Teachers should never stop learning

[wkmt]

Tom Rickerby shares his thoughts and experience regarding all those points when a teacher is still learning. He states that a teacher should be always learning, improving the skills had and developing many new ones.
Being empathic is one of the most important points when teaching an instrument.
Have a look at the full article, and get in touch with our music lessons:

https://www.i-am-a-spammer.com/single-post/teachers-always-learning

Leave your comments, questions will be answers.

www.wkmt.co.uk

[timothy42b]

The lack of any kind of depth of thought that went into that essay is, well, astounding.

Surely a skilled teacher has an opinion with a little more content?  That was embarrassing, and a waste of my time to read it. 

[lostinidlewonder]

My teaching craft is sharpened through practical experience with my clients and not through theory with lessons with another teacher. Maybe it relates to a beginner teacher who is just starting out and developing their tools. I agree with tim that the article is devoid of anything interesting especially for teachers who already have many years experience.

[timothy42b]

Okay, ignore wkmt for a bit.  As he will ignore us. 

I think that beginning teachers could greatly increase their skills by watching a master teacher teach, and discussing what happened afterwards.  Like watching a chess master play, there's a lot going on that isn't obvious, and some that is. 

This does not happen as much when you're taking lessons, because your focus is on what you're learning.  You need a dedicated session where your focus is on the skill of teaching, not the skill of playing.  I think the learning curve to be a good teacher could be shortened. 

I also think that teachers, beginners and experienced, could probably improve by periodically having a master teacher observe their teaching with a real student, and do some coaching and mentoring.  This is a lesson in how to teach, NOT how to perform.  There's an interesting article on coaching by a surgeon that I've posted a couple of times. 

The wkmt article implies that merely taking lessons will improve teaching ability.  That is highly unlikely, though it will probably improve playing ability.  But when I take a lesson, I am paying for teaching skill, not playing skill. 

[Bob]

I've always been surprised how teaching yourself or doing your own thinking (and actually making progress) doesn't "count" for professional activities.  I could spend a day studying myself or trading off instrument skills with another teacher but it doesn't count as professional.  If I sit through some worthless seminar, that does count though.



Actually though, that's an idea.  Just find another teacher.  Say I took lessons with them "for pay."  Then offer them the same thing in return.  We each "pay" each other the same amount.  Who's to say whether that other teacher was actually there the whole time?

[keypeg]

Leave your comments, questions will be answers.

So far, comments have seldom seen a response.  There cannot really be questions, since not that much has been said in the article.  The writer states that it is good for teachers to keep on learning. I imagine that most teachers agree with that, and most teachers do.  I can't think of what kind of question one might ask.

[timothy42b]

So far, comments have seldom seen a response.  There cannot really be questions, since not that much has been said in the article.  The writer states that it is good for teachers to keep on learning. I imagine that most teachers agree with that, and most teachers do.  I can't think of what kind of question one might ask.

the time has come - perhaps long past - to accept that wkmt is what he is, and to stop being irritated with him.

He will bring topics to this forum, ostensibly for discussion, but he does not intend any and never will. 

However, occasionally those topics generate interesting discussions within us, the members of this community.  Since we value the community interaction, it's okay to contribute to his topics, knowing no value will come from his end, and being fine with that. 

[keypeg]

the time has come - perhaps long past - to accept that wkmt is what he is, and to stop being irritated with him.

He will bring topics to this forum, ostensibly for discussion, but he does not intend any and never will. 

However, occasionally those topics generate interesting discussions within us, the members of this community.  Since we value the community interaction, it's okay to contribute to his topics, knowing no value will come from his end, and being fine with that. 

You definitely have a point.  For some of the topics, the lack of response, or "brittle" response (i.e. apparently not taking board what others say or knowledge in earlier posts by others) is unfortunate.  If I lived in town and was thinking of starting lessons, I might only give it a try because usually teaching does not reflect prose articles - many of the articles would tend to detract.

I really saw nothing in the article that I could comment on.  It was sort of like saying if you want to teach piano, you should have a piano to teach with.  There wasn't enough there.  I'll go see more closely what you had to say.

[ronde_des_sylphes]

There is a lovely irony, surely, in a teacher starting a topic entitled "Teachers should never stop learning", and then not replying to comments..?

[outin]

There is a lovely irony, surely, in a teacher starting a topic entitled "Teachers should never stop learning", and then not replying to comments..?

He's quietly learning? 

[keypeg]

Responding to the ideas;

I think that beginning teachers could greatly increase their skills by watching a master teacher teach, and discussing what happened afterwards.  Like watching a chess master play, there's a lot going on that isn't obvious, and some that is.  

Would you be discussing what happened afterwards with the master teacher, or with someone else?  A one-time lesson, or over a series?  I am not that convinced by "masterclasses" since a lot of them are more like a show, and it's a bit artificial.  Lessons by their nature are sequential, with things building over time, so you'd have to observe over time.  Actually this is more like an apprenticeship.

I have been fortunate enough to have been taken under the wings of an experienced teacher, and much of what I have learned has involved his teaching approaches, observations, and experiences.  I've also been fortunate to hear from one or two others.  In that sense I can see it.

This does not happen as much when you're taking lessons, because your focus is on what you're learning.  You need a dedicated session where your focus is on the skill of teaching, not the skill of playing.  I think the learning curve to be a good teacher could be shortened. 

Yes and no.  You can also experience the effectiveness of approaches by experiencing it as a student.  Maybe the master teacher thinks what he is doing is hunky dory, but maybe the student doesn't experience it that way.  Seeing both sides is good.

The wkmt article implies that merely taking lessons will improve teaching ability.  That is highly unlikely, though it will probably improve playing ability.  But when I take a lesson, I am paying for teaching skill, not playing skill. 

I don't disagree with the writer.  If a student is missing knowledge or skills in specific areas, and he takes lessons on those areas, then he is better equipped to teach it.

Right now in another forum there was someone who teaches music, who hated music theory as a child and didn't seem to understand it much.  He was looking for a theory book with answer pages, since he is obligated to teach theory.  In this case it would be very good for such a student to study theory with a GOOD teacher, who can also create a link between theory and the practical side of music making.

There is the post by Lostinidlewonder

Maybe it relates to a beginner teacher who is just starting out and developing their tools...

It would definitely relate there.  But we also see people identifying themselves as teachers, who fell into teaching 10 or 20 years and have always had holes in certain areas from their own backgrounds.  The teaching that people receive who eventually become teachers is astonishingly uneven.

[timothy42b]

keypeg,
That's a very good point, and one that I hadn't considered.

A teacher very well might have some gaps in their skill set, and in that case they would benefit greatly from lessons in piano skill, whether it's technique, theory, interpretation, repertoire, etc.

A teacher should probably have a practice schedule of their own to at least maintain their skills, and if they think they are too busy but their students should have plenty of time, then they're setting a bad example. 

My emphasis was on those specific teaching rather than playing skills.  I don't think they are gained by osmosis merely by taking lessons.  You are too focused on learning the playing skill, AND you see only one teaching approach, even if you had time and concentration to pay attention to it.  You learn by trial and error with your own students, but that could be greatly speeded up by taking lessons in how to teach. 

One other thought:  the teachers I've had who were the most enthused and energetic, without burnout even after years, were the ones with an active gig schedule.  That doesn't translate into teaching skills per se, but it helps maintain motivation, I think. 

[lostinidlewonder]

There is the post by Lostinidlewonder It would definitely relate there.  But we also see people identifying themselves as teachers, who fell into teaching 10 or 20 years and have always had holes in certain areas from their own backgrounds.  The teaching that people receive who eventually become teachers is astonishingly uneven.

If you start to define what these "holes" are then you will discover that most of these experienced teachers actually have the capability to fill them in themselves if they even find it necessary in the first place. There would be little use of actually seeking out a teacher who can fill in these gaps. Many professional teachers wouldn't have the time to do it, I surprised about the ones who go to piano pedagogy seminars throughout the year for weeks on end, where do they find the time!?

I find that we teachers discover our niche for teaching usually quite quickly, I rather focus on developing discipline, music therapy, playing and reading skills that is what I enjoy working with the most and although I have less experience in other avenues I don't feel I need to improve upon it because it's not something I am really interested in teaching as the demand for my other skills are quite high. I guess it is the same as a doctor who specialises in certain fields, do they really have to cover every single aspect of medicine?

There is also the saying that "too many cooks spoil the broth" and I think that resonates with teaching as well. There are so many approaches and ideas that if a teacher tries to use everything their methodology becomes less and less "themselves" and perhaps even the end product of teaching to a student can become confusing and overloaded.

[keypeg]

If you start to define what these "holes" are then you will discover that most of these experienced teachers actually have the capability to fill them in themselves if they even find it necessary in the first place. There would be little use of actually seeking out a teacher who can fill in these gaps.

Usually teachers will write from the perspective of their own backgrounds, both in terms of competent teachers they had, and their own competencies.  When I wrote "we see people identifying themselves as teachers" I was being diplomatic, and by "we see" I mean primarily the writings I have seen in forums.  The types of things I've seen don't just fill in, in all cases.  There are people who start teaching before they have learned everything they need to learn, and may stay in that position for some time unless they do something about it.

[lostinidlewonder]

Usually teachers will write from the perspective of their own backgrounds, both in terms of competent teachers they had, and their own competencies.

Don't we all write from our own knowledge base? Copy pasting ideas we know nothing about would seem foolish.

When I wrote "we see people identifying themselves as teachers" I was being diplomatic, and by "we see" I mean primarily the writings I have seen in forums.  

I guess we do see people who "fell into" teaching but can we really guess what they lack? Surely those with 20+ years of teaching would be well aware of what they lack and know if they need to improve on those points over the course of their teaching experience? I'd say a great majority would know what to improve as they teach and gain experience, but would they actually benefit from going to another teacher and learn outside the context of the lessons themselves? I think the lessons themselves over the years act as the best teacher to the teacher. If a teacher was being mentored I'd think whoever if helping them would need to sit in on actual lessons to offer better advice, isolation from this environment would seem too generic.

The types of things I've seen don't just fill in, in all cases. 

Such as?

There are people who start teaching before they have learned everything they need to learn, and may stay in that position for some time unless they do something about it.

They will only stay in a position of ignorance if they "do not know that they do not know" or if they measure that what they do not know or have much experience with is irrelevant to the clients that they deal with. This is why I mentioned niches that teachers tend to exist within in my previous post and that it is fairly unnecessary to think one needs to fit all niches that exist. If there were statistics on this I am sure that most teachers who have years of teaching dealing with many many students actively work on the "holes" in their teaching methodology, unless they are pig headed teachers who ignore all feedback from their students.

[keypeg]

My post was unusually truncated yesterday because I realized partly through that I had run out of time.  I rarely write totally hypothetically.  So:

I guess we do see people who "fell into" teaching but can we really guess what they lack?

I did not start with a guess when I wrote.  A number of things I encountered were on my mind.
- There was a teacher for whom I had a great respect, because after ten or so years of having fallen into teaching, he/she (I'll say "he") realized his own lacks.  This teacher then took lessons as an advanced student with an excellent teacher, and learned new things both in playing technique, and music theory.  "I would not have thought of these things on my own." - which after all is why anyone seeks a teacher.  When you have a new knowledge base or skill base, then your subsequent learning is on your own, building on it.  This teacher was delighted both by the improvement in his own playing, and what he could teach his own students; and also to be able to teach more advanced students.  The point is he did not just set out to get these things on his own, he worked with a teacher who knew things he did not yet know.  This earned my respect.
- When I first joined the forums, there was somebody who taught piano, who complained about how poorly his students played and did not advance - in particular a handful of students being "prepared" for an advanced exam.  With some probing it turned out that this person's idea of practising was to play things over and over from the start until fast enough, and teaching consisted of playing an advanced impressively in order to inspire the students.  This person was over the moon with delight to "discover" from the forum that one breaks pieces into sections, analyzes them, works strategically on advanced material.  Had he not gotten this new information from good teachers in the forum, he would have continued as before, and thinking there was something wrong with most of his students rather than his teaching method (and own method of playing music)  Personally I was shocked to see this kind of thing when I first joined piano forums.
- I was honoured to know a very senior teacher who discovered a specialized teacher for advanced student, who gave him angles of technique that were new to him.  The lessons were $100 or $200 an hour, and he traveled long distances for them.  Although he already played at a high level and taught in a careful, and professional way, he came at angles that were new to him and that he had not gotten to on his own, and he was very happy to be able to add this to the gift of teaching he could offer his students.

These are specific stories that I got directly from teachers, and it is not all of them.  It is not guessing.  On the student side I sometimes explore things privately with other students.  From time to time I see problems that stem from how a thing is (not) taught, and some of these students quote their teachers as talking about the many "untalented" students they have, who all "can't get this" - they do not think that their teaching method may be at fault, because they have concluded that lack of talent or diligence is the cause.  In one case I gave a student an approach which she then applied, and this same teacher was then pleasantly shocked at how well she suddenly played.  My conjecture had been that teaching approach was the problem, and the results seemed to bear this out.

This should answer the next comment:

I'd say a great majority would know what to improve as they teach and gain experience, but would they actually benefit from going to another teacher and learn outside the context of the lessons themselves? I think the lessons themselves over the years act as the best teacher to the teacher. 

Maybe there is a critical point where you have enough knowledge and skills to be able to connect the dots and improve your weak areas yourself.  But in the above cases, these teachers, two of whom I respected highly, decided that studying with an advanced or master teacher would give them things that they could not get at themselves.  For the teacher who had a whole segment of students who always had trouble with certain things she taught, she simply blamed student talent, and so did not grow even in decades.  If you plant cabbages, expect more cabbages.

If a teacher was being mentored I'd think whoever if helping them would need to sit in on actual lessons to offer better advice, isolation from this environment would seem too generic. 

Depending on what is going on and what is being sought, this is a good idea.
I have one caution, however.  Two teachers may have opposing approaches which only the march of time can prove out.  If a teacher with one approach sees a few isolated lessons in only one or two weeks, given by a teacher with an opposing approach, he will be seeing this through the lens of his own practice, and may come to very wrong conclusions.

If there were statistics on this I am sure that most teachers who have years of teaching dealing with many many students actively work on the "holes" in their teaching methodology, unless they are pig headed teachers who ignore all feedback from their students.

The pig headed and prideful are probably in there.  As to feedback from students: how many teachers create an environment where a student would dare give any?  Even where a teacher is not intimidating, there is a deference many hold toward teachers.

There is also the saying that "too make cooks spoil the broth" and I think that resonates with teaching as well. There are so many approaches and ideas that if a teacher tries to use everything their methodology becomes less and less "themselves" and perhaps even the end product of teaching to a student can become confusing and overloaded.

This I AGREE with wholeheartedly.

[lostinidlewonder]

I did not start with a guess when I wrote.  

Yes well sure you can explain your own experiences but its not ubiquitous the initial post is trying to say many teachers should never stop learning AND get lessons so my response was more on that general situation regarding teachers as a whole. We can certainly say pretty much all students trying to learn piano benefit from studying with a teacher but can we say the same about teachers regarding their teaching methodology? That is what I am saying, can we really make these guesses as to what all teachers need improve unless they pinpoint what they lack and need improvement themselves? Saying "teachers should never stop learning and thus seek other teachers to train them constantly" in my mind is silliness especially for experienced teachers since they should already know what they need to improve and actively work to improve it themselves since teaching is their profession.

There was a teacher for whom I had a great respect, because after ten or so years of having fallen into teaching, he/she (I'll say "he") realized his own lacks.  This teacher then took lessons as an advanced student with an excellent teacher, and learned new things both in playing technique, and music theory.  "I would not have thought of these things on my own." - which after all is why anyone seeks a teacher.  When you have a new knowledge base or skill base, then your subsequent learning is on your own, building on it.  This teacher was delighted both by the improvement in his own playing, and what he could teach his own students; and also to be able to teach more advanced students.  The point is he did not just set out to get these things on his own, he worked with a teacher who knew things he did not yet know.  This earned my respect.

Well I am not denying that a teacher who feels they lack knowledge can seek answers to things that they feel they are missing. Of course they must know what they are missing otherwise how can they learn? There is no teacher guru who can tell you what you need to improve upon without you telling them what you need to improve upon as a teacher. Sure they could possibly approach teaching you with a scattergun approach and get feedback to test your knowledge and go from there, that would especially be important for solving issues where you "dont know you dont know" but I would say most professional teachers with experience will know what they lack I just have that confidence in most of them, afterall teaching is their occupation and something they think about a lot, I can't see how they can avoid knowing what they must improve.

Most teachers I feel have the capability to seek the knowledge themselves and improve themselves, that is not to say that some might go seek other teachers to help them out if they don't feel confident enough in their researching skills. However with the internet we have access to a vast amount of knowledge that fill in so many gaps in a teachers knowledge, this information age we live in today helps a great deal.

- When I first joined the forums, there was somebody who taught piano, who complained about how poorly his students played and did not advance - in particular a handful of students being "prepared" for an advanced exam.  With some probing it turned out that this person's idea of practising was to play things over and over from the start until fast enough, and teaching consisted of playing an advanced impressively in order to inspire the students.  This person was over the moon with delight to "discover" from the forum that one breaks pieces into sections, analyzes them, works strategically on advanced material.  Had he not gotten this new information from good teachers in the forum, he would have continued as before, and thinking there was something wrong with most of his students rather than his teaching method (and own method of playing music)  Personally I was shocked to see this kind of thing when I first joined piano forums.

This seems like a beginner teachers problem, if this is something that perplexes a seasoned teacher I would be worried. In my previous response I did mention that beginner teachers probably would benefit from some mentoring from more experienced teachers this is especially important if they feel they cannot learn enough themselves from teaching their own students. Most new teachers will experiment with different ideas and approaches and see how it works with their students, they will assess feedback they back from their clients and thus make appropriate changes over time. This process is continual throughout ones teaching career although the changes become less and less over the years. Again one reason why I feel that teachers don't necessarily need to find another teacher to guide them since they should be able to learn a lot from their students over time and create a teaching style that comes from them and is not merely parroted.
 

I was honoured to know a very senior teacher who discovered a specialized teacher for advanced student, who gave him angles of technique that were new to him.  The lessons were $100 or $200 an hour, and he traveled long distances for them.  Although he already played at a high level and taught in a careful, and professional way, he came at angles that were new to him and that he had not gotten to on his own, and he was very happy to be able to add this to the gift of teaching he could offer his students.

It's all a mystery what exactly he was taught though, if we are revealed exactly what it was I'm sure I could show teachers resources where they could self learn it all themselves.

These are specific stories that I got directly from teachers, and it is not all of them.  It is not guessing.  

It's good to have personal knowledge but the sample space is not vast enough to say that all teachers should seek other "greater" teachers for mentoring as the opening thread implied.

On the student side I sometimes explore things privately with other students.  From time to time I see problems that stem from how a thing is (not) taught, and some of these students quote their teachers as talking about the many "untalented" students they have, who all "can't get this" - they do not think that their teaching method may be at fault, because they have concluded that lack of talent or diligence is the cause.  

Such as? What do you discover? This would be a good time to break from generalized comments and give example. Though it may only highlight lacking skill in their teacher and we can only guess how that teacher functions. It is still not enough evidence really to say all teachers need mentoring as the opening post encourages.

Maybe there is a critical point where you have enough knowledge and skills to be able to connect the dots and improve your weak areas yourself.  But in the above cases, these teachers, two of whom I respected highly, decided that studying with an advanced or master teacher would give them things that they could not get at themselves.  

A teacher should know how to teach themselves, how can they be helpless and not able to research a topic (teaching piano) that should be well connected with? They certainly have ample experimental subjects to work with and test ideas with. That to me is confusing and only would apply to dim witted teachers who have no capability to research and study themselves, sure they exist but I'd hope not too many of them are around. Again beginner teachers might lack confidence in taking steps to improve their basic skills and thus having a mentor might be a good idea to act as a catalyst to their teaching development though NOTHING replaces experience in the field (actually teaching students and using their students feedback to adjust teaching approach, a fundamental skill as a teacher). I wonder what are these "things" the teachers you mention that they couldn't get themselves though?

For the teacher who had a whole segment of students who always had trouble with certain things she taught, she simply blamed student talent, and so did not grow even in decades.

That's just pig headed, I'd be surprised if a teacher like this would even think they need to improve! Thank goodness this is not a trait of most teachers.

Two teachers may have opposing approaches which only the march of time can prove out.  

I feel can be quickly solved through the feedback from a student. I've had some students who had teachers before me state my approach is very different but "better". Not that I really care that they think I teach better than their previous teacher who was obviously teaching much different to me, I am more interested in the changes I can do in my students not how different I am from other teachers. I feel tired if a student tries to explain how bad their other teacher was, it doesn't help me nor is a good source for inspiration as a teacher (quite the opposite as there must be some terrible teachers out there!)

As to feedback from students: how many teachers create an environment where a student would dare give any?  

Feedback is not like a product review, feedback is more for like if you as a teacher know what effect your teaching has had on your particular student. You can get feedback from non verbal answers and simply how they have progressed with the work you have set them. Of course you can provoke feedback with many types of questioning.

Here is something I posted a while back regarding questioning students: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=45439.0


And here about teachers giving students feedback:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=45438.0

[keypeg]

LiW, I don't have time to give justice to your thoughtful response, and hope to do so later.  For now, food for thought: Good teachers know their own teaching, and can't imagine what is out there.

That is what I am saying, can we really make these guesses as to what all teachers need improve unless they pinpoint what they lack and need improvement themselves.

I think what we're looking at is a poorly written article.  Almost every article that has been submitted has been poorly written.  Probably it was not well thought through.  The school would benefit from a professional writer and editor to advise them.  I'm thinking that the writer did not literally mean "every" teacher, but just came across that way.  I would agree with you that a seasoned and competent teacher would probably grow in a different manner than taking ever more lessons.

[dogperson]

LiW, I don't have time to give justice to your thoughtful response, and hope to do so later.  For now, food for thought: Good teachers know their own teaching, and can't imagine what is out there.
I think what we're looking at is a poorly written article.  Almost every article that has been submitted has been poorly written.  Probably it was not well thought through.  The school would benefit from a professional writer and editor to advise them.  I'm thinking that the writer did not literally mean "every" teacher, but just came across that way.  I would agree with you that a seasoned and competent teacher would probably grow in a different manner than taking ever more lessons.

In my opinion, the consistent problem with these articles is that there is a lack of depth.    No professional writer will be able to correct content that is not included In an outline or first draft. The whole point of these articles is not to stimulate discussion but to advertise.   From my perspective, they do not reflect well on the school but if you were a parent without a musical background, you would probably be thinking ' Great, teachers at this school continue to take lessons'.   That is the intent and we should not try to make it more than what it is.

[keypeg]

No professional writer will be able to correct content that is not included In an outline or first draft. The whole point of these articles is not to stimulate discussion but to advertise.   From my perspective, they do not reflect well on the school but if you were a parent without a musical background, you would probably be thinking ' Great, teachers at this school continue to take lessons'. 

I was thinking more of another article that was posted in some other section about a month ago, where the OP designated it as "well written".  There were serious errors in grammar and syntax so as to make that article almost unreadable.  I work primarily as a translator these days,but occasionally am asked to revise a piece of writing for a client.  in all cases I always ensure that the working reflects well on the client.  There are professionals who work more closely in this area.

If it is to advertise, all the more so.  I was once a parent without any formal background, and I would have given this place a wide berth because of the articles.  Some are obtuse, using big words and presenting simple things in complicated ways, and so on.

[wkmt]

We are very happy to see this very important topic of concern being taken care of as it has been done on this forum.


My apologies for our late reply. It is very hard for us to stay in front of all our digital interactions. We appreciate your anxiety and we will always endeavour to deliver.


It is hard to see how we can continue learning and experiencing the sense of perspective gained when we attended lessons. I definitely agree with one contributor above on that respect.

Nevertheless, it has recently happened to me that I was deeply enlightened by a great maestro's advise.

At WKMT we are assessing the possibility of bringing Edda Maria Sangrigoli to teach at the studio. To teach whom? Our teachers! Why? Not because they are inexperienced, but because they are so experienced that they can appreciate the advice and be enriched by a superlative maestro like Edda.

She studied with the Maestro Scaramuzza himself, in the times of Martha Argerich!

Coming back to the topic...
I had the chance to talk to her on the phone when we needed to discuss travelling arrangements etc...

She couldn't stop being inspiring. We talked about what studying music meant for the Maestro S. and how deeply humanistic hi approach was. We talked about how to apprehend the musical message and she explained to me how Scaramuzza was always trying to make a point on the role of "personal involvement".

It is true: as experienced teachers and performers, we are not attracted to the ascetic study of music. But the wonderful side of our status is that we are just ready to start exploring the deep implications of music as a philosophy...

[lostinidlewonder]

My apologies for our late reply. It is very hard for us to stay in front of all our digital interactions. We appreciate your anxiety and we will always endeavour to deliver.

There is zero excuse not being able keep up with your digital interactions, you have plenty of time to spam your multiple posts and new topics. Perhaps if you finished responding to one post appropriately it wouldn't be so hard, but instead you CHOOSE to act as a spammer of your webpage with flippant interactions with us here.

I have no apologies when I say I am unexcited by your reply since as normal you have not address our responses. I wonders if anyone on here actually thinks your business is worthwhile since on pianostreet you lack communation skills with us, this reflects poorly on how you would possibly deal with listening to clients!

 Of course one can understand why you don't respond to our comments since it actually requires some kind of critical thinking, talking past people is much easier! I wonder why no teachers from your business respond either, possibly afraid to be picked apart, blogging in isolation on private webpage is much safer.

[keypeg]

WKMT --- Here is my sincere suggestion.

It is that both you, and any teacher whose articles you intend to post here, take the time to read and study what has been written by others in this forum.  There are very knowledgeable and experienced people who have been writing for over a decade.  Every post published by you is empty of that knowledge, and coming from a rather tiny enclosed space. 
You are willing to learn from the person who will be visiting you, and you seem to be impressed by titles.  There are people who have not gone after titles whose knowledge and experience deserves the same respect.  Others who post here may actually have such titles but post incognito.
It is a matter both of respect, and of the learning that you have just written about.  The Internet is a very rich resource.  It is not just a place to post your own ideas, because that is one-sided.

[timothy42b]

At WKMT we are assessing the possibility of bringing Edda Maria Sangrigoli to teach at the studio. To teach whom? Our teachers! Why? Not because they are inexperienced, but because they are so experienced that they can appreciate the advice and be enriched by a superlative maestro like Edda.

She studied with the Maestro Scaramuzza himself, in the times of Martha Argerich!

You've made it clear in this post that she will teach your teachers how to play better.

That's not what they need.  They need to teach better.

Did you read any of the comments? 

[dogperson]

You've made it clear in this post that she will teach your teachers how to play better.

That's not what they need.  They need to teach better.

Did you read any of the comments? 

Unless I miss read his post, she is not going to teach the teachers how to play better,  but to explore music as a philosophy   Which seems to get further away from the need of improving pedagogical skills 

[keypeg]

The first thing I did was look up Scaramuzza.  It appears he also taught pedagogy, and in particular, physical technique.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Scaramuzza

From that moment on he dedicated himself exclusively to teaching, perfecting his extraordinary innovative method for piano teaching. This method, based on an accurate study of the anatomy of the pianist, allows a complete relaxation of the muscles and tendons of the hands and the arms even when the pianist performs the most difficult pieces of music. As a consequence, the sound is always smooth and round, never metallic, not even in the fortissimo, and the performer is never troubled by any muscular stiffening.

Hence, Scaramuzza devoted himself only to teaching from 1923 onwards....

The person being invited is not Scaramuzza, but had been his student.  If she can pass on what she learned, perhaps it could be valuable to the teachers.  I can't see it harming in any case.