What should I look for in a piano teacher?

[azureye]

Okay, so I've been taking from one piano teacher for pretty much all my life (1st-9th grade), and I've really enjoyed it. However, lately, her health has been failing, and it's starting to look like I'm going to need to find another teacher pretty soon.

I know any teacher I find is probably going to be much harder than my old one, who was really laid-back. All she had me do was scales, chords, and then whatever music I was assigned (and maybe some ear training or theory here or there).

So... since there's some really great pianists here, what would YOU try to look for in a teacher? Is technique important? Should I be doing arpeggios, cadences, etc.? One teacher I've talked to noted that my "technique" needs work; how do I go about improving that? Also, do I need to find a super-hardcore teacher who's going to demand I practice like a madman, or can a somewhat-rational teacher be just as good (since I probably am not majoring in music in college)?  What about piano competitions?  I've never been in one; would they be helpful?

[azureye]

Also....

I don't know if it's important or not, but for an idea of my level, songs I've played recently include:

Chopin's "Waltz in A Minor"
Chopin's "Nocturne in E Minor"
Mendelsshon's "Regrets"

[m1469]

With some teachers, their sole mission will be to teach you their learned opinions on music and musicianship.  Along with these opinions will come strategies to help you develop the same opinons as theirs.  And, more or less, that is exactly what you will get out of the experience.  This can be just fine if that's what you want out of life in general.  But, opinions vary and one expert will say one thing while the other says the opposite... and they are both right and they are both wrong, due to the subjective nature of it all. 

There are also teachers whose overall mission is to help you find and understand how to use pianistic/musical/life tools, and then ultimately to discover for yourself what you need and how to grow within it; they will teach you how to learn. 

Simply ascribing to one person's or another's teachings will never make you any more "right" because of who you study what with.

Hope that helps,
m1469

[nightingale11]

first of all find a teacher who teach you good methods instead of someone who assign you hanon. It's hard to know what teacher is good and what teacher aren't so the only thing you can do is to try out some teachers.

[gonzalo]

Okay, so I've been taking from one piano teacher for pretty much all my life (1st-9th grade), and I've really enjoyed it. However, lately, her health has been failing, and it's starting to look like I'm going to need to find another teacher pretty soon.

I know any teacher I find is probably going to be much harder than my old one, who was really laid-back. All she had me do was scales, chords, and then whatever music I was assigned (and maybe some ear training or theory here or there).

So... since there's some really great pianists here, what would YOU try to look for in a teacher? Is technique important? Should I be doing arpeggios, cadences, etc.? One teacher I've talked to noted that my "technique" needs work; how do I go about improving that? Also, do I need to find a super-hardcore teacher who's going to demand I practice like a madman, or can a somewhat-rational teacher be just as good (since I probably am not majoring in music in college)?  What about piano competitions?  I've never been in one; would they be helpful?

This can help:

https://www.pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,3466.msg30666.html#msg30666
(Role of a teacher)

Best wishes,

Gonzalo

[bartolomeo_]

Start by considering the pianists they produce and decide whether that's what you want to become.  The outcome of good teaching is good pianists.  Attend their student's recitals if possible.

Does the teacher have a committment to teaching, and to piano?  There are piano teachers out there who are really performers who know nothing about pedagogy, and there are piano teachers out there whose main instrument isn't piano.  Sometimes things still work out OK, but be aware and be careful and sensitive to the time and money you'll invest.

How is the fit?  Is the teacher comfortable teaching people of your age and experience level?  Do you and the teacher enjoy the same sort of repertoire?  Do you have the same goals?

Is the teacher themselves a performer?  Some very good teachers are not although this is unusual.  Again try to attend a recital or concert.