A couple of 1 hour lessons / week..... is it enough ??

[kghayesh]

I have lessons two times a week, with one hour each. I study with a professional concert pianist who played most of the repertoire and played many concertos before. I really like my teacher and like her style of teaching, but the problem is that i don't think 1 hour is enough to - do something - in the lesson.

She keeps attention to every single detail and all the fingering in the music. Therefore, that makes us spend all the hour doing like one page of music, when i have more than 30 pages that needs her review. Every lesson, at the end of it, she says "ok we'll stop because i have to go now. Do as i told you in this passage and that..... and next time we will do this part "

I think i am not fully exploiting my teacher. I feel i need to have more lessons with her.  I want to ask people who study at conservatories how many hours per week and at what rate do they spend directly with their piano teacher, coz i know there are much other things ( theory lessons, composition........etc.)

[m1469]

There is no magic amount of time for a teacher to spend with a student.  An insatiable student may feel it is never enough time, no matter how much time it has been.  I am thankful that I got to at least just literally see my teacher nearly everyday while I was in school, somehow just knowing he was around made a difference for me.   2 hours a week, of actual intensive lesson time seems great to me.  You say you do not cover very much material each time, but there is much that can be covered on your own from studying just one page with a teacher.  Your teacher would know this.

If it is possible to spend more time with your teacher (for a while anyway), and she also thinks it is a good idea, then why not ?


m1469

[pianistimo]

mayla is right!  from that one page you can transfer ideas to the following pages.  take the order that she does things - and follow it to the next.  see if she likes your thought processess or if you need to modify your understanding about certain things. 

after my regular practice - i always went through the entire piece as much as possible.  even if you are studying the first couple of pages.  keep sightreading.  work out notes and fingerings.  listen to some recordings. 

and, you don't have to have the same teacher for everything!  why not take a theory class?  then, you can analyze your piano pieces better. 

[donjuan]

I agree with m1469 too; 2 hours a week is luxurious by my standards as well.  I only get one hour a week, but because I know my time is limited I bring specific questions and issues (about fingering etc.) to the lesson so I leave with focussed work to do at home.

Just be glad you arent Josef Hofmann - he had lessons with Anton Rubinstein, who would not let Josef bring the same piece of music to any two lessons.  Hofmann also only saw his teacher once every few months, and had to take a train between cities to get to him.  And look at what a fine pianist he turned out to be!

[dough_mouse]

All I get is half an hour per week since my teacher is really busy. I wish I could have one hour lessons twice a week, that would be so awesome.

[kghayesh]

I think i need more lessons.
My teacher just told me your problem is that you have some problems while you are practicing and you should have a teacher with you

[zheer]

I have had this question in the back ov my mind for a a couple of days, and i believe that it is better if you have one , two hour lessons once a week.

[kghayesh]

I think people who go to conservatories have more frequent access to their teacher. And here i mean piano teachers only not theory, harmony, compositions and other courses.

I want to ask people who go to conservatories, how many hours and how many times per week do you spend with your piano teacher ??

BTW, i am just saying this because i don't think concert pianists spend only 1 hours twice each week with their teacher. I hope i am wrong!!! 

[zheer]

Well look Kghayesh, think of piano lessons as vitamin, do you think by having extra vitamin you are going to be extra healthy, no i hope you dont think that.
Try and apply the same rule to piano lessons, hence extra amount of piano lessons a week will not necesseraly do you any good, infact it may do you harm, both musicaly and financialy .

[lau]

ARE YOU CRAZY!!!!   I HAVE AN HOUR LESSON EVERY 2 WEEKS!!!!!

[sissco]

Yeah dont complain plzzzzzzz....i get half an hour per week....

[rohansahai]

You lucky guys ! I get lessons only twice a year when my teacher is here !

[donjuan]

You lucky guys ! I get lessons only twice a year when my teacher is here !

time to ask your teacher for a referral to a colleague

[brahms_schumann]

I think people who go to conservatories have more frequent access to their teacher. And here i mean piano teachers only not theory, harmony, compositions and other courses.

I want to ask people who go to conservatories, how many hours and how many times per week do you spend with your piano teacher ??

BTW, i am just saying this because i don't think concert pianists spend only 1 hours twice each week with their teacher. I hope i am wrong!!! 

I am having my usual lesson in university twice a week  and each lesson takes 2.30-3.00 hours

[lostinidlewonder]

A student should be clear to the teacher what they want to learn. If you want general analysis of your entire playing of the entire piece just say so. Say, please ignore the minor details for now, but can you tell me if my expression is overall correct and point out anything wrong. If that is what you want you can surely play entire pieces for her in the lesson. But the fine details of fingering aid in discovering a "good sound" to your playing so that is why most teachers spend so much detailed time on small parts.

You could say to her you don't expect to play it correct during the lesson but you now know how to practice it, so lets move on. I have some students who don't like to "play it perfectly" during the lesson, but so long they know how to practice it during the week when I am not next to them, that is all they want. So I move on. Some students on the other hand need to play it correctly during the lesson, hear themselves do it right just that one time before, then they absorb, learn and understand. But not all students are like this, you have to know which one you are, more importantly the teacher does (something most don't even think about).

2 hours a week when you are studying seriously is enough I think. A tutor should be used as a guide, to make sure you are on the right track, they aren't there to spoonfeed you all the way, not if you are taking up piano in a univeristy.

[lagin]

I have had this question in the back ov my mind for a a couple of days, and i believe that it is better if you have one , two hour lessons once a week.

Actually I was JUST pondering this as I have a 2 hour lesson once a week, and was wondering if it would hurt or help to split it up.  I personally would just like to MOVE IN with my piano teacher, hehe.  Then she could constantly be yelling at me for my wrong notes!  My lessons are on Mondays, and by Thursday I'm wishing it was my lesson again.  I was wondering if you could share your ponderings and the pros and cons of each?

[kghayesh]

Actually I was JUST pondering this as I have a 2 hour lesson once a week, and was wondering if it would hurt or help to split it up.  I personally would just like to MOVE IN with my piano teacher, hehe.  Then she could constantly be yelling at me for my wrong notes!  My lessons are on Mondays, and by Thursday I'm wishing it was my lesson again.  I was wondering if you could share your ponderings and the pros and cons of each

I think by having a one 2 hour lesson you get the chance to practice with him/her many things in the same lesson, so it will be a very fruitful one.
On the other hand, one week is too long to be away from your teacher, in 1 week you can do many things that he/she may need to check or tell you some guidelines about.

[tompilk]

i have an hour a week.. more would be nice...

[rohansahai]

time to ask your teacher for a referral to a colleague

There is no colleague ...no teacher in my town (or country, for that matter).

[donjuan]

There is no colleague ...no teacher in my town (or country, for that matter).

hmmm.... take up playing the Sitar instead! 

[rohansahai]

hmmm.... take up playing the Sitar instead! 

I did take up singing ..but I guess I loved piano too much !

[donjuan]

Well don't worry about it!  If I lived where you do, I would be too busy stuffing my face with Tandoori Chicken to play piano.

man oh man how did your country learn to cook like that??  It's amazing!  just amazing!!