JRmommy Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 My husband and I don't play any musical instruments. However, my son has been begging us to learn. He will be 6 this summer. Unfortunately, I haven't found a Suzuki teacher near us. However, I've heard reviews of other piano instructors in our area. For non-musically inclined parents, how do you go about finding a piano teacher? What questions should I ask? Are there different types of methods to learn the piano? If so, which would be suitable for a young novice? Any suggestions and advice would help me much! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRmommy Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 Bump :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 The most important question would be to ask about the teacher's musical background. Do they have a degree in piano/piano pedagogy? What degree and from which university? How many years have they been playing? What did they personally accomplish musically? How many years have they been teaching? What method/book series do they use with beginners? Do they teach mainly beginners or more advanced students? What opportunities do they provide for performances/competitions? Are performances/competitions required or optional? I also think it is a good idea to attend one your prospective teacher's recitals. That may not be possible at this point as you probably just missed the end of year recital, but I think it gives you a good feel for their overall studio. Don't forget to ask about money: cost per lesson, missed lesson policy, purchasing piano books, etc. Also, don't feel obligated to commit to the first teacher you meet with and be sure you have a good vibe with them. Even if a teacher has impressive degrees, you want to make sure they are a good match personality-wise. We chose a teacher who was younger, had less experience teaching, and whose degree was from a less prestigious university. However, she had a much warmer personality and a much more patient, relaxed manner than the other teachers we considered (who were type-A and competition-focused). She has been a perfect match for our oldest daughter (who is already a type-A perfectionist). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 We found ours by word of mouth from DD's choir director. Agree that the personality match is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 It was dumb-luck here. Just at the time we needed a piano teacher (after my wife made a score of a beautiful piano, and as I (non-musician) had the dawning realization that despite having fun learning some basics out of a book with my boy that I did not have the qualifications to "homeschool" this subject (:tongue_smilie:), I got invited to a party where I was introduced this incredible piano teacher. One I felt would be an amazing person for my son to learn from, and one with the just the right energy to match his. I asked if she would take on a total beginner (other than what I'd taught him, something she yelled at me for doing...she screamed something about all the bad habits she would need to un-do) and we started days later. It has been a great experience. Best wishes on finding the right teacher! Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 In hindsight, one thing I would ask is if they have the student practice scales. This seems so basic, but yet I'm starting to feel it is very important oversight on the part of my dd's teacher. My dd started at 6 yo and has progressed all right, but I feel she would be doing so much better if some attention were given to scales and becoming automatic with note reading. My dd does not have the automaticity that I see her friends have and I believe it is because of this. Her teacher has all the degrees and experience, so I'm not sure why she would overlook this area? Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehogs4 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 It helps if she's young and pretty and your son has a crush on her...oh wait, that was us! :D Our teacher is a good balance between tough and fun. I think all work and no play with piano makes the kids really miserable. A teacher who is willing to let a kid learn a song just because they really love it, even if it a little outside their ability range is nice. All the pedagogy degrees in the world don't matter if your kids do not gel with the teacher's personality. I agree that they are important, but I also agree with the poster who said not to commit to the first teacher that comes along if things are not going well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maus Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I have a degree in music (just a basic BA), and I don't agree that pedagogy is needed. Just like early childhood education pedagogy, music pedagogy is more about classroom management than how to teach one-on-one. The class is taken by students who want to become band/choir/orchestra teachers for High School or Middle School students. (If you want to be a college director, you take conducting/score reading, etc., and you skip pedagogy.) If you have reason to believe your child will one day be Carnegie Hall material, then you probably want a teacher with a music degree, preferably a Performance degree. Otherwise, you want someone who is good with kids and is comfortable teaching theory along with technique. Word of mouth is good; attending a recital of the prospective teacher's students is excellent. My private teacher for clarinet in High School was just a "mom" who had minored in music. She was good enough to get me into All-State Band, and that was good enough to get me into the college music program. My highly degreed/trained Professor of Clarinet stank as a teacher, and I consider the extra fee I had to pay each semester I took lessons from him to be total waste of money. He seemed only capable of telling me what I shouldn't be doing, with no ability to tell me what I should be doing or why I was probably doing the "wrong" thing. I was blessed to have grad students for lessons for three semesters. The older one who had been a band teacher (so he had a Music ED degree w/ all the pedagogy) was ok. (Way better than the professor.) The youngest one, only two years older than me, who had no "real-life" experience, was fantastic! She broke me of the worst musical habit I had, and did so easily, because her way of explaining gelled with me. She was able to say, "This is what you are doing, here is why you are probably doing it, here is what you should be doing, and here is how you make the change." I have chosen my children's piano teacher accordingly. She minored in music, she's a SAHM trying to earn extra income, she does know and teach theory, and she is a fantastic pianist herself, even composes. (When she minored in music, she did so on saxophone, not piano.) My kids are doing really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 (edited) The most important question would be to ask about the teacher's musical background. Do they have a degree in piano/piano pedagogy? What degree and from which university? How many years have they been playing? What did they personally accomplish musically? How many years have they been teaching? What method/book series do they use with beginners? Do they teach mainly beginners or more advanced students? What opportunities do they provide for performances/competitions? Are performances/competitions required or optional? . Speaking as the mother of a college grad in piano performance and a current piano teacher (her - not me), the above questions might be a good idea IF you know what to do with the answers. My daughter has a degree in piano performance NOT pedagogy. But, her students enjoy her lessons. (Do many parents even understand what pedagogy is?) She graduated from the University of Hawaii - not exactly a hot bed of musical culture. However, she was offered a large scholarship to Shenandoah, a school with an excellent music program. She just chose UH because the entire family was moving to Hawaii and she wanted to come along! While at UH, she spent a semester abroad and studied at the Sorbonne. Her students range from beginner to someone who's been playing for years. I guess my point is that the above questions might be good ones to ask, but be sure you know what you're going to do with the answers. Decent credentials and great word of mouth will get you far. Edited June 8, 2012 by Tammi K Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petepie2 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I would go by word of mouth and recommendations from people you know. How are their children progressing? Do they enjoy their lessons? Does the teacher give them a practice routine? Does the teacher place importance on learning their notes? Is the teacher patient? Does the teacher try to challenge them a bit? How are the recitals/performances? The bottom line is that a top-notch classical pianist does not automatically make a top-notch teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosesAreRed Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Word of mouth worked for us. Our music teacher has a BA in piano from a music college in Ukraine. She herself is a beautifully talented pianist and she has bonded well with my child. I would ask for a trail lesson or two before deciding. Question that haven't been mentioned: scheduling (do your schedules mesh well?) vacations (do you pay for them?, can you do a make up?) missed lessons (do you pay for them? are you permitted to schedule make ups) do you have a piano that is tuned? If you do not have a piano will they teach a child on a digital piano? (some will not) billing - some require you prepay a semester, some let you pay weekly, and others monthly. read the contract - do you have to purchase books directly from them? what is the cancel policy? Do you want a piano teacher to teach in your home or do you want to go to a studio? We are a super busy family so we went with a teacher who works for a music school. If we need to cancel and our teacher isn't available for a make up, we can see a different teacher (not ideal, teacher consistency is important), but it is an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlgirl Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 In hindsight, one thing I would ask is if they have the student practice scales. This seems so basic, but yet I'm starting to feel it is very important oversight on the part of my dd's teacher. My dd started at 6 yo and has progressed all right, but I feel she would be doing so much better if some attention were given to scales and becoming automatic with note reading. My dd does not have the automaticity that I see her friends have and I believe it is because of this. Her teacher has all the degrees and experience, so I'm not sure why she would overlook this area? Lisa (Slipping in tentatively here) I am not sure that scales are what your daughter needs for automatic note reading. In my experience scales are for warming up your fingers and all follow a pretty predictable pattern. So much so that I can play a scale through once and "know" it and not look at the music again. So that may not be a good fit for your daughter's note reading practice. Just a though feel free to ignore me. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 My husband and I don't play any musical instruments. However, my son has been begging us to learn. He will be 6 this summer. Unfortunately, I haven't found a Suzuki teacher near us. However, I've heard reviews of other piano instructors in our area. For non-musically inclined parents, how do you go about finding a piano teacher? What questions should I ask? Are there different types of methods to learn the piano? If so, which would be suitable for a young novice? Any suggestions and advice would help me much! Thank you! We just went through this process. Asides from the practicalities (payments, makeup lessons, etc which I believe I somewhat secondary in the selection), the most important thing is the teacher's approach and I don't mean just the set of books used. All I had to do is watch the teacher we chose work with my son for five minutes to know she was the one. Her focus on correct stroke and the way she is going around shaping his fingers is what persuaded me to go with her (among other things). I was very lucky to train with the best growing up, so I know a good teacher when I see one, but it's hard for me to put in words what I mean. Check where the teacher studied music. Also, I personally wouldn't go to a teacher that relies on those method books (like Faber, Alfred....). I think they are an equivalent of a junk food (I see tomatoes flying my way :D). I understand that in the very beginning some simple music is necessary, but there are better ways to go around it. I personally prefer "Russian School of Piano Playing" books for the first 6 months to a year (no, I am not a mean Russian teacher :D, I am not mean, not Russian and not a teacher) before transitioning to "real" music. Again, much depends on your goals. You can search on the web to see which students play on local competitions and try to find how who they train with. That will give you a good start on her search. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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