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"I agree with those who said traveling to student's home is not the best of circumstances, but it still is something to keep in mind."

My last teacher came to my home, and it worked out well. There was a modest additional charge (I could have gone to his place). The previous teacher taught in her home studio, and the 30-mile commute got to be a bit much, plus, starting the lesson 'cold' was not the best. My own piano is not only familiar, but better than many I have played in studio settings (and my teacher loved it). And, for me less exposure to germs, etc. during flu season.

"What sort of education level is normal/expected for private teachers? Is a master's degree a sufficient and valid credential?

You might think of courses in pedagogy, or a teaching credential. Knowing how to play is not exactly the same thing as knowing how to teach. Still, listening to my teachers play was very motivating, and watching them demonstrate sometimes said more than a big pile of words could.

Is there anything that parents (or the students themselves) are specifically looking for?"

This is the big question, isn't it. It's what you have to find out by talking to them, drawing them out, getting them to show you: what is that little spark of love for music that you will fan into a toasty fire, which will warm them for the rest of their lives? By your own knowledge of the field, you may be able to give them bigger goals, but if the stove is out to begin with you can fan it all you want, and in vain.

The best teachers are able to see the light in a student when they don't know about it themselves. The best teachers help us to experience our own light.

I'm lucky enough to have had such a teacher!

For home teaching it is a matter of distance, time, gas. Some people live in small towns, and students live close.

And some people are willing to pay a lot of money to have people come to them. There are other reasons to go to homes. I taught a fine student for several years, preparing him to major in piano performance, and his piano was better than mine. It was logical to go there, and his family treated me with complete respect.

But they only live about 10 minutes away, lessons were a MINIMUM of an hour, sometimes they fed me!

In general, here in South Florida we live in a megapolis. It takes forever to get anywhere, long distances. So with traffic and the very high cost of gas, there are extra difficulties. I don't like to drive, and I don't have the energy I once had when I was younger!.

Wise words. I would add to that another idea: often I have worked with students who did not seem to have any "talent", were not "natural players", did not seem especially motivated. But some of these students stuck with me a long time, and in the end I think they achieved far more than most simply because something in them made them keep going. And I should add that some of these people totally surprised me by turning to HAVE something special in them that I did not see at first, something special that made them far better han average players.

You've exactly described why it's important to be able to get your message across without touching. I disagree that it's essential to touch sometimes. It's just a limitation to your ability to use words if you believe this. I have never had a problem getting a message across in words in 20 years of teaching. Sometimes it's just a matter of finding the right analogy. If you touch somebody, there's no guarantee that they are actually taking notice of what you are doing. To some, it can take their focus right off what you are teaching them because it's odd for you to suddenly have physically contact with them. I strongly advise you to think of ways to avoid using touching as a teaching method.

I agree that it is important to get messages across without touching.

I do not believe that ONLY words is ALWAYS the fastest way to get things across. A small big of physical guidance often saves a huge amount of time, but it always has to balanced against possible "complications".

+1 Helping the student position arm/hand/wrist can be a time saver, and there are times when words don't cut it. The old adage, a picture is worth a thousand words is applicable. Of course, we're talking about the 2% of the time when words are inadequate; 98% of the time, words are more than adequate. But why eliminate an important teaching tool when some common sense and precautions can eliminate any misinterpretation?

Exactly!

This reminds me of once when my teacher asked me. "do you mind if I touch your arm?" and even then he used a pencil to hold a finger in place...... It's necessary I suppose but a little sad somehow.

I never said it was always the fastest way. Only that it is possible to do it with words - and yes, words work 100% of the time for me.

Might you say: words and also being able to demonstrate, Ando? With this, your student can both see and hear you as well as getting your explanations.

What levels of playing are your piano students at? I suspect this might have something to do with that as well. My teacher sometimes has to demonstrate something to me if its an advanced concept (the various different kinds of touch required is a case in point (esp for pieces like the Chopin etudes), its difficult to explain it in words without any demo whatsoever. The teacher needs to demonstrate to the student that the right touch employed produces the desired sound, etc). What repertoire do you teach your students? I believe these are all pertinent questions.

Also, my teacher has to touch me to correct my posture many times because sometimes I'm just not aware that something suboptimal is happening, so it would take a long time to explain it to me with just words.. some amount of touching is necessary IMO. If one had all the time in the world during lessons, we could all possibly make do with just words if we really wanted to. Unfortunately that's not the case and so there is the issue of what's the fastest way to get across a concept.

Keystring:
Oh absolutely, demonstration is a cornerstone of teaching. I wasn't trying to say that I teach only through verbal description. There's heaps of demonstrating going on! We seemed to be in a Words vs Touching debate and I was referring to this idea that you must touch a student to correct hand or body position. It can all be done without touching. I have ways of getting students into ideal posture through a series of steps starting with how they sit down in the first place. I get them to follow and copy my movements and be aware of how things feel along the way. I actually believe this offers some extra benefits - it helps to get them more connected with their own physiology. When trying to find the ideal positioning, I'll have them alternately tensing things. relaxing things - even shaking things about! By the time they are aware of different parts of their body and what they are contributing to their posture and position, they are well on their way to being free of problems. I attach terminology to these events as we go, so after a while, I just have to mention a word or two to attain the desired correction if something needs to be changed. I have experience with Alexander Technique which is designed to find optimal posture and I employ many of its principles. A lot of the problem with piano technique comes down to people just not understanding their own bodies. Once you clue them into some of the basic fundamentals of anatomy and muscles, the issues start to disappear.

Liszt85, no, your teacher thinks he/she has to touch you and you believe it to be necessary. I accept that your situation is working happily for you, but there are alternatives. It can all be done through a series of steps using verbal guidance and demonstration. Yes, some teachers use touching but it's not the only way. It depends on whether you teach posture and position in a holistic way. In my experience touching to correct something sometimes comes from not having put all the elements of good posture in place from the start (not saying that applies to you and your teacher, of course. Just speaking generally). Sometimes teachers are tinkering around the edges and getting somebody to concentrate on not doing something or doing something specific. I try to get good posture instilled in such a way that it becomes natural and there is inherent balance and self-correcting instincts. If that is successfully installed, the problems are not ongoing. I haven't had to think about correcting my own posture in many years. My body goes to its ideal position automatically because it has retained a memory of it's ideal balance points. It takes practice but it can be done. There's no doubt, there are times when touching would be slightly faster but if you choose your words carefully and point in the right places, you can avoid touching. The main reason I avoid touching is to eliminate any element of risk in a teaching arrangement. We live in a world full of litigation and misunderstandings and I don't want there to be any of that. It's a shame that our world is like that, but I have to accept that.

As regards to the level I teach. I don't teach virtuosic repertoire on piano, however I do refer my advanced students to two top-level teachers and one thing that both have commented on to me is that all of my student referrals have virtually no posture/position problems. They are always very pleased to accept my students because they don't have to reteach all their physical habits. That is something I wear with pride. I teach very advanced guitar repertoire also (my main instrument), and the process is not as different as you might think. In fact, the approach is the same, it's just adjusting the angles for a different apparatus.

When I first started teaching at the school I'm at eight years ago (I teach private lessons during the school day) I was told I wasn't allowed to touch the students at all - and I found it really difficult (especially coming from a background gymnastics coaching, where you are literally touching the students all the time). I remember how utterly awkward and panicked I felt the first time a student hugged me (out of the blue) and I felt like I shouldn't hug them back! And what to do if a student was upset during their lesson (not caused by me!)?

Over time I became much more lax about it, and most students I would now touch their hands or their shoulders at least once or twice during their lesson to correct posture. It feels like a much more natural way of teaching to me.

The other time I made a real effort not to touch students was during the swine flu epidemic - I made an effort to sit further behind the students than usual (I usually sit very slightly behind and to the right) - it really brough home how close I *usually* sit to the students these days (and how often I touch the students' hands and the piano during lessons). I think I have settled back into touching the students hands and adjusting their posture, but I do it less than I did a few years ago now.

Interesting food for thought, anyway.

For the record, I am a young-looking woman, so I am sure this affects my teaching style as well as the expectations around physicality and touching. I am sure it is much more difficult for men to navigate.

Thanks for sharing this, Ando - I love to get my students to tense and relax their muscles (lift up their shoulders and then drop them down, etc) so they can feel the difference for themselves. You've just put it into a wonderfully coherent context.

IMPOSSIBLE to just use words. Certain things cannot be explained by words alone. Many times, especially with the beginners, they do not even understand piano jargon yet. If you had learned piano properly, you would have known that giving example by touching is needed sometimes. That is why one of the reasons to let the parent watch the lesson is to eradicate all these worries about touching improperly. In addition, the parents can see and witness if the progress of the kids is not as good as the expectation. More over, the parent will learn too, and will be able to help.

No, just impossible for you, Ronald. Sure, it might be easier at times with touching, but it can be done. Don't saddle me with your own limitations. Some parents do sit in on lessons, but I still don't need to use touching. In fact if you can instil a message without touching, they will retain it better. They remember what you said and the reasoning behind it. If you only use touching, once they go home there's no one there to touch them back into shape. Touching might give an indication of where things should be, but it doesn't explain how they get there and how you keep them there.

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In fact if you can instil a message without touching, they will retain it better. They remember what you said and the reasoning behind it. If you only use touching, once they go home there's no one there to touch them back into shape. Touching might give an indication of where things should be, but it doesn't explain how they get there and how you keep them there. [/quote]

I would argue against your point that students will retain a message better if it is delivered only through words. That depends upon the message you're sending and the student to whom you're sending it. You mention posture, but that is not the only thing to be corrected in a pupil. Besides, people internalize concepts in different ways. For me, personally, vocal messages do not stick and I have a hard time processing information that way. I am very visual and when I see something in print, I rarely forget it. Some people are kinesthetic and respond well to physical actions and touch.

I remember when my teacher tried and tried to explain to me how to use the weight of my arm rather than banging down on the keys with my tense fingers. She talked to me about it, demonstrated on the piano, talked some more, and I was confused about what she wanted me to do. Then, she took my arm and "played the piano" on my arm, pushing hard with her fingers; then, she dropped her hand onto my arm using her arm weight and I finally understood the difference. That was 15 years ago, and I can still remember how the two different touches felt. In contrast, I can't tell you a single word she said to me about the subject.

I completely understand teachers who avoid physical contact to protect themselves, but to argue that it is not helpful to effective teaching is limiting oneself, imo.

Fleetfingers, as I described above, it's not just words. It's a series of guided exercises that gets you to your ideal posture/hand position. I agree that words aren't enough, that's why there is demonstration and the exercises. They get you in tune with what your body wants and needs. It works for both posture and position of the hands. When I said that my students go home with the words I gave them, I also include their memory of the exercises to obtain the right position. It's not difficult to remember, and I also write down some things to remind them. Once we've done it a few times in lessons, the message usually gets through. If it doesn't we do it again next week and the week after. But in that sense, it's no different to the "touching" approach. That doesn't have instant corrective results either. From what I've heard, those who use touch as their primary corrective device spend a lot longer trying to correct problems than I do. Depends on the teacher though. I'm not claiming that my way is the only way, I'm just saying to those who claim that it's not possible to teach properly without touching that that is not true. I do it every day.

ando, fair enough. It sounds like you have found ways of teaching without contact that work well for you and your students, which is wonderful. I will agree that many times patience and a thorough explanation is the best approach.