Should I change to a piano teacher whose major is in piano performance?

[aidaleonard582]

I have been studying piano with my current teacher for 7 years since I was at the beginner level. Now I just past my ABRSM Grade 8 exam with a mark of 91.

The thing bothers me recently: since level 8 or 9, my teacher has difficulty to do the demonstration performance although he could point out my problems and told me what's the correct way to play. I mean, my teacher only says how to do it instead of showing me how to do it.  ( sometimes little showing or one hand showing).

My teacher has Master degree of Music, major in Composition.

Should I find a new teacher who is a concert pianist or whose major is in piano performance? I really need other teachers advice. This is my first post here. Thank you very much.

[quantum]

Keep in mind teachers are not super-human.  At the lower grades it is possible for a teacher to demonstrate many pieces to the student, even ones he/she has never studied previously.  This may give the student a false sense that the teacher "should" be able to play anything the student does.

However, more advanced music takes more time to learn.  A teacher would still need a good amount of time to bring a concert work to a performance standard.  There are just some passages that are too technical to play at sight without first studying the piece.  

The important part is that the teacher understands the musical and technical challenges and is able to communicate these to the student.  It is the students job to put that knowledge to use in learning the music.  Again I stress the focus is on the understanding of the problem or concept, as opposed to the execution of the music. 

I would suggest not to become so reliant on a teacher demonstration in order for you to learn pieces.  You are approaching the level where you can begin to take charge.  After all the aim is to become an independent learner.  

[cjp_piano]

I think the question isn't whether or not your teacher can demonstrate it perfectly, but if he can get YOU to play it successfully. Does he help you figure out how to play it? Does he help you know how to practice it?

I wouldn't base everything on the teacher's degree. There are bad teachers who have all sorts of degrees and credentials. There are also fantastic teachers who have no degrees!

[keyboardclass]

Majors in Composition aren't generally good pianists.  I'd look around - but don't burn any bridges.

[miriamko]

If you got 91 in your grade 8 exam your teacher must be doing something right. I have heard some world known pianists making a bit of a mess , demonstrating at master classes. No one expects them to be note perfect in every piece of music nor does his success as a teacher  depend on it. If your teacher can solve all your technical problems and is able to inspire your musicality then there should be no reason to find another teacher. Having said all that, all students who have studied many years with one teacher can benefit greatly from a fresh direction and a new teacher. However, unless you know of a teacher who is highly recommended and suits your needs, I wouldn't be in a hurry to change the teacher that you have.

[mcdiddy1]

You probably also want to consider a degree in piano performance does not necessarily make you a great teacher. You may find it difficult finding a piano performance major and just because they are a piano performance major does not mean they can sight read your pieces or comfortably play any piece despite a higher level of skill. My experience having been a piano major who switched to music education, the classes performance major and music education was very similar except for a couple of different classes. A composition major can be just as skilled in piano as a performance major , it just depends on whether the continue to practice and have the chops to sight read well. If your relationship with the teacher is amicable and beneficial then you would be wise to keep the good teacher because they are often hard to find.

[pianoplayjl]

Never mind about qualifications etc. Mind about whether they know how to teach or not and whether they are a good teacher. People with qualifications doesn't mean they are good. Sometimes it is only so that they have a face.

JL

[mousekowski]

Just because someone is a good performer it doesn't mean that they can teach.

[pytheamateur]

I have been studying piano with my current teacher for 7 years since I was at the beginner level. Now I just past my ABRSM Grade 8 exam with a mark of 91.

The thing bothers me recently: since level 8 or 9, my teacher has difficulty to do the demonstration performance although he could point out my problems and told me what's the correct way to play. I mean, my teacher only says how to do it instead of showing me how to do it.  ( sometimes little showing or one hand showing).

My teacher has Master degree of Music, major in Composition.

Should I find a new teacher who is a concert pianist or whose major is in piano performance? I really need other teachers advice. This is my first post here. Thank you very much.

Has the marking system now changed?  When I did my grades, 150 was full mark and you had to get 100 to pass.  So did you get 91 out of 100?

[lukebar]

As long as your teacher is capable of playing the repertoire you are working on (with a little practice), I think you are probably fine where you are. You are getting to a level where I wouldn't expect a teacher to be able to play all of your repertoire at sight, and it is unreasonable to expect he or she will learn ALL of the repertoire that ALL of his or her studio is working on.

Having said that, if your teacher isn't capable of playing the repertoire you are working on at a very high artistic level- with practice- I think it might be time to move on.

[cms11]

I teach all levels of piano and have no degree, just some piano performance and music education in college.  Currently one of my students is working on Clair De Lune (Debussy), 5 flats, 9/8 time, while another student is still trying to find middle C.  With 30 plus students a week I don't have time to go over all the advanced pieces some are playing.  At the advanced level your instructor is there to offer you accountability, not demonstrate the songs you are learning.  I ask advanced students NOT to listen to a performance of a song until they are almost ready to perform it themselves.  I know they are reading the piece instead of playing by ear, and the artistry in the music is coming from them, not just being mimicked.  If you have found a teacher you are comfortable with, who keeps you moving forward, don't change.  My former piano instructor told me many years ago the best compliment a student can give is outgrowing their teacher!  When we have taught you everything we can, we know it's time to send you on.  A good teacher will recognize this. Have you asked yours?     

[nyiregyhazi]

At the advanced level your instructor is there to offer you accountability, not demonstrate the songs you are learning.    

I think there's a very big overlap though. It's one thing not to be able to play them to performance standard- but the question is how easily such a thing could be achieved. If a student is learning a difficult piece that the teacher cannot play, are they also unable to understand the notated instructions adequately, or are they simply unable to execute? Theoretically you can understand all the details but be unable to get the fingers to do it- but if the teacher cannot do it slowly, they probably don't understand the music well enough to teach it. In the case of pieces I have never played, I can get inside things a fair amount by reading the score without demonstration, but I frequently need to sit down and try certain passages slowly (sometimes one hand separately)- approaching them in the same way I would if I were learning the piece myself. Frequently, I'll find that suggested fingerings are useless and replace them. I'd personally expect a good teacher to be able to do the same for me. If I said I was struggling with a passage and they couldn't play it slowly to find a good fingering for me, I wouldn't be terribly impressed.

Fortunately, I'm a good reader, so even if I cannot instantly play difficult pieces to concert standard, I can still get inside them rather quickly. Personally, I would say a teacher must either be a good enough reader to get inside the music almost immediately, or they need to go away and do so between lessons. Otherwise they're just going to be winging it and giving superficial advice- rather than getting to the heart of the important issues (which they may not even be noticing at all). It's fine to blame time, when it comes to concert performance level, but not if a teacher cannot sit down and give fingering solutions etc. When it comes to students who are advanced (yet not in possession of a professional technique), it's essential for a teacher to be able to give advice from the inside. Frankly, some teachers are little more than frauds- who can only tell advanced students "practise it slower" etc. If a teacher can't do a decent job of a separate hand at a slow tempo, the student can forget learning anything worthwhile about fingering or technique.

[ajspiano]

I don't feel that a teachers degree in any way qualifies them as a teacher..  unless their degree is a TEACHING degree.

additionally, holding a degree does not make you in any way better at something. Its possible to learn without receiving the piece of paper. Its also possible in some cases to receive the piece of paper without learning much.

Also possible to have the piece of paper, have learnt more than anyone could hope for, know how to pass on the information to a student and still be a crappy teacher because you hate doing it and resent the fact that you can't survive off performance alone.

[lostinidlewonder]

I have been studying piano with my current teacher for 7 years since I was at the beginner level. Now I just past my ABRSM Grade 8 exam with a mark of 91.

The thing bothers me recently: since level 8 or 9, my teacher has difficulty to do the demonstration performance although he could point out my problems and told me what's the correct way to play. I mean, my teacher only says how to do it instead of showing me how to do it.  ( sometimes little showing or one hand showing).

After 7 years studying with one teacher getting from beginner level to grade 8 with a mark of 91, this is an incredible achievement which highlights both excellent work from yourself and your teachers guidance. If however you feel that your teacher is offering you no direction at all and achieving the high distinction mark was all from your own efforts then move on to another teacher, but it looks to me that your teacher is an excellent teacher guiding you through all the grades so rapidly with such a commanding final result.

None of my advanced students expect me to play their pieces entirely, that would be a waste of lesson time anyway, if they want to hear complete performances they can often go see many different recordings/videos.  However as a teacher you simply must be able to play phrases of music of any difficulty your student is capable of (if you cannot then the student is too advanced for you). I found myself studying some of my advanced students works to be able to play passages clearly for them in demonstration, I would learn difficult parts as a prophylactic for future problems that they might have. A good teacher is always working for their students outside of lesson time, beginners occupy a lot of your mind because you puzzle over how you could solve all their little problems, more advanced students occupy your time as you study their challenging works yourself.

[pytheamateur]

Yes, don't expect your piano teacher to demonstrate advanced pieces for you.

I was once watching a masterclass given by the late Vladimir Krainev.  A young Chinese pianist was playing Balakirev's Islamey and at one point invited him to demonstrate on the keyboard.  Krainev did not.  In fact, he did very little demonstration, although he did occasionally play the 2nd piano part for a concerto.  It seems he preferred singing the phrases and giving metaphors.

[nyiregyhazi]

Yes, don't expect your piano teacher to demonstrate advanced pieces for you.

I was once watching a masterclass given by the late Vladimir Krainev.  A young Chinese pianist was playing Balakirev's Islamey and at one point invited him to demonstrate on the keyboard.  Krainev did not.  In fact, he did very little demonstration, although he did occasionally play the 2nd piano part for a concerto.  It seems he preferred singing the phrases and giving metaphors.

But there's no doubting whether such a professional artist would be able to understand the music- or whether he could demonstrate effectively if he chose to. There are a wealth of teachers who could not do so- and who hence use weak metaphors to disguise their lack of insight, or even outright incompetence regarding repertoire that is way beyond both their means and experience. It's important to find a way of distinguishing which is which.

[matmilne]

If you are ambitious and like to tackle things you're not sure you'll be able to play, it's a good idea to find a teacher who's played them before.