Interviewing Music Teachers
Evaluating Expectations for Students
Evaluating Expectations for Students
Without practice, students will never achieve mastery of their instrument. While you may want a
great deal of flexibility, seek a teacher who will gently maintain clear minimum standards of
participation and preparation.
great deal of flexibility, seek a teacher who will gently maintain clear minimum standards of
participation and preparation.
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Piano Studio of Andrew Horowitz
- How much practicing do you require?
- Anything more than 1 ½ hours per day for intermediate and advanced students and
anything more than 45 minutes per day for beginners is probably unreasonable, even
for the most talented.
- Red flags: “10 minutes per day.” “Three days a week.” “Students should practice
when they can.”
- It’s better, in the long run, to take lessons for three years, practice 35 minutes per day,
and burn out, then to take lessons for seven years with only intermittent practice. You
might burn out, but at least you'll have learned something!
- Clear expectations for practice are essential. If students aren’t told specifically how
and how much to practice, 90% of them won’t do it. Your child probably falls into
that 90%! If all you’re looking for is exposure and music appreciation, that's fine, but
if you want your child to develop real skill at their instrument, don’t waste your time
with teachers who won’t require the time necessary to develop it.
- What kind of practice instrument do we need?
- Red flag: “It doesn’t matter.”
- The same issues regarding practice time requirements apply to practice instrument
requirements as well, to a somewhat lesser extent. It is not possible to make real
progress without a decent practice instrument in the home; you should be highly
skeptical of anyone who doesn’t have specific requirements about which kinds of
pianos and keyboards are acceptable and which are not.
- Generally speaking, a 61 key electronic keyboard may be suitable for up to one year; a
weighted 88 key electronic keyboard may be suitable for up to three years; only an
acoustic piano is suitable for upper intermediate and advanced study. Many teachers
will not accept students who do not have a piano or concrete plans to get one.
- Which recitals, festivals, competitions, and classes are required, and which are optional?
- If all events are optional, students may elect not to participate in any; if all events are
required, they may burn out. Look for flexibility.
- Are students required to take lessons during the summer?
- What do you do when students fail to meet practice expectations?
- Many teachers will say that they drop students who fail to meet expectations, but this is
an idle threat more often than not. Keep in mind that you are looking for a teacher who
will gently enforce her guidelines. Your child might have a bad week of practice every
once and a while, and that's ok. But if she has four bad weeks in a row, you want the
teacher to have some kind of plan for addressing that problem with both the parent and
the student.
Questions to ask