Are there any "full age range" teachers and at a high level?

[Bob]

I'm thinking not.  Teacher tend to teach on their level.  The brilliant teacher teaches brilliant students.  The beginning teacher teaches beginners.  A teacher with a high playing level isn't going to put up with a student whose practice is sloppy so they don't develop those teaching skills -- how to teach a kid who doesn't practice.  Price-wise, patience-wise... a high level teacher wouldn't teach a "low level" student.  But of course, a low level teacher would and can do well if that's their thing, but that teacher might not do well with a high level student.

Just interesting.  I suppose there aren't teachers who are veterans at every level of teaching are there?

By age level, I'm thinking skill or dedication level I think. 

Which means... You might go through... say two or three teachers, each with a special ability to teach that level.  A beginning teacher to get fundamentals down and get a beginners excited about music.  An intermediate teacher to build up skills and rep.  And then an advanced teacher to just focus on music, expression, style, things like that, or things beyond that.

[richard black]

My wife has taught at every level from complete beginner (age 6 to adult) to international competition finalists, and so have several of her friends, I gather.

[sharon_f]

My teacher teaches at all levels also, from beginners to competition winners. (I think her youngest student right now is 5 or 6 years old and her oldest is, well, me.)She seems to enjoy each and every student.

[lostinidlewonder]

I teach all levels from beginner to university music student to 50+ yr olds who played their whole life at a high level.

I find a lot of interest teaching beginners because they are a lot harder to teach than advanced students. It is more difficult to find the problems in an advanced student but when you describe the solution the advanced student can make the adjustment. For the beginner it is easy to find their problems but a great struggle to solve it. For me as a teacher this is interesting.

The best teachers in the world are paid a great deal of money. I have had lessons which cost $500 an hour. This teacher has no interest in teaching beginners because none of them really consider to afford it. It would really be a waste of their money.

[pianisten1989]

Isn't there already a topic like this? ... (also by Bob who claims there isn't any good teacher who can teach beginners and advancedes studets at the same time.)
I still think there is plenty of good teachers who can teach both young and old, and both beginners and advanced.

[Bob]

There is the 'what would you ask a brilliant piano teacher' thread.  This is a spin off. 

Maybe I'm thinking in my mind of examples who are too specialized.

[richard black]

I have had lessons which cost $500 an hour.

Good grief! Who in the name of all that's unholy was that with? And can you honestly say that you got anything out of it that you couldn't have worked out by yourself?

[Bob]

Or get five $100 teachers.

Sounds like that's paying for the demand on the person's time or their willingness to teach.  Do one or two lessons like that per week and you're not starving.

[lostinidlewonder]

Good grief! Who in the name of all that's unholy was that with? And can you honestly say that you got anything out of it that you couldn't have worked out by yourself?

It is not so much the lessons which are worth so much, but the connections you can make with a famous teacher is invaluable.

[thalbergmad]

My teacher teaches all age ranges and all abilities, but does not tolerate slackers.

I think he gives those to his wife, or boots their ass out the door.

Thal

[smiggy]

My teacher (she is roughly 28) teaches all ages and is an extremely skilled pianist.

[richard black]

the connections you can make with a famous teacher is invaluable.

Oh, you mean $500 an hour breaks down as $100 for a lesson and $400 bribe for the teacher to schmooze for you. Fair enough.

[thalbergmad]

You could probably get Kelly Brook for $500 an hour, but i don't think she teaches piano.

Thal

[pianistimo]

Don't bother breaking it down.

Or, what if...what if teachers charged students by their age.  That means the youngest would get 3 lessons a week and a 90 year old would get for a lesson every two weeks.  Would work out pretty good for the teacher.

[Bob]

Child prodigies would have it made then.

[lostinidlewonder]

Oh, you mean $500 an hour breaks down as $100 for a lesson and $400 bribe for the teacher to schmooze for you. Fair enough.

ha bribe lol. Well it is how much they would want for their time. He could be doing a lecture and earning that amount or do a private lesson. Big teachers like this don't take on many students at all, and the ones they do they do concert preparations with them and everything. So the experience you gain from getting insight into an international concerting career is invaluable. It is something that not many teachers in universities can even give since most of them have no international concert career.

[nanabush]

I teach a lot of kids who are nearing high school, and still don't practice a damn minute all week... and then they complain about having too much homework.  I can't stand that excuse, because I was in their place at school less than 5 years ago... the school curriculum hasn't changed THAT much, and they also are not playing too much music, or demanding music by any means.  I hate those excuses, and I hate when the parents back them up. "Oh, my grade 4 son is too stressed about his end of the year exams, so he won't be able to prepare for his grade 1 music exam until the week before.  Sorry"

It's a waste of the parents' money, a waste of the child's time, and a waste of a 30 minute block where I could potentially be teaching a student who puts more than 0 minutes a week into music.

I like teaching beginners, but they have to have some form of work ethic.  30 minutes a week makes a difference!!