Hi,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma and could do with some advice please

I took up playing piano again a year ago now and have had lessons since February. I picked my teacher on the basis that he was a professional Jazz pianist and composer as well as teacher. When I was looking for a teacher I thought my interests were mainly Jazz and improvisation.

Since then I took Grade 6 (Summer '08) and 7 (Autumn '08) and got a merit in both - so far so good .... but ... in the last year i've discovered how much excellent piano repertoire there is out there and now I want to play more 'classical' pieces and am not currently so interested in improvisation. I'd still like to play some Jazz pieces (such as Bill Evans or Gershwin), but to treat them as pieces rather than jumping off points for improv.

anyway ...

The problem lies in that my teacher doesn't regularly play classical repertoire. Although he's taken me through to a decent level at Grade 7, I'm worried about whether i'm getting all of the teaching I could be on more advanced pieces. He seems quite impressed with my playing and is not looking for perfection, whereas I know I will need much more technique to play harder pieces. I always get about 25 in the exams and would like to improve this.

I guess my questions are :

1. Does a teacher need to be actively playing classical repertoire to be able to teach at Grade 8 standard?
1. Should I now be looking for a teacher that can take me through to Diploma level where I want to be in 3-4 years?
3. Would it work having 2 teachers? One for improvisation and one for repertoire?
4. Am I being too harsh on him? He's obviously done a great job so far, and I feel a bit ungrateful to even raise these questions.

Any comments? I've never really had a teacher before so don't know what to expect.

Thanks!

Well there are other regulars on here better qualified than me to comment , but I would have thought you need a teacher now who has a better knowledge of classical repertoire and will be better at teaching you technique. So my answer to your first two questions is 'Yes.
I also think there is little to be gained by using two teachers.
You obviouly like working with him, and appreciate what he has done for you, but I think by the time you are approaching Grade 8 , and hope to carry on to do a diploma, you need a traditional classical teacher.

PS there's great Jazz piece in new Grade 8 syllabus, 'Alligator Crawl' by Fats Waller

Yes - I'd better add that we get on great, which is a big deal for an adult learner, and have excellent conversations about music in general.

I love Alligator Crawl too - I'll learn it for sure as i'd like to learn to play stride ... there are 4 or 5 other pieces on the C list that i'll learn too .. great choices ABRSM ;-)

I don't think that it's necessarily a problem to have 2 teachers if the lessons are covering completely separate disciplines if you can't find someone who is comfortable with both.
I think that the starting point would be to discuss your changed needs with your current teacher. If he doesn't feel sufficiently knowledgeable on the 'classical' and technical side of things then it's quite likely he'll tell you and support you in moving on (or adding on?).
Not quite the same level but I was teaching a teenage boy whose interests were in an area I'm not that familiar with and I made both him and his parents aware that I felt I was not fullfilling his needs any more.

Hi iamdjoc,

In July, I was in a similar situation to you...I had a jazz teacher and wasn't getting marks as I high as I wanted on classical exams and didn't really have the technique. Now I was introduced to a great classical teacher at a local festival and in the end made the very difficult decision to change.

So I changed teachers and at first it was very strange, and a lot of hard work, because I had to do some basic technique and was doing loads of scales and exercises to get everything right, and I'm still trying to sort out some issues with my technique now. Though it's hard work, I'm so glad I'm getting it sorted now, and I should be able to continue to take my higher grades and, fingers crossed, do better. I also do much more practise because, before, my old teacher didn't really put any emphasis on it.

So, although this is a bit of a waffle, I'd say a change is probably a good idea.

As for having two teachers, I don't know how that would work out. At one point this was an option for me, but in the end I decided this would cause more trouble than it was worth because both teachers would feel like they weren't good enough in one respect and I didn't want that.

I'm really glad I did raise the exact questions you're talking about, because what's happened now I am very happy about. A change is often good for us all.

Best wishes,

Pianoboe

Ps. I realise you don't know me - I'm not around too often anymore...busy life!

Hi,

If it helps from a teacher's perspective, I don't teach jazz as a jazz discipline, because I don't listen to it, so the rhythms and tonality of it are something that doesn't come naturally to me, and so I couldn't give my students the most informed information that they need, There is a jazz piano teacher near to me who is far better qualified to teach this than I am. I will teach jazzy pieces as part of regular repertoire, where it is written down, and I do encourage my students to improvise, but I would not prepare anyone for an exam in this discipline.

Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with 2 teachers for different disciplines on the same instrument.