It took many many sample lessons before my son could ascertain who were the best teachers. Perhaps he was overwhelmed, but only comparing one or two teachers didn’t help him much. It was only when he was at auditions and did 6 lessons in 10 days did he get the aha moment of oh, so this is what a good teacher is. It was pretty cool to hear his enthusiasm. I also advocate doing small regional camps at the schools you are interested in because 1. They are cheaper. 2. You still can get a good experience because many of their students will be going to their camp. 3. You get to feel what it would be like to be a music student there. And did I say cheaper?lol. For those that do not qualify for any financial help, coming up with 4 to 6k for music camps is challenging so we had to get creative.