Questions to ask when looking for a teacher and the answers you want.

[freethink]

First I should say that I'm not a professional, teacher, or even a college/university piano student so I hope my intrusion here isn't minded. I think my question is a good one, however, and the answer to it might help me get back into music.

I played percussion for about 15 years and even majored in it in college before giving up. The reason is because I spent a good deal of time looking for the "ideal" way to learn and practice, which included finding the "perfect" technique. What I discovered were the techniques of Gladstone and Joe Morello.

What I also discovered was that an absurdly small number of percussionists use or even know about them. One man who did was Tiger Bill in case anyone is familiar with him.

Knowing that I would never find an instructor that could teach what I thought was the "best" way I lost interest in percussion, feeling that I would forever be learning poor technique if I continued.

I want to continue studying an instrument and have thought about piano, which led me here. After reading a lot of Berhard's posts it seems that his philosophy of teaching and technique is would I would be after when looking for a teacher.

Now, will I run into the same problems when looking for a piano teacher? Are teachers like Bernhard just as rare as those I mentioned above?

Should finding a decent teacher be possible, what I want to know is: what questions could I ask a prospective teacher and what answers should I expect? Thanks for any help, and if it's felt I don't belong in this forum then kindly delete this post.

[lostinidlewonder]

You have to look for a teacher who knows how to play the piano first of all. I think there is no problem in you asking your teacher to play their repertiore to you. From that you can see how good they really are or are they just all talk.

I think if they play well usually they can teach well. Especially if they are describing things in terms of their own experience and through keyboard demonstration. You just dont want a teacher who talks talks talks and plays very very little. I think if you feel that you can learn lots from them then you will, if you feel they are not up to your expectaion after 5 lessons or so, then they wont be.

[Daniel_piano]

It's true
It's not easy to find someone that endorse the same method you found to be the best and more detailed, but it's not impossible
You have simple to be direct and ask you potential teacher is he uses the methods you like or if he would prevent you from using them
You can for example go to a Music Accademy and ask students them which teacher use that method or place an ad on the school message board
When I was looking for a school where to learn composition for example, I made sure to find a teacher that promoted and teached well tonality; as I was so tired of the tonality-is-dead atonality is the future bullshit (things are changing today but it was not possible on the 80's to compose tonal music as there were an absurd serial and aleatory music dictature and academic snobbism, and as a results many tonal composers made their careet on soundtrack composing)

While searching I found absolutely insane teachers that believed that only serial music needed to be composed and thay were willing to bomb any theather promoting tonalt contemporary music but eventually I also found a teacher (that won the second prize at the masterprize) that had a phylosophy of live and let live
According to him both tonality and atonality give different emotions and people want to hear both, so let's composers who want to compose atonal works compose them and composers who want to compose tonal works compose them without arguing with useless and nonsensical arguments about which is better
Let's allow anyone to compose what they like and let's allow anyone to listen what they like without criticizing or making wars
Bottom line: you can find people like you as for each thing you need to learn there are a lot of people that need to teach
Similars attract each other, so keep searching for a teacher that share your point of view and that approve your thinking and that guide you towards that direction
Have faith

Daniel

[mound]

I think if they play well usually they can teach well. Especially if they are describing things in terms of their own experience and through keyboard demonstration. You just dont want a teacher who talks talks talks and plays very very little.

I don't necessarilly agree with that. Being a great player does not imply being a great teacher. In many cases, it is quite the contrary. Not to say a teacher shouldn't be a good player, I would hope they are. But the best teachers are often not the best players.

-Paul

[Daniel_piano]

I think if they play well usually they can teach well. Especially if they are describing things in terms of their own experience and through keyboard demonstration. You just dont want a teacher who talks talks talks and plays very very little.

I don't necessarilly agree with that. Being a great player does not imply being a great teacher. In many cases, it is quite the contrary. Not to say a teacher shouldn't be a good player, I would hope they are. But the best teachers are often not the best players.

-Paul

So true
And this applies to all teaching matters
A math teacher can may have been a wonderful university students and know math   and algebra thoroughly but that was university taught him, math and not teaching
Almost all university math students getting their graduation and approaching math teaching at primary, secondary or high schools don't know anything about teaching, about kids and learning psychology, about approaching students, about being friendly but authoritive, kind but honest... they learned math but they never learned how to teach math
The same for history, geography, languages, drawing, physic, chemistry, biology and so on
To find a good teacher you need to be lucky enough to have a teacher that by hiw own followed several courses about teaching and teaching psychology

Daniel