What questions to ask when looking for a music (violin) teacher?

[plain jane]

I'm new to shopping around for a music teacher. I'm looking to change violin teachers but I'm really not sure what to ask!

 

What credentials do I look for? What sorts of things do I want to know about them and how they teach? I do know what the going rate is in my area and would like to find something comparable to what I am currently paying but other than that, I'm at a loss. Sigh. I wish I knew more about this sort of stuff.

 

Help.

[laundrycrisis]

Unfortunately I've received a life-experience type education in searching for a violin teacher over the last six months. We are on our third teacher in six months. :glare:

 

I feel the need to ask about the cost per lesson; if tuition is paid monthly, or at each lesson, or per term, etc.; if there is a contract for a set term; if a contract is required, are trial lessons available before beginning a contract; are make-ups allowed for lessons missed due to illness or schedule conflicts that are known ahead of time; will the teacher have a need to often reschedule lessons due to his/her own availability ?

 

I also want to know if they teach from the Suzuki books or another series; what age student do they usually teach; how they will handle it if my child gets frustrated and grumpy during a lesson; and how they will handle it if my child is being inattentive during a lesson; do they expect a parent to sit in on lessons; if recitals are required or optional.

 

It may also be good ask if the teacher is planning to continue teaching for the next few years.

[Dmmetler]

Professional training and affiliations. While I'm sure there are great teachers without such training, in the main, Suzuki teachers should have the Suzuki volumes training for a book or two higher than they teach and be current members of SAA (in the USA). MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) membership and your state Band/Orchestra teacher's group are also good to have, because that opens up opportunities for the student.

[Lindy]

I think a lot depends on what you'd like for your child to accomplish. I teach violin at a local studio. I have a great relationship with my students and their parents. I structure each lesson specifically for each child, using various methods and techniques. My students are thriving and developing a lifelong love for their instrument.

 

I don't have any specific certifications--I don't even have a music degree. I love playing the violin and I love teaching it even more. I'm toying with going through Suzuki training, but I'm not completely sold on that method.

 

Honestly, I'd meet with various teachers and try them out. See how they build a rapport with your child and what encouragement and motivation they offer. Then choose the one you like personally.

[hillfarm]

I would suggest you first determine what type of music you want your child to learn. For example, I play fiddle, not classical violin. It is much more fun to learn from someone who plays the style you like and gives you pieces to learn that you enjoy.

 

Obviously the basic logistics would be the same as any lessons for your dc, whether art, music, academics, or whatever. Does the teacher's schedule work with yours, are they good with children, is it affordable, how long is the minimum required committment, etc.

 

If you are changing teachers, then you know what isn't working for you currently and can look for someone without those issues. I would also look for someone your child will enjoy. I found a young college girl to teach my dd when she reached the point that she needed to hear things from a "real person, not good, old Mama". That worked out great because the teacher was gentle and very good with younger children. She also worked hard to give dd material to learn that fit in well with our family music performances and would often ask what things we were preparing so she could develop a simplified version for dd so that she could play along with us. She was a great teacher...I miss her now that dd has switched to mandolin.:glare:

[Donna]

I think it is important to observe the teacher in action...ask to observe a lesson or two, ideally with kids who are close to your child's age or level of ability, so you can get a feel for how the teacher interacts with students. Also, if possible, observe how the teacher's more advanced students play...look at their posture, technique, and musicality.

[Splash]

I have two violin students. Oldest ds started lessons when he was 7 1/2 and we used a teacher we heard about through the grapevine. He was really not a great teacher for beginning students, I know now he was really a teacher that worked with high school and college students but saw himself in ds so taught him. (wasn't a good fit). From there we went to probably 6 teachers in the next year. All had glowing recommendations and were good teacher, however they didn't match my ds.

 

We moved and found current teacher who is absolutely wonderful and become a great friend and support.

 

Things I learned:

1. Observe a lesson or two to get a feel for her/his style of teaching. Take a trial lesson.

 

2. Do you have to learn along with student and take notes.(this is part of Suzuki training however when ds started I had three little ones and wasn't able to take notes during lessons so I needed some flexibility there. Ds's teacher does use Suzuki but isn't in a formal Suzuki school.

 

3. Are they set in how they teach or do they have various ways based on the student? For example ds#1 is very musical, very intuitive, creative, etc. He is exceptional, but note reading was very difficult. Next ds took and he was interested in the note reading, how that worked, the technical parts. She taught the boy very differently based on their interestes.

 

4. Extremely important, do they know what they are doing. By this I mean all the techinical stuff is very important in the early training to build the correct memory muscle responses. Bow arm, etc.

 

5. Does your child do better with lots of stucture or more flexibility?

 

In our area $15-20 for a half hour lesson is standard for a beginning student. Ds is moving on to an advanced teacher and that is closer to $75 per hour.

[AngieW in Texas]

I haven't looked for a violin teacher (can't stand the sound of violins), but I have looked for guitar teachers.

 

I don't really care about certifications. What I'm looking for is someone who connects with my dd and will tailor a program for her, otherwise there isn't much point to private lessons.

 

My dd started off in group lessons because they were just 1.5 miles from my house and only cost $40/month for a weekly one-hour lesson. She had no idea what she wanted at first, except that she liked the sound of acoustic guitars and didn't like the sound of electric guitars. Her class started off with 3 kids, but ended up with just 2.

 

She loved her teacher. He urged me to switch her to private lessons at the end of the term (February-May). She desperately wanted to learn guitar and none of his classes had kids as passionate about it as she was.

 

Unfortunately, the location where he taught the lessons closed at the end of May. My dd didn't want to switch teachers, so I actually found a location he could rent to teach lessons up here instead of at the university where he could use the music rooms for free (horrible traffic and expensive parking). We're paying more now. His standard fee is $20/half-hour lesson, but the room he's renting costs $15/hour, so he's charging $25/half-hour lesson. It's worth it to me. The lesson would be just $20/half-hour at the university, but we'd have to pay at least $5 for parking and it would take me 45 minutes to get there rather than 15.

 

As long as he's willing to drive up here for lessons (he teaches private lessons in a 3-hour block), we'll stick with him. If he stops coming up here, we will have to search for another teacher.