I'm aged 48, with a young family (boys 9 and 7, which are quite a handful). I recently passed Grade 8, which has been an ambition for more than 20 years.

However, I don't want to stop learning now, but I don't have any immediate plans for the Diploma or any further exams. My immediate goals are:

1. To improve my sight-reading (I got only 12/21 in my exam). This is not something that can be taught in the conventional way - it's just practice, practice and more practice. I'm happy to do that.

2. To learn Myra Hess' arrangement of "Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring" and Chopin's Waltz in C# Minor No 7 Op 64 No 2.

I doubt whether I'll be able to commit the sort of time to practice that I had to in order to pass my exam. So my question to you teachers is:

How do you feel about teaching people who only want intermittent lessons? I would like an arrangement where I request a lesson and can arrange them in an ad hoc fashion. I can quite understand that teachers need to have pupils who come consistently and can commit for some time in advance, but still - surely that doesn't suit everyone? I find my teacher quite difficult to talk to - she's Japanese, and a very good teacher but quite strict and rather intimidating!

I couldn't very well refuse, as I only go to my own teacher once a blue moon for a few lessons before a recital! I haven't had a lesson now for nearly 20 months!! (Shows when my last big recital was!!! )

I have a few adult pupils whose lessons are intermittent. It all comes down to how regularly they need to come for what they are trying to do. They have to accept lessons either during the day or at unpopular times.

Steve

I have a few adult students who come intermittently. I don't mind this, as they are all in daytime slots which wouldn't be filled up anyway, and in the weeks when they don't come, I have more time for my own clarinet practice - that suits me fine!

Yes - as others have indicated, it's more of a problem if the student concerned needs to have lessons at a popular time. If you can fill that slot with someone who can (and wants to ) come every week, it's not an easy decision to give it to someone who wants an occasional lesson, although I understand your reasons totally.

I hope you come to a suitable arrangement for your lessons, Edwardo.




Have a look at this thread for help with the sight reading.

Thanks for the link. Funnily enough, I have the book, and have recommended it to others. But my having concentrated on Grade exams for the past three years means that I've neglected it. I'll dig it out and add 15 minutes a day to my practice.

I think that sightreading can be taught.

And I would take an intermittant adult - but they would get a seriously bad lesson time!

I agree with everyone above - you can't give intermittant lessons during a popular slot otherwise you'd be losing money all over the place.

Violinia

I'm prepared to take an unpopular lesson time - that's entirely fair enough.

But I'm intrigued about how you think sight-reading can be taught. Any hints as to what method you'd use?

Oh - meant to say yes, I think sight reading can to some extent be taught, or at least helped.
I probably could not say how I'd go about it until I had watched the student attempt sight reading and noted how he or she goes about it.

I agree entirely that sightreading can be taught to a great extent. There's a great deal that can be done to help those who say they 'can't' sightread.

With regard to intermittant lessons, I would and do give occasional lessons (in particular I'm thinking of a university student who comes back to me now and then during the holidays for top-up lessons). As others have said, I would not sell my choice slots to anyone who could not come regularly, but most people in this situation can fit a lesson in when you have an available slot.

Hi Edwardo

Good luck in finding a teacher to accommodate the irregular lesson requirement! I have such a teacher, who is wonderful. The teacher likes pupils to come around once every three weeks or so, which suits me fine. We make arrangements on an adhoc basis to suit our two schedules - this works fine, with no probs at all on either side

And the spacing out of lessons means you develop all your independent learning skills!

Good luck and huge congrats on the grade 8 piano......

Twiddle

Ed - I would have to see you sightread in order to say how I would teach you to sightread - it also depends on what level you can currently sightread.