I really adore piano, but my teacher got absoloutley mad at me and said they'd no longer teach me! Basically we were in the middle of my exam piece which I am also doing for an exam practical. But suddenly when I came across a word called vibrato I asked what It meant. The teacher stood up and got really angry saying he couldn't do it anymore. Then went to a book and opened it up at the word vibrato saying that my school might as well teach me if I don't listen to him. He thought that I was questioning what vibrato meant and saying he was wrong. This probably came from my music mock where my teacher said I needed to improve my pedalling. When he got angry I was so shocked I just didn't understand! He then got even angrier saying in all his years of teaching he has never been questioned. He said he refused to teach me anymore and he'd return my money. I could hardly speak because I was shocked and I said he had completley misunderstood me. I didn't mean that I thought he was wrong! Nothing about that, I just didn't know what the word meant! I then had to leave and couldn't speak because I was about to cry. He said he'd return my money and then closed the door where I burst out crying. What should I do? Should I go back and try to explain myself? I have an exam in a few monthes. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
Yes exactly! However there is some background knowledge which could probably explain to it. A few weeks ago I had a practical mock in music class at school. So when I returned to my piano lesson I told him my comments which were that my pedalling needed to be greatly improved and I was too harsh with lifting my foot up and down. I think he took offence in this, like his teaching was being critizized. So a few weeks later(what I just said in my post) when we went through it again I came across the word vibrato whilst I was playing and I asked what it was and said I didn't know how to do it. Thats when he got angry. For some reason he thought I was saying he was wrong when really I literally asked him what It meant. Does that make any more sense? He is old afterall - from his shouting it really seemed like he thought my school said he was teaching the pedalling wrong.However, I literally just asked what it meant and said I was unable to do it.Thanks so so much for replies!
Could it be that he had already covered vibrato with you in an earlier lesson some time ago ?
Liszt taught all his pupils the bebung technique.
Bebung is a clavichord technique. It doesn't work on pianos.
R u arguing with yourself?
The opening post describes a very stupid teacher, find a new one, easy. Be happy the teacher reacted like this it makes it very easy to know that you should find a new one. Any teacher who makes you feel bad about yourself should not be in the teaching profession. Even if the teacher were the top educator in your country, it is not worth going back to them since they chose to break the professional relationship with you and with nastiness.
I suspect that this problem arose in the context of a Liszt piece, perhapes Liebestraum No. 3?If so, be assured that this vibrato marking has been the cause of much, much, much angst, arguments and interpersonal abuse ever since it was first published. At the heart of the matter are a few issues:1) A piano is not a violin. A piano cannot play a vibrato note without going into and beyond John Cage's "prepared piano" territory.2) Liszt was a HUGE egomaniac who thought he was so good at the piano that he could play a vibrato note on a piano, OR he wanted to perpetuate the legend of his superhuman virtuosity by making the "vibrato" marking, making gullible mortals who want to learn Liebestraum No. 3 (and possibly a few other of his pieces) go "oooh" and "aaahhh" at how omnipotent Liszt must have been.3) The degree in which one holds Liszt sacrosanct and whether you attribute infallibility to Liszt or not: I do not hold Liszt in "Godlike" status, therefore I can explain that "vibrato" marking with my point 2) above. However, to someone who worships Liszt as "God", the mere mention of the "vibrato" marking in Liebestraum No. 3 (and possibly a few other works by Liszt) would incite hate and rage, as if his/her "God", "Jesus", "Allah" or "Mohammad" had been blasphemed.I suspect that your teacher is a Liszt-worshipper, and in your naive questioning concerning this notorious "vibrato" marking, you touched upon a raw nerve. Maybe because he has been mocked and challenged about this "vibrato" marking far too many times already in the past, he thought that you, too, were about to side-swipe his Liszt religion.
You're welcome. Be confident that this is not your fault, not one bit. You can ask whatever questions you like and forget what you are taught as often as it takes until you finally "get it", if a teacher puts you down for this then shame on them! Terrible teachers like this can make students hate something that they really do love, it is a travesty of justice, a real insult to the teaching profession. Good luck in finding your next teacher, I am sure you will find someone just right for you and quickly forget about this idiot you had to deal with.
Find new teacher. Noone is perfect but if they do not want to teach you its because they dont feel in charge of the situation and they cant teach you. Find new teacher, someone who has experience teaching among your skill level type and similar age group students...youll find it less stressful in any case. Good luck.
It's a basic understanding that if I don't know what something means on the page, I look it up. I shouldn't have to ASK her...
.... A few weeks ago I had a practical mock in music class at school. So when I returned to my piano lesson I told him my comments which were that my pedaling needed to be greatly improved and I was too harsh with lifting my foot up and down. I think he took offence in this, like his teaching was being criticized. ......- from his shouting it really seemed like he thought my school said he was teaching the pedaling wrong.
Why not? She's your teacher, that's why you (presumably) pay her. If a teacher gets angry at a student because they don't understand then they're in the wrong job.
I mean in terms of terms on the page, not technique or interpretation. As a student doing concert works, it's understood that I don't waste her time asking what this word means, or that word when I can easily look it up in 30 seconds in a music dictionary. I get my Year 1's as homework to look up words like 'Allegro' if it's on their music so that they feel responsible for their learning.
if it was on an exam piece I would be really annoyed--if I was also informed by said student that they couldn't practice the piece because they didn't know what that word meant and that's why they couldn't play it at their mock... well... and if it was a word as simple and basic as vibrato..
Actually --- CAN vibrato be produced on the piano? Maybe through some kind of pedal flutter which would initiate an oscillation of sound?
To the OP:Since your teacher says he "cannot do it anymore", and you don't seem to know what he is referring to. Two things:1. Think back to your lessons. Are there things he keeps telling you to do, which you aren't doing? If so, is it because you are following other priorities, or because you don't know how to do them?- Has he complained about things you do or don't do in lessons? Frequently? The same kinds of things?2. Since he is frustrated and you are bewildered, then the obvious last ditch thing would be to find out what is going on. What is it that you are doing that he wishes you wouldn't do? What is it that you are not doing, that he wants you to do? If you know about them, and don't do them, what is preventing you?Students are not mind readers, and teachers are not always good at saying things. Or they think they've said it. Or they think it's so "obvious" that a student should figure it out. Etc. etc. etc.There is always the possibility that this teacher can teach students who naturally play well, but doesn't know how to transmit skills when they're not there - the pedal situation being a case in point.I have also harped on things such as basic skills, as well as learning how to approach studying, and learning how to approach a piece in practising, in all the stages. If these skills are not there, and the teacher doesn't know how to give these skills, then he will say the same things over and over - the student goes home practising ineffectively week after week - the same problems appear over and over until the teacher "can't do it anymore". What's left are the students who just naturally happen to have the right habits and skills, and the rest have "attitude problems" in the teacher's eyes.The first step is to get at the root of the problem. What is the problem? What is it this teacher wants to see different? What is going on here?
Not to change the subject, but what is a "mock"?
I can be a bit cynical at times... I do apologize--I have absolutely no way of knowing what happened in your lesson... really--the bottom line is that it was not productive for whatever reason.. I would have seen things completely from your side at one time--but years and years of teaching has made me a bit grouchy... my earlier post referenced my experiences and may not apply in this case at all.believe it or not teaching piano can be very stressful--especially at exam time. Your scores are recorded and forever tied to your teachers name. Parents tend to get demanding at this time as well--trying to schedule make-up lessons or just being a pain..lol How long has he been teaching? if he is a very new to the business...it can be overwhelming. Some parents will walk all over you if you let them. the important thing is YOU keep going-- and try not to take it personally if he was having a bad day. There are many piano teachers out there.
Several thoughts come to mind while reading this thread. I'm having to make some assumptions so please correct me if I'm wrong. I get the impression that you are not yet fully prepared for the practical exam but still working towards it. If this is the case, why did the school music teacher offer a mock exam at this stage and also, why did he offer a mock exam at all if you are actually studying with a private teacher? In what way is the school music teacher involved with your piano playing?Also, the word 'vibrato' is rarely used in piano music. In fact, I've never seen it on any music editions I've ever played. So I have to ask, was the word actually printed in your music or was it hand written in by your private teacher or your school music teacher? This would be important to me in understanding why your private teacher is refusing to teach you. I'm wondering just how involved your school music teacher is in your piano study and how much your piano teacher believes the school teacher is also involved. I've very wary of instantly drawing conclusions that the piano teacher has lost it. Generally there must be something that would provoke such a reaction in a teacher, especially a teacher who you say is usually good. For me, I can't help thinking there must be more to this and that, from your posts, we are only seeing the tip of the iceburg.
'The other thing is what we read about student behaviors that teachers encounter, and thus expect or "can predict". I didn't know about this when I started as a student. Here are things that (some) teachers say they often encounter:- student wants to only have fun, play easy pieces- student doesn't like to practice and doesn't practice- student pretends that something is too hard, and feigns difficulty to get out of things- student distracts with seemingly interested questions in order to avoid working in lesson'I had to smile when I read this. It's not just me, then, who encounters these things.
Topic: Piano teacher refuses to teach me due to misunderstanding 