if your child does local piano competitions ...

[Anonymous]

DD has been taking piano for 3 years and is practicing consistently and making great progress. She's just graduated from the level lesson books.
But her motivation is flagging somewhat, I wonder if it's cuz her private teacher doesn't do recitals, so there's not much excitement and no social element?? Also her teacher is a good teacher but not too personable. So I've tentatively started looking for a new teacher. It seems the piano teachers I come across are either pretty "serious" and part of WMTA and have their kids participate in competitions, or they are teaching very young kids lots of beginners.
Ideally I'd like a teacher who is fun and infectious with her love of music, who can make a personal bond with my daughter and motivate her. It may be too much to expect I guess. It's also such a crapshoot looking for teachers, most of them don't have websites or post anything online. The ones who do are the serious ones. How can I find the right teacher for her?

[Anonymous]

You need a new teacher. So much about music at this age is engaging with the teacher and wanting to improve. No recitals at all? We don't do big ones but do at least one a year in the teachers home with a few other kids (she has a baby grand). I kind of want to switch too so we do bigger ones in a church or something with more people and dressing up and generally more formal as motivation.

[Anonymous]

You need a new teacher. Part of playing piano is performing piano, which is good for all kinds of skill development beyond piano! Washington Conservatory of Music in Glen Echo has really nice recitals for the students. Many private teachers arrange recitals at local churches or whatever.

Ask your neighborhood for recommendations. Or tell us where you are and we can give recs.

[Anonymous]

I'm in Rockville. I've asked my neighborhood and they've recommended Levine and a couple names of private teachers, but I found the teachers were teaching mostly beginners. We did a trial at Levine but it was a brand new teacher and I wasn't convinced. They also don't have a lot of openings.
I think my kid's personality fits with a fun energetic extraverted teacher, when I imagine someone it's like a jolly happy person, not as much an introspective studious pianist.

[Anonymous]

I think the most fun/engaging high energy teachers may be teaching the beginners or very young kids. My DS plays violin, we have seen a number of teachers, they are all engaging in different ways but they like nerding out on musical facts or talking about intricacies of a piece or technique. It's not like the teacher dancing around handing out pikachu stickers when he was younger.

[Anonymous]

My kid plays violin, and I was so stressed when we needed to switch teachers to a more serious studio, since her first teacher only taught beginners. It was hard getting a list of names (mix of recs and internet search), and then a lot didn't take new students, and then some were too far for a comfortable commute...

So I sympathize. I can't recommend anyone, but I agree that she needs recitals and competitions. If you're open to Levine Music, they have built-in recitals included in their tuition.

Also, piano is by definition a little solitary. This is why I encouraged my daughter to pick an orchestral instrument, for the social aspects. If your daughter sticks with piano, she will be in demand to accompany her school chorus. I've known some pianists do that. A serious piano studio will have recommendations for chamber ensembles that include piano, but again, in this area, the limiting factor is commute and finding a practice room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the most fun/engaging high energy teachers may be teaching the beginners or very young kids. My DS plays violin, we have seen a number of teachers, they are all engaging in different ways but they like nerding out on musical facts or talking about intricacies of a piece or technique. It's not like the teacher dancing around handing out pikachu stickers when he was younger.

Haha. I'm thinking more like Ray Charles, not clown energy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid plays violin, and I was so stressed when we needed to switch teachers to a more serious studio, since her first teacher only taught beginners. It was hard getting a list of names (mix of recs and internet search), and then a lot didn't take new students, and then some were too far for a comfortable commute...

So I sympathize. I can't recommend anyone, but I agree that she needs recitals and competitions. If you're open to Levine Music, they have built-in recitals included in their tuition.

Also, piano is by definition a little solitary. This is why I encouraged my daughter to pick an orchestral instrument, for the social aspects. If your daughter sticks with piano, she will be in demand to accompany her school chorus. I've known some pianists do that. A serious piano studio will have recommendations for chamber ensembles that include piano, but again, in this area, the limiting factor is commute and finding a practice room.

Thoughtful comments, thanks PP.

[Anonymous]

Mr Peachey is excellent, and has a studio in Maryland: https://www.peacheypianist.com/

[Anonymous]

In your area, try Junko Takahashi/Musical Expressions. They cater to a range of students from casual to competition level. I could suggest others in DC but that’s closer to your house.

[Anonymous]

I’d love recommendations for DC esp near capitol gill

[Anonymous]

We had lessons with https://www.chansonmusic.com/ and recommend them!