Finding a Piano Instructor
When most people think of locating a piano teacher, they either call a music store for names of teachers or look in the phone directory under ‘music instruction’. That’s a head start, but there are a couple of other ways to find a teacher. Does your child have a friend or classmate who is taking lessons? A good idea is to get the phone number of the teacher from them and give the teacher a call for a quick interview, then possibly a meeting to talk.
Another way is to go to one of many websites built for music teachers, including piano, and you will find the biographies, backgrounds, and philosophies of each teacher listed on the website. Last, you can call a music teacher association or organization that will have qualified, screened and educated piano teachers that are members in good standing. This may be the best way to go. You can contact the teacher by phone or by email if you want to discuss things further about the possibility of lessons.
Let’s say that you made the decision to choose a teacher. Have a list of questions ready including their educational and professional background. Ask them what their specialty is and their teaching philosophy, as well as years of experience teaching. Does the teacher have patience for young children or adults, if you want to learn yourself? Believe it or not, some piano instructors prefer to teach students of certain ages because the learning process is fast. And lastly, if recitals or performing is important to you, ask them if there are recitals for children to perform.
One of the most important things you must know is the instructor’s scheduling availability. Decide what are the best days and times for your child and yourself and tell the teachers which days you prefer. Many times the good teachers are booked up for the school year if you decide to sign up in the middle of the school year. The best time to sign up for September, for example, is to get on a teacher’s waiting list a few months before, such as March or April. You will have a better chance to get the time slot you want if get on the waiting list for the summer or next school year beginning in September. Times slots open up in June or in the summer when the teacher’s students either graduate from high school and move away to college, some quit, or some move out of town. And once you mutually agree on a time, don’t expect the teacher to keep moving the time around to suit your schedule. Stick to the original time slot.
Ask the teacher what the rates are, and don’t negotiate! A professional and experienced music teacher finds it shocking sometimes that someone will try to negotiate a lower fee. If you can’t afford it now, wait until later until you can. Most teachers expect to be paid the first week of lessons for the month. :Last, just because a teacher has two grand pianos does not necessarily make them better than a teacher with a spinet piano. Go by what you hear from the teacher, the students of the teacher, and try a few lessons first to see if you (as an adult student) or your child is flourishing.
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