Why Online Piano, Guitar & Yoga Lessons Grew 900% - And Still Growing
The pandemic hobby boom that didn't bust — backed by data from 130,000 tutoring posts
When the pandemic hit, people picked up hobbies. Most faded when life returned to normal. Sourdough bread, anyone?
But music and wellness tutoring didn't fade. It accelerated.
At TeacherOn, we've tracked over 130,000 tutoring jobs in music and wellness categories since 2017. The pattern is striking: these categories didn't just spike during lockdowns — they've grown every year since, hitting record highs in 2024 and 2025.
This isn't a pandemic story. It's a permanent shift in what people want to learn.
The Numbers
Music Instruction
| Subject | 2019 | 2024 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piano | 128 | 1,290 | +908% |
| Guitar | 213 | 1,074 | +404% |
| Keyboard | 253 | 852 | +237% |
| Violin | 210 | 578 | +175% |
| Other instruments* | 326 | 820 | +151% |
*Includes flute, drums, saxophone, harmonium, tabla, sitar, and others
Wellness & Movement
| Subject | 2019 | 2024 | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoga | 125 | 1,608 | +1,186% |
| Dance | 266 | 883 | +232% |
| Other wellness* | 31 | 486 | +1,468% |
*Includes meditation, fitness, pilates, and others
The Real Story: Growth That Didn't Stop
Many pandemic trends peaked in 2021 and crashed. Coding tutoring, for example, dropped 30%+ from its peak.
Music and wellness went the opposite direction.
Piano has grown every single year since 2019. Not plateaued — grown. The 2025 numbers (1,653 jobs in just the first months) suggest another record year.
Yoga actually accelerated after the pandemic: 883 jobs (2022) → 1,492 (2023) → 1,608 (2024) → 1,832 (early 2025). The further we get from lockdowns, the faster it grows.
Guitar hit its highest numbers ever in 2024 and 2025 — not during the pandemic, but after.
This suggests something more than pandemic boredom. People discovered these activities during lockdowns, realized they enjoyed them, and kept going.
Why Online Works for These Categories
You might think music and yoga need in-person instruction. Turns out, online works surprisingly well.
🎹 For Music
One-on-one lessons translate naturally to video. Teacher demonstrates, student plays, teacher gives feedback. Plus, students get access to specialists they'd never find locally.
🧘 For Yoga
Privacy matters. Many people feel self-conscious in group classes. At home, no judgment. And one-on-one means poses get adapted to your body.
For both: no commute, flexible scheduling. The convenience keeps people practicing more consistently than in-person lessons ever did.
♟️ Chess: The Queen's Gambit Effect
Chess grew 115% from 2019 to 2024 (424 → 910 jobs), with 2024 and 2025 showing the highest demand ever. The Netflix series The Queen's Gambit (October 2020) sparked a global chess boom. What's interesting: demand kept growing years after the show's hype faded. The show awakened interest; the game itself sustained it.
What This Means
There's a shift happening in what people want from education.
Before the pandemic, tutoring was mostly about career and credentials — pass the exam, get the job. Music and yoga were nice-to-haves, squeezed out by busy schedules.
Now, a significant portion of demand is about quality of life — learning something because it brings joy, not because it leads to a promotion.
💡 For Tutors
- Enrichment categories are growing. If you teach music, yoga, dance, or chess, demand is strong and getting stronger.
- The goal is different. Students want to enjoy the process, not pass a test. Teaching style matters.
- Online works. You can build a global student base from your living room.
The Bottom Line
The pandemic forced people to confront what makes them happy. Many discovered that making music, moving their bodies, or learning chess brought satisfaction their pre-pandemic lives had squeezed out.
Unlike sourdough, they didn't abandon these pursuits when lockdowns ended. They doubled down.
Based on analysis of 130,000+ music and wellness tutoring jobs on TeacherOn.com (2017-2025). Platform-specific trends may not reflect the broader global market.
