Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Teacher stealing my student - UPDATE

I don't see what that this to do with the argument at hand; It seems that what you are implying is that a lot of parents don't necessarily care about the quality or credentials of a teacher, but only about if the teacher is popular and can agree to fulfill short-term goals. (I've seen this before and agree it's unfortunate.) But wouldn't somebody who took the time and effort to interview five prospective teachers not fit in this category?

I don't have the answer for that. Fire all the inept teachers? Get MTNA or MTAC to screen their teachers more carefully?

I got two transfer students from a reputable local teacher. These kids nearly failed their last CM test (theory). With me, their theory scores both went up above 95% (Level 3 and Level 7). Now I'm tutoring theory for kids from other studios.

This is precisely the reason I seriously doubt most parents and beginners know how to pick piano teachers. They can interview all the teachers they want, like I said before, but they are still relying on the intangibles.

I think I'm quite intuitive, yet I freely admit sometimes it takes me months to figure out a student and/or for certain problems to surface. It strikes me as extremely counterintuitive that some parents or beginners can "figure out" a teacher after one lesson.

Yes, what you say makes a lot of sense.. Certainly from a teacher's perspective one lesson is a snapshot, at best.

I almost thought what music32 expressed was the general attitude of teachers. I'm glad it is not.

If that other teacher is "reputable", he/she is reputable for a reason. You bad mouthing your students' former teachers only speaks about you. The purpose behind the interview is not to figure out everything about the teacher but to make a determination if it is going to be easy to work with you. From what you say here about how the other "reputable" teacher couldn't achieve what you did, I'd be inclined to say that you would probably fail quite a few interviews and if that is true, I certainly understand why you take exception to students interviewing teachers. I certainly wouldn't work with a teacher who tells me (or gives me the vibes) that everything that my previous teachers did was wrong. Sorry to be harsh, just stating what I think are valid observations. You can take all the months you want to figure out a student but when the student is paying you by the hour, they have every right to make sure they do the best they can to make the best decision they can about the teacher that they choose to work with. It is not your job to determine whether or not they are capable of making that decision. The fact remains that if you think you have the right to accept/reject students, they have equal rights as you do in that they should be able to accept/reject you as their teacher.

Wow, now who has an ego problem??

Please re-think what you wrote and we'll talk when you can write without resorting to name-calling.

Who has an ego problem? The answer is quite simple. Where is the name calling? I don't see any unless it is something you introduced into the equation to avoid answer the question posed to you. Why do you think you have the right to accept/reject a student but that the student does not have equal rights as you?

Btw it is funny to me that university professors who "interviewed" me made it clear that it was as much an interview for them as it was for me and that I had to tell them if I thought we would be a good match and that I shouldn't feel compelled to study with them if I didn't like the demo lesson. These are teachers of the highest quality and greatest humility. It would do the rest of us a whole world of good if we could adopt the same kind of humility about ourselves. What this thread is about (or rather, what it was turned into with music32's blog post and the flurry of posts that followed) makes no sense to me.

Okay, I gave you a way out and you didn't take it. I don't think you and I will be able to carry on a civil discussion.

Let's leave it at that and move on. We'll agree to disagree.

Absolutely. Thanks for being magnanimous enough to offer me "a way out". Something reeks of ego here..can't place my finger on it.

The student I referred to was in her 40s, had never taken lessons, and had planned to interview lots of teachers.

So what age and musical experience are required (by you) for you to graciously accept when somebody tells you that they're also looking at a couple of other options before they make a final decision just as you were free to make a decision whether or not to accept them? I'm REALLY curious.

Frankly, if I saw credentials like "schoolmate of Murray Perahia" (and other very impressive degrees) and saw the teacher predominantly post (their performances of) early-intermediate pieces like "fur elise" and "Bach prelude in C" on their blog (multiple performances, in fact, of the same easy pieces), I would very much want to interview them first before I decide if I want to take lessons with them because I would want to know why the discrepancy between credentials and level of playing (its perfectly acceptable though because many teachers no longer get the time to practice, etc but I'd still want to make sure by interviewing them in person). Now do you mean to say that its alright for me to do that because I've been playing for 20 years and its not alright for a 40 year old beginner to do that just because they are 40 years old and haven't taken a lesson? Please explain the logic behind this.

Sometimes this piano teachers's forum is simply disgusting. Pathetic.

171 freakin' posts with half the people flaming the other half. OK, an exaggeration, because there are thoughtful, reasonable posts in between the flaming. But as always THEY get ignored.

To you teachers who are going on and on about how unfair other teachers are:

GET OVER IT.

Students have every right to choose from as many teachers as they wish, using any manner they like. Students have the right to change teachers. If they make unwise decisions, that's life.

Teachers have the right to choose which students they will work with, and how long they want to continue working with students.

And if teachers spent as much time learning to be better teachers as they do whining about how students are not good enough students, everyone would benefit.

thank you.. I think that sums it up...

Let whomever wants to consult other teachers do so.. and let the teachers make decisions that work for them.

This thread had served its useful purpose a long time ago. Its resurrection seems less than useless.

**Music32, often people will write thinking about a particular experience, but it comes across as a generalization. Members will then think that they are reading an overall opinion on how things are. It may have happened in this instant. I imagine that you got a call from someone who sent out vibes that made you cautious because of how (not just what) things were presented, maybe tone of voice or who knows what. What came across in the forum or at least how I read it is that you were against students interviewing more than one teacher before choosing how they would like to work with. Your particular experience turns into a generalization, see?

This part concerned me, because people check these sections to get an idea of how to do things. This includes prospective parents or students who have never taken lessons and want to learn more. The advice out there often includes visiting more than one teacher. Therefore to read that it is unacceptable would be confusing. This is why I was addressing it.

**AZN, for me the answer is for parents or older students to learn something about learning an instrument, and have a better understanding of their own goals, before visiting a teacher for a trial lesson/interview. Otherwise you go in there, get the impressions, but don't know what to do with them. You have to be sufficiently informed yet open minded.

Unfortunately there is also a lot of nonsense out there in terms of advice, and attempts to woo customers that also misinform through false priorities. I don't know what teachers can do to turn around this side of it. My favorite site for information is this one (below) because it is comprehensive, and it also outlines the difference between lessons for teaching a process, and lessons for receiving a product.

the site in question

Well, thank you for making that decision for all of us.

Up to this moment I found the teacher vs. student information and individual concerns voiced on this thread quite interesting. Now that I know that these matters are less than useless I won't bother with personal needs and will select my teacher by picking a number out of a hat. A one-size-fits-all hat.

You're most welcome!

And thank YOU for taking umbrage and giving it such voice. I hope you feel better.

I'll just reiterate my agreement with Gary D.

Perhaps you would care to flame him next.

I welcome the flames. Bring it on!!!