my teacher slept in my piano lesson :(

[nadia goh]

Hi. just got back from my piano lesson. my teacher slept when i was playing my pieces. i feel horrible. did i play that badly that i've sent her to sleep? 

[refugepiano]

Being a teacher can be very tiring, so maybe it wasn't because of that. Don't let that affect you much.

[megadodd]

I think that's very bad mannered nonetheless.

[nystul]

It is unprofessional.  The teacher needs to be alert and attentive in order to provide service that you are paying for.  Both sides in this relationship have responsibilities.  As a student your teacher is in charge and you must heed what he/she says, but as a client you are in charge of your teacher and should expect professional service.  You should let it slide this one time but if it were to happen again you should confront your teacher (or have your parents do so if you are a child) about why he/she isn't getting enough sleep to do the job properly.

[Bob]

I doubt it has anything to do with your playing.  Unprofessional, yes, on their part.  On the consumer side of the arranagement, it means you weren't getting what you paid for -- They're asleep.  They can't give great comments.

I remember a professor falling asleep during a mastercalss, but someone else was in charge.

I also remembering starting to doze off myself while playing a piece during a lesson one time.

If you do gifts, you know what you can get them now.  A bag of coffee.

[pianowolfi]

What if you have only two options: to fall asleep or to fire the student, because he doesn't practice and doesn't provide any slightest kind of interest, for years and years?  

But I assume that wasn't the case at all, so maybe you'd want just to ask her and communicate

Maybe she was just exhausted after a huge concert or whatnot, maybe she has health problems. I remember that one of my teachers offered me a lesson for free because she just felt exhausted and thought that she can't offer me anything useful at her state, because she was suffering from severe asthma and had to give concerts and much more   But her advice was still very useful!

[coffee_guy]

everyone is entitled to a bad day. I'd let it slide 1 time.

My teacher was drunk once which is far worse. He is a great teacher and it never happaned again. I  let it slide. I would not let it slide twice though.

[brogers70]

If the teacher was really embarrassed and apologetic after you woke him or her up, then I'd let it slide, but if the attitude was "it's not a big deal" then I'd get another teacher.

How could it even happen, anyway? My teacher sits right next to me and interacts, sings phrasings, shows articulations an octave up from where I'm playing, writes on the score. I'd notice in seconds if he'd fallen asleep.

[Bob]

Chances are they already know what they're going to say when you're done playing.  "Good job.  Work on x, y, z..."  The same things they've said to other students while they were learning.  They still have to let you play though.  And they have to sit and wait.  And they already know more specifically what to say after an 8ve or so.

[nadia goh]

Hi everyone Thank you for the comments. Yesterday, I was a bit down after the lesson. I tried to evaluate the situation again and I think that she slept because she was tired. I am well aware that she is old and not in her best condition but she does give constructive comments about my playing and about the music itself, of course. But at the same time, I believe it's not wrong to expect the teacher to teach me passionately for I am a passionate learner. I think I'll let it slip once but if it happens again, I have to tell her how I feel then.

Thanks everyone.

[mcdiddy1]

wow. Well if know body ask I guess I will. What did you play? I suspect Brahms because he loves writing sweeping "sleep" melodies in my opinion.

[nadia goh]

mcdiddy1... haha... i've never played Brahms.. maybe not for my level yet. I played Chopin Waltz Op.64 No.2 and Bach Partita No.2 just the Sinfonie (Grave and Adagio I think). The Chopin was Okay but the Partita wasn't that well. Perhaps I am being too ambitious to try on difficult pieces but I like the Partita considering that I am Grade 5, according to my teacher. Anyhow, she never said NO to the pieces that I've chosen to play..   

[pianowolfi]

wow. Well if know body ask I guess I will. What did you play? I suspect Brahms because he loves writing sweeping "sleep" melodies in my opinion.

A good example of how an "opinion" doesn't necessarily correspond with a valid statement

[mcdiddy1]

A good example of how an "opinion" doesn't necessarily correspond with a valid statement

Lol...not saying he never wrote fast energetic music but considering he wrote the famous lullaby theme and his music tends to be on the serious, cerebral side I would thing his music would be the first to put someone to sleep. I love his music butni could understand it potentially having that effect.

[sausagefingers]

Have piano Teachers reached the heights of High court judges? Those guys get to sleep whenever they feel like it. I Would'nt appreciate a Lorry driver falling asleep on the job mind. Theres a guy who works for Slate magazine who's written a book about his psychiatrist falling asleep on him. When he contacted the him, he said it had happened to him too.

....and Dont get mad get even, next time he falls to sleep in a lesson play the opening of the Tchaikovsky piano concerto with all your might.  

If he still does'nt wake up, call an ambulance!

[dcstudio]

make sure his coffee is full    I confess--I have once or twice in my life, dozed during "Moonlight" or snoozed while the Minuet in G is played in my studio...again.  was it like full on snoring sleep or was it just head to the side and eyes closed?  Should have taken a vid and posted it on youtube--probably would have gone viral...

[oxy60]

I had a vocal coach once that combed out his Persian Cats during the lesson. He asked if it would be OK and I went along with it, as long as he cleared it with the cats. (This was grand opera at full voice and the cats didn't even flinch during our duets, with one on his lap...)

[Bob]

I keep thinking the title on this thread is 'My teacher slept with my piano,' or, 'My teacher slept in my piano.'

[dcstudio]

I keep thinking the title on this thread is 'My teacher slept with my piano,' or, 'My teacher slept in my piano.'

ha ha that is disturbing on so many levels.   I have slept on the piano many times--but never in it or ...with it.  hee hee

[Bob]

"On" it?  How?  Is it a grand?

The bench I can see.  A nice, long bench is comfy if you're tired enough.

[dcstudio]

"On" it?  How?  Is it a grand?

The bench I can see.  A nice, long bench is comfy if you're tired enough.

I'm an accompanist--I have spent long days sleeping on the piano bench...sometimes I'm lucky enough to play on a grand--then I can really stretch out.