Do we really need a teacher?

[eliza99]

My piano teacher has asked my to purchase a Czerney's Opp 599 for beginner book and asked me to play infront of her.

If the whole learning process of the piano is just about buying  books and start practising, I don't see why I need a teacher.

Can I just buy books and learn myself and save a few bucks monthly for buying a better piano for myself?

Do we really need a teacher?

[ramseytheii]

A teacher can show you efficient ways to practice, guide you away from physical malfeasance, and enhance your musical taste.

Walter Ramsey

[gyzzzmo]

Yes, many people do need a teacher, at least to learn you the (technical) basics, how to approach the music and to explain how you should learn.
Without a teacher you have a big change of doing thing the wrong way and that hugely limits your playing quality.

gyzzzmo

[keypeg]

In order for your teacher to teach you, you must be playing something.  You cannot just sit at the piano pecking at random notes.  Studies and pieces are the tools of teaching.  If someone wants to teach you to catch a ball, you need a ball.  Different skills must be acquired in order to play those pieces properly.  Certain concepts have to learned, and these are embedded in the music.  Your teacher will observe how you are approaching the piece, in order to see what needs to be changed, what you don't know how to do yet - and that's the springboard for teaching. 

The teacher will have certain skills and concepts in mind that she wants you to have.  Then she'll ask herself "What piece can I use to teach that concept?"  Since a teacher should be knowledgeable of a large repertoire, and what this repertoire entails, the teacher can then draw on that knowledge to select a piece that will teach you what she wnats you to know.

Working on the piece by yourself will not teach you what the piece can teach you.  That is because you would be approaching it only as you can guess.  YOur teacher will be teaching you the approach, correcting your approach, which you will practice while working on the piece.