Has the culture of Piano Exams benefited the Indian Piano Teacher?

It is true that Music Exams, such as those provided by Trinity, LCM and ABRSM, play a significant role in the Teaching Career of a Piano Teacher in India.

Whether you love them or hate them, they have shaped Western Music Education (especially the piano) in India in a huge way.

So here are my thoughts about the positive aspects that these exams bring to a Piano Teacher's life in India

1) At a basic psychological level, having your students get assessed by an External Entity who Validates their efforts and provides a certificate brings credibility to the Teacher.

2) As a continuation to the above point, it also helps retain students, and a teacher doesn't have to hunt for new students owing to attrition. (typically exam students don't drop out easily)

3) At a Musical Level, as a teacher, we get to learn about new and unknown composers and compositions that we otherwise would not have access to. As Exam Syllabi changes every 2-3 years, a teacher's breadth of knowledge of appropriate repertoire increases over time.

4) Exams also help give a definitive timeline to work with. So even if the student doesn't regularly practice, come exam season, they start to put in more effort.

5) Just the pure repetition of a prescribed Technical Work (Scales and Arpeggios) and 3 Pieces for an extended period of time greatly improves the coordination and playing level

6) Exams give a pathway to walk on for a Teacher who is new to Teaching and doesn't know how to sequence the learning curve for their students

7) Piano Teaching ends up being a solitary activity, Music Exams puts a teacher in touch with the larger Teaching Community due to workshops or teacher meetings

8) However flawed the system of exams is, a teacher (and thus the students) end up working through elements of music such as Ear Training, Sight Reading, Technical Work, Theory, etc., with their students.

9) Students also end up often being continued students (without taking unnecessary or unscheduled breaks) which can affect or alter a Teacher's Income.

10) In a certificate-crazy India, the fact that these Exams provide an International Certificate, has allowed a greater number of teachers to take up Piano Teaching professionally as there is a growing demand for more teachers from the student community

Personally speaking, I don't care about exams and would prefer that my students don't do exams. The irony is that , a majority of my students do regularly sit for these Music Exams every year despite me not wanting them to, such is the pull and influence of the exam culture.