Changing a music teacher

[Roadrunner]

I am so broken by this situation. A music teacher we have had for 10 years is simply not working out anymore. She is among the best in our little town and the only other good one we know is her friend so we can’t go there. 

My kid is really clashing with her though and there has been a lot of tension and significant differences about future direction. So how does one quit a teacher you had for 10 years? Or how do we find somebody she doesn’t know in this small town? I feel like despite best efforts the problems persist since November. We feel stuck. Completely stuck. I am wondering if we should just quit and go without a teacher for six months. I can’t imagine her reaction if we switched teachers. She has been like family. 

[klmama]

((Hugs))  This is hard, but she's likely also frustrated by the clashes with your ds.  Talk with her about the situation. Tell her she's been a great teacher to all  your dc, and she feels like family, but it seems this just isn't the right fit for your ds at this time. Does she know of anyone that will be a better fit for the direction he wants to take with his music?  

[Guest]

She likely knows it's not working anymore. I'd ask her what she thinks a good next step would be. It's really common to need to change teachers moving into the teen years, particularly for very focused, driven kids. In my experience, a college or university school of music is a good place to look. Even if your child is not ready for college level instruction, they will tend to know what instructors focus on that level of kids. And it often is less expensive to take lessons as a college class for credit and pay credit hour tuition than to pay per lesson rates for a teacher at that level, plus doing so generally opens up a lot of performance opportunities, ensembles, and sometimes even paid work, so it's not a bad route to take for an advanced student who is able to cope with a college environment, even if they are not likely to major in music long-term.

I actually try to prepare parents from the first lesson that I am the preschool/elementary piano teacher, and just as your child doesn't stay in elementary school forever (or, for homeschoolers, using elementary materials forever), they won't stay with me forever. There will come a time when I am not the right fit, and I will happily refer you to someone who may be a better one when that stage is reached. It sounds like your child has reached that stage. And that's OK.

[Roadrunner]

1 minute ago, dmmetler said:

She likely knows it's not working anymore. I'd ask her what she thinks a good next step would be. It's really common to need to change teachers moving into the teen years, particularly for very focused, driven kids. In my experience, a college or university school of music is a good place to look. Even if your child is not ready for college level instruction, they will tend to know what instructors focus on that level of kids. And it often is less expensive to take lessons as a college class for credit and pay credit hour tuition than to pay per lesson rates for a teacher at that level, plus doing so generally opens up a lot of performance opportunities, ensembles, and sometimes even paid work, so it's not a bad route to take for an advanced student who is able to cope with a college environment, even if they are not likely to major in music long-term.

I actually try to prepare parents from the first lesson that I am the preschool/elementary piano teacher, and just as your child doesn't stay in elementary school forever (or, for homeschoolers, using elementary materials forever), they won't stay with me forever. There will come a time when I am not the right fit, and I will happily refer you to someone who may be a better one when that stage is reached. It sounds like your child has reached that stage. And that's OK.

 

We don’t have a university nearby 😞

she he is considered one of the three top teachers locally. Couple of years ago her student switched to one of her rival teachers and she was so upset that the other studio would poach, even though it was the student’s choice. The situation is a nightmare. I understand her and her desire to control the repertoire, but giving my kid pieces he doesn’t want hasn’t worked out well this past year. We are considering quitting for 6 months so she doesn’t feel hurt. But that’s not the best for my kid. And the worst thing is we are going to run into her all the time at local concerts and events. 

[Guest]

For teens, there are really only two routes-let them drive the repertoire and pick pieces they want to work on, while proposing things that will gradually move them forward, or assign, but explain WHY-for example, if a student is doing RCM or similar exams, there is a standard repertoire for those, so it can be explained that if you want to do X, you have to do Y.  A good teacher for that age group understands that growing need for autonomy and values it.

 

It's sad that she sees herself in competition, as opposed to cooperation with other programs in the area. The fact is, there is no way I could have restarted my private studio after years away if I hadn't had the active cooperation of the other teachers in the area. We need each other-and we need to recognize that not every teacher is the best fit for every student at every stage of life.

[klmama]

27 minutes ago, dmmetler said:

It's sad that she sees herself in competition, as opposed to cooperation with other programs in the area.

Yes.  One of our music teachers told me a year in advance of when dc would be needing a new instructor and said she'd check with her colleagues to find a good next fit.  Her recommendation was excellent.  I do understand your dilemma, though, as another instructor cried when she misunderstood what I was saying about dc auditioning for an event, as she thought dc was swiching to another instructor.  When dc does move on it will be very hard for her.

[Roadrunner]

I feel like we are stuck. No solution. My kid is depressed. 

 

Our teacher is one of the tree who teaches upper level students. Slim pickings here. I am willing to drive an hour at this point, but waltzing into a new teacher without knowing anything is also hard.

Is it possible to ask somebody for just one trial lesson? Paid of course.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Roadrunner

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

I feel like we are stuck. No solution. My kid is depressed. 

 

Our teacher is one of the tree who teaches upper level students. Slim pickings here. I am willing to drove an hour at this point, but waltzing into a new teacher without knowing anything is also hard.

Is it possible to ask somebody for just one trial lesson? Paid of course.

Absolutely! And it’s a really good idea. I prefer to start students with a 4 week trial-enough time for us to get to know each other, but no long-term commitment. 

[mathnerd]

Listening in, because we are in the same spot! We have been with the current teacher for 6 years while we only planned on staying for 2 years when we transferred to her. We are at a point where my son needs specific help to solve a few technical issues and her help is not cutting it. Her proposed solutions to his problem are "maturity" and "growth in time" etc which my son does not want to deal with. Most popular teachers in our area are friends of hers (they belong to the same association, same social circles etc). My son competes in the local music circuit, so we will run into her often.

So far, I can only think of saying that my son wants to try the pre-college program at the university and quitting. We are not ready to make the commitment to such a program yet (not this year) - the program has too many negatives for us: too much travel required, too many subjects covered, too much performance requirement etc. When we are ready, I might do so. In the meanwhile, we are stuck. There are a couple of college professors who teach locally, but, they only deal with competition winners and future music college students.

[Roadrunner]

26 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

Listening in, because we are in the same spot! We have been with the current teacher for 6 years while we only planned on staying for 2 years when we transferred to her. We are at a point where my son needs specific help to solve a few technical issues and her help is not cutting it. Her proposed solutions to his problem are "maturity" and "growth in time" etc which my son does not want to deal with. Most popular teachers in our area are friends of hers (they belong to the same association, same social circles etc). My son competes in the local music circuit, so we will run into her often.

So far, I can only think of saying that my son wants to try the pre-college program at the university and quitting. We are not ready to make the commitment to such a program yet (not this year) - the program has too many negatives for us: too much travel required, too many subjects covered, too much performance requirement etc. When we are ready, I might do so. In the meanwhile, we are stuck. There are a couple of college professors who teach locally, but, they only deal with competition winners and future music college students.

 

Thats exactly our problem! I have a future physics major who spends all his free time listening to classical music. It’s his passion, but he doesn’t want to major it in, which means anything too intense isn’t for us. He is a great player (very musically talented/passionate, but not necessarily technical player), but not a kid aiming for the conservatory. 

I have no clue what to do. We are at a point that he is secretly learning pieces because she really wants to control every choice of repertoire and her approach always is basically “do only what you can do at 1,000%  and never tackle anything that challenges you, because it might not be possible to turn it into competition level mastery.” Levels of dépression and frustration are rising every week. 

And yes, switching away means going from her to somebody she knows very well and we run in the same circles on at least bi-weekly basis! 

Do you know how somebody goes around taking a lesson from UC? I wonder if it’s worth driving for us if I can get him in just for lessons.

 

And ne to make this even worse, I love that woman as a family. We have been with her for 8 years! 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Roadrunner

[klmama]

1 hour ago, Roadrunner said:

Do you know how somebody goes around taking a lesson from UC? I wonder if it’s worth driving for us if I can get him in just for lessons.

University of Cincinnati?  Here's a link: https://ccm.uc.edu/prep/music.html  

[Roadrunner]

13 minutes ago, klmama said:

University of Cincinnati?  Here's a link: https://ccm.uc.edu/prep/music.html  

University of California. 

I wish we were in Cincinnati. 

[klmama]

Have you searched the nearest campus's website for piano lessons?  

[catz]

Can you just tell her it's not working and you need to take a break and see what he wants to do from there.  I'm sure she perceives the tension.  Which would give you some time to do some one off sample lessons with various teachers.  And then start up from there.   So you wouldn't necessarily have to take a HUGE break but you wouldn't need to be having a difficult break up while trying to vet and try new teachers.  

My son takes 3 music lessons a week and my daughter takes 2.  My oldest is launching to a college music program this fall. We've had to make some hard changes several times but you're a paying customer too.  So if you aren't prepared for a heart wrenching drawn out breakup, I think it's fine to tell her your son is difficult right now and you need to step back and rethink approach.  

Frankly, I know other teachers who've had tantrums when kids make a change and I just think it's unprofessional.  Not every private teacher will be a fit for every kid and private lessons are expensive.  They should be meaningful.  She's gotten more than a fair shake and it sounds like your kids interests and goals aren't aligned with that teacher's.  

Edited May 1, 2019 by FuzzyCatz

[catz]

Sorry I responded before reading posts!  Trial lessons are a FABULOUS idea.  What I would do is pay for an initial meeting, interview, lesson.   Preferably with a few teachers.  And then if that went well, we might pay for a month.  And go from there.  

My son at 15 started guitar with a teacher who ONLY works with adults.  He had been taking piano for 10 years at that point and guitar for 2 and was SO fed up with a guitar teacher that primarily worked with beginners.  We paid him by the week for about 6 weeks until both sides were sold.  He's been with him for 3 years now and has been fabulous.  

My senior who auditioned for college programs this year was a really hard fit for college programs!  He has been working with a variety of music teachers for 13 years.  He has very particular preferences about how it's going to go and how the relationship is give and take.  So many teachers at the college level seem like music divas demanding from on high.  🙄

 

[moonflower]

It's hard because of the social stress involved, but it might help to just say to yourself over and over, my primary obligation is not the feelings of the adult music teacher, it's the feelings/education of my child.  

[Chris in VA]

We had a rather awkward transition from dd's first teacher to her (fabulous) 2nd teacher. Since there were no recitals and 2nd teacher was really her first professional teacher, and the idea was to get dd ready for college auditions (in 8 months...), it was more about how to leave than about awkwardly running into each other later, but still, it wasn't pleasant. Just suck it up, though. 

You are not stuck. You seem worried about hurting her feelings, but if she is professional, she will know that it isn't personal, it's about the music and about the student. Go to the person that is best for your kid. You do not owe the first teacher anything more than you've given her, except the kindness of leaving in a graceful way. But leave. It will truly be ok. If you do ever run into her, you can always say Thank you for giving my kid such a great start. Full Stop. That will be very appreciated. 

[Doodlebug]

I think, at the very least, a break is in order.  From there, it may be easier to make a decision to re-engage, or step off to one of the different teachers in your area.  When a teacher’s reactions are undermining your priorities, that’s a red flag.  Disengage, get perspective without the obscured emotional/ attachment lens, and decisions become a lot easier!  

 

[moonflower]

Yes to the above!  I took flute lessons from 12-16 (arranged by me, not my parents) from the best teacher in our area (KC metro).  She was the principal flutist of the KC symphony, had been for ages, and had gone to my high school back in the day, so she was still interested in teaching good students in that district.  I was lucky to have her.

But as I got into high school, lessons with her got more and more stressful.  I wasn't as dedicated to developing my solo playing skills as her (top-flight) students normally were; I also wasn't quite top-flight.  She trained all students on the same repertoire in the same way, and it worked very well for the other girl in my grade who took lessons from her - she eventually became the number one piccolo and flute player in the metro and one of the top few in the state.  (the best picc in the state).

But for me, I hit a wall.  I didn't know what was wrong but I knew I couldn't take the stress and wasn't getting any better as a player, mostly because I wasn't practicing her assignments because of the stress.  So at the end of sophomore year, I told her I was taking the summer off.  It was so hard.

Then over the summer I was able to see what had gone wrong - I needed that space just to consider why I didn't want lessons from her anymore - was I not serious?  was I just terrible at the flute? etc.  

Long story short, I figured out what I actually wanted from flute lessons and flute playing (to be a good ensemble player in our school's symphonic orchestra, where most players were better than me and I was really out of my depth at that time) and found a teacher who could facilitate that.  After that I did much better both in school ensembles and in solo auditions.  But I had to have the break to even know what I needed.

 

Also, it was much easier to tell her after the summer that I wouldn't be coming back than it would have been to just say it straight out from the beginning.  I really liked her!  so it was not easy, emotionally or socially.  But it was okay.

[mathnerd]

I know a few high schoolers who dropped out of music lessons with my teacher after dedicating many years to it. They always say that high school is very stressful and that they also have other activities like sports and that they need a break to study for the SAT (or other exams) and then take a break and never go back to the teacher after the break!

If you want a peaceful resolution, just use the reason that your family needs a summer break and use that time to interview other teachers. Good luck.

[Condessa]

That's hard.  There's a Suzuki violin teacher I keep thinking would be great for dd2, as she does really excellent teaching, but has a lighter, more fun and less stressful manner than dd's very exacting teacher.  Monthly group classes are done with both teacher's students together, and the two teachers alternate teaching, and dd has really enjoyed the classes taught by the other teacher.  Dd2 gets overwhelmed and cries at least once a week during practice--she wants to stay with it, but music does not come easily to her, and she has to work significantly harder and longer to master pieces and progress than either of the siblings she is sandwiched between.  And I think, but am not sure, that dd's teacher thinks she doesn't work very hard at practicing, and that is why she takes so much longer to progress.  (Ds who is 19months younger than her has been playing the cello for less than half the time she has been playing the violin, and is half a book ahead of her.  On the same song, which is more technically difficult for cello because it requires shifting positions, ds will master it in two or three weeks and it will take dd three months.). Also, youngest ds is going to be starting violin lessons soon, and the other teacher's lighter, more playful manner seems like it would be better for a very young student.

But not only do the two teachers do group classes together, the other teacher is dd's current teacher's daughter.  I just don't know how to broach that, socially.

[Roadrunner]

There has been a compromise reached over repertoire for now. So peace for at least two months is now guaranteed. It’s a temporary fix, but buys me time to set up couple of trial lessons.  

[moonflower]

17 hours ago, Michelle Conde said:

That's hard.  There's a Suzuki violin teacher I keep thinking would be great for dd2, as she does really excellent teaching, but has a lighter, more fun and less stressful manner than dd's very exacting teacher.  Monthly group classes are done with both teacher's students together, and the two teachers alternate teaching, and dd has really enjoyed the classes taught by the other teacher.  Dd2 gets overwhelmed and cries at least once a week during practice--she wants to stay with it, but music does not come easily to her, and she has to work significantly harder and longer to master pieces and progress than either of the siblings she is sandwiched between.  And I think, but am not sure, that dd's teacher thinks she doesn't work very hard at practicing, and that is why she takes so much longer to progress.  (Ds who is 19months younger than her has been playing the cello for less than half the time she has been playing the violin, and is half a book ahead of her.  On the same song, which is more technically difficult for cello because it requires shifting positions, ds will master it in two or three weeks and it will take dd three months.). Also, youngest ds is going to be starting violin lessons soon, and the other teacher's lighter, more playful manner seems like it would be better for a very young student.

But not only do the two teachers do group classes together, the other teacher is dd's current teacher's daughter.  I just don't know how to broach that, socially.

 

If I were being brave me (and if my kid were crying during lessons I'd probably try to be brave me, because I remember how stressful that was as a kid), I'd probably directly approach the daughter, explain your dilemma, and ask what she thinks would be the best way to handle it/her mom.

[Roadrunner]

21 hours ago, Michelle Conde said:

That's hard.  There's a Suzuki violin teacher I keep thinking would be great for dd2, as she does really excellent teaching, but has a lighter, more fun and less stressful manner than dd's very exacting teacher.  Monthly group classes are done with both teacher's students together, and the two teachers alternate teaching, and dd has really enjoyed the classes taught by the other teacher.  Dd2 gets overwhelmed and cries at least once a week during practice--she wants to stay with it, but music does not come easily to her, and she has to work significantly harder and longer to master pieces and progress than either of the siblings she is sandwiched between.  And I think, but am not sure, that dd's teacher thinks she doesn't work very hard at practicing, and that is why she takes so much longer to progress.  (Ds who is 19months younger than her has been playing the cello for less than half the time she has been playing the violin, and is half a book ahead of her.  On the same song, which is more technically difficult for cello because it requires shifting positions, ds will master it in two or three weeks and it will take dd three months.). Also, youngest ds is going to be starting violin lessons soon, and the other teacher's lighter, more playful manner seems like it would be better for a very young student.

But not only do the two teachers do group classes together, the other teacher is dd's current teacher's daughter.  I just don't know how to broach that, socially.

 

I would make sure the teacher knows the progress is unrelated to the practice. If your DD loves music, there is nothing wrong progressing at her pace.

And that’s normal. Not everybody is born a dancer or a painter. Music is the same. Very few are born musicians. I always believed it was beneficial to learn the basics of art (draw a little, dance a little, play a little), but no reason to require everybody to continue any “art” beyond basics unless they have true passion. If your child loves music, make sure that love isn’t destroyed by frustration over an “imaginary” progress line. 

[Condessa]

7 hours ago, moonflower said:

If I were being brave me (and if my kid were crying during lessons I'd probably try to be brave me, because I remember how stressful that was as a kid), I'd probably directly approach the daughter, explain your dilemma, and ask what she thinks would be the best way to handle it/her mom.

 

She's never cried during a lesson, but during practice.  Her teacher will say, "practice just these two measures the first day for as many times as it takes you to master them completely, then the next day, add two more measures and do the same thing with those four, then add two more. . ."  Which works better for her than when she was trying to work on a whole section at a time, but even so, she gets really overwhelmed before a week has rolled around and she is supposed to know a ten or twelve measure section perfectly.

3 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

I would make sure the teacher knows the progress is unrelated to the practice. If your DD loves music, there is nothing wrong progressing at her pace.

 

I have told the teacher this, but she keeps saying things to dd like, "Remember, it's very important for you to practice every day, and it's not good enough to just whip through it sloppily and say 'I'm done!'  You really need to practice the way I have showed you, and work on each part carefully and the right way every time."  So I'm not sure if she believes me.  She also will often seem to be repressing irritation when dd still can't play a whole song after a month and a half of working on the same piece.

[Roadrunner]

20 minutes ago, Michelle Conde said:

 

She's never cried during a lesson, but during practice.  Her teacher will say, "practice just these two measures the first day for as many times as it takes you to master them completely, then the next day, add two more measures and do the same thing with those four, then add two more. . ."  Which works better for her than when she was trying to work on a whole section at a time, but even so, she gets really overwhelmed before a week has rolled around and she is supposed to know a ten or twelve measure section perfectly.

 

I have told the teacher this, but she keeps saying things to dd like, "Remember, it's very important for you to practice every day, and it's not good enough to just whip through it sloppily and say 'I'm done!'  You really need to practice the way I have showed you, and work on each part carefully and the right way every time."  So I'm not sure if she believes me.  She also will often seem to be repressing irritation when dd still can't play a whole song after a month and a half of working on the same piece.

 

I can’t believe I am the giving advice here since I can’t extricate myself from a sticky situation (😌), but longer you stay, harder it is to walk away. I don’t know how you walk away, but I wouldn’t leave a kid with a teacher who makes her cry. 

[Guest]

One thing about Suzuki teachers is that it is really drilled into them,  in training, in the journals, and in the summer institutes that practice equals progress, and that talent is taught, not innate. And usually that works. With practice, every child improves, and the more time they put in, the more they improve. That is hard to argue with. But it falls apart in situations like yours where there is a sibling to directly compare with-or when a teacher doesn’t see and encourage incremental progress, however slow. 

 

I’d move her out of that situation ASAP-either to the other teacher in the program, or possibly a less “pure” Suzuki teacher. Someone better at teaching kids who just plain need to have fun and feel successful. 

 

[Roadrunner]

1 hour ago, dmmetler said:

One thing about Suzuki teachers is that it is really drilled into them,  in training, in the journals, and in the summer institutes that practice equals progress, and that talent is taught, not innate. And usually that works. With practice, every child improves, and the more time they put in, the more they improve. That is hard to argue with. But it falls apart in situations like yours where there is a sibling to directly compare with-or when a teacher doesn’t see and encourage incremental progress, however slow. 

 

I’d move her out of that situation ASAP-either to the other teacher in the program, or possibly a less “pure” Suzuki teacher. Someone better at teaching kids who just plain need to have fun and feel successful. 

 

 

I agree. More you practice, more you improve, but string instruments are tricky. I know kids who spent several years with markings on their instruments to help them stay in tune covering at best one Suzuki book per year. One of my children used the marks for one month and within a year worked through four levels of Suzuki and made an honors orchestra. I don’t know if it’s hard work or ability, but he doesn’t consider practice “work,” so does end up playing a significant time. And if you look at our studio, kids are all over the map. Some who took long time to “get it” have blossomed into truly wonderful players.  So to OP, I hope she isn’t discouraged. It will “click.” 

 

Edited May 6, 2019 by Roadrunner

[Condessa]

Well, she made this easy.

At dd's lesson, I started to bring up my youngest who I had previously talked with her about starting this summer on lessons as well.  I thought maybe I would start ds with the daughter teacher, and then see about switching dd over, too, after her book 1 recital in June.  But instead, the teacher told me she won't take ds on unless we agree to start coming to recitals on Sundays.  (We don't do extracurriculars on the sabbath for religious reasons).  She said that she has had other LDS students who came to Sunday recitals, so she doesn't think it should be a problem for us.  She did not say she would drop dd if we wouldn't, but it seemed like that was where she was going.  So, the question is whether her daughter will feel the same way, or if I need to find someone else.

[Condessa]

On 5/9/2019 at 8:09 AM, Arctic Mama said:

Oh just make this easy - say “we can’t do that, and will discontinuing lessons and moving to a new studio.  Wishing you the very best!”.  Don’t give daughter a choice, her responses are pretty clear at this juncture and there is no need to make her feel like she is choosing loyalty to you vs to her teacher, which is what this dynamic would set up.

 

Sorry, not my daughter.  We are definitely changing teachers, as I will let dd know.  I mean I am wondering if the teacher's daughter (the other teacher that I think dd would do well with) will also have a problem with us not doing recitals on Sundays.

[Pippen]

We had this situation. My daughter simply had outgrown this teacher. I didn't want to burn any bridges and I wanted to be sensitive because she had started her on the instrument and dd had been with her for years.

First, I had my daughter take some trial lessons with the teacher she was interested with. We also made sure she had time in her studio schedule to add my daughter. 

When all that was in place I called the original teacher and had the conversation. Thanked her profusely for all she had done to help my daughter develop as a player. Explained that she'd reached a plateau and felt like she'd really absorbed what she was going to and was at a point where she needed lessons with a new set of eyes, ears and voice. I shed a few tears, because it was genuinely hard to "break up" with someone who had been in our lives for years. I told her up front who the new teacher would be, because they all know each other in our town and play together at events. We left her with a heartfelt thank you note and a cash gift. In our case all was well, and the original teacher later even reached out to offer free lessons when we had a family medical crisis and were facing a huge financial challenge. 

[Guest]

On 5/9/2019 at 9:51 AM, Michelle Conde said:

Well, she made this easy.

At dd's lesson, I started to bring up my youngest who I had previously talked with her about starting this summer on lessons as well.  I thought maybe I would start ds with the daughter teacher, and then see about switching dd over, too, after her book 1 recital in June.  But instead, the teacher told me she won't take ds on unless we agree to start coming to recitals on Sundays.  (We don't do extracurriculars on the sabbath for religious reasons).  She said that she has had other LDS students who came to Sunday recitals, so she doesn't think it should be a problem for us.  She did not say she would drop dd if we wouldn't, but it seemed like that was where she was going.  So, the question is whether her daughter will feel the same way, or if I need to find someone else.

It would be hard here to find a teacher who did recitals ON Sundays-pretty much every teacher I know does their recitals in a church because they have the space, a good piano, and reasonable rent for church members :). (I am giving my joint recital with another teacher in a Baptist church on Friday). There is a megachurch that hosts a lot of high school graduations for the same reason-it is a lot bigger than the school auditorium, nicer than the gym, and a lot cheaper than a convention center.  

 

[Condessa]

1 hour ago, Arctic Mama said:

Ooooh gotcha!  I misread 🙂

I’d be surprised if she cared, especially if she is a teen or adult, herself.  But I’d assume no issue unless she brings it up.

 

Well, she and her mother combine their students for group classes and recitals, so I'm not sure.  Also, these teachers are very in-demand and she might just not have room in her practice right now.  Another option is her daughter, who is just starting her teaching practice, and therefore much more likely to have space open--but I'd rather have them with someone who has more teaching experience if possible.

Edited May 11, 2019 by Michelle Conde