Many piano questions

binx
Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:55:50 +0000

I’ll tackle your third question, since I’m a piano teacher, and I’ve been down this road a few times with my own kids.

First, my gut says it’s time to change. Six years is a long time. I encourage my students to start looking after about 3 years. I’m on the short end - some teachers never encourage their kids to switch.

Your S is showing some specific deficits. Teachers can get complacent - or perhaps your teacher has tried everything he knows to do - or perhaps he has already made your kid much better than what he started with. A new teaching approach, a new set of ears, a different strength - they all can help.

If your S has always played in “festivals” and suddenly played in an “audition” - they are contests put on by different groups. Festivals are supposed to be positive in nature - you seldom see any real critical comments. Auditions are much more brutal. And yes, some things, like pedaling, are subjective. Some things - like rhythm, are not.

How to switch teachers? Well, first, most music associations will not allow you to “hire” a new teacher without “firing” the old teacher - they have strict clauses that forbid their teachers to try to pull students from other studios. So the teachers won’t even talk to you while you’re with another teacher.

It’s better to involve your teacher. Let him/her know that “word on the street” suggests changing teachers periodically, and you’re thinking that time has come. Tell him/her that you would love his input and suggestions - either for specific teachers, or teachers that teach in a specific way. Let him know that you appreciate what he has done for your son - how he has helped foster your S’s love of piano, and that you are hoping for another teacher that can take him to new heights.

I won’t kid you - it’s not easy, for the parent, student, or teacher. But you have time to begin the process slowly. You might even start by asking the teacher if he thinks your S should consider switching. Let him know what you appreciate about him, but what you think might be the benefits of a new direction. It will be less painful if it isn’t sprung on him suddenly and negatively.

Or, if your approach tends to be more direct, just let the teacher know that you want S to have every possibly advantage to push the music as far as he can, and to that end, you’d like to switch him to a different level (or type) of teacher. If you know a specific type of teacher you want, that he is not, use that. You want a teacher stronger in theory - or you want a teacher who participates in a different festival - or you want a teacher who can also help with composition, or jazz, or whatever.

And, if you’re a real wimp, send your kid to summer camp, cancel lessons and tell the teacher you’re taking a break for awhile. Later you can start back up with a different teacher.