teacher/practice troubles

[Subliminal]

The music that my teacher gives me is extremely dull and easy for me to play. Because of this I usually end up not practicing it and just writing my own songs and spending time on various other pieces that i've bought. Because of this my sight reading skills have gotten much better however my teacher still wont let me move on to harder music. Also this piano teacher happens to be my Mom's best friend which makes it rather hard to tell my teacher that she is wrong in any way. Any suggestions?

[richard w]

If you are not practising your 'dull' pieces it may be that come your lesson you do not play them well for your teacher. In which case you could perhaps understand why she thinks you need more 'easy' pieces. So first, make sure you can play to the best of your ability what she gives you. Next, you could try taking something you would rather learn to your lesson, and ask if you could look at it with her in conjunction with the other pieces. Then, set yourself some realistic goals, perhaps to achieve in a year's time. Share these with your teacher and ask her to help you achieve these goals.

One final thought, it is not clear from your post what 'style' of music your teacher is giving you, and what style you prefer. Are you talking about classical music here, or are you interested in something else? If this is the case it may be that your Mother's friend is not the best teacher for you and you should probably seek an alternative teacher. I'd suggest discussing this with your Mother. But, before going down this route try my suggestions in the first paragraph, as it may be that your teacher does not fully understand what you want to achieve, but would have no problem helping you if she knew.

Good luck.



Richard.