How to find a good piano teacher? (and lessons in general)

[scubasteve]

I've never taken lessons before, and I've been self-taught for a little over a year now, and I'm interested in a teacher but I don't know how to choose one.  I contacted my university and a lady there recommended a certain teacher for me, but how do I know to choose her and not the others that are available? 

I asked her for information about the lessons and I was pretty surprised when she said it was $55/hour (I had no idea how expensive it could get).  She also said I would come once a week for 30, 45, or 60 minutes and that students usually come for either 30 or 45 minutes.  For some reason, I think that's too short, I mean I think by the time I get there and sit down and play something, the time will be up.  Is this efficient for learning/practicing piano?  I mean a teacher is good because they can watch and comment on your technique, but only for 30/45 mins a week?

Also, does anyone have a good place to look for piano teachers? At my university, there is a group/club that music teachers are a part of, and I can just look at the list, but I wouldn't know where to start in my home town.  Also, if there is like a list somewhere with teacher price ranges and ratings that would be extremely helpful.

[allthumbs]

Check the Music Teachers' Association in your area. They would have a list (probably online) of available teachers.

[clicquot]

The big question :-) I know, it's a tuff one!!
When i decided to learn the piano last year I came up with the same question. Surfed the net to find answers but...difficult. In Belgium, you have 2 options as an adult: you find a private teach or you can go to (adult)school at the evenening. First one charges you per hour and you get private lessons. 2nd option, the school, is 2.30 minutes music theory and one hour piano lessons in groups of 2-3 players.

I was advised to get a private teacher, as "you would play/learn piano for one full hour instead of 15 minutes when in group... if you would do that for one year, you would have learnt "more" than at school."
After a year, still a struggele for sight reading, I deciced to go out and look for a 2nd teacher...so I would be able to swap (one week teacher A, other week teacher B)... well, for months now i'm still searching for that second teacher! Its very hard to find private teachers willing to give lessons at the evening or weekend. At the end, i now subscribed at this music school ..so on wednesday theory, thursday piano lesson in group, and saturday piano lesson with the private teacher.
I've contacted my piano shop, artists etc etc to find a 2nd teacher, but... still no luck. I think i was lucky finding my first one..so i'll surely keep him  I've the impression that there is only some kind of education for "real" musicians... kids playing as of the age of 4...growing, going to conservatory, entering master classes etc...
I know, I will never be the pianist I would like to be, but i'm interested in music study, piano etc, so I don't see an issue, I even pay for this education...but i'm not given the possibility to do it.
I'm very interested in the piano... I even thought about going to conservatory (real music study) but you have to do examinations to get in... how can someone even do an examination if you can't even find private teachers first, decent music/piano teaching??? That's so frustrating... so I try to read/learn about music myself but that's not an ideal situation of course. I can become a lawyer, MD or whatever whenever I want... but not with music 

I wonder, in ohter countries, do adults have the possibility to go to a kind of music university or so and start a real music study? If you're young, as of 18 you can go to the conservatory or university... if you're "old"/adult and want to do this... university no issue, but music study... forget it... that's a pitty. Would really want to do this...

And now comes the question...what is a "good" piano teacher if you just start playing the piano?? I have no clue...

[bestpianosoftware]

Hey, you have taught yourself in the past just like you mentioned.  And you should give yourself a pat in the back for whatever success you have achieved in learning.  Why need a teacher now?  People are relying on their own ingenuity with the help of technology.  Maybe you can save yourself the hassle if you stick to what you have been accustomed to. 

[allthumbs]

Hey, you have taught yourself in the past just like you mentioned.  And you should give yourself a pat in the back for whatever success you have achieved in learning.  Why need a teacher now?  People are relying on their own ingenuity with the help of technology.  Maybe you can save yourself the hassle if you stick to what you have been accustomed to. 

Not.

[gyzzzmo]

You could try taking lessons from a student from the conservatory. They are alot cheaper and can pick out all your bad habits and give good advices too.
Sadly enough people who charge alot of money for their lessons are absolutely no guarantee for good lessons, and the one that influences the efficiency of lessons most, is yourself anyway.
By the way, you dont learn sightreading from a teacher. The speed on how fast you recognize notes depends on how often you read them. So the longer/more intensive you've been reading sheetmusic, the faster you'll become in translating them to the piano.

Gyzzzmo

[clicquot]

Hey, you have taught yourself in the past just like you mentioned.  And you should give yourself a pat in the back for whatever success you have achieved in learning.  Why need a teacher now?  People are relying on their own ingenuity with the help of technology.  Maybe you can save yourself the hassle if you stick to what you have been accustomed to.  

It's good that i'm so interested in playing this instrument... but I do think one needs a teacher to progress in any way...certainly for newbies! I can play stuff, but most of the time my finger posistioning is not always correct. I can play the piece, but not the way it should "logically" be played... my teach tells me this will be an issue later on,, when playing the real stuff... because i've adapted my own way and some basic fingeringpositioning should be learnt to be able to speed up etc... and I think he's correct. I've never played any instrument, I have 10 fingers and its only know when playing the piano, I notice i really have 10 fingers (we only use a couple to to most of the things we do during the day...it's amazing!!!)

About the sightreading... after 6 months, when sheetmusic got a bit more difficult, my teach noticed that something was wrong... dont ask how I did it, but I was reading the bars like a book...from left to right, and by each measure I jumped to the bass etc... at a certain point we had a discussion, i needed to play something (fairly easy he thought) and I just couldnt do it... it didn't came out... we almost had a "fight" lol... he asked me, how do you read this??? So note per note I told him and he fell out off the pianobench! What???!!! You don't read notes like that, you should scan them, up, down, back up, down... I was suprised... I didn't know that, call me stupid that i never saw that, he never had a student reading this way and he didn't notice.. I always wondered how people could read two bars at a time :-) So now i'm still struggeling, i feel like i've wasted so much enegerie in the beginning... nevertheless I am progressing though...but slowly... sometimes very frustrating... I still am writing the A,B,,C etc nexto the notes... although I can recognize them...i still want to read what I wrote down instead of the actual notes...easier...! its, weird ... so a teacher is helpful to fix/train these kind of things...

[perfect_pitch]

Here's a helpful hint...

Ask a teacher what 'voicing' is... if they stare at you blankly - SOD THEM!!!

[clicquot]

Here's a helpful hint...

Ask a teacher what 'voicing' is... if they stare at you blankly - SOD THEM!!!

Well could you also explain?... in a, euhhm, noob-way :-) (I've seen the wiki, but translating and understanding is always... a bit difficult)..."ordering of pitches in a chord.."  hmmm

[michael everio]

hi everyone, I am michael everio and I'm living in sweden. I decided to start playing piano with my friends (Chris Freville and Amber Sharman) advices. Although chris is a newbie too amber is playing piano since 10th April 2002. he told me things but I'm a little confused. I thing it is better to start playin piano with good teacher. Any advices would be helpful about "good piano teachers in sweden" thanks..

[perfect_pitch]

'Voicing' is the ability to make the top note in a chord sound a little more than the bottom notes... this is done by giving the finger that plays the top note a little more weight and strength while playing the notes under it softer.

[clicquot]

'Voicing' is the ability to make the top note in a chord sound a little more than the bottom notes... this is done by giving the finger that plays the top note a little more weight and strength while playing the notes under it softer.

Now that's easy and clear perfect_pitch! Thx!

[gyzzzmo]

'Voicing' is the ability to make the top note in a chord sound a little more than the bottom notes... this is done by giving the finger that plays the top note a little more weight and strength while playing the notes under it softer.

Well, if a teacher knows this, he/she MUST be an excuisite teacher! (yeah, its sarcasm)

[birba]

'Voicing' is the ability to make the top note in a chord sound a little more than the bottom notes... this is done by giving the finger that plays the top note a little more weight and strength while playing the notes under it softer.

You won't believe this, but I would have answered, something to do with tuning?  And I won't tell you how long I've been a professional pianist.

[birba]

HA!  I looked it up in the dictionary:  The fine regulation as intensity and color, in tuning, especially of a piano or organ.
I guess I wouldn't have to be sodded then...

[perfect_pitch]

Well, if a teacher knows this, he/she MUST be an excuisite teacher! (yeah, its sarcasm)

Well - considering that there's a sh*t load of teachers in Western Australia that DON'T know what the hell it is - I was trying to point out that there are so many bad teachers out there that don't know squat about teaching.

[clicquot]

I'm reading this Chang Book "Fundamentals of Piano Practise" and I quote something here:

"Piano teachers generally fall into three categories: (A) private teachers who can't teach, (B) private teachers that are very good, and (C) teachers at universities and conservatories. The last group is usually fairly good because they are in an environment in which they must communicate with one another. They are able to quickly identify the worst teaching methods and eliminate them. Unfortunately, most students at conservatories are already quite advanced and so it is too late to teach them basic practice methods. The (A) group of teachers consists mainly of individuals that do not communicate well with other teachers and invariably use mostly intuitive methods; this explains why they can't teach. By choosing only teachers that have web sites, you can eliminate many of the poor teachers because these have at least learned to communicate. Groups (B) and (C) are fairly familiar with the correct practice methods, though few know all of them because there has not been a standardized textbook; on the other hand, most of them know a lot of useful details that aren't in this book. There are precious few group (B) type teachers and the group (C) teachers generally accept only advanced students. The problem with this situation is that most students start with the group (A) teachers and never progress beyond novice or intermediate level and therefore never qualify for the group (C) teachers. Thus the majority of beginner students give up in frustration although practically all of them have the potential to become accomplished musicians. Moreover, this lack of progress feeds the general misconception that learning piano is a lifetime of fruitless efforts,which discourages the majority of parents and youngsters from considering piano lessons."


Exactly what I was referring to! It is difficult as a noob to get the "good" teacher...

[mrba1979]

Find out what the piano teachers credentials are.  Go to their organized recitals.  Ask them to play for you.  It is your money you will be spending.  You have every right to a professional interview.   Then find at least a few other piano teachers and do the same.  With a couple comparisons you should be able to see a difference in quality.  Then you need to decide how much you are willing to pay.

[clicquot]

Find out what the piano teachers credentials are.  Go to their organized recitals.  Ask them to play for you.  It is your money you will be spending.  You have every right to a professional interview.   Then find at least a few other piano teachers and do the same.  With a couple comparisons you should be able to see a difference in quality.  Then you need to decide how much you are willing to pay.

think these are very good tips!!

Interesting question; what's the average rate/hour a teacher asks? I pay about 60 dollars/hour. The "top" rate was 146dollars/hour... but this was a teacher who for example won the "Concours Reine Elisabeth" and that's something... depending on my skills in a couple of years, I might visit him sometime. But not at the newbie level i'm now :-)