Meet 2025 Overall Teacher of the Year Aaron Crouch

We asked 2025 Overall Lessonface Teacher of the Year, as well as Teacher of the Year in Piano and Drums, Aaron Crouch, to share insights into his journey as a musician and educator. In this Q&A, Aaron reflects on what first drew him to rhythm and music, the role piano and drums have played in his life, and why music can be meaningful at any level. He shares how he creates a supportive and effective learning environment, the core habits and skills he encourages in students, and the tools and resources he relies on in his teaching. Aaron also discusses his passion for composition, improvisation, and ensemble playing, highlights student accomplishments from the past year, and looks ahead to new creative projects he’s excited to explore, offering thoughtful perspective from a lifelong performer and teacher.

What drew you to learning the piano and drums? Why do you think they are popular (or perhaps should be more popular)?

Since a young child I was always drawn to rhythm and music. My mother said that in the womb she could feel me dancing to music. As a toddler I escaped my parents clutches at one concert where they took me so I could run up on stage and dance with the performers. I can't remember it but I apparently asked for a toy drum for Christmas when I was four years old. As a child my mom would play the piano and the whole family would sing together, especially during the holidays. Taking up music just felt like a natural thing to do. I feel fortunate that musical skills were something valued in my family as I was growing up. 

I think everyone can be deeply affected through rhythm and music if they're open to it. You can play music at any level and it will enrich your life. There is no need to worry about comparing yourself to others or playing at a professional level. Simply practicing music brings more beauty and joy into the world.

How do you ensure you are a good mind frame for teaching in terms of your teaching space?

I try to remember my own experiences as a young music student and bring the skills that my own good teachers left me with. I remind myself to be patient, encouraging, and supportive at every turn. Every student is different and has their own needs and challenges and I work on keeping this in mind every day.

If you could gift your students one piece of automatic knowledge or ability about the piano or drums, what would it be? 

Some things I would like to impart to my students...Count the beats out loud to master rhythm. Practice slowly to master difficult things. Practice in little chunks and then put these back together. Play pieces at your level and don't be in too much of a hurry. Don't quit! The things that are very difficult now will seem exceedingly easy in time. 

What are some of your most indispensable pieces of gear?

Quality microphones and a decent computer audio interface really help me to get good audio quality in the lessons. Multiple webcams help to get good angles for demonstrating techniques to students. I'm really happy when students have good audio and video setups as well. We can make most anything work but getting good angles so I can see the students well is quite helpful. Stands for iPads, and tripods for webcams are very helpful. For drum students I think it's quite valuable if they have a loud speaker that they can play along with during the lessons and an additional mobile device to play music through this speaker. Karaoke speakers, party speakers, and even some smaller bluetooth speakers work. Students that play electronic drum sets can often route audio through their drum modules and into the amplifiers to play along with.

Are there apps / texts / other resources you often recommend?

Other teaching aids I use are an iPad to annotate music, and OBS studio to mix the video signals. I also connect my digital keyboard to a MIDI app to display the piano keys (actually part of Pianoteq) so students can see which keys I'm playing very easily. 

I really like the free metronome from Soundbrenner, though there seem to be other free alternatives as well. Piano Marvel is a great (paid) online resource to help with extra sight reading practice at all levels.

What’s a skill or idea you’re excited to explore in 2026?

I enjoy composing and I'm excited to write more music in 2026. Over the last several years I've been gradually building a collection of piano arrangements and lead sheets of original compositions that I would like to begin using with some of my students. Eventually I may look at publishing these for a larger audience. The idea is that a student can learn the full arrangements, but also see the outline of the pieces in the lead sheet and come up with their own arrangements. We already do this with classic songs, folk songs, and holiday favorites. A big part of the way I learned was by deconstructing sheet music arrangements and classical pieces and learning to use the techniques for myself in my own music.

Anything you’d like to share about yours or your students' accomplishments from 2025?

I'm excited to help more of my students with their own journeys into improvisation, composition, and music theory through this type of deconstruction, analysis, and recomposition. 

I'm very happy for my students who are in their school music programs such as jazz bands and concert bands. I would recommend that every music student finds an ensemble to be a part of. Making music together with others is one of the great joys in life. This also gives us motivation to practice because we have a place to apply our skills in a social setting.

Is there anything else you would like to share with potential students about the piano or drums?

To me, feel is the most important thing in music. A strong sense of pulse, groove, and feel connects people like a communal heartbeat that we all lock into. 

Enjoy the process of learning. Make practicing into a series of fun games.

If you are interested in learning more about Aaron or would like to book a lesson with him, please visit his Lessonface profile here. 

Also, be sure to check out all of Lessonface’s 2025 Teachers of the Year here!