Switching piano teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your and your kids' end game with the lessons? Competitions, awards, scholarships? Then you need to change to a teacher that supports those goals. But also they will not tolerate playing incorrect notes. Or is your goal a general understanding of music, getting good enough to be able to play what they want from movies, maybe do some jazz etc?
They are not mutually exclusive goals but get a teacher that wants to get the kids where they want to go

I'm wondering the same thing. I have no idea what the guild and festival stuff is about, but it sounds serious and competitive. Exams, assessments, memorizing 15 songs, etc. You need to find a teacher who matches your level of expectations. But also it sounds like they are YOUR expectations and not necessarily the kids. They're only 11 and 8 years old! Are the kids unhappy with the memorization and the songs selected and the amount of time to practice?

FWIW, I have small hands and can barely reach an octave on my left. Can't quite reach on my right. Moonlight Sonata is a slog. My hands ache afterwards from the constant stretching. And there are some chords I simply can't reach. I have to choose which note to leave out. Just be patient and let them grow up. Is it the end of the world if she plays Moonlight Sonata as a 12 year old instead of an 11 year old? You sound like the epitome of a tiger mom

We don’t prioritize piano, the guild is part of curriculum from our piano teacher, the special annual guilds have set song lists to follow ( 14-15). This year there’s no special guild so I asked for 10 only. Our current piano teacher isn’t the competition type, our previous one is. Sonata festival is very difficult to stand out from the 1000+ and get into the top 20, so it’s more like participation for us but not thinking about winning. I could be wrong about DD’s small hand being able to play moonlight sonata, she had played different song which she could just leave the bottom note out per teacher. I wonder if continue to practicing and memorizing old songs are necessary, since DD has limited time to practice new songs daily we only ask her to review some old songs once a week if DD has time. Isn’t spending time on new techniques and songs more important? The possible new teacher isn’t the competition type I think ( he’s an active performer and very likely won’t have time), he may not even do guild, but if he and our kids click, the in person class can definitely benefit our kids ( he comes to students’ houses; we don’t have to to travel to our current teacher’s house since DD has hours of school homework to finish daily). Maybe we should try a few lessons to see first then decide.

I'm telling you this kindly. No 11 year old should have hours of homework a day. No school will do this. This is a serious red flag for inattentive ADHD or learning disorders, OP. I know. My oldest was like this too (except we knew he had special needs). Given that your kid can't handle too many activities outside of school, I understand you don't want to waste their time... but no teacher worth their salt agrees to drive to people's houses. Being a "performer" means nothing. There are plenty of volunteer or very low-paying performing arts jobs around that require very little skill. If you keep hiring bottom of the barrel people, don't be disappointed at the result.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confused. You have a piano teacher that your kids love and who is willing to do virtual lessons to accommodate your schedule.

But you want to leave because... she forgot about your kids' school event? She won't teach your children songs they aren't ready for? Your 8 yo makes mistakes while playing?

I'm not clear what your issue really is, but I doubt you're going to find someone better who will do virtual lessons and entertain all your expectations.

Thanks for your post. Yes we all like our current piano teacher as a friend so that’s why it’s hard to decide what to do. Piano guild is once per year piano level measurement/exam (non competition) from piano teacher side ( they have to be member, and an out of state judge will come give assessment). DD had to continue memorize 15 songs from the list for a 2nd year (she memorized before 1st year guild already), plus new songs she learned at 2nd year since teacher forgot to register or have 1 song short for DD at 1st year ( so it’s like probably 25 songs DD had to memorize, and that’s a lot and could had been avoided). Sonata festival is a piano competition almost every piano students participate in this area. Some would prepare 2 songs for months, but DD was asked to learn a song in 2 weeks, not because she couldn’t learn earlier, but because she’s asked to practice another song during lesson again and again, then teacher didn’t have time to teach 2nd song (2 song total 15 pages long needed to be memorized), so DD’s asked to learn and memorize another shorter song as replacement 2 weeks before event. For the hand size not ready, I doubt for those plays piano that have small hands just can’t play moonlight sonata. There are ways they can play. The possible piano teacher would come teach at our house for a much higher fee.

This stream of conscious writing style is making my eyes bleed

Agree wholeheartedly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your and your kids' end game with the lessons? Competitions, awards, scholarships? Then you need to change to a teacher that supports those goals. But also they will not tolerate playing incorrect notes. Or is your goal a general understanding of music, getting good enough to be able to play what they want from movies, maybe do some jazz etc?
They are not mutually exclusive goals but get a teacher that wants to get the kids where they want to go

I'm wondering the same thing. I have no idea what the guild and festival stuff is about, but it sounds serious and competitive. Exams, assessments, memorizing 15 songs, etc. You need to find a teacher who matches your level of expectations. But also it sounds like they are YOUR expectations and not necessarily the kids. They're only 11 and 8 years old! Are the kids unhappy with the memorization and the songs selected and the amount of time to practice?

FWIW, I have small hands and can barely reach an octave on my left. Can't quite reach on my right. Moonlight Sonata is a slog. My hands ache afterwards from the constant stretching. And there are some chords I simply can't reach. I have to choose which note to leave out. Just be patient and let them grow up. Is it the end of the world if she plays Moonlight Sonata as a 12 year old instead of an 11 year old? You sound like the epitome of a tiger mom

We don’t prioritize piano, the guild is part of curriculum from our piano teacher, the special annual guilds have set song lists to follow ( 14-15). This year there’s no special guild so I asked for 10 only. Our current piano teacher isn’t the competition type, our previous one is. Sonata festival is very difficult to stand out from the 1000+ and get into the top 20, so it’s more like participation for us but not thinking about winning. I could be wrong about DD’s small hand being able to play moonlight sonata, she had played different song which she could just leave the bottom note out per teacher. I wonder if continue to practicing and memorizing old songs are necessary, since DD has limited time to practice new songs daily we only ask her to review some old songs once a week if DD has time. Isn’t spending time on new techniques and songs more important? The possible new teacher isn’t the competition type I think ( he’s an active performer and very likely won’t have time), he may not even do guild, but if he and our kids click, the in person class can definitely benefit our kids ( he comes to students’ houses; we don’t have to to travel to our current teacher’s house since DD has hours of school homework to finish daily). Maybe we should try a few lessons to see first then decide.

I'm telling you this kindly. No 11 year old should have hours of homework a day. No school will do this. This is a serious red flag for inattentive ADHD or learning disorders, OP. I know. My oldest was like this too (except we knew he had special needs). Given that your kid can't handle too many activities outside of school, I understand you don't want to waste their time... but no teacher worth their salt agrees to drive to people's houses. Being a "performer" means nothing. There are plenty of volunteer or very low-paying performing arts jobs around that require very little skill. If you keep hiring bottom of the barrel people, don't be disappointed at the result.

Thank you, you’re right I did noticed and asked pediatrician and school for evaluation for 504 but it was rejected, since DDs in full time aap since 3rd, always has above 550 sol ( last year had perfect math sol) and 99% Iowa. There’s a non competitive sport DD loves, 45 min a lesson DD begged to go 3 times a week we can’t say no. She goes to bed at 11 pm or later daily. I think school teachers do give more homework since I heard some parents asked to get less amount of homework for their kids. DD was told she could do one hour then stop but without official 504 and instruction, she refused to submit incomplete or no homework and instituted to finish all daily. Sigh. For piano teachers cone teach at students house, I understand what you mean, but he’s probably different since he performs at Kennedy center.

[Anonymous]

Insisted*

[Anonymous]

I have a serious pianist and can make concrete recommendations based on what you’ve written. I would switch teachers now as it’s critical to get back to in person at this point. If you’ve found someone who will come to your home who seems competent and you can afford, that’s fine; I agree with PP who stated that the more serious teachers will all be taught on site at the teacher’s studio. Since you said you don’t prioritize piano, the in-home solution seems fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is your and your kids' end game with the lessons? Competitions, awards, scholarships? Then you need to change to a teacher that supports those goals. But also they will not tolerate playing incorrect notes. Or is your goal a general understanding of music, getting good enough to be able to play what they want from movies, maybe do some jazz etc?
They are not mutually exclusive goals but get a teacher that wants to get the kids where they want to go

I'm wondering the same thing. I have no idea what the guild and festival stuff is about, but it sounds serious and competitive. Exams, assessments, memorizing 15 songs, etc. You need to find a teacher who matches your level of expectations. But also it sounds like they are YOUR expectations and not necessarily the kids. They're only 11 and 8 years old! Are the kids unhappy with the memorization and the songs selected and the amount of time to practice?

FWIW, I have small hands and can barely reach an octave on my left. Can't quite reach on my right. Moonlight Sonata is a slog. My hands ache afterwards from the constant stretching. And there are some chords I simply can't reach. I have to choose which note to leave out. Just be patient and let them grow up. Is it the end of the world if she plays Moonlight Sonata as a 12 year old instead of an 11 year old? You sound like the epitome of a tiger mom

We don’t prioritize piano, the guild is part of curriculum from our piano teacher, the special annual guilds have set song lists to follow ( 14-15). This year there’s no special guild so I asked for 10 only. Our current piano teacher isn’t the competition type, our previous one is. Sonata festival is very difficult to stand out from the 1000+ and get into the top 20, so it’s more like participation for us but not thinking about winning. I could be wrong about DD’s small hand being able to play moonlight sonata, she had played different song which she could just leave the bottom note out per teacher. I wonder if continue to practicing and memorizing old songs are necessary, since DD has limited time to practice new songs daily we only ask her to review some old songs once a week if DD has time. Isn’t spending time on new techniques and songs more important? The possible new teacher isn’t the competition type I think ( he’s an active performer and very likely won’t have time), he may not even do guild, but if he and our kids click, the in person class can definitely benefit our kids ( he comes to students’ houses; we don’t have to to travel to our current teacher’s house since DD has hours of school homework to finish daily). Maybe we should try a few lessons to see first then decide.

I'm telling you this kindly. No 11 year old should have hours of homework a day. No school will do this. This is a serious red flag for inattentive ADHD or learning disorders, OP. I know. My oldest was like this too (except we knew he had special needs). Given that your kid can't handle too many activities outside of school, I understand you don't want to waste their time... but no teacher worth their salt agrees to drive to people's houses. Being a "performer" means nothing. There are plenty of volunteer or very low-paying performing arts jobs around that require very little skill. If you keep hiring bottom of the barrel people, don't be disappointed at the result.

Thank you, you’re right I did noticed and asked pediatrician and school for evaluation for 504 but it was rejected, since DDs in full time aap since 3rd, always has above 550 sol ( last year had perfect math sol) and 99% Iowa. There’s a non competitive sport DD loves, 45 min a lesson DD begged to go 3 times a week we can’t say no. She goes to bed at 11 pm or later daily. I think school teachers do give more homework since I heard some parents asked to get less amount of homework for their kids. DD was told she could do one hour then stop but without official 504 and instruction, she refused to submit incomplete or no homework and instituted to finish all daily. Sigh. For piano teachers cone teach at students house, I understand what you mean, but he’s probably different since he performs at Kennedy center.

Ha. My 13 year old performed at the Kennedy Center. Also Carnegie Hall. Unless you're saying he's a member of Nat Phil or a similar level national or international orchestra, it doesn't mean anything.

But your music issues are nothing compared to what you need to do for the low processing speed. Pediatricians are not trained for this. You need a reputable psychologist who will do a formal assessment. You can try Stixrud, they're the gold standard in this area. The school will not give you anything without a psychologist's report. Also, depending on how your kid functions, you might need a mix of less homework plus meds for ADHD. In general, the best moment to set up services and accommodations in school is BEFORE the kid transitions to the next level (ie, middle school). Why? Because the team at the current school is more likely to give you accommodations they don't have to implement, given the kid is moving on the next school. I know this from personal experience So given months-long waitlists for neuropsych evaluations, weeks to write the report and weeks to get a date for a 504 meeting... you need to start calling psychologists a year before she starts middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:teacher is correct re Moonlight. The distances between notes in the left hand of the first movement are difficult for small hands. Third movement is also difficult.

Then teacher should show how to use wrist movement for 1st movement. As for the 3rd movement, not university level piano student cannot play it well.
As for the person who said good teachers don’t go to homes, that’s not necessarily true. My daughter has an excellent teacher who only teaches in her neighborhood. She’s a superb pedagogue and a former concert pianist who has won multiple international competitions. She doesn’t advertise and isn’t active on social media.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like OP’s kids are not that serious about piano and would benefit from a new teacher that suits their style more. I don’t know why you would insist on playing Moonlight if you can’t reach an octave comfortably — there are so many other nice pieces out there to play. But a good teacher would suggest an alternative that scratches that itch while being appropriate for the kid’s physical and musical development. And the teacher not being able to teach Chopin is a huge red flag. What piano teacher doesn’t teach Chopin?!

[Anonymous]

OP, our DD finished the books. Took 9 years of piano. If your kids can keep a secret (?) you might have a lesson or two with the new teacher before you decide. Otherwise, I think your DD getting busy is an indication of what's to come -- less time, than you'd like, for piano. I could tell with our teacher it was almost a moral failing to stop lessons. Almost scared to. I had two taking from the same teacher. I kind of knew if one stopped they would need to stop at the same time. Good luck.