Which school to choose?
- Thread starter haoyi
- Start date
hmm. What you mean by criteria?
I guess that I will ask for cheap, quality and good lesson provided, as I am still a student.
But I think I care the most about the quality of teaching they provided. I really wish to devote myself into pop piano.
So I wish that I can learn alot from the teachers.
Does these answer your question?
I guess that I will ask for cheap, quality and good lesson provided, as I am still a student.
But I think I care the most about the quality of teaching they provided. I really wish to devote myself into pop piano.
So I wish that I can learn alot from the teachers.
Does these answer your question?
pf
New member
Haoyi
I have not been to all the piano schools so can’t give you a definite answer. What suits me might not suit you. But I can help you to define your criteria better.
I supposed since you have short listed the piano schools above, you should have done your homework to find out about their charges.
Lets deal with expectation gap first, shall we?
You mentioned that you want good quality as well. How do you define good quality?
Does it mean the school must have teachers who play well?
Some may play pop ballads very well but some may have more ticks up their sleaves such as rock, blues, jazz, etc. These are all pop in the sense that they are contemporary music. You would need to find out the teachers’ style and the style that you want to learn, so that you don’t end up getting a teacher who specializes in playing C/J/K-pop but actually you want to learn rock or whatever.
Does it mean the school must have teachers who teach well?
Although teachers should be able to communicate the how-tos to their students smoothly (talk and demo), it’s a fact that some teachers can demo but they can’t communicate concepts clearly. They are could be very talented musicians but not good teachers. Since you mentioned that you want to devote (wow, very determined!) yourself to pop piano, then you might need to consider your own learning style. Do you take verbal instructions better or do you observe better? It also depends on how you want to balance the requirement of “talk well” and “demo well”.
And you mentioned that you wanted to learn from the teachers. I suppose you want to rotate to learn from different teachers in the school. Then does the school have enough teachers or teachers with varied playing styles for you to learn from?
Other learning objectives to consider:
Do you want to play solo? Or are you preparing yourself to play in a band setting?
Some piano teachers have been playing solo all their lives and do not know how to play in a band setting. So, if you want to play with a band, you might need to consider the teacher’s experience in band playing.
Administrative points to consider:
- Can you postpone/suspend your lessons when you have exams? Or would your lessons be forfeited when you can’t turn up?
- Does the school come up with their own materials? Or do you have to fork out extra money to buy learning materials/song sheets?
- Do they allow you to rotate teachers as you wanted?
If they have vid demos online, go and watch them. See if that’s what you want to learn.
Call them up and arrange for a demo session and ask them questions on how they teach, etc.
While you’re at the school, stand outside the classroom to listen to how the teachers teach the students.
Come up with a list of your defined criteria (prioritized to your preference) and score the schools accordingly. The school of the highest score is the best one for you.
I have not been to all the piano schools so can’t give you a definite answer. What suits me might not suit you. But I can help you to define your criteria better.
I supposed since you have short listed the piano schools above, you should have done your homework to find out about their charges.
Lets deal with expectation gap first, shall we?
You mentioned that you want good quality as well. How do you define good quality?
Does it mean the school must have teachers who play well?
Some may play pop ballads very well but some may have more ticks up their sleaves such as rock, blues, jazz, etc. These are all pop in the sense that they are contemporary music. You would need to find out the teachers’ style and the style that you want to learn, so that you don’t end up getting a teacher who specializes in playing C/J/K-pop but actually you want to learn rock or whatever.
Does it mean the school must have teachers who teach well?
Although teachers should be able to communicate the how-tos to their students smoothly (talk and demo), it’s a fact that some teachers can demo but they can’t communicate concepts clearly. They are could be very talented musicians but not good teachers. Since you mentioned that you want to devote (wow, very determined!) yourself to pop piano, then you might need to consider your own learning style. Do you take verbal instructions better or do you observe better? It also depends on how you want to balance the requirement of “talk well” and “demo well”.
And you mentioned that you wanted to learn from the teachers. I suppose you want to rotate to learn from different teachers in the school. Then does the school have enough teachers or teachers with varied playing styles for you to learn from?
Other learning objectives to consider:
Do you want to play solo? Or are you preparing yourself to play in a band setting?
Some piano teachers have been playing solo all their lives and do not know how to play in a band setting. So, if you want to play with a band, you might need to consider the teacher’s experience in band playing.
Administrative points to consider:
- Can you postpone/suspend your lessons when you have exams? Or would your lessons be forfeited when you can’t turn up?
- Does the school come up with their own materials? Or do you have to fork out extra money to buy learning materials/song sheets?
- Do they allow you to rotate teachers as you wanted?
If they have vid demos online, go and watch them. See if that’s what you want to learn.
Call them up and arrange for a demo session and ask them questions on how they teach, etc.
While you’re at the school, stand outside the classroom to listen to how the teachers teach the students.
Come up with a list of your defined criteria (prioritized to your preference) and score the schools accordingly. The school of the highest score is the best one for you.
Cheez
Moderator
I guess there's no one school or one teacher that could "do it all" and "teach it all". Impossible. Furthermore, there's the other factor that one teacher's teaching method may work for one but not for another, and vice versa.
So, my suggestion is that you need to be clear on exactly what you want to obtain in the end (your goal). Convey that to the teacher. You can't judge which teacher is best - impossible for you to do that until you actually start lessons anyway. You can get suggestions, but as I said, what works for others may not work for you. So your decision will be based mainly on:
1. Whether you think the teacher will be able to help you fulfill your goal
2. Whether you like that teacher (can talk, can communiate etc)
Because there's no one teacher that can teach it all, that's the reason why SOFT exists!!
So, my suggestion is that you need to be clear on exactly what you want to obtain in the end (your goal). Convey that to the teacher. You can't judge which teacher is best - impossible for you to do that until you actually start lessons anyway. You can get suggestions, but as I said, what works for others may not work for you. So your decision will be based mainly on:
1. Whether you think the teacher will be able to help you fulfill your goal
2. Whether you like that teacher (can talk, can communiate etc)
Because there's no one teacher that can teach it all, that's the reason why SOFT exists!!
iansoh
Moderator
I assume you're beginner. At the beginner level, being a good student is more important than finding a good instructor. That's why it is also possible to teach yourself. Only at higher level when your needs are more specific, then you'd want to look at what each school/instructor has to offer.
The relevant difference between schools is that some schools push you harder, some schools tailor your course to your individual needs, some schools have rigid structure/syllabus. These factors will affect your progress and learning curve.
Go ask for a demo lesson from each school and then select one based on which one u're most comfortable with.
The relevant difference between schools is that some schools push you harder, some schools tailor your course to your individual needs, some schools have rigid structure/syllabus. These factors will affect your progress and learning curve.
Go ask for a demo lesson from each school and then select one based on which one u're most comfortable with.
pf
New member
Really? Maybe depends on how you define "a good instructor".
To me, the most important thing the instructor must be able to do at the beginner level is to impart the passion of learning.
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Yeah iansoh, I'm a beginner. That's why I decide to ask the experts in SOFT.
You guys know well more than I do.
Well, thanks for all the comments. I didn't really thought of all these points when I'm considering to take on pop piano course from a music school.
As far as I'm concerned, I want to learn pop piano because I want to be able to sing and play at the same time.
And of course, out of this course, I also hope that it can assist me in composing songs in the near future as I always dream of composing a song of my own.
Ha, at the moment, I have no idea of which style suits me the most. But, I'm quite comfortable with blues, swing and jazz songs.
Anyway, what do you mean by "demo lesson"? Going for a trial lesson, if I didn't interpret it wrongly?
You guys know well more than I do.
Well, thanks for all the comments. I didn't really thought of all these points when I'm considering to take on pop piano course from a music school.
As far as I'm concerned, I want to learn pop piano because I want to be able to sing and play at the same time.
And of course, out of this course, I also hope that it can assist me in composing songs in the near future as I always dream of composing a song of my own.
Ha, at the moment, I have no idea of which style suits me the most. But, I'm quite comfortable with blues, swing and jazz songs.
Anyway, what do you mean by "demo lesson"? Going for a trial lesson, if I didn't interpret it wrongly?
pianomankris
New member
I don't live in Singapore, so I can't give you advice on what school to look for, but I can give you advice on what to look for from lessons.
The schools are only as good as the tutors who work there. Bad tutors = bad school, since the schools are no more than the actual tuition provided.
All the bright lights, flashy rooms, amazing website etc in the world doesn't cover up bad tuition, or if it does, it only covers it up for a while, as you'll soon realise, through how much you are learning (and if you are learning at all) whether the school is any good or not.
Why go to a school? Why not just find a private tutor who does the style you are looking for? You should create a post somewhere asking for advice from people who have studied pop piano on which schools/tutors they would recommend, and why.
I'd personally try to get lessons one-to-one.
Group lessons are only good for the companies, in that it makes them lots of money.
I've taught both ways, and individual lessons are always best.
Even if you only had an individual lesson once a fortnight, it would probably be better than group lessons twice a week.
Then again, some people are motivated by having others around them, so it all depends on the individual.
If I had the choice of a great teacher, in a stuffy apartment, on an old, bashed up piano, or an average teacher, in a brand new building, with the best of facilities, i'd go with the great teacher in the stuffy apartment anyday.
I really do wish I was there in Singapore teaching at the moment, since there is so much that could be done with the tuition there! There also seems to be a real want to learn pop piano properly, which is great.
So much talent, and all it needs to help it is some direction and guidance by good tutors!
The schools are only as good as the tutors who work there. Bad tutors = bad school, since the schools are no more than the actual tuition provided.
All the bright lights, flashy rooms, amazing website etc in the world doesn't cover up bad tuition, or if it does, it only covers it up for a while, as you'll soon realise, through how much you are learning (and if you are learning at all) whether the school is any good or not.
Why go to a school? Why not just find a private tutor who does the style you are looking for? You should create a post somewhere asking for advice from people who have studied pop piano on which schools/tutors they would recommend, and why.
I'd personally try to get lessons one-to-one.
Group lessons are only good for the companies, in that it makes them lots of money.
I've taught both ways, and individual lessons are always best.
Even if you only had an individual lesson once a fortnight, it would probably be better than group lessons twice a week.
Then again, some people are motivated by having others around them, so it all depends on the individual.
If I had the choice of a great teacher, in a stuffy apartment, on an old, bashed up piano, or an average teacher, in a brand new building, with the best of facilities, i'd go with the great teacher in the stuffy apartment anyday.
I really do wish I was there in Singapore teaching at the moment, since there is so much that could be done with the tuition there! There also seems to be a real want to learn pop piano properly, which is great.
So much talent, and all it needs to help it is some direction and guidance by good tutors!
pianomankris
New member
- And on the dangers of 'music schools':
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=csvVxAsdwvA
Listen to the words - you'll laugh
I'm sure you can find analogies in the words to more than just restaurants
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=csvVxAsdwvA
Listen to the words - you'll laugh
I'm sure you can find analogies in the words to more than just restaurants
littlemog
New member
lol... that video cracked me up. :-D
- And on the dangers of 'music schools':
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=csvVxAsdwvA
Listen to the words - you'll laugh
I'm sure you can find analogies in the words to more than just restaurants
pf
New member
No worries pianomankris, the music schools here have one to one lessons.
I attended group lessons and individual lessons before as well. I find that I don't only learn from the teacher from group lessons. I learn from the way other students ask questions as well. But the constraint is that the teacher can't go any faster or slower than the whole group can go. And the lesson cannot be tailored to serve specific individual purposes.
I also prefer individual lessons because it can be more spontaneous and interactive. Especially because I prepare for my lessons as a student as well, i.e. bring my own recordings, new songs in mp3 or sheets that I came across to discuss with my teacher. Its not a one way street in my lessons.
About private or school...Unless people know people who have learnt from private piano teachers before, they can't be sure of how good the private teacher is. But if one can find a good one, by all means.
I thought schools are good in the sense that more likely they would have teaching materials. And the student would have notes to refer to and learn systematically. I'm not sure if private teachers would do this for students. But if one can find one that does, then its great.
I attended group lessons and individual lessons before as well. I find that I don't only learn from the teacher from group lessons. I learn from the way other students ask questions as well. But the constraint is that the teacher can't go any faster or slower than the whole group can go. And the lesson cannot be tailored to serve specific individual purposes.
I also prefer individual lessons because it can be more spontaneous and interactive. Especially because I prepare for my lessons as a student as well, i.e. bring my own recordings, new songs in mp3 or sheets that I came across to discuss with my teacher. Its not a one way street in my lessons.
About private or school...Unless people know people who have learnt from private piano teachers before, they can't be sure of how good the private teacher is. But if one can find a good one, by all means.
I thought schools are good in the sense that more likely they would have teaching materials. And the student would have notes to refer to and learn systematically. I'm not sure if private teachers would do this for students. But if one can find one that does, then its great.
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Why don't you consider learning from private keyboard teachers? Because i know some school doesn't cater to specific area but generally wants syllabus to be covered first. RBG is quite a good teacher whom i have learnt under him for 2 years. You can try searching for him in soft here too.
