Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Why is it so hard to find a good teacher

Is there a resource or website which facilitates students finding teachers. I'm an adult learner and have made inquiries at three local music stores that offer lessons and each of them had a stories such as they have no available openings, do not teach adults or do not have any flexible scheduling for busy adults. I've also e-mailed two craigslist posts and sent an inquiry to one of the local university music programs with no response.

Any suggestions on finding a reputable teacher would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Rick
Monroe NJ.

Google:

www.getlessonsnow

www.learningmusician

These are both music teacher directories serving the US.

Put your zip code and instrument:piano is the search and you will be directed to profiles of the teachers living within your area.

I have used both of these services and receive inquiries from prospective students through them for the past two years.

Good luck with your search and consider interviewing with teachers until you find the best match for you.

Betty

Hi Rick,

I'm guessing the "flexible scheduling for busy adults" is the deal-breaker here. A lot of teachers prefer regular (weekly) lessons so that they can plan income and/or use their available time slots efficiently. If you start out your initial interviews with prospective teachers emphasizing the need for irregular lesson times, they may worry that you'll end up being flaky and canceling a lot or something.

Did you email the university music program or speak to somebody? I'm wondering if your inquiry just ended up in some dead-letter internet space. Maybe look up on the web to see who the music faculty are, and email/call a piano faculty member personally, asking them for referrals to teachers in the area who take adult students, or perhaps a referral to a talented grad student in their program.

Did you physically visit the music stores? Many stores have bulletin boards where teachers pin up flyers or business cards (in addition to the teachers who are affiliated with the store). You might find some names of people to call that way.

Good luck! I'm sure it's frustrating to want to take lessons but not be able to find somebody.

First, the piano education system
is primarily set up to teach children
from about age 7 to 17. After 17,
those with enough talent would be
expected to continue on in college
as piano performance majors. Those
who don't, are not encouraged to
continue lessons, as they are now
adults and their presence among
the children would be awkward from
then on.

Thus, adults do not fit well into this
system. Many teachers won't take
them, and those that do often treat
them contemptuously, like they're
doing them a favor by even agreeing
to teach them. Thus, many adults
end up in group piano classes
at community colleges or with
high-priced university instructors,
as these are more adult-oriented
venues. What you're going through
is not at all unusual for an adult.
If on top of all this you're also looking
for flexible scheduling, then that's
going to make things even harder.

Both of those links are bad. The correct URLs are

www.getlessonsnow.com

and

www.learningmusician.com

Hope that helps!

Hi Rick:

Small world...I used to live in Monroe Twnshp (a couple of miles from exit 8A) but now live in eastern bergen county.

Anyway, this spring/summer I went through a similar frustrating search. You'd think being just across from Manhattan (1 mi from the GW Bridge) & residing in a very musically-oriented community, that it'd be no problem. Well, the wall that I kept hitting was that the piano teachers were primarily classically-oriented, & not overly interested in working with an adult student wishing to concentrate in pop, new age, light jazz. I searched all the sites recommended by the teachers in this forum, did web searches of music lessons, piano lessons, etc. I finally decided to try craigslist & I found several that seemed to fit the bill. One in particular really listened to my concerns & it's working out great!!! I started lessons in early August & am having a blast - even to the point of practicing @ 5:30 am when my partner is walking our dogs.

I'm guessing that you've checked with Rutgers & Rider, how about Monmouth? I remember when I did my web searching I came up with a place in central NJ that sounded good (but obviously too far for me) - I'll see if I can find it.

In the meantime, check craigslist every few days or so....something may turn up.

I just meant after work hours or on the weekend.

FYI: Monica said those were "bad" links.

They were not meant to be links to take you directly there. My posting said to "google".

The sites come up easily with just the words "get lessons now" and learning musician.

More Google: There are other music teacher directories and just "music teacher directory" will get you there, as will "piano lessons" with your "zip code"

Example: Piano Lessons - Puyallup or Piano Lessons - 98374
The above just happen to be ways that people have found me.
Insert your own community or zip code and see what comes up.

I'm sorry if anyone was inconvenienced.

Betty

If you use the "www.xxxxxx" format the software assumes it's a link, and you can tell when you preview your post that it thinks the www. stuff is a link, because it's underlined. So if you don't intend for it to be a link, you have to leave off the www. part.

So anyone reading your post would have tried to click on the links.

I think the correct response to Monica might have been - "Thanks. I didn't use the preview post and didn't realize the software would think I was linking. I learn something new every day."

Cathy

I think so too. So thanks to whoever provided thereal links.

New Jersey Music Teacher's association has a link where you can put in your zip code and choose which instrument you'd like lessons in

New Jersay MTNA

You're right, Monica and Cathy. I should not have used the www. I do learn something new every day. And, as I said, I'm sorry if it inconvenienced anyone.

Betty

Complete and utter hogwash.

The question is "Why is it so hard to find a good teacher?"

Can we define what a "good teacher" is?

Do we know a "good teacher" when we meet one?

I dont mean to define what a 'good teacher' is but my piano teacher is a concert pianist who has done post-grad studies in music and who also works as an accompanist and lecturer for conservatoriums. In his younger years, he would compete and internalltionally travel. He never claimed to be exceptional but he always said to me that THAT is what a teacher is ... besides that he has many music education diplomas. He said to me that I should be after that sort of a teacher, a teacher who has pursued the path of performing before teaching.

I dont think that the above example entails a 'good teacher' but for some reason that teacher thinks that any good teacher would have such experiences. I think a good teacher would depend on the student and his/her desires and goals from music/piano lessons. My piano teacher is well suited to me as I am looking to go onto music studies after I graduate from High School.

At the same time I didnt realise my goals when I went onto study with this teacher. ... anyways just some food for thought.

There are lots of good, well-qualified piano teachers. The problem is finding the right match for the student. There needs to be a match in personality, communication level, learning styles, and other factors. Often, you don't find out about these things until you've had a trial run of lessons for several months.

There are other expectations that need to be ironed out, such as:
1) playing for fun vs. "serious" learning
2) classical vs. pop
3) acoustic piano vs. digital piano

When everything is in agreement (or at least an agreed-upon compromise), then you've found a "good teacher" for yourself.

My guess is that he wasn't thinking of beginning 1st and 2nd graders. If he was, we'd only have piano students in the largest of cities.

The demand for piano performers is way down, regardless of style. In fact, demand for live music is way down. The number of grad students who can pursue a concert career is extremely limited.

AZN, I couldn't agree with you more! You have said in a very clear voice that which contributes to future success together. A very good partnership between teacher and student means that we each contribute to the other in pursuit of their musicianship. We thrive when we are well placed with each other. We don't win going in blindly.

Betty

The number of concert artists who can pursue a concert career is limited. A very large number of them have to find jobs at colleges - sometimes very small ones with mediocre music departments - to make a stable living.

Misguided might be more charitable than hogwash.

It is true that it is somewhat harder for an adult to find a good teacher match. But it's not a great conspiracy, it's simple economics. The customer base is incredibly small, this is really a niche market. There are few adult students in comparison to younger ones. Normally what that means in any typical niche market is if you want the service, you pay boutique prices - but adults don't want to do that. Thing is, nobody is entitled to a service like this.

It probably is a favor for a business basically specializing in children to add a adult with our special needs.