How to find a suitable piano teacher for me.

[thomas81]

Basically I am adult.

I do not need theory but just practical lesson as I passed grade 5 theory ABRSM in Nov 08 exam.

Being learning for more than a year.

First, I started out in a music school in July 08, buy portable keyboard 61 key to learn 6 month non stop until I quit and started with private teacher. The reason I quit is I always use school piano rent to practise most of the time and less on keyboard at home. Secondly is the sch offer 30 min individual lesson for beginner and I feel like the sch enviroment more suitable for small kid to learn as sometimes they gather in a group to learn from one another much longer duration compare to usual individual lesson that is only for kid but not for adult. But sch upright piano I feel that is rent very lousy quite noisy played in the room.

I had changed quite a few private teacher. I get rid of portable keyboard and buy used Digital keyboard Yamaha DGX-620 in Aug 09. I consider upright piano but is very costly aim for at least Yamaha U3 or above near to grand piano quality cost over 10k and used for few years about 5k and not willing to buy cheap china made. Used upright piano if more than 10 years I will not consider. I buy digital piano is most of the time I spend late night practising in my bedroom not to disturb neighbour playing piano score than like kids practise in day time not full time working.

Digital piano like that cheap model as I using does not feel like real piano but much better compare to portable keyboard. Unless I in performance higher grade or concert level than buy professional upright piano due to space limitation in flat cannot get grand piano.

I quite unhappy with my result as I still not able to play many simple score smoothly, feel like not even at grade 2 so anyone got comments as above and question?

 

[Cheez]

What type of music are you playing? (classical, contemporary, jazz etc). What is the reason for changing private teachers one after another? How long have you been playing?

 

[thomas81]

I now learn classical guitar, vocal, theory on top of piano.

First private teacher come to my house teach piano in Dec 08 for a month. I find that her timing keep pushing later and later on monday night due to she is busy teaching in school. So I decided to stop with her after a month. I find her one hour lesson teach a bit little but talk more, harder scores like the entertainer and amazing grace in alfred adult piano book level one at the back.

Second private teacher which stay around my area in Jan 09, to my surprise she is going labour soon. Also teach a little and stop after a month.

After that my Third teacher who is my current vocal teacher teach me keyboard accompliment as I went to her house using portable keyboard 61 keys quite hard for me to play piano score on it for 3 months. In May 09, she start working full time music school so no time for piano lesson.

After that I stop for a while find back first private teacher to teach in June 09. In July 09 start, I stop her lesson due to she come late conduct 30 min lesson instead of 45 min lesson to rush to other student house to teach in night. I ask her explaination and she said she will come punctual so I ask for refund of 3 lessons fund transfer into my bank account.

In Aug 09, I find Forth private teacher to teach for a month. Her rate is quite cheap but her house is quite far. In Mid Aug 09, my vocal teacher knows I just brought digital piano so she come to my house conduct lesson. I find the forth teacher need to take care of kids can be quite disturbing at the same time teach piano, so I stop for a month with her. Secondly is I cannot have two teacher teach me piano same time so I stay with vocal teacher who come my house teach vocal and piano in one trip which sometimes I feel sleeply at the second lesson which is piano.

I find my vocal teacher after a few piano lesson using Bulgaria piano score which I do not know Bulgaria language not english language as she is a bulgaria not well in speaking and writing english. she teach me vocal very well but ask some english word how to say and she will check on internet or dictionary the meaning as she can only teach me english songs.

At end Sep which is now, I find fifth private piano teacher which pay her only I come for lesson per session rate very flexible timing only conduct 45 min piano practical lesson which her house not near mine. I attend her lesson second time and continue on find another piano teacher to compare. I just find sixth piano teacher talk to me a lot to find out more about me in trial hour lesson and I play three piano score pieces which her house is not near my house. Next week she will buy alfred piano adult book level 2 excluding theory and I will start 4 lessons in a month next week to see if she is suitable. Both 5th and 6th piano teacher is early twenty age which maybe can become my boyfriend haha. Maybe a joke. I just dropped 5th piano teacher as she is very flexible about piano lesson.

 

[Cheez]

Since you are using the Alfred Piano method, I gather you are learning pop/contemporary piano. You may want to try out schools instead. It's sad that quite a few "private teachers" aren't entirely trained to teach, and many have their personal agendas. There are so many complains about them that it's giving piano/keyboard teachers a bad name. Take your 2nd piano teacher who's pregnant and going to give birth - it's considered unethical to start lessons with a new student knowing that the lessons is going to stop soon. There's no way she can see the student through his/her progress - it's obvious she already knows she's going to teach a while a stop. Therefore, there's no way to plan for the student's long-term progress and training. Other than for the sake of earning $$$, I see no other reason why she should take on a new student.

My suggestion is to try out some schools.

At least for classical piano teachers, I find that those who require you to go to their place for lessons to be more stable than those who come to your place (apologies for over-generalisation). Teachers who have lessons in their place usually have a large group of students - there's no time for them to travel. Some of them have their own studios. In my much younger days, I had to travel 1.5 hours by bus everytime I had to go for piano lessons in my piano teacher's house (in her own studio). She didn't need me to be her student. In fact, I need to pass her audition before she agreed to take me. In this case, it's worth the travel even though it's far away and takes time. But that's about 20 years ago. Things could have changed a lot by now. Piano teaching is now more competitive and I guess teachers had to do more to get students...

 

[thomas81]

Ok, thanks for your reply, any more comment?

 

[firdie]

I know one person who has been playing piano and classical instruments for 15 years and now he's playing electric guitar for years now .

You can check ur PM for his contact .His username is Likui

 

[pianomankris]

What do you expect/want from your lessons?

What do you expect/want from your playing?


I've found that students who change tutors a lot are usually students who don't really know what they want themselves. This may not be the case with you, but in most cases it is.