What makes a really good teacher?

[lisztisforkids]

Not your ordinary joe.. But the really really really good teachers. Why are they so good?

[pianistimo]

genius.  that's all.  and, having had some really really really good teachers themselves.  and, a lot of dedication to their art.  and lots of listening and reading.  a huge amount of self-discipline.  and some kind of impenetrable concentration and memory expertise.

[lisztisforkids]

genius. that's all. and, having had some really really really good teachers themselves. and, a lot of dedication to their art. and lots of listening and reading. a huge amount of self-discipline. and some kind of impenetrable concentration and memory expertise.

Thanks Pianistimo. But what techniques did they employ?

[pianistimo]

well, i think the techniques for teaching are severely different than the techniques for playing.  in fact, if one wants to be a really good teacher, you have to have your heart in it just as much as performing.  this is hard for true performers because time is of the essence.  therefore, the sacrifice of a really really really good teacher is to his/her own detriment.  for one - they don't set the clock on your lesson (esp. if you haven't finished a piece or have 'just one more question').  now i feel sort of guilty for trying to elongate lessons - but the graciousness of a good teacher seems to bring out the understanding of 'sapping the teacher as much as possible.'  after all, they probably did that too.

another point i look for is humility and to the pointness.  actually, i learned i wasn't playing with enough of it.  my playing exhuded a bravado that didn't match my playing ability.  therefore i was pounded.  being that i am very stubborn and very hard to put down- i tried to think about the ways he suggested to improve my playing instead of pretending to be good.  'getting by' is not a good motto for a very very good teacher.  and, being that they are 'to the point' they will tell you the truth about your playing - unlike other teachers that are very nice.

ok.  humility and meanness might seem a contradiction - but it's actually - it's for the best.  you get disgusted with your own 'trash' sounds and try to come up with something unique about your playing - or something different - or something that shows that you have some kind of 'artiste' about you - and not rely soley on temperament.  listening to your playing and being able to make the sounds you hear in your head are nice.  and having a teacher show you how to make certain sounds or use certain techniques properly is worth the money!   

   

[m1469]

Well, I think this question is similar to more everyday questions like ... "what makes a good person ?" or "what makes a good parent ?" There is not an exact recipe.  And somebody does not have to be a so-called genius to be a great parent or a great person.  Genius in some cases would not even necessarily help. 

So there is something more to it (more than genius ? What's beyond genius ? (if genius is not everything, is it still considered genius ?)), and it is certainly not a one sided ordeal.

Perhaps when all is said and done, what makes a really really good teacher, is simply really really good students (and his/her relationship with them). 

That's what I have to say about it.


m1469

[pianistimo]

yes. genius is kinda scary.  i mean, i couldn't find a question he didn't know the answer to.  even on my term paper, i asked what the latin term 'ibid' stood for - and he knew the answer.  now that is scary!  a teacher who knows latin.

perhaps i'm too easily impressed.  i know what you mean, mayla, and have to agree to what you are saying in terms of younger students.  as you get older, you just don't care so much about the 'relationship' and just want to get to the point of how to play the piano really efficiently.  you can take years and years of lessons and have a really good time - but sometimes having a good time isn't where you challenge yourself as much as you could.

it depends on what you are seeking.  i am seeking the risk factor.  'will i be booted out on the first lesson?'  just getting into the school was a risk for me.  i went up and played the waldstein sonata thinking it was really good - when, now i see i wasn't that great at all.  just because you can play something difficult doesn't mean you are talented or an artist.  it just means you took the time to learn something difficult.  turning that piece into something people want to hear takes a lot more learning - and for challenging pieces you need challenging teachers. 

i just see myself climbing up the face of a rock and falling from 50 feet.  i want to die trying.  maybe at 90 i'll climb on stage - prop my crutches behind my back - and play like clara schumann.  i want to be buried near a piano.  i want people to know that i searched for the truth in piano.  (where is it? looks in the bench).  that at least a few of my concerts were worth going to.  and, that i learned something from my quest and pass on what i understand.  a really really really good teacher is probably one who has studied piano since youth and has won a few (or a lot ) of competitions, played a lot of recitals, knows piano repertoire backwards and forwards, and has the respect of other teachers in the area (as well as students).

[zheer]

Good question, i think a person who is not a natural pianist, someone who has truly strugled in the past and has worked so hard for many years to discover the truth about piano playing, he/she will then pass that knowledge to those who find themselves in a similar situation.

[m1469]

perhaps i'm too easily impressed.  i know what you mean, mayla, and have to agree to what you are saying in terms of younger students.  as you get older, you just don't care so much about the 'relationship' and just want to get to the point of how to play the piano really efficiently.  you can take years and years of lessons and have a really good time - but sometimes having a good time isn't where you challenge yourself as much as you could.

Well, of course "relationship" often has nothing to do with having a good time.  And this is certainly not what I am implying.  I am talking simply about whether or not a teacher can actually help a student, as an individual, learn.  And no matter what, there is always a relationship of some sort that is occuring.


m1469

[pianistimo]

Well, of course "relationship" often has nothing to do with having a good time.  And this is certainly not what I am implying.  I am talking simply about whether or not a teacher can actually help a student, as an individual, learn.  And no matter what, there is always a relationship of some sort that is occuring.

in the big city - you pay for a semester and then there are other students that fill in the spaces as fast as you leave.  so, i figured i must be different for him to remember me.  if i joked around maybe he would keep me as a student just for laughs.  but, our relationship has been marred by joking.  i try as hard as i might to not joke.  but, i must try harder. 

it is nice to have a consistent teacher that you can keep going to for as long as you want - to learn the things that you want to learn.  and, often this can result in having a good teacher/student relationship if you represent the teacher by the way you play.  if a teacher is proud that you are their student - you probably have a good relationship.  if they cover half their head with their hands when they see you - it might be in question.  i'm just doing what i have to do.  somewhere inside - i have this addiction to piano despite being told i might not be concert pianist quality YET.  i add YET.  you see.  there is always hope for some kind of relationship once the quality of your playing is representable to more than three people (on a panel for your final exams).  victor borge is no longer my ideal - and i am seriously thinking of playing for as large a risk of a crowd as brings that rush of adrenaline that i so need.  i've never been booed off a stage, and so i keep this hope inside me that someday i will again play as well as i thought i did 20 years ago (hopefully, better).  if i don't lose my memory.  which i am determined not to lose.