How to Find a Piano Teacher

Finding a good piano teacher may be hard when you move to a new community or just begin taking lessons. Perhaps your piano tuner can recommend some teachers, or you've heard of a fantastic teacher from a friend or acquaintance. If not, here's where to look.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Metronome
• Pianos
• Sheet Music For Piano
• Yellow Pages
• Piano Stool
• Local Newspapers

1. Check local music stores that offer piano lessons. Set up a meeting with a teacher there to discuss his or her background, teaching style and cost per lesson.

2. Look in the yellow pages of your telephone directory under "Music Instruction - Instrumental" if you have no luck at the music stores.

3. Turn to the classified ads in your local newspaper. There may be an ad or two placed by piano teachers looking for students in the "Employment Wanted" section.

4. Check out local colleges that offer private music lessons. Of course, you must ask about the school's admission policy since you'll technically be a student of the school by registering for lessons.

Tips & Warnings

• The benefits of taking piano lessons at a college are that they usually are cheaper per meeting than if you were to pay for single lessons each week, and you'll be training with a teacher who has been formally schooled in music and has many years of expertise.

[mtconnol]

on 8/25/2008 There are several online directories of music teachers - My favorite is, of course, the one I own and operate: http://www.learningmusician.com

[person457]

on 7/21/2008 CONTINUED...
As for festivals and competitions, many teachers use these to enrich their overall lesson program. There are a few teachers who are overly focused on them, teaching pieces rather than music. Most, however use these events as performance opportunities, not curriculum.
Typically, those teachers who do not allow parents to attend lessons are not "hiding" anything. They are enforcing a common policy used to prevent certain problems. In the one-on-one scenario, there is usually less pressure on the student, and the student and teacher have each other's undivided attention. Some students have a hard time making those necessary mistakes before even the friendly audience of a parent. Please be sure to ask your child what happened in the lesson and how they felt about it. If the student is uncomfortable, find another teacher.
A teacher's personality will affect his

[person457]

on 7/21/2008 CONTINUED...
As for festivals and competitions, many teachers use these to enrich their overall lesson program. There are a few teachers who are overly focused on them, teaching pieces rather than music. Most, however use these events as performance opportunities, not curriculum.
Typically, those teachers who do not allow parents to attend lessons are not "hiding" anything. They are enforcing a common policy used to prevent certain problems. In the one-on-one scenario, there is usually less pressure on the student, and the student and teacher have each other's undivided attention. Some students have a hard time making those necessary mistakes before even the friendly audience of a parent. Please be sure to ask your child what happened in the lesson and how they felt about it. If the student is uncomfortable, find another teacher.
A teacher's personality will affect his

[person457]

on 7/21/2008 To balance some of the strong opinions in previous comments:
There are as many different methods and styles of teaching as there are teachers. Just as there is no "cookie cutter" teaching method that works every time (I fully agree!), there is also no "cookie cutter" definition of a good teacher.
Communication between student and/or parent and the teacher is crucial - both while you select a teacher and later on, in evaluating the student's progress. Do tell your teacher the truth! There are some elements of your practice and learning that your teacher will only know about for sure when you tell him or her. Early communication can keep your progress on track. Even if you end up leaving your teacher, your input is valuable.
A teacher's training definitely matters! (you can't teach what you can't do)- but training is only one of many facets to consider.
As for fes

[budapest]

on 4/19/2008 More important than the teacher is how you prepare for that teacher. You can't just throw your kid into lessons and expect them to succeed. You have to find a teacher who has a personality sympathetic to kids, who understands their attention span and is willing to inject at least SOME fun into what can become drudgery very quickly. I suggest starting with a pre-method, and there are lots out there; computer programs, by color, there's one called piano by number that has good results. You can see it at http://www.pianoiseasy.com
Watch out for teachers who are dogmatists and disciplinarians. The ideal piano teacher for a little child should be somewhere between a game show host and a virtuoso.