.
Higher grades often require more hours of practice and command higher hourly rates.
Ms Julie Tan from SMTA said that lesson fees can range from under S$50 to several hundred dollars for sessions lasting between 45 minutes and an hour.
Freelance piano teacher Serene Chua, for example, teaches close to 30 students, ranging from four years old to almost 60.
She gives lessons daily, typically from 3pm until night – sometimes as late as 10pm – and earns between S$5,000 and S$8,000 a month on average.
In comparison, the median gross monthly income for full-time employed residents in Singapore was S$5,775 in 2025, the Ministry of Manpower's Labour Force in Singapore 2025 report showed.
Salary aside, piano teachers told CNA TODAY that the role comes with trade-offs.
Many of them are self-employed or freelance, meaning they typically do not receive employer Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions, company insurance or health benefits, and are not entitled to paid leave.
They added that in many cases, there is no formal contract in place. Instead, arrangements between teachers and students often rely on mutual trust that both parties will show up for lessons and not cancel at the last minute.
And while a self-employed piano teacher's income rises with more teaching hours, this can be challenging during periods of lower demand such as school holidays, when trips abroad take precedence over enrichment classes. Or when the instructors themselves need to take time off for personal matters.
Ms Clarisa Tan, for instance, said that she "lacks (a) social life", given that she spends most evenings working while most of her peers are already off work.
Many instructors also highlighted a significant risk of burnout, given that the burden of managing work-life balance and boundaries falls entirely upon themselves.
Lessons are often scheduled around students' availability – weekday evenings, weekends and public holidays – which can come at the expense of personal and family time for piano teachers.
It can be a tough tightrope to walk, the teachers said, given that setting aside time to rest means losing out on potential income.
However, some piano teachers have found their own rhythm over the years – striking a balance between the professional and the personal.
Full-time private piano teacher Tan Hsuan, 42, conducts lessons at his students' homes rather than his own place.
Having to travel between locations limits the number of students he can take on, but he said that it gives him better control of his schedule by eliminating the possibility of students arriving late.
"I'm always on the dot, I'm always very punctual," he added.
He is pursuing a Master of Arts in Education at a university in the United Kingdom via online classes. This extra measure of control allows him to manage both his teaching commitments and his studies.
Ms Candice Choong first began teaching piano in 2011 on weekends, to supplement her income while pursuing an undergraduate degree at Nanyang Technological University.
In January 2019, she left her full-time corporate job to teach piano full-time.
She now teaches about 25 students a week, but the mother of two children aged five and two said that she used to see more than 30 students a week before having children.
She also used to work till 9.30pm on weekdays, putting in longer hours on Saturdays and giving lessons even on public holidays.
Nowadays, her workday typically ends by 7.30pm. She also schedules fewer lessons on Saturdays – finishing by 1.30pm – and avoids working on Sundays to prioritise time with her family.
Ms Choong said that she is earning "significantly" less than before, but she stands by her choice.
"I may not earn as much as a full-time employee … (but) a huge bonus is more time and flexibility for my family."
She acknowledged that she is "losing" opportunities to earn more money, but is at peace with that.
"I gain time for things important in my life."
JOB SATISFACTION
Piano instructors told CNA TODAY that a major contributor to their job satisfaction is a high degree of emotional fulfilment.
They get to share their love for the instrument and help students develop an appreciation for it, as well as watch them progress, overcome personal barriers, take part in recitals and, in some cases, win competitions.
However, many piano teachers said that this role also often requires a high degree of emotional intelligence to manage high expectations from parents.
Given the cost of piano lessons, some parents may expect to see tangible results within a certain timeframe.
Yet, despite the instructors' best efforts, progress ultimately depends on how much the students themselves practise – something the teachers cannot control.
Some also noted that piano lessons often take a backseat to academic enrichment or school commitments, which can further slow a student's progress.
And because piano teachers' student intake often depends on word-of-mouth referrals – especially for freelancers – any disgruntlement from parents can put their reputation at stake and, in turn, affect future business prospects.
In order to cushion themselves from vulnerabilities such as income variability and limited structural support, some piano teachers told CNA TODAY that they are combining freelance work with more stable income streams.
Mr Kenji Naito, group chief executive officer of recruitment agency Reeracoen, said that this allows the teachers to get the best of both worlds – enjoy the flexibility and independence of teaching piano, while minimising the impact of downturns.
In the case of Ms Tan Wei Tian, she opened her own music school last year – nearly a decade after she first began teaching piano as a freelancer while in university, pausing only for a brief corporate stint.
The 32-year-old said that freelancing full-time had meant few rest days, bringing her to the edge of burnout and taking a toll on her mental health.
She continues to teach, but now balances that with the administrative work of running her business, Classical Cats Music School.
The school now employs three other teachers, all of whom are paid on a per-class basis.
Ultimately, all the piano teachers interviewed by CNA TODAY acknowledged the risks in their chosen career path, but said that they remain content with their choice.
In a labour market that often prizes progression and pay, they added that they have found something else – a career defined less by upward mobility and more by autonomy and purpose.
"I thoroughly love what I do and never considered stopping," Ms Choong said.
"No job is perfect in this world. It's best to stick with one you truly have the passion for."
