Teacher critiques when playing during lessons?

[lani]

My daughter who has been with her present instructor for the past year and a half, has been frustrated that her teacher interrupts when she plays with criticisms and his critiques.  Although his instruction is helpful, it drives her crazy when she is in the middle of her piece and breaks her "flow" and concentration, as well as her tempo.  She becomes so flustered that it sometimes makes the lesson uncomfortable and intimidating.  The last time he interrupted her was to criticize something very petty (such as turning a page properly on her music sheet)! Does anyone else have this problem?  We have asked him several times if he could please allow her to play through the piece in its entirety first, then offer his critique, and it worked for a little while, but he went back to the same habit.  I really feel for her, but would like her to ask him respectfully at the next lesson to allow her to play all the way through (again).  If many of you think that this is standard and there is a good reason for critiqueing while playing (maybe it's easier to catch it right after she's played the section), please let us know.  We don't want to be impolite, we just want to know if this is standard during lessons.  Thanks for your input on this. Regards, Lani

[JK]

This isn't what happens with my teacher, normally I will be allowed to play a piece, unless it's long or a piece that I've just started. I think this is neccessary as it gives the teacher time to assess the progress made on the piece as a whole. What I find useful is when my teacher talks to me whilst I'm playing, this, I find, is a very good way of him demonstrating what his ideas are. Having said this the teacher has to stop whilst working on the piece during the lesson as this would otherwise result in the piece being played over and over, but I do agree that you need to play through at least a substantial amount at the beginning of the lesson.

As to whether or not to talk to the teacher, I always think that the time that you spend in lessons with your teacher is most important because it gives the teacher an oppurtunity to make sure that you are going in the right direction. Therefore you must be 100% happy with the lessons and teaching methods applied, if you are not then it is very important that you talk with the teacher and express any concerns, this way you can get the most out of lessons.

[faulty_damper]

We have asked him several times if he could please allow her to play through the piece in its entirety first, then offer his critique, and it worked for a little while,

What worked for a little while?  That he stopped critiquing or that she stoped getting flusterred?

Does your daughter stop playing when he starts talking in the middle of her playing?

A more important question is this:
When he stopped critiquing in the middle of her playing, did she remember the critiques given after she played?  And did she make those mistakes again the next time she played?

And when he critiqued during her playing, did she remember where her mistakes were?

Sometimes, it is especially important to stop a student during playing at points where the teacher notices the student is making a fault.  But this is after having heard the student play it and is trying to attempt to correct it.

[amanfang]

I have teachers that do both.  My piano teacher stops me fairly frequently as I play, but as I make progress with the piece, he stops me less and less.  Sometimes we make through a section before stopping, but he usually stops me while I'm playing.  This approach is sometimes annoying and can be discouraging, because I as the student feel as though he's not seeing the progress I have made as a whole.  On the flip side, he catches a lot of things that can be fixed before the next lesson so that we don't have to stop so much next time.  My organ teacher however, NEVER stops me when I'm playing a piece, and I play as far through as I can go before she goes over my mistakes.  So then, she can hear as a whole how much progress I may or may not have made.  BUT, she doesn't always remember details, and we often end up going over the same thing week after week, because she makes general comments, and nothing specific and doesn't demonstrate as much.  So there are ups and downs to both.

[donjuan]

You need to understand why your daughter sees this teacher- why you are willing to pay for him to listen to her.  She is not there to perform- she is there to work.  There have been times when I go to my lesson and I play less than 5 keys the entire hour.  A good teacher will tell the student what she needs to hear, whether it be critisism, encouragement, or whatever.  But, I agree, it is kind of stupid for him to disrupt her train of thought over the way she turns a page.  Understanding the piano is a different task than playing it.  

In conclusion, encourage your daughter to cooperate with the teacher, and if things dont go well- the teacher doesnt bring about any enlightenment or change through time, than maybe its time to move on to a different teacher.  I have gone through five in quick succession- just keep trying until you find the right one.
donjuan