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Hi,

I've been lurking for a while on this forum and it's truly great.

I'm looking for a teacher and I'm meeting with a few to find a good match. Yesterday I met with one and as a part of an interview I've asked him to play something for me. Now, I didn't expect "Fantasie Imprompty", but I wanted to be inspired. I wanted to listen to something nice, to be motivated, that one day I can play like this. But this gentelman was surprised by this request, told me that he doesn't really remember anything. Started to play something, then forgot how it goes. Went to get the notes, found something and then made so many mistakes that I couldn't even get the melody line.

Am I too picky? Is it normal? I absolutely don't expect my teacher to be a concert pianist. I'll be just fine if he would've played "The entertainer" from the back of my book. Is it a realistic expectation that a teacher will be able to play any piece from level 1 book without preparation? After 15 years of teaching experience?

I've searched on this forum and I saw that not too many people ask a prospective teacher to play. Yes, I also felt a bit uncomfortable with it, but I don't understand why not. Is it such an unreasonable request?

Other than this he is a very pleasant man, made me feel very comfortable and I probably would study with him if not for this.

Please let me know what you think. Your help is greatly appreciated. I don't know anybody who plays piano so other than my internet search I really don't know how to find a teacher.

thank you

Picky? No way! He should have been able to play something. I'd move on and find someone who can inspire AND teach you piano.

Hey, well done! Keep working through 'em. And welcome to PW!

I always expect to play for my prospective students. They should know that I practice what I preach.

Yes that is absolutely reasonable. Did you ask him to play something from book 1? I can't believe a teacher wouldn't be able to do that. Part of our job is to accompany sometimes (duets, rhythm issues etc...) without getting any practice time before hand. It is possible that since he wasn't expecting that request he was caught off guard. Personally I go through stages where I practice like a maniac and other stages where I barely have time to touch the piano at all.

I have never had a student to ask me to play prior to lessons. I choose to play for my students at different times, for various reasons. I think it's absolutely reasonable to ask that, but I don't find it common. I don't know why. I think that people do a lot of assuming in these situations. I have never asked any of my kids' coaches or private teachers to show me anything either. They come with recommendations, and for me that's a better indicator than their abilities.


Picky? No. You have to go with what feels right to you.

I'm not sure about what you're asking about normal? For him to not be able to play or for you asking him to. He should be able to play. You should be able to ask him to.

Welcome to the forum, Kanadka. I agree with Ed; while it would be unreasonable to expect a prospective teacher to play a specific piece on demand, he/she really ought to be able to play SOMETHING. Keep looking.

p.s. as to whether it's an "unreasonable" request, I think it depends in how the request is made. Saying something like "Before I agree to take lessons from you, I insist that you demonstrate that you can play the piano competently" would (obviously) be unreasonable. But phrasing the request like "Would you feel comfortable playing something for me?" does not seem unreasonable at all. The prospective teacher could always say "no," and then you could decide for yourself how important it is to you to hear your teacher play.

This topic has come up before, and the reaction from the teachers here is usually mixed. Some resent being asked to "prove themselves", as it were; others don't mind and/or make it a habit to play for their students. I suspect a lot depends on the tone of the conversation.

My instructor is an amazing player, but he can't play any of the pieces I'm working on smoothly - because he doesn't play them regularly. That is acceptable. Even if they can't play a certain piece to concert quality they should at least be able to give you an idea of how it sounds and guide you through difficult parts by introducing exercises and technique. To not be able to play *anything* that is a head-scratcher!

Welcome to the Forum!

I don't think you're being picky or unreasonable. Maybe the gentleman was taken off guard, but one would think he'd have something he could play for you, or at least be able to play from the Level One Book! I see a red flag on the horizon.

If you really like him, perhaps ask him to return with something he'd like to play. If that's too awkward, I'd try the local music store & school district for references of teachers.

Good luck!

Joan

Thanks for all your replies. It's very helpful.

Of course I didn't demand he'd prove himself. I honestly just wanted to enjoy a nice piece of music. I wanted to be inspired. I didn't ask for any specific piece. I think it was more in the lines of "could you please play something for me, maybe your favourite piece, or anything you like". He did mentioned that he plays himself in the recitals he organizes for his students and often plays duets.

verania5: I'm an absolute beginer. Don't you think the teacher should be able to sight read and play smoothly any piece form level 1 book?

Even if I am taken "by surprise" by a request to play something, I can easily pull out something that I can do well with the music in front of me. I am not a concert pianist. The fact that he was challenged to even do this means he most likely did not reach a very high level of playing himself. Especially since it is rare for a beginner student to even be able to recognize that there are mistakes is quite telling!

Some of the best players can't teach to save their life. So this is not necessarily a bad
thing, in my opinion. If this teacher inspires you, that's all that really matters.
Would you rather have a great player who makes you feel awful and eventually
causes you to quit playing? There are a lot of teachers like that. I had three just
like that. I would give this teacher a tryout. He might be just the thing for you.

Even if he didn't have a standard classical piece ready at performance level, at least he could have improvised something with some nice chord progressions.... I too would look elsewhere.

In the process of an interview, I generally demonstrate the progression the student will be making over several years. I only started doing this recently, basically because of comments on this forum. Previously, I just started in teaching the student a sample lesson. I find that this sort performance makes the student/parent a lot more comfortable, even though it's totally superfluous. In years past, I resented the request, primarily because I had very limited time and really couldn't keep "show pieces" up to snuff.

If you think about it for a minute, musicians are among the very few who are constantly asked to demonstrate non-teaching skills to validate their teaching abilities. What you should really be asking is for references and go listen to students of this teacher to find out how they are doing. You are, after all hiring a teacher, and that is the skill you really want to confirm.

Of course; if the piano teacher has good teaching skills, one would think that they can back it up by playing well. Otherwise, it would be kind of like saying "do as I say, not as I do".

John

It's almost like asking a guitar teacher to play something and the only thing he/she could play is "Smoke on the Water." And played it badly.

Adios muchachos!

Let's not make excuses for a piano teacher who cannot play anything on the piano when requested to play something. I cannot think of any redeeming value in making excuses for this person. I think you have received a loud and clear message from the person themselves that they are unprepared to teach you in a way that would help you meet your goals. Playing the piano should be second nature to any piano teacher.

A piano teacher might feel they don't have the time to do an interview before accepting a student, but the best thing we can learn about each other - teacher - student - parents - is that we have a sense of confidence in the teacher and that he or she can do what we would expect of him or her as a musician.

I'll take the hard line if no one else will. We know that occasionally we will be put on the spot to "play something for someone" and we had best be prepared and impressive.

You can do much better in searching for a piano teacher!

Please consider using www.learningmusician or www.getlessonsnow. You enter your zip code and your instrument - piano - and names and profiles of information will surface for anyone registered with these music teaching directories. Then you make contact with them if you are interested in interviewing with them.

You can also enter your zipcode in google with the words piano teacher. This has worked for many people who are googling me at Betty Patnude or my zip, 98374, or piano teacher with their local zip codes.

Good luck!

I think part of the tension that arises when such requests are made is that there may be a discrepancy between what the student is hoping or expecting to hear (a nice piece played competently, more as an inspiration rather than a "test" of the instructor's skill), versus the instructor feeling put on the spot ("OMG, I've got to play the Waldstein at concert level." )

But, yes, I agree with you, Kanadka, that ANY teacher worth the name should be able to sight-read a Level 1 piece.

Well, that's something I can agree with.

and yet I can sympathize a bit with John when he says:



Part of the issue is whether playing ability and teaching are positively correlated, however imperfectly. If there is some correlation, then asking a teacher to play does provide some information to the student.

Frankly, I think there is something useful in hearing a musician-teacher play, and the question the OP asked was pretty benign. The teacher got to choose, and yet could not produce a single piece with which to demonstrate their own skills. I'm NOT a teacher and if asked to play I could most certainly bang out a few pieces creditably, even with my meagre levels of practice. I'm sure I could convince (fool ) some beginners into thinking I was quite competent.

I'm sure there are perfectly fine teachers out there who could introduce a beginner to the wonders of the keyboard, yet who cannot play the techniques that they teach. But as a student, absent clear evidence that this teacher obtained great results I would choose to put my hard-earned money on a different horse.

And as we move up the levels from beginner to advanced student, this issue would take on more and more salience.

It's possible his talent may lie more in the teaching of music and conveying ideas than performing music itself, but unless you've seen or heard of his students making wonderful progress then I wouldn't count on it. I agree he should have been able to play something.

I disagree. If a teacher cannot play something, how can they possibly have understood it? If they have never experienced something, they are not in a position to make the fine adjustments that might be required.

As a teacher. repeating something that you have been told about but never done, is about as much use as giving someone a book- and telling them to read what it says. If they haven't even tried different methods, how do they know which works best? If they cannot do the approach they teach, why should anyone trust what they heard off someone else and decided to repeat? Good teachers provide feedback on whether something what the student is doing is working- they don't merely recite stuff about something they have never achieved and move on. Only those who have experienced it, are going to be in a position to supply the adjustments and knowledge that is required. How can you 'fix' problems in others, when you couldn't figure out how to get it working in yourself? To regurgitate something you heard, without the ability to do it yourself, is not teaching in any sense.

Teaching is all about monitoring progress and helping to make any necessary adjustements through proper understanding- not reciting a couple of blanket statements that you heard elsewhere.

PS. There's a story about Neuhaus worrying about teaching Gilels in the 6th rhapsody. He said he was worried because he couldn't have played it so well, but he still had plenty to say about the music. However, if we're talking about someone who never even learned to play the piano to a basic standard in the first-place, how would they even have anything to say about the music? There's a certain basic level of understanding that has to be reached.