How to change teachers?

[benji]

How exactly does one change teachers without offending/hurting the current one? I've been growing more and more dissatisfied with my teacher's methods, but we've grown fairly close, making it difficult to switch teachers.

[Clare]

Hm. That's a tough one. My old piano teacher had to go to hospital for a number of months, and that's how I ended up with my new one. It was kind of convenient for me, even though it meant my old teacher was ill, and I still go visit her and stuff and let her know how I'm going. So we managed to part on good terms.
Your teacher might perhaps know of his/her teaching limitations. In retrospect, I think my old teacher knew and even hinted a bit that I needed to get a new teacher.
I don't know how to introduce the subject, but I'm sure there's a nice way to do it. Does your current teacher have any advanced students? If not, then it should be kind of easy to explain it's time to move on but you definitely want to keep in touch with your progress and ask for advice.
Good luck! You really should do it though if you know you have to move on.

[bernhard]

Tell the teacher you are going to stop lessons and give him/her one year's worth of fees as a way of compensation. (I wish!)

Trust me, s/he will harbour no bad feelings.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Swan]

Tell the teacher you are going to stop lessons and give him/her one year's worth of fees as a way of compensation. (I wish!)
.

Wouldn't that be nice!!!

Whatever you do, don't build it up too much in your mind.  Your teacher will get over it and you'll be the one offended by just how quickly your teacher will fill your place!

Let your teacher know - in writing if it's necessary that you'll be ending your lessons 'at this particular time'.   When that comes around, be sure to write a nice card and perhaps give a gift (only because you've grown close).

Do it in person, not over the phone, and it would probably be easier for both of you if you told your teacher at the end of the lesson.   "I want to thank you blah blah blah.... but I'll be stopping lessons with you  at the end of the term.  I have the details in this letter."

Put this into action very soon, or it will only get harder the longer you leave it.

[xvimbi]

Depending on the experience of your teacher, s/he may have had such situations before. It is only natural for students to move on. Teachers are usually prepared for that. In fact, if they are really interested in their student's well-being, they will often make the suggestion to switch themselves.

Be prepared to tell your teacher exactly what it is that is not working. Perhaps, it is possible to fix it.