Inspired by another thread on this subject, I'd like to ask a question. Is it better for longterm playing to have just one teacher throughout childhood? Does changing teachers make a difference?

I had just one teacher from age 6-17, right the way through. I've always played the violin and it is my life, really.

A fantastic violinist friend up the road has a daughter who started violin at about 6. Her parents have changed her teacher twice, not because there was anything wrong with either teacher (quite the contrary in fact) but because they felt different teachers suited her needs better at different times. She now studies with a Professor of violin and she's still only about 12. Naturally, she plays amazingly.

I asked the dad at the time whether the daughter was upset at being made to change teachers and he said no, they explained the reasons and she was fine with it both times.

So, does constancy of teacher work better for longevity of playing, or does it have no real bearing? Perhaps the main thing is that the teacher is good, whether they were one or many, and that if there were enforced changes, the pupil understands the reasons why.

There's probably a tipping point where having too many changes of teacher just causes too much confusion, although having said that I played with another violinist recently who had had 12 teachers!!! His playing did show evidence of having been a bit 'pieced together' though. Another friend also had an unbelievable amount of teachers and his playing also had that quality of having had various bits removed and other bits stuck on, so to speak. Having said that, they're both very keen (adult) players.

I'm all confused now!

Violinia

I think my violin playing suffered from many changes of teacher while I was at secondary school, but then again, quite a few of those teachers weren't very good/experienced teachers, and I had mostly shared lessons within school time. So how much of it was the teachers changing, how much was bad teaching, and how much was just the inadequacy of shared lessons in school, I don't know.

I have been in the position of changing bad teachers for old (both immediately and with a long hiatus) but have never yet had to change from a beloved teacher.

I've had my piano teacher since I was five and a half, and I'm almost 15 now! I would hate to change teachers now, because she is a lovely person and is the best teacher I could wish for! I think if I changed teachers now my playing might suffer, but I think she wants to take me to Grade 8, and then we'll both be happy! She knows my style of playing so well, and she knows what my potential flaws in my playing are and doesn't hesitate to point them out (though she's always nice about it!). Constantly changing teachers would perhaps be confusing as the teacher wouldn't get to know their pupil properly, and vice versa.

......I meant to add - conversely, changing flute teachers was the best possible thing that could have happened to my flute playing!

Me too!

Though changing teachers has always become naturally for me, as as I've changed school/school year, I often got a new flute teacher. I must have had about 5 teachers. But the best news was when I changed between year 9/10, as I've got my current fantastic teacher. She's totally changed my approach to flute playing and my flute playing.

I did get to a stage at the end of last year when I might have had to have changed from my current teacher to someone else, and for me that would have been devastating, I know she's one of the best teachers in the area. Luckily that didn't happen.

I don't know the answer to your question Violinia, but I just wanted to say that I never feel quite as settled and in tune, or it takes me a long time to do so, with pupils that I have inherited from another teacher. Too many cross over periods would surely be disruptive. It's not that I can't teach effectively during the settling in period, it just takes a while to get used to each other and you are never quite as sure that they have covered everything you think they should have in the way that you would have covered it. I certainly prefer to take pupils right through till at least Grade 8.

Because my kids generally played 2 instruments they were quite comfortable with having 2 teachers anyway.

The 'cello playing daughter was desperate for years to change her teacher but he was the only one available at school so I hung in there and five miserable years (I kid you not) later moved her and progress was rapid, because she was happier.

On one particular occasion other daughter had an excellent violin teacher and I really wanted her to stay with him, but she just couldnt settle with him. She said he was too 'dippy & scatty'(?) (eccentric) so very reluctantly I moved her. I really liked him and it broke my heart to tell him she wasnt coming back. But yet the Year 7 piano teacher 'sacked' my daughter and told me she wasnt interested in music! Learnt much later that my daughter deliberately played badly so that I would change her. Replacement teacher says she is 'talented'

Eldest daughter's flute teacher would not support her application to Junior Conservatoire and thought I was wasting my money and heading for disaster. Daughter was accepted and flute teacher still negative, so we moved. Only my son had his trumpet teacher all the way from 8 to 18 and he was happy with him. Three piano teachers abandoned him

Sometimes you have to move. If you are lucky enough to have a compatible, capable, encouraging teacher from G1 to G8 levels well then you are just that, quite lucky.

Thank goodness that there are enough music teachers out there sothat we CAN move should we need to.

I think that alot of moves could well disrupt and slow down progress, but on the other hand, different teachers have different styles, viewpoints and ways of teaching.

Recently I changed violin teacher, mainly because my teacher didn't feel he could take me past the level I'm at. He taught me loads of stuff, particularly about general musicianship and expression etc. and also introduced me to folk music Moving to my new teacher, she's doing loads of work on my technique, which was lagging way behind the rest of my playing. I find it refreshing and it has given me more enthusiasm for my playing.

I think, especially for higher level musicians it is useful to see and play with and also to learn from more than one person, whether through formal lessons or not, to stop yourself becoming almost a "clone" of your teacher.

I loved my first flute teacher, but she retired after I'd been having lessons about a year. My next 2 teachers were awful and I really didn't like them at all - I almost gave up the flute with my last one. Now I have a fabulous teacher who's really enthusiastic and has given me huge enthusiasm for playing, and I would hate to change now. I didn't find the changes too bad, because there was always a school holiday in between so it didn't feel so strange.

My first violin teacher was lovely, but she moved away just when I was going to do grade 1. It took me so long to settle with my new teacher that I never did grade 1 and went on to grade 2. She was ok, but was all about the technical technical technical - she often made me feel a bit stupid and I didn't enjoy my lessons much. Then she moved away, and I had a very nice man but he never criticised anything - he just always said "that was very nice. What would you like to play now?" Which wasn't all that helpful
The teacher I have now is great - he knows exactly what my faults are as I have been with him for about 4 years and explains things so well. Changing now would be extremely difficult.

My piano teacher I have been with for 6 years (since I started playing) and she's fantastic! She's knows everything about my playing and knows how to get the best response from me and make me understand. I don't think I could change because she's so understanding!!

Sorry that's a bit of an essay but I just wanted to show how I've sort of....found my perfect teachers through a series of not so good ones, and that change can be good

I guess what matters is finding the right teacher however long it takes. The lucky ones will strike it lucky the first time, others may take years but then suddenly take off musically. & sometimes you don't realise someone wasn't the right teacher till you find one that suits you better, because the "wrong" teachers aren't necessarily bad teachers.

Definitely. I thought I was doing ok during high school (when I did grades 4 and 5), but then when I got my new teacher a few months later, it was like "What have I been missing for all these years"

(Even worse was my current teacher taught at my high school )

Just thinking about it, sometimes the bad teachers can end up being the reason you get the good ones.

The teacher who took me through to my A Level recital was (is!) an amazing teacher. My first lesson ever was a consultation lesson and I remember her saying something along the lines of "oh dear, you really do need my help!".

The teacher I had in school for a year had taught me all sorts of weird things (he had me tonguing to finish every note, and rolling in) - and also let me get away with some really bad habits. (In fact the only thing still retained in my flute playing from that year now (apart from recurrent bad habits ) is Eb major 2 octaves which he made me learn!!)

BUT... my new teacher was incredibly busy and struggled to fit me in (I had lessons of random lengths at really odd times). When I had conquered most of the bad stuff she semi-passed-me-on to a former student who was herself a fine flautist and also an accompanist. If I hadn't have been so terrible she'd've sent me to a reliable but lesser teacher. Obviously it would've been better to have had a good teacher from the start, but my progress in that short time, and my teacher's belief in me despite all my lousy habits, got me through that recital, and I'm not sure anyone else could've done so so successfully (plus I would've probably ended up having my school music teacher (LOUSY accompanist) play with me in the recital, which would've been awful (she was a perfectly good pianist, but when she accompanied she played as if she were the soloist and you were accompanying her ).

Gosh I would have loved to have had a a great teacher for as long as I have been playing, but unfortunately I haven't been that luck. I have been playing violin for nearly 7 years now and have had 9!! (yes 9) different teachers The switching of teachers was mainly more at my primary school but stil have changed at secondary. I am sooo pleased with the teacher I have at the moment she is great! and the longest lasting one I have ever had nearly 2 years now (never had one longer than a year before) and I just hope she stays for next year . Anyway with haveing so many teachers I found it really hard to progress because everytime the came to enter me for an exam they would leave and some just didn't really seem to bother anyway. So with all the changing it took me 4 years to take my grade 2! But now I am happy with my new one and have just taken my grade 5 and my results should be in next week

x

Sounds a bit like my violin learning experience at secondary school!!

Hope your current teacher stays around

Thanks

x

I agree. I think it's great if you can find a teacher who you find that you have a real chemistry with! It makes the lessons a whole lot more enjoyable, and when your having fun, it means your going to be learning something along the way!

I've had various music teacher's myself. Some who are great musicians, but a couple in particular who I have had taught me, dont actually seem to care about progressing their own students. They come across to me like they are just interested in the money, and getting the job done. This annoys me.

I was just thinking...this question isn't framed quite right

Not many children or their parents would take a child away from a good teacher on a whim! Some parents or children might be mistaken in thinking that they should change teachers, but the upheaval is the same for the actual student.

So I'm answering the questions: "How damaging is a change of teachers for a child? Would it be better to put up with a less than ideal situation than to change?"

Changing a teacher is never ideal - hindsight is the only way to tell if you made the right decision, so having acted, I suppose that it doesn't even matter if it was the right decision or not - forward is the only way you *can* go!

You're right, some teachers have no real interest in progressing their students beyond attaining a reasonable exam result(so you'll keep them on) and getting their money. Good thing is a lot are genuine and are sincerely motivated to helping the students overall musicianship... it's just a matter of finding them...I'm still looking, having had a few dodgy experiences.

My current piano teacher is great, lets me (used to make me, now I love it) play loads of different, challenging pieces.
But we have too much fun together...
Sometimes we talk for 30mins before I actually play anything

You're lucky, some teachers are so mean with their time, you get the feeling that they want to charge you for talking to you for half a minute before or after the lesson. I am not exaggerating either. The last one charged me a consultation fee, which i think is a bit greedy, considering they were advertising to find new students and charge 25 quid per half hour ! Good to know there are teachers who are not one bit like that....

Sounds like you've been really unfortunate, Chopinzee

I think it is always better to change teachers than stay with a poor teacher, the problem is how to be sure you (or your child) has a poor teacher. Sometimes it's obvious but not always to a beginner or inexperienced parent.

Overall I suspect it can be good to change teachers occasionally. The teacher who is best for guiding a very talented teenager through grade 8 distinction and into one of the top music schools (if that is what is wanted)might be quite wrong for the same child as a 7 year old beginner. Alternatively a teacher who inspires a young child with a love of playing music might not have the experience to reach the highest levels. Also different teachers will give a different perspective on technique, interpretation etc.

There is always a hiatus caused by changing teachers though so I think you should stick with any teacher for a reasonably long time. I'm sure it can't be helpful to change more than once every 2 years and probably longer.

This is not to say that it is bad that you stayed with one teacher Violinia. It was obviously the right thing for you and the teacher was clearly brilliant to be able to take you from beginner to a very high level

It's a bit scary - especially with things like singing, where, let's face it, you can't go buy a new set of vocal chords!

I had to move piano teachers because of moves of school or home - my first I had until I left primary school, the second, in high school until she left, the third until we moved house, and the fourth until I went off to university. Ditto for oboe teachers, though only the house move changed things there.
Each time I moved, I found I had to adjust to new ways of learning, new teaching practices; my first piano teacher would let me stick a coloured star on a page when I'd learnt a piece to her satisfaction, the next was keen to teach me to play without looking at the keys, the third was a jazz musician who taught staccato playing by getting me to drop my hands down onto the keys from a considerable height, the fourth was a violinist who found demonstrating what she was trying to explain too difficult to do...my own personality being a little inflexible, I found that each change took the best part of a year to adjust to; not being a natural keyboard player, my progress was a bit stop-start, and I didn't really thrive on the changes.

On the oboe, the change was all for the good - the new teacher understood my unwillingness to put myself through more exams, found music I would enjoy, and let me play her instrument because my own sounded so horrible. I could probably have made more of the oboe if I'd been able to get a better one, but it wasn't to be, and when my oboe finally broke, I bought my first recorder, fell in love with that, and the rest is history...

For recorder, I've really only had one teacher - sure, an odd lesson before that, but my present teacher is the one who has got me to the level I'm now so happily at, and I'm still making good progress under his guidance. His approach has so closely matched my needs that I've surpassed any hopes or expectations I'd ever had, and his way of teaching is one I'd want to emulate, based as it is on finding the positives; he manages to enthuse me enough that I'm more than happy to practise even very dull bits of technique in order to get a piece learned. No doubt being very much older myself helps here too - somewhere along the line I've found a spot of motivation .

I teach a 13-year-old who, when I asked her on her first lesson with me how long she'd been playing, said, 'Five years, and you're my sixth teacher'.

THe poor girl had been hit both by changes of school and a patchy history of flute teaching in both schools. I've been teaching her since September, and I only now feel I'm beginning to build up a bit of a relationship with her.It's very obvious that she has felt let down by her past teachers, who have left just as she's beginning to know them, and that she doesn't trust me to stay.

The most difficult students I've taught in the past are those whose teachers have suddenly dumped them - one found a note through her door saying her teacher had enrolled on a one-year university course and would no longer be able to teach her.

That can be hard to handle.
As an adult I was once 'sacked' by a teacher because of trying to rearrange lessons due to unavoidable circumstances of which he was fully aware. As I'd never cancelled before, even to the point of driving to my lesson with migraine, and I was also quite happy to pay for missed lessons if it wasn't possible to rearrange it was not expected and also unfair.
It was several years before I restarted.

Poor child