Hello, I'm new to this forum so forgive me if i post this in the wrong section. I need an advice from piano teachers regarding an unpleasant matter I just had with a piano teacher.

I am a returning adult student and I take my WEEKLY lesson in a small piano studio which is run by a head teacher who is also the owner of this studio, and one(or maybe two) piano teachers who works for him. I take my lesson from one of the teachers working for him and I enjoyed her teaching immensely and she is probably the best teacher I ever had. The studio requires that I pay monthly in advance (pay four lessons beginning of each month) which I am fine with. I take one and a half hour lesson (it used to be an hour but the head teacher insisted i get half an hour extra for theory).

Last week, my piano teacher asked if I would like to take just an hour lesson that day instead of the proposed one and a half and I okayed her since I could sense that she was tired that day. Since I already paid for the whole month I thought that I could pay 'half an hour less' for the next month since a two hour make up lesson seems to be overkill. Well, to cut the story short, at the end of the lesson my piano teacher informed this to the head teacher who did not take this too kindly. He won't let me pay half an hour less and insisted I pay for the full fee next month. He also blamed my piano teacher for doing such thing. I felt the way he handled the matter was unprofessional, He kept pointing to the piano teacher that she is 'wrong'. He told me I won't get my 'refund' (although I wasn't asking for money back). I felt sorry for my teacher I even lied and said it was me that insisted to have an hour lesson that day. He spoke to both of us in an condescending tone and in the end my piano teacher whispered to me that she will give me one and 45 minutes lesson for the next two weeks to make up for it.

Personally I'm not too fond with this head teacher as I felt he is in the business more for money raking rather than musicality. There has been several times where I witnessed him speaking to my teacher in a condescending voice. Like one time, he shouted at my teacher because she doesn't know how to write a receipt.

Ideally, I would like to have a private lesson with my piano teacher without some sort of third party but she lives too far away from me (the studio is sort of in between of where we live).

Any advice is much appreciated.

Paying for a month at a time, in advance, with no refunds, is normal.

Having the teacher ask for less time, without offering compensation, is not. To me, the most appropriate thing would have been for the teacher to offer compensation at the same time she was asking for a shorter lesson - either by making up the time or by giving you money back, even if it was out of her own pocket.

Since you took the blame for the shorter lesson, it was reasonable for the head teacher to not reimburse you. In most studios, compensation is only given if the teacher cancels, not the student.

I am more concerned with your teacher being willing to let the head teacher control so much of your education. The head teacher should not be making decisions like whether or not you need a longer lesson.

I'm concerned about the attitude of the store owner toward his teachers. A teacher is a professional and should be treated as such. If the store owner does have some reason to criticize a teacher, it should be done respectfully and in private. If he does this in the presence of a younger student, what authority will the teacher still hold with his pupil? Is this common? I'm appalled!

Nice to meet you appalled!

I hope you are looking for a new place to take lessons, albynism. The studio owner is hopeless and could also be looking at legal troubles if this is the way he handles employee relations... and customer relations. It's not hard to imagine the scenes behind the scenes; I suspect it is an ugly picture. This atmosphere will have a toxic effect on your music education--- in fact, it's already happening.

Keystring is quite right: an employee should never be reprimanded in front of others, and in the customer's presence still less.

If you're taking a weekly hour-and-a-half, it just about could be worth a teacher's while to teach in your home. What could it hurt to ask? Or, you could find another private teacher, or another studio.

Meanwhile, you're still on the hook for four weeks' paid notice, until you give it. I would do it in writing.

Thanks for the response.
I understand that paying a month a time is common and I have no problem with that. However, I feel that the studio practice is becoming a little too contrived. This week my teacher finished the lesson by saying "We have to finish today because the head teacher told me to be strict with the time" she then proceed to scribble down the time on a little notepad. She never used to do this she only works ONE DAY A WEEK in this studio. I know this is business but I felt this rigid process is a bit too excessive, especially if my teacher does not mind spending a few extra minutes with her students, then I don't understand why the head teacher need to have a say in this considering he is not dispensing his own time.

Jeff Clef, I am looking for a new place however I am tied because I already paid competition fees and exam fees and so I have to stick until they are finished then I am definitely looking for a new place. The teacher coming to my home is probably not an option considering we live too far from each other.

About criticing the teacher in public. I agree wholeheartedly, it was an embarassing affair for both of us. I'm not even sure what to say to her when I see her next time. Should I bring this up? and the possibility of having lessons outside of the studio? (which is probably not possible due to distance of travel). I'm not sure how to word it out.

Albynism, is your teacher still young?

Your teacher should not have allowed you to take responsibility for the shortened lesson time - even though the head teacher is behaving badly, so (but in a much more pleasant manner) is your own teacher!

To be honest - your teacher should not have come to an altered arrangement with you without first clearing it with the owner of the studio - you are not to know what discussions they may have had privately, and what context this one incident fits into.

This seems like a hostile situation in an environment where the owner is not the least bit willing to concern himself about the impression you are getting of his business, of about the fact that he is choosing to intimidate both of you because his real interest is about the money and everyone following his rules.

That was nice of you to accomadate what the teacher requested of you that evening and it should not have made you sacrifice your prepaid time with her over all. I think she was probably considering that she would increase a little time at the end of future lessons.

It is not your job to help the teacher stand up to the operator of the business, and you should not have to explain or defend yourself from being in the midst of what should have been a private discussion between the owner and the teacher.

Don't they want happy clients?

They have no common sense nor sense of the reality of the situation. Too late smart will not help them a bit. Not you need to attend to your needs in an establishment where you are greeted, respected and appreciated.

Move onward and upward with no regrets!

Betty Patnude

It's not just about being strict on the time, it's also about being respectful to the student's time, both present and the next one. As a student, I never like having to wait for my lesson when I arrive on time, and while going a few minutes over may be OK to the student, it cuts into the next student's time. Also, people are on tight schedules these days, and may have places to go. I try to stay on time as best I can, and I remember a teacher who when our time was up would say, "Well, that's all for this week!" and would let me go. I had another teacher who would keep me for 15-30 minutes after, and while I appreciated the "free" time, I did sometimes have things to do and found it hard to get away.

This sounds like an inexperienced teacher, and perhaps she'll get to the point where she realizes she doesn't deserve to be treated this way. She may have a contract to fulfill and can't leave just yet, however. You can certainly ask about lessons outside the studio, but also ask if she has a contract to fulfill. The last thing you want to do is make her feel guilty into putting herself in a legal bind.

There are many disadvantages to lessons at a music school, not the least of which is that the teachers are subordinate to a business-person.

It's only a disadvantage at a bad music school.

I taught for a good music school once, and when I had a parent who was three months late on tuition and started ignoring my phone calls, the business-person sent his lawyers after her. Soon after, I got paid.

The school didn't pay you until it received payment from the parent? You had to call the parent to collect? That sounds pretty bad to me.

IMO one of the few advantages of teaching at a school is that the school takes care of that stuff.

wavelength: one hand must know what the other is doing, and if the student keeps showing up for lessons while not having paid for them, the business office should let the teacher know so they can collect from them when they see them. I don't know what particular arrangement Kreisler had with his employer, but I know there are schools that do pay teachers a salary and do handle all of the bill collecting, except in extreme cases where the teacher needs to step in.

The school continued to pay me. I had to call when they didn't show for lessons. Scheduling was the responsibility of the teachers.