Selecting a Music Teacher
1. Make a decision about the type of piano teacher you would like for yourself or your children. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Is cost the motivating factor in locating the right piano teacher?
- Are you searching for a professional piano teacher or flute teacher who focus on classical music or a neighborhood teacher who only teaches from method books and offers no recitals or performance venues.
- Are you willing to invest in a quality instrument? It is important that a beginning piano student train the fingers properly by pushing down weighted keys. There needs to be some type of resistance and this can not be accomplished by simply purchasing a keyboard that is not touch-sensitive, has less than 88 keys and offers no resistance when pushing down keys.
- Do you have a specifc goal in mind? Are you looking to improve technique and overall facility of the keyboard? Do you want to improve your sight-reading? Are you looking to be challenged? Are you interested in participating in recitals and/or festivals?
- Are you looking for a teacher who travels to your home?
- Are you interested in a teacher who focuses on the Russian school of piano playing? (I use music books by Peskanov and The Russian School of Piano Playing.)
- Are you interested in learning scales, proper technique, a wide range of repertoire and music theory?
2. Find out if the music teacher has a degree in music and a degree in the specific instrument they are teaching.
A BA or BM in music signifies that an individual has passed a number of competencies in music. A BA degree does not mean that a person has taken fewer courses in music and is therefore less qualified than someone who has a BM degree. A BA degree is a liberal arts degree which means that you must take additional coursework outside your major discipline area. I graduated with a BA in Flute Performance from UCLA and the music courses were particularly stringent. Music majors were required to score read Beethoven, Barber and Strauss symphonic works on the piano and pass two years of music history and music theory. I also had to pass two performance juries in front of the woodwind faculty and present two 50-minute recitals.
Someone with a Master's degree in music has attained an even higher level of competency. A Master's student must have even stronger skills in all the areas listed above and give a one hour solo recital in front of a panel of faculty in their specific instrument area. A Master's thesis or a lecture-recital is also required which typically highlights the pedagogical aspects of a particular composer's music.
A university's music department or conservatory requires that a music student be proficient in music theory, have strong aural skills (can recognize intervals and sing a simple melody on sight), understand the relationship between key signatures and chords and can perform a harmonic analysis on any given piece of music. Music majors who are not piano majors are also required to have a minimum level of proficiency on the piano. Music majors are also required to be professionally competent on their main instrument. At least two graded solo recitals must be given through the course of their undergraduate career. Piano majors are required to give two recitals of memorized solo music through the course of their undergraduate career. Music majors must also be competent in music history which means that they can provide an interpretive analysis on the historical perspectives of music. These competencies can not merely be obtained from just taking private lessons.
3. Find out when the teacher is giving a studio recital and attend.
Listening to the teacher's students will give you a good indication of the level and quality of teaching.
4. Find out if the teacher will offer a trial lesson.
Typically, there will be a charge for this because the teacher is offering his or her time and teaching expertise. This allows you the opportunity to see if the teacher will be a good fit for yourself and/or your children. Many teachers offer a free consultation/interview. This is not the same as a trial lesson.
5. Ask the teacher if he or she offers studio recitals and performance opportunities at music festivals in Northern Virginia.
A studio recital gives the music student an incentive to practice. A recital also allows a music student to present his talent and hard work in front of a welcoming audience of family and friends. It gives the student an opportunity to work towards a final goal. The student learns and memorizes a number of performance pieces and then presents the final product in a recital. Recitals are a wonderful motivational tool to keep the student excited about practicing and learning a musical instrument.
6. Ask the teacher if he or she is a member of a professional music organization.
Most professional independent music teachers are members of professional music organizations. These organizations present monthly workshops and master classes to help strengthen their teaching abilities. Additionally, these organizations provide scholarships, competitions and a host of other recitals and festivals for music students. Music teachers are required to pay membership dues which cover the cost of workshops, recitals, competitions and scholarships. A teacher who is offering piano lessons for $20 an hour probably doesn't offer recitals or incentive programs. Memberships in professional music organizations can be quite costly. Most likely, this type of teacher is teaching as a hobby or for side income and is not going to provide you or your child with quality piano lessons.
