Choosing
a Music Teacher
By Sam
Salmon
Choosing a
Music Teacher
Although it
is quite possible to teach
yourself how to play an
instrument, the advances that you
can make with a good music
teacher and following a course of
structured lessons can not be
overvalued.
Don't be
afraid to make that call to a
teacher and discuss your needs.
As adults it can be hard to take
that first step, but playing
music is undeniably good for the
soul, and you shouldn't allow
yourself to miss out on the
opportunity to feel happier and
learn something new.
Before you
make that call it helps to know
what style of music you would
like to learn so you can discuss
this with a prospective music
teacher.
Learning a
style you enjoy helps you to stay
motivated and make you want to
keep practicing. It will also
help your teacher to tailor the
lessons to suit you.
Music
teachers can be found in the
local papers, Yellow Pages and
Thompson Local as well as on the
Internet. Go to Google and type
in “music teachers in
……” and add your
town and county.
Another
good source is your local music
shop. They usually know the local
teachers personally, or know of
the good ones from word of mouth
from their customers.
Tip!
Get a myspace.com music
page.
There are a
number of things to consider when
choosing a music teacher, and
price should really NOT be one of
them.
Four
lessons a month with an adequate
teacher who is cheap may not be
as beneficial to you as twice a
month with a superior but more
expensive teacher.
It's true
that more expensive is not always
better, but an excellent teacher
will have no problem finding
students prepared to pay a higher
rate.
You can
expect to pay anywhere from
£12 to £30 an hour,
though many teachers offer half
hour lessons which may well be
better for people early into
their instrument playing.
Ask if
there is the possibility of group
lessons, if this suits you. This
can seriously help reduce the
costs for those on tight budget.
Those who
have family constraints or
transport problems might want to
consider having a teacher come to
their home.
Any good
teacher will be happy to talk to
you about the possibility of
teaching you and should be happy
to answer your
questions.
* Ask
if you can sit in on a lesson.
This is
especially good if you're
thinking of taking group
lessons.
*
Avoid teachers who are not
‘fun'.
Playing an
instrument should be fun not a
chore. If you don't find learning
with a particular teacher fun,
move on. It should not be work,
otherwise you'd work an
instrument not play it
* Ask
if you can tape record any
lessons you have.
A teacher
who is confident in their
teaching methods will have no
problem with this, and you will
have a source of reference to
help you in your
practice.
Tip!
Singing warm-up exercises ...
Don't leave home without
them!
*
Never be afraid to ask what their
professional and educational
experience is.
While
qualifications may not be
everything you should expect a
music teacher to have taken their
music exams in the instrument or
instruments they teach.
Also find
out how long they've been
teaching and the kind of people
they teach. For example - do they
teach adults and children?
References
can be asked for, but none come
higher than personal
recommendation from a happy
student.
* Ask
how much practice is expected of
you, and find out if there will
be opportunities to perform in
the future, especially if you are
learning an instrument that plays
as part of large band or
orchestra.
Which ever
path you go down, the bottom line
is practice practice practice.
Little and often is always better
than spending 4 hours the day
before your next lesson trying to
practice what you were shown last
lesson!
It never
fools the teacher and all you do
is waste your own money and time.
Things sink in better if
practiced a little everyday
anyway.
To spend 10
minutes several times a day
working on something you find
particularly difficult can often
achieve better results than 2
hours in one sitting.
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About the Author
Sam Salmon
runs http://www.iwantedtobeapopstar.co.uk
helping amateur musicians find
others to play with.
This article
and report section is presented
by Bob Pardue, the owner of
Music
Playground.
Have some fun and learn to read
music FREE by visiting
www.largemart.com/read-music
today...
Disclaimer: Although we
have made every effort to provide
solid and accurate information
about music and singing on these
pages, Bob Pardue or Music
Playground accepts no
responsibility or does the site
insure or imply any degree of
expertise about singing. Degrees
of success with these music ideas
varies greatly dependent upon the
talent, attitudes, attributes and
ambition of each individual
person.
Please
thoroughly check out any
information you find on this site
before assuming the accuracy of
this article about choosing a
music teacher
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