How To Find A New Teacher Options

[trimmy]

Hi All (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

As the title says " how do you find a new teacher " the reason i'm asking is my present teacher who i have been with since February 2010 i feel is a bit dis-organised.
When i turn up for a lesson,(which is in a spare bedroom) there is no music stand to place papers/books and he doesn't seem to have a plan of my lesson.

I have had to check myself (he kept forgetting) as to what the syllabus for the grade 1 exam is,(which is how i came across this forum (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) ) i have been learning scales to 2 octaves to find i only need to go upto 1 octave for the exam. I feel i should be at a better stage than i am at now (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

I started learning alto sax in February 2010 and got his number through " Find a teacher " on the internet, i don't know anyone who plays sax so cannot get a recommendation.

My teacher is qualified in piano and alto/tenor sax so is obviously talented, but feel he may not be as qualified to teach !! but who am i to judge ?

So back to the original question "How do you find a new teacher" without falling into the same trap as before

Regards

Kevin

Oops seem to have posted twice

[barry-clari]

You're going to the RNCM sax day, aren't you? My advice in that case would be to listen to some of the players there, and if there's one that particularly inspires you, see who teaches them. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[trimmy]

Yes, I will be attending sax day and i am looking forward to it, I will take your advice aswell as asking around.

[barry-clari]

Yes, I will be attending sax day and i am looking forward to it, I will take your advice aswell as asking around.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) Have fun there, by the way, it's a fab event, and I'm sorry I can't make it this year...

[sbhoa]

Though there may be other concerns I'd say that playing scales over a bigger range than required for an exam is a bonus.

[trimmy]

Though there may be other concerns I'd say that playing scales over a bigger range than required for an exam is a bonus.

I understand were you are coming from, but also as the saying goes " learn to walk before you run " I may just discuss my concerns with him, I have heard him play at Lipa and he is excellent, but being a good musician doesn't make a good tutor.
I'll have a few discussions with others on Sunday and gauge from there

[Bass Clef]

Ring prospective teachers and ask lots of questions! Ask about things that are important to you. You might say things like 'Do you prepare students for exams, and if so, how?' Or 'what is your approach when it comes to ...[insert important thing here - whatever that might be for you!]...'

[sbhoa]

Though there may be other concerns I'd say that playing scales over a bigger range than required for an exam is a bonus.

I understand were you are coming from, but also as the saying goes " learn to walk before you run " I may just discuss my concerns with him, I have heard him play at Lipa and he is excellent, but being a good musician doesn't make a good tutor.
I'll have a few discussions with others on Sunday and gauge from there

Ah, I'd assumed that you'd worked up to 2 octave scales.

[chinaberry]

Hey! You joined on John Lennon's birthday and you're from L'pool (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) That's pretty cool.

And I found my new teacher by going to a music shop and asking for a list of their registered teachers. Also several people I knew had names to recommend.

[skylark]

Some of the questions I might ask would depend on what/how I wanted to play. If, for instance, I wanted to play jazz, I would look for a teacher who would teach improvisation and how to play by ear. If I wanted to eventually play in a wind band or concert band, I would look for a teacher who taught by a more classical route - notation, sight reading skills etc.

When you say your present teacher is "qualified" in sax, what type of qualification is it? Some qualifications place more emphasis on academic study, some on performance skills, and vice versa. It's something to bear in mind, although it's often been mooted on here several times that qualifications are less important than teaching skills.

I would try not to commit myself to a teacher until I'd tested the waters. All my teachers have offered a free meeting, during which they suss out whether they want to take you on and you suss out whether they're the right teacher for you. Not all teachers do this - some offer a "consultation lesson" which you might be expected to pay for.

If I had to find a new teacher, I would probably say something along the lines that I wasn't sure if I could commit to regular lessons and could I just have, say, three lessons to see how I got on. That way there's no awkwardness if you discover they're not the right teacher for you, and you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for next time. Not all teachers may agree to this though, and you run the risk of losing your slot if someone who is willing to commit long term wants it in the meantime.

On a practical level, you might want to find out whether they follow academic terms or whether they teach all year round. The loss of several weeks lessons during the summer may mean that your progress is checked until the start of the new term. If you want to do exams, the closing date for the winter session is very shortly after the start of the autumn term and if you haven't had lessons all summer, it's more difficult to assess whether you'd be ready for the winter session exam, and it may mean you delaying until the spring session.

Did you use www.musicteachers.co.uk to find a teacher? On the whole it's probably reliable, although it's easy for someone to claim qualifications that they don't have, and this has happened on occasion. If in doubt, look for evidence of framed certificates, or ask some questions about where they studied, what their qualification involved etc. It's very hard to do this, which is perhaps why nobody does. I would particularly warm to a teacher who volunteered information about their qualifications, teaching plan, attitude to exams etc.

You could also have a look at www.sax.co.uk which has teacher lists. Or get in touch with some concert or wind bands via www.amateurorchestras.org.uk or www.windbanddirectory.co.uk and see if any of their saxophonists are teachers.

Good luck with this, trimmy. It's a minefield finding a good teacher who suits you, but worth it in the end!

[Minstrel]

Wise words, Skylark.

Are you comfortable with the progress that you are making and are you enjoying your playing and your lessons? If so, then a bit of 'disorganisation ' may not matter too much in the overall scheme of things. Also, don't assume that your teacher will prepare you for every exam and only teach to the syllabus at each step, grade by grade. Many teachers only do an exam every now and again if and when they consider it to be a worthwhile goal for that particular pupil and, especially if you're making good progress, it could well be that your teacher is teaching you in this much more open and personal manner and that you are actually working towards the equivalent of a higher level than you realised. Do have a discussion with your teacher about your objectives and what exactly you want to do with and get out of your playing and make sure that you are happy with how he is working to help you get there.