Pathways to Success: Finding the Right Piano Teacher
Published: Jun 27, 2014 | Category: Finding the Right Teacher
"Do not seek to follow in the master's footsteps, seek what he sought." Chinese Proverb
Given the determination, every student can learn to play the piano. But by working with the "right" teacher, every student may also learn the mastery of many life skills -- setting and achieving goals, progressive work projects, patience, critical thinking, and a pathway of self-discovery through learning.
Intuition and a natural inclination towards music are important, and so is talent. But it is essential to work with a teacher who acts as a guide to your unfolding and developing as a musician. So, this teacher must be the right teacher for you, because the teacher-student relationship is a two-sided affair -- an adventure involving mutual responses.
The teacher-pupil relationship is established over a course of time, during which the teacher discovers the individual student's strengths and weaknesses. In response, a good teacher will adapt learning objectives, and establish goals in collaboration with students and parents. Here, the teacher-student relationship builds successfully on a well-rounded musical curriculum set out by the teacher, which entails an appropriate balanced menu of repertoire, technique, and musicianship training. In response, the student ideally takes on the responsibility to devote sufficient time and concentration to practicing, and to delivering the best possible performance at every time and place.
The "right" teacher encourages the student to understand a variety of musical styles and aesthetic expressions, and also allows the student to explore and develop their own individual creative personality. Musicians of all ages and levels can learn how to truly engage with the music, as a source of joy and learning. A successful teacher-student relationship is an important team that will bolster the student's attitude of confidence about their playing, and encourage a student to have something to say in their music.
Finally, a successful teacher-student relationship is demonstrated largely by the student's active interest in personal exploration at the piano; taking an active interest in lessons and practicing; an enthusiasm for sharing achievements with family and the community; participation in social events; and by measuring effectiveness of learning with third-party evaluations, such as festivals and external examinations. Ultimately, the right music teacher is one that will nurture the student towards self-growth, self-expression, and a lifelong love of music and the arts.