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Insiders' Guide To Piano Resources In
Colorado |
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The Sage Page -
How To Choose a Private Teacher |
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Greg Sage is an excellent and
experienced brass player residing in
the Boulder Vicinity. He studied at
the Berkeley School of Music, and
performed professionally with many
leading bands across the country.
Greg has also taught here in
Colorado. Much of the information in
this article is applicable to any
musical instrument.
Do you want to hear more of what
Greg Sage has to say? See
Setting up your own program of daily
practice. |
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Choosing a Private
Teacher
Your choice of an instrumental
teacher could affect the rest of
your life as a musician. It could
mean the beginning of intense self
examination, satisfaction and
personal musical success, or it may
become a frustrating waste of time
and money. The search for a quality
instructor must be done carefully.
There are musicians with some
musical ability that attempt to
teach, and many that will teach
instruments they don't play. These
types of instructors profit from the
minimally devoted students who seek
an appreciation of the
instrument but don't possess the
desire and drive to become fine
instrumentalists. If you truly hope
to study seriously, you must choose
your teacher wisely. There is no
truth to the belief that a novice
can be taught by anyone, while the
~advanced player is going to require
an advanced. teacher. From the
beginning of a student's instruction
the assigned
exercises must be carefully chosen,
but the teacher's job only starts
there. A student must be shown why
their instrument is enjoyable and
worth the effort necessary to
improve. A poor player/teacher that
instructs beginners may not
effectively encourage those students
who may be unsure of their decision
to play. The first part of your
search can begin with the local
yellow pages, collecting a list of
teachers names from music stores or
studios that provide lessons. Also
pursue any references from friends
or local performers who may provide
informed, unbiased opinions. Once
this list is complete, there are
many ways to evaluate whether a
teacher will be worth your time,
effort and money.
The first step is to talk to the
teachers. Don't base your opinions
on conversations with the music
store owners or others that may gain
from your business. Initially, find
out these things:
1. Does the teacher play the
instrument you want to learn? Many
beginners start off their music
careers with a local band director
that attempts to teach all the
instruments. Even in private
studios, many trumpet teachers may
also carry trombone, baritone and
tuba students, and sax players may
also teach clarinet and flute.
There's nothing wrong with that for
the student in a school lesson
program with no other options, but
if you're going to pay to study
privately, seek out someone that
plays your instrument. Some
students, such as those studying the
double reeds, baritone, tuba or
clarinets other than Bb may not be
able to locate a teacher that plays
that instrument primarily. In these
cases it's best to find someone that
has been referred by'an experienced
player from a nearby college or
community band/orchestra.
2. Is the teacher currently playing?
Think carefully about someone that
is teaching simply to stay involved
with music, but has given up on
playing the instrument themselves.
Learning to play can be difficult;
many demands are placed on your time
and possible desires to do other
things. The ability to work out
problems and spend long hours
striving toward your potential has
to be developed gradually over time.
Why study with someone that hasn't
solved some of these basic issues
for themselves? You need a teacher
that can relate through similar
experience how to find the patience
and organization necessary to reach
your goals. Why study from someone
that has given up on their own
musical excellence just to make a
few dollars teaching?
3. Ask the teacher if he routinely
plays during the lessons. When
learning to play any instrument,
there are many things that must be
demonstrated. A teacher's
willingness to illustrate something
by doing is a big advantage-not only
because minor problems can be solved
through imitation, but regularly
listening to a good teacher's
playing demonstrates the result of
practicing correctly. There are
things today I still work on that I
wonder whether I'll ever be able to
do as well as one of my previous
instructors in L.A. The importance
of hard work was so impressed on me
by his consistent, confident
technique
that the memories of his sound still
encourages me to improve on my own
tone and control.
4. Is he still working hard each day
to achieve higher goals? Does he
perform locally? Is he critical of
his own playing and still practicing
regularly? I've learned from
attending various colleges and music
programs that all the titles,
degrees, accolades, and boasts mean
little if the person can't play. And
an impressive collection of academic
achievements doesn't necessarily
indicate that someone is a fine
player. Often I have found that
those who don't currently play never
played well, and those that were
ever good players still are to the
extent that their age allows. Stick
to what makes sense and think in the
long term. For the first six months,
the instruction may seem adequate,
but when a year or more passes,
could the overall improvement in
your ability have been better with a
more experienced player? It should
be mentioned that not all good
players are good teachers. Far from
it. But those who were taught well
often work to put what they've
learned back into new students that
study with them. Occasionally well
known performers will teach simply
because they know that students will
come, and then they charge what they
think their time is worth. Better
teachers can be expensive, but the
best teachers are in it to produce
good students. They charge rates
affordable for the young struggling
musician spending a fair portion of
his day practicing. You may choose
to pay a lot to spend an hour with
someone you admire-some performers
will charge $100 an hour, but it
won't compare to four $25 lessons
from a competent, experienced
player/instructor that is there for
you when you need him. Playing an
instrument is hard work and
commitment, sensible advice and
guidance. There's nothing mystical
or magical about playing that can be
discovered in a few high priced
lessons.
5. Visit the teacher to see the
studio or teaching area. Is it
messy, with piles of music and paper
around? Or is it fairly organized,
with two chairs facing a music stand
and possibly a stereo nearby for
listening to recordings? Are the
student and teacher separated by a
distance with no sign of the
teacher's instrument in sight? Is it
noisy, or otherwise inappropriate
for learning? Is there enough room
to move around? (I've seen "studios"
in some music stores smaller than
closets!) Learning to play an
instrument requires an organized
approach as part of a structured
program and many private teachers
get away with much less. If you are
serious about learning an
instrument, make an effort to find
the best teacher, working in a
proper environment. Any teacher
knows that works; everything you
see in the teaching area is a direct
reflection of the quality of
instruction you'll receive.
Playing can quickly become one of
the most personal and fulfilling
activities you will ever do, and
much of your success may come from
your experiences as a student. The
correct instructor for you may take
effort to locate and could possibly
mean an hour's drive as opposed to a
ten minute walk up the street. I
knew a student that hitchhiked over
100 miles twice a month to Los
Angeles just to study with a first
choice teacher. If transportation is
difficult, lessons can be every
other week provided that the
responsibility to practice everyday
is met.
After your choice of teacher is
made, don't miss any lessons.
Previous engagements can be
scheduled around, and feeling a bit
under the weather happens to all of
us. If you are seriously ill, then
make up the lesson as soon after as
possible. Demonstrating your desire
to learn will get you the best
instruction; teachers are pleased to
accommodate the students that want
all they can offer. Most colleges
have a music faculty with students
that are often eager to take on a
private student with a genuine
desire to play. The quality will be
wide, and don't assume that a senior
faculty or even the department
chairman will necessarily be a good
private lesson instructor. Hold
everyone you evaluate to the same
standards. "Inborn talent" has
nothing to do with any of this. If
you want to play, you're entitled to
the best instruction you can find.
Just as you should demand nothing
but the finest you can produce from
your instrument, demand only the
finest instruction you can locate.
Whoever you choose, however, can
only do so much. No teacher can make
anyone a player, or force anyone to
practice and be a success on their
instrument. A teacher can only
assist your desire and ambition to
improve. After hearing your teacher
perform and provide positive
feedback on your progress, you
should leave lesson looking forward
to working on next week's material.
The teacher should understand that
the lesson is your hour, your "time
in the spotlight". He should inspire
and motivate you, and lesson should
be something that you look forward
to.
I realize this may sound
revolutionary. Many teachers conduct
their lessons in ways that have made
lessons the least enjoyable part of
playing an instrument. But by
changing a few things, lesson can
become a thoroughly positive
experience for both the teacher and
the student, with far more getting
accomplished. First, an experienced
teacher and diagnostician shouldn't
need to require a student to play
through the previous week's lesson
to gauge progress. A student's
improvement and current problems can
be determined wholly from
sightreading the upcoming week's
assignment. Solo literature, of
course, must be worked with and
closely analyzed over many sessions,
and the student can spend however
long he likes discussing a difficult
passage that hasn't been mastered.
There is simply no need to spend
50-75% of a lesson searching for
criticism of the student's
performance of the previous week's
material. Many major problems are
solved when the emphasis is moved
from last week's mistakes to next
week's assignment. From the start of
instruction the student learns that
the material is practiced only for
his benefit,
and he observes that improvement is
not simply the week to week
challenge of satisfying the teacher.
Any teacher should be able to tell
immediately if a student hasn't
practiced. Endurance, tone and
technique problems are obvious, and
most students will honestly admit
that they haven't come prepared when
they've earned respect for work done
in the past, and not routinely
criticized for their weaknesses.
Lessons become positive when it
isn't demanded that the student
possibly stumble through the
material before anything else is
done. Assignments continue to be
given that address ongoing problems,
and when necessary, a student's rate
of progress may need to be
discussed. The teacher is hired for
his guidance, and must require the
student to assume responsibility for
applying that guidance. The student
must work on his own through daily
practice to improve, asking
questions at lesson whenever
necessary and being shown where
improvement still needs to happen
when sight reading portions of the
upcoming week's material.
A competent teacher must also spell
out for the student exactly what is
required to solve a problem or
accomplish an ability. Never accept
a teacher that simply points out
your weaknesses, then simply sends
you home to work them out. Anyone
can do that. Some teachers feel that
students need to figure out
difficult solutions for themselves,
because they had no one to give them
"the answers" when they were
learning. They actually treat some
solutions as "secrets" that must be
discovered. This is a sign of a
bitter player taking money from
students that are receiving nothing
in return. A good teacher will
explain precisely what's wrong and
what needs to be done to fix it.
He'll carefully go over the
exercises that need to be done with
you, and remove as much guesswork as
possible. This is what you are
paying for, not idle criticism,
however well informed. An instructor
that doesn't take responsibility for
assigning solutions to your problems
simply isn't fulfilling his function
as a private teacher. The process of
learning an instrument is not as
simple as following a set of
directions and witnessing your
growth. Much effort, discipline and
desire are required; all of the best
information possible will not by
itself create a great player. The
teacher that withholds information
from you is deliberately training
your progress; getting the most
complete information available is
just the beginning of what you
should expect from any teacher.
When studying with your chosen
instructor, determine to become one
of that teacher's best students. You
may not rival older students in
overall ability, but you can
demonstrate a commitment to practice
that will cause you to discover
important characteristics of the
instrument on your own. Teachers
look for the few students that
challenge them, or that rare student
that possesses the drive and
discipline to see the lesson
assignments as starting points in
their playing, not the goal. It
often happens that an instructor
will carry
20 or 30 students, yet only have 8
or 9 that display the proper
dedication and hard work. As a
student, you want to be one of those
8 or 9.
A teacher should move a student to
new challenges based on the
student's mastery and understanding
of the current material's purpose.
Before moving on, an agreement must
be made that the time spent was
adequate to fulfill the function of
the current assignment. The teacher
then assigns material that continues
the direction he feels is best
suited to the student's strengths,
weaknesses and expressed desires as
an instrumentalist. The student
should feel that he is in control of
his progress based on his rate of
physical growth and
understanding of his physical
development that results from long
hours of daily practice. He is in an
equal, working relationship with his
instructor.
There is no reason for the night
before lesson to be spent sleepless
from dreading the next day's
performance of the lesson, then
having to face the feeling of
failure that is often created. The
three or four days before lesson are
not spent fighting with the material
and the instrument, and the day
after, or even two, are not spent
neglecting music as some sort of
reward for having survived another
lesson. All of that is truly
unnecessary.
Occasionally students arrive without
having practiced regularly the
previous week, and unless it happens
often, the student is reminded that:
I. He's not practicing for anyone
but himself. He must establish a
firm program of practice quickly if
he expects to continue taking
lessons. The teacher cares that the
student practices and reaches his
potential on the instrument. Some
students respond to a more personal
approach, but I have found that
friendship alone is rarely enough to
encourage the self discipline
required for a student to practice
daily.
2. He is receiving quality,
professional instruction, and will
be treated professionally. If he
doesn't practice, he should not
expect to be carried along. No
speeches, no raising of voices, and
no need to pass personal judgments.
The student is then given the
opportunity to start at that moment
with a clean slate, provided that he
understands that his arriving to
lesson unprepared is a waste of
valuable time and opportunity. Most
students respond to this approach
because they're respected for their
effort and given responsibility for
something that belongs entirely to
them. An understanding instructor
should allow any student an
infrequent lapse of interest or
discipline; even the best student at
one time or another will test to
find out what will happen when they
don't do what is expected. I've used
this approach with students as young
as 5th grade, and it works. However,
patience and understanding are
necessary until the students learn
exactly what is expected of them,
and until they establish a solid
place in their lives for their
practicing. Students are usually
pleased and surprised at this
approach; just the threat of going
back to a teacher of the old style
is enough to get them practicing!
But there will always be those that
will never practice, no matter what
you do, and they shouldn't play.
Soon after beginning lessons in this
method, the student will find out
that more daily practice is required
than they may have done for previous
instructors.
A student that is genuinely
practicing only for himself and not
to briefly satisfy his teacher will
generally put in more time that is
focused and effective. A parent will
often bring a student into lessons
based on some poorly formed notion
of "becoming well rounded", and
force their child to take up an
instrument they have little interest
in. Studying an instrument isn't
similar to a collection of other
activities some parents schedule for
their children such as horseback
riding, little league, etc. Nor is
playing an instrument done to
straighten teeth or cure asthma!
Ironically, it is often this parent
that won't insist their child
practice everyday, and may even find
it excessive when you
explain that a daily effort is the
absolute minimum requirement. If you
play, you must practice.
When a student refuses to practice
there is nothing to be gained from
taking private lessons. Once lessons
have begun with a teacher you will
both need time to adjust to one
another. Every teacher will have his
own personal style, and there is
nothing wrong with changing teachers
when necessary to find a better fit.
Remember that your instrumental
ability is yours alone to develop,
and never a direct reflection of the
teacher you happen to be studying
with. It's nice to believe that your
playing is the result of a
particularly good instructor, but he
won't always be there for you, nor
will his presence in your life ever
be responsible for any success you
experience as a musician. But your
instrument will always be there for
you, and you'll always need to play
at your best.
So seek the most informed, effective
guidance possible. However, if you
happen to choose a teacher you are
not comfortable with, be honest with
yourself before switching
instructors. Is he (or she)
immediately demanding that you
practice? What exactly did you
expect? Every teacher should clearly
explain what he requires and why. At
first, you
may need to put aside your
assumptions and follow what he is
trying to offer.
But I will address a common first
complaint. Many new students (and
even some parents!) complain that
the teacher does not assign enough
songs. Simply, a student cannot
improve rapidly or correctly by
practicing a collection of songs.
Playing anything will produce some
strength development, but to gain
control of the fundamentals the
student must practice carefully
written exercises that focus on each
specific area of the instrument.
Songs alone, with a possible warm-up
and scales will not establish
process of measured and mature
technique development. Playing songs
is fun, and the concepts of
phrasing and interpretation must be
addressed eventually with some type
of literature. But any instructor
assigning only literature (songs)
and neglecting a complete program of
calisthenics that develop all areas
of your ability should be avoided.
It's easy and profitable to give
only familiar tunes to your
students; the students don't quit as
often, nor are they inclined to
complain about lack of progress. Few
parents complain or get involved
when they hear what they consider to
be "real music" coming from a child
that seems to enjoy his lessons. The
fact that far more could be learned,
or that the student's potential is
not being reached isn't considered.
Even when it appears that the
material being assigned is at a
student's limits, there are vast
regions of musical and physical
ability being neglected through a
daily practice program of only
etudes, songs or "top 40"
type music".
In any large city there will be good
teachers available that are
accepting new students. Get on a
waiting list if a particular teacher
has passed your evaluation, but may
not have an opening. The best
teachers are worth waiting for. Any
time and effort spent to locate a
quality teacher will payoff in ways
that will continue to please you for
as long as you play the instrument.
Do you want to hear more of what
Greg Sage has to say? See
Setting up your own program of daily
practice. |
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