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How can you test whether a teacher is good in one lesson?

Schools: I'm wondering if you lot can help me decide whether a teacher is good in one lesson.

From One-Sim Lam
Posted April 18, 2004 at 08:54 PM

Hi everyone!
I'm wondering if you lot can help me decide whether a teacher is good in one lesson. I know its not a violin teacher but I need desperate help on how to decide whether a piano teacher is good or not. I'm finding that my current teacher is not up to teaching Grade 8 and have found another teacher who claims that she can teach grade 8 and beyond. I'm having a lesson on Tuesday to see how she is but I don't know how to 'test' her. I am thinking of showing her a Franz Lizst piece which I can't play and thinking of just letting her suggest the improvements. Or should I say what I'm finding hard and see whether she is good in making improvements to the piece? Or should I mention my weaknesses and see how she tries to improve them? Any other suggesitons? Help:o
(sorry I did not post this earlier because we were upgrading the computer and the internet was not working.):)
Thanks you guys!
One-Sim

From Ryan Meehan
Posted on April 18, 2004 at 10:45 PM

I would take a very polished piece to your lesson. This way you can better judge the suggestions the teacher makes(compared to your old teacher). See how he/she suggests to phrase. If you take a new piece you'll spend more time on fingerings, notes, and rythyms which makes it hard to judge the teacher's individual approach to teaching, since many teachers can correct rythym and notes. Also see if you like the teachers personality. Some people like strict teachers. My teacher is strict but extremely nice at the same time. You can't have a teacher whose personality clashes with yours, otherwise you won't learn as effectively.

From owen sutter
Posted on April 18, 2004 at 11:14 PM

personally i usually try to see what sorts of generalizatiosn they make about your playing overall. Id rather have them say, to take hte next step in your playing you would need to get your bowarm more comfortable with ...etc, and you would do that probabely with htese etudes etc. as opposed to them saying, good, it was a little rough right there, but good. That doesnt help too much.

From Sue Donim
Posted on April 19, 2004 at 01:32 AM

I agree with Owen; it's important to make sure your new teacher can devise a course of action for you in order to tackle your weak points. About her teaching standard, try asking her how many Grade 8 students she has on her books at the moment. You might casually mention diplomas and try to gauge her response - does she look uncomfortable or change the subject, or is she happy to discuss the possibility of progressing to that level? Also, it's less relevant but you could find out her own performing level. This won't necessarily mean she's a great teacher of course... but there's a good chance that if her own playing is of a stable high standard she'll know how to approach your playing. One more thing: It's quite possible to be a fabulous musician and teacher with no qualifications at all, but if you're interested you could also ask where and when she trained.

From owen sutter
Posted on April 19, 2004 at 03:44 AM

i think that does make a difference, for instance knowing that someone is delay julliard trained doesnt make them a good teacher, but it least it means they know a lot about technique, i think.

From Jude Ziliak
Posted on April 19, 2004 at 06:42 PM

One of the best lessons I ever had was my first with a teacher at a summer festival. We worked on a piece that I had begun a year before, and was repolishing for the festival's competition. The subsequent lessons, on fresh repertoire, were great, but less interesting. Coming to a new teacher with a polished piece permits you to see the best of which they are capable-- unless they specialize in basic technique building.

From One-Sim Lam
Posted on April 22, 2004 at 03:22 PM

THanks everyone for the suggestions. I decided not to switch to her because she was so rude and bad-tempered. It put me right off!
One-Sim

From Emily Grossman
Posted on April 22, 2004 at 06:59 PM

What happened? Tell us more details about your first impression. I'm always curious about the first impression I give people, as I am certain it is not the greatest.

I have problems dealing with adults and trying to be professional, which has absolutely nothing to do with how I conduct lessons with my students. Teaching violin and relating to children is one thing, and handling business with adults is another thing altogether. I try my best, but adults are intimidating (even if I am one!).

Again, what did she do that was rude and offensive?

From Andrew Sords
Posted on April 22, 2004 at 08:29 PM

Look at it from the teacher's perspective:

The teacher can take a couple of angles with you. One, s/he can give you stuff to work on for long-term (i.e. how to practice, certain techniques), or they can help you on a piece (short-term). It's hard to evaluate.

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