Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Ok Betty, John, Keiser and the rest of you professionals

With all due respect to your teaching abilities and your profession, I have a question to present as an adult student.

Let us remove the student for a moment and focus on what, in your professional opinion, makes for a exceptional piano instructor? I am talking Cream of the Crop, not the average. As a corporate trainer, I am always interested in
what the top 10 percent does that the 90 percent doesnt and how it effects the customer, in this case, the student.

Anyone up for the topic?

Magic.

Wayne723,

Wow! Do you ever have my attention!

I will wait to read some other posting here in reply, and will respond at a more condusive time to this really great question.

I wonder if John and Kreisler feel the "spotlight" as much as I did when I saw the title of this topic? Thanks, for the good feelings....but there are many others in PWF who should respond here because of their dedication, pursuit, and seriousness of purpose in the field of piano teaching.

I will get back to this question after my interview and the wedding of a grandson this afternoon. I wish I didn't have such a compelling agenda for the day so that I could respond spontaneously in the present moment.

I'd love to know more about your corporate trainer work! At one time I used management tool reading as a catalyst to teaching ideas and accountability in piano teaching. 1980's, I think. Took lots and lots of notes, read everything in the library I think! Of particular help were things on organization of the self, and time management.

Really good question!

kbk really says a mouthful when he says "Magic!" I'd definitely agree with this as off to a good start!

Betty

...and kisses.

The best teachers don't perform.
Today you have some teachers playing at
their students' recitals--showing up their
own students. This is monstrous
behavior for a teacher. Once a teacher
starts teaching regularly he/she should no longer
perform.

Having ALL of the teachers students play well and with enthusiasm, and with no transfer students, mind you.

So yes... magic!

I perform regularly, but not at my students' recitals.

I hope that exempts me from being a monstrously mediocre teacher!

I will admit that I am planning to play something at my students' next recital. I'm doing it for two reasons - because several of them have asked me to, and because I think students are often inspired, not "shown-up," by hearing their teacher play.

Oh, and I plan on responding to this topic at length. Hopefully tomorrow.

I don't plan to use myself as a model, as teaching is only half my job and I don't claim to be in the top 10% of anything (except maybe posting on PW!)

I do have some observations of two teachers who I have worked closely with who clearly are in the top 10% (if not top 1%).

Hopefully I can do them justice...

That would be interesting, K; I feel as you do, this topic is going to take some real thought to reply to properly, and just for the record, I figure after all these years of teaching, I have, I hope, at least moved into the upper half of teachers, but that could be delusional on my part.

I think each teacher has something special that could put them in the top 10% of teachers. However, to be the top piano teacher, I think you need all of the elements in one teacher.

I think an exceptional teacher has to develop a very good rapore with the student, and try to get the maximum out of the short time s/he is with the student. So even giving too many stickers to younger students could be bad because in that one minute you discussed stickers, you could have taught one important concept.

As you get better, you teach more with fewer words!

best teachers are the ones who teach but still keep the passion and pass it on to their students... (among many many other things...)

With all due respect, this question is rather superlative, subjective and narrow-minded as well .

Because there are so many factores involved; about the students and their effort, the parents and their effort too.

What if students that teachers take on are transfer students?

There are teachers that *only* enroll so-called talented students and deny others, therefore, the teachers look like they are in in the top 10%.

Also, how in the world can you "remove" the student and "focus" on the teacher. After all there would be no teacher if there is not a student.

So sorry, I really don't understand the question and the reasoning behind it. Or for that mater how to really answer it. Being a corporate trainer is not the same as being a piano teacher. It is not apples and apples.

I guess I did the best I could with my previous post, as far as answering your question.

I'm looking forward to Kreisler's post.

This I like!

I agree with pianobuff. The question is impossible to answer.

For starters, 90% don't have the answer. If we did then we would be in that top 10%.

Those who are in the top 10% probably don't even know it. Those who think they are in it are probably not.

Rather than talk percentages, it might be better to just ask what makes a good teacher.

Yeh, they're the top 10%. And it's pretty ugly the rest of the way down.

I'm not so sure kbk.

You could say that the majority of piano teachers are no good. In that case being in the top 10% might not make you a great teacher. You would simply be better than most of the worst ones.

On the other hand if you assume that most piano teachers are good at what they do then just avoiding the bottom 10% could be all you need.

A good teacher is a good teacher. Who cares where they rank on this kind of scale? Also, the best teacher for one student could be the worst kind of teacher for another.

Why aren't there concert pianists on every street corner then?

Because you can take a horse to water.......

I don't think there are any absolutes when it comes to this thread topic, and some of the answers given, and some of the question asked.

There are far too many variables...

For example, I teach 66 students each week...now is it because I'm in the so called top %10 percent, or do I simply live in a highly populated area, and am therefore, on equal par with a teacher who teaches 15 students per week in a town of 1000?

In broad terms, I would summise that a great teacher of anything, corporate training included, needs to possess vast experience, knowledge, and wisdom in the field in which they instruct others, an incredible aptitude for communication, great problem solving skills, intuition, imagination, a depth of psychological understanding, a respect for one's boundaries, a belief in one's potential, a warm, enthusiatic, and encouraging nature, compassion, and with both a nurturing and motivational/inspirational approach...and above all...flexibility

And Gyro, your post made me cringe and in my opinion, showed great naivety.

...or you can hobble it.