All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers

[jocelyn]

Looking for piano teacher to come to cantonment close, Sunday afternoon? To teach 7years old, no grade yet.

[jocelyn]

Pls SMS 93630780

[metz]

phankao:

chamonix:

[quote=\"phankao\"]

Your teacher who's too far away for mine. haha.

Bet you have found (or will find) someone just as good.

Don't know how to compare! haha.[/quote]Hello, he has already got two great teachers at home,

[sleepy]

chamonix:

My kids had an excellent violin teacher but not all kids like him. He's extremely strict. Because of his strictness, my son has a good grounding in violin. Others might consider a good teacher as one that is friendly and enable to engage the kids.

I guess different strokes for different kids? My kids cannot tahan extremely strict teachers le.

My dd2 had an extremely strict teacher before. She was so fearful of that teacher that her fingers shivered during lesson time. Could tell she's 'suffering'. We had no choice but to pull her out before that teacher totally wiltered interests. Teacher may be very qualified but her teaching style definitely not suitable for my dd2.

Recently, we trial a new teacher for dd1. Also very stern, pointed out many of dd's weaknesses & gave many negative comments. My dd felt so 'untalented' & demoralised after 1 session with that teacher. We didn't engage that teacher. Instead we chose someone with much lesser teaching experience but super encouraging.

More important to me that my kids do not give up learning. I feel that motivation is very important to sustain learning journey.

[metz]

That's why it is important to define what 'good' means. Usually I'll introduce my friends my piano teacher readily. But for the violin teacher, I'll share with them his strictness and expectations. Can you imagine getting scolded even for the slightest mistake? The violin teacher told my son he expected no mistakes from him during his lessons. He must play like as if he's going on stage for performance. Mistakes were only for home practices.


But then again, it all depends on how far the parents and the children want to venture in music. Recently, I spoke to my Sg piano teacher about my children's piano progress. It gave me a shock when she suggested another teacher for them. She felt that my kids would do better if they are training under a teacher who is used to training more muscially inclined students. They would need to train among the best to go even further. To me, that's as good as drilling (aka Nafa style). I nearly fainted at that suggestion. :nailbite:

So, parents need to understand their children's strength as well as their objectives for encouraging their children to pick up music instruments.

A good teacher can be one who is friendly with children and able to motivate them.

A good teacher can also be one who brings the child to a higher level with high (and sometimes, unreasonable) expectations.

[phankao]

chamonix:

That's why it is important to define what 'good' means. Usually I'll introduce my friends my piano teacher readily. But for the violin teacher, I'll share with them his strictness and expectations. Can you imagine getting scolded even for the slightest mistake? The violin teacher told my son he expected no mistakes from him during his lessons. He must play like as if he's going on stage for performance. Mistakes were only for home practices. :nailbite:

Then how did your little girl take it? (did you say she started with him - violin at 3yo?) The strictness, I mean. Wouldn't it scare a 3yo and make the poor child lose interest?

[metz]

phankao:

Then how did your little girl take it? (did you say she started with him - violin at 3yo?) The strictness, I mean. Wouldn't it scare a 3yo and make the poor child lose interest?

I think he has a softness for girls. My daughter managed to get away without much scoldings. Partly because we were more experienced walking the same path again.

But then again, I also realised he might have different expectations for different kids. From my conversation with another mommy (group class), the violin teacher would go through every piece of music with her son. Not for mine. He just touched on the first stanza and expected my son to finish learning the rest himself (by listening to the CD). That started right after the first two songs in Suzuki Book 1. Tough but not in vain. It trained his hearing as well accelerated his sight-reading.

[sleepy]

chamonix:

A good teacher can also be one who brings the child to a higher level with high (and sometimes, unreasonable) expectations.

I feel that such high calibre teachers would be ideal when kids reach diploma level or if they intend to pursue music competitively or professionally.

At amateur level, sure cannot take it, would cause kids to give up instead :nailbite:

[metz]

sleepy:

chamonix:

A good teacher can also be one who brings the child to a higher level with high (and sometimes, unreasonable) expectations.

I feel that such high calibre teachers would be ideal when kids reach diploma level or if they intend to pursue music competitively or professionally.

At amateur level, sure cannot take it, would cause kids to give up instead :nailbite:

I would say it requires great maturity from the child. But most importantly, the child must also want to do it himself/herself.

[metz]

phankao:

chamonix:

That's why it is important to define what 'good' means. Usually I'll introduce my friends my piano teacher readily. But for the violin teacher, I'll share with them his strictness and expectations. Can you imagine getting scolded even for the slightest mistake? The violin teacher told my son he expected no mistakes from him during his lessons. He must play like as if he's going on stage for performance. Mistakes were only for home practices. :nailbite:

Then how did your little girl take it? (did you say she started with him - violin at 3yo?) The strictness, I mean. Wouldn't it scare a 3yo and make the poor child lose interest?

Btw, I did see another preschooler crying during his lessons. Yet, he would still go for lessons week after week. The violin teacher may be strict but some kids still like him. For some children, a strict teacher may not necessarily result in a loss of interest.