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Choosing a Teacher
Choosing a music instructor can be the best thing, or worst thing, you do for your learning. Here are a couple of guidelines for choosing a teacher.
Education: Be sure your instructor is educated. This means that your teacher should be a certified music instructor - a graduate of a university or conservatory music program. Playing the guitar for thirty years does not mean you can teach guitar effectively.
Experience: Your instructor should not only be a certified, educated teacher. He or she should also be a consistently performing musician. Ask about where he or she performs currently. A church? A bar? A school? These answers should matter to you concerning what type of venue you choose to play in or listen to music in. Maybe your instructor is retired, but was a pianist for forty years with a church or band? Those years of experience will transfer to you.
Professionalism: Does your teacher seem professional? Does he or she teach from a studio, a home, or a music store? Does he or she address you with respect during your questions? Instructors should be professional teachers and not "I'm teaching for a hobby." or "I'm teaching for extra money." types of people. Teaching music should be their primary job, and it should be their career.
Pricing: You should investigate the prices for instruction in your area. In smaller towns, monthly piano lessons might be as low as $30 per month for 1 half hour lesson per week. In larger cities, that same time might cost $150 per month. Your area probably falls somewhere in the middle. Find out the average price to make sure instructors are not over- or under-charging for their lessons.
Specifics: Find out about holidays, extra fees, make-up lessons, payment policies and anything else before you enroll - not after.
References: It is not rude to ask an instructor for references. An instructor that does not seem willing and happy to give references should lose points for professionalism.
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