So I've been on the search for a piano teacher as I want to sit TG grade 8 in the summer. I've emailed a number of teachers (all with equivalent qualifications) over the last week and have the following responses:

Teacher 1. Called me in person, we had a good chat about what I wanted, what he could offer and so we have agreed a time for a no obligation assessment. Quite happy to take fortnightly lessons at a time to suit both of us.

Teacher 2. Replied quickly by email but very tersely and seemed a little driven - most of the email was detailing how he had got X number of pupils through exams with distinction and he was very, very, very busy but could possibly hear me play to see if he would take me on.

Teacher 3. Called me eventually (after about 1 week) but was very vague about goals and about lessons in general. Seemed very pleasant but not entirely on the same planet as the rest of humanity.

So should I go see all of them and then assess or should I just stick with Teacher 1 if I think he's on the ball? And how did you choose your teacher? Was it referral, locality, google search or something else?

Wouldn't dismiss teacher 3 out of hand, to be honest, but teacher 1 does sound good and professional. Up to you though what you decide.

With my choice of 'cello teacher, it was a case of form a list (with some help here in forum land), and then I picked someone from the list (some 16 strong) who, largely by gut feeling, I thought would suit me well. My suspicions were right

When I needed to move on I compiled a list of possibles from web listings.
I narrowed it down and emailed the top two on the list.
One eliminated himself in a quite unpleasant email and the other suggested I phoned for a chat.
I arranged to go for a lesson and that's who I've been with since.

Interestingly I had lessons one who was on my original list while at a summer school..... boy, was that a lucky escape....

Your number 2 would scare me off anyway.
I wouldn't be put off by being vague about goals as I really would be rather vague about my goals too.

Sounds like you should start with the try-out No.1 offered. You may be lucky and find you want to sign up with him with no further complications.

I found my teacher my a series of happy coincidences. The opportunity arose and I leapt at it, no questions asked. I had no idea about how to find an oboe teacher in Costa Rica, or even if oboe lessons as an adult learner were a possible. Didn't even have an instrument for three weeks.

I was lucky with how quickly I found my second teacher, emailed a local(ish) music school, arranged a consultation lesson, got on well with him and started lessons a fortnight later

No.1 sounds a great start point....

I found my violin teacher when he was teaching a masterclass....I couldn't do (or afford ) the masterclass, but asked for a consultation lesson to check my technique. He was lovely and here we are 6 months later.

My piano teacher is my violin teacher's accompanist and friend

My singing teacher asked to teach my daughter - and then inherited me as well!!

All very happy coincidences and I feel very lucky to have all of them!

There's got to be a pun somewhere about choosing a string teacher by gut feeling!

Give teacher 2 a chance too. I come from a family of teachers, s/he may have just had a difficult day or felt a bit under pressure at the moment they wrote. It's easy to hear a tone of voice in a written email that was not intended. Also if s/he is in demand, that's a good sign! I had the same experience with my daughter's singing teacher, taking her on was a lot of trouble for him, he was terribly busy with high achieving pupils and had a long waiting list etc etc etc....he's finally taken her on after 9 months of waiting, and it turns out he is marvellous and a nice chap, just very busy and in demand because he is so good!

I had a list too...once I finally found a teacher to go on it! I'm lucky he had a space I could fit in to, really Locality was the main issue for me, but recoder spcialists are fairly few and far between - finding one in a drivable distance who happened to also be a baroque specialist was just really really good luck! It was initially from a search on musicteachers.co.uk I think.


I agree here - I think it's quite reasonable to be vague about goals when the teacher has never met you or heard you play.
Teacher 1 may have been very happy about your goals on the phone, but when it comes to the first lesson, what if you had, um, over-estimated your current abilities? I am not for a moment saying you have done this! I am just thinking that perhaps Teacher 3 has had people in the past talk about goals which turn out to be less than realistic in the desired time frame once you meet the student.
I would say that right now if you felt that you got on better with Teacher 1 then go for it - but don't dismiss the others out of hand and think Teacher 1 is your only option. If it turns out you don't get on with Teacher 1, then you already have a 'back up list' to work through!

You could go see them "in order"? That way, if you find someone who ticks all your boxes immediately you don't need to spend extra time (and money) to see the others. Agree that sometimes first impressions aren't always accurate, but also there's a lot of room for gut feeling. I would be more inclined to be worried about things that feel negative rather than things that don't feel positive, if you see what I mean.

I found my teacher on musicteachers.co.uk by searching for piano teachers in London, then going through all the listings near my postcode. I picked her because she specialises in teaching while avoiding injury, and I have had RSI before.

I exchanged one email with her and then she said to call her - I liked her "bedside manner" from the beginning There was just something very comfortable about the way she asked what I was after in lessons, and though she asked me "how old are you, darling" and I felt about five years old, that was part of it That first impression did carry through, I think we get on very well in lessons now.

Lucky you to have a choice .
How did I choose mine - there was only one around of whom I was aware, he came round to dinner because he knew my husband, I fed him and his wife a lot of good food and some wine, and had some wine myself...and played to them, asking would he be prepared to take me on, he said yes.
When the time came to move on....there was nobody in town who either could or would . In the end I got advice from a few forums members, who came up with someone on the other side of Scotland....and managed to persuade that teacher to take me on.

Your scenario does sound like no. 1 fits what you're looking for best, and can make the right noises - yes, I'd go for a consultation with them. I'd not be bothering with no. 2, who's not giving the impression of wanting any business and is more interested anyway in their own importance than your needs: even putting that response down to a bad day doesn't convince me, I'm afraid. And no. 3 I'd have as backup. In part though, all that advice is driven by what I'd be looking for: above all, a teacher's personality matters as much as their competence to me, but everyone is different there.

I wrote a blog post a couple of weeks ago about choosing a teacher. I think that the main point I was trying to make (OK, it's very 'outside the box) was that it wasn't just about the teacher, but about the pupil to.

As a pupil, what do you want from a teacher? It really is worth thinking about this because teachers all have different strengths and skills. For example, do you have an interest in a particualr sort of music, do you want a teacher who'll be flexible about times, do you want a teacher who teaches in school holidays, do you want a teacher who has a lot of experience of the higher grades etc. etc. By thinking about this, it puts you in a strong position when contacting teachers because you've already thought about the things you want to know.

Which out of the three teachers you've contacted is closest to meeting those requirements? I wouldn't dismiss any of them out of hand. From a teacher's perspective, it's often incredibly difficult to reply to enquiries: you have to make decisions about what to say and what not to say, how to come across etc. My experience is that with the best will in the world, some people will always get a reply which comes across perhaps not as the teacher intended.

As others have said, from a sympathetic and supportive point of view, number 1 seems good - they've taken the time to contact you and discuss your needs with you. Number 2 seems very busy - this in itself might be a positive because it may show that they are incredibly popular and successful. As for telling you about how good they are, again this is tricky - one always has to 'sell' oneself a bit, on the basis of 'why would the pupil come to me over the next person' - this is very difficult to pitch! Number 3 took a week to reply - occasionally, I take a week to reply for various reasons - you win some and lose some, but sometimes it just can't be helped.

So, from contacting them, you've now got an idea what they all might be like as teachers...but...which one of them might best meet your needs as a learner? I'm not disagreeing with what others have said, I suppose I'm offering an alternative perspective

My teacher has played almost everything I could ever wish to play in professional capacity so it was an easy choice to make! He is excellent explaining why I cannot do things and how to work around all my problems. I could not wish for better.

My lessons make me practice much more. I would be so lazy without them!

Some interesting thoughts - thanks.

No 2 is off the list as there are no time slots to suit both of us. And having chatted on the phone I don't think would be right for me. <edited slightly>

I will see No 1 next week and have also arranged to see No 3 over the Easter break. They will be an interesting comparison I think! And if neither of these work out I'll have to cast the net further afield I suppose.

What do I want from a teacher? I'm looking for competent instruction - not necessarily the best player themselves in the world - but to be able to spot any technical issues and resolve them. Guidance I suppose, and a sounding board for my own interpretation of pieces. I'm not a musical novice and have a solid background so it would be good to bounce ideas off another person.

And also I think that having a weekly or fortnightly lesson will keep me on the ball with regards to practising and practising effectively e.g. if there a particular passage or a particular skill which I need to master and I need it sorted by the next lesson, I'll be inspired to work on that, rather than my usual avoidance tactics!

I had a friend who taught violin and asked her for lessons, but she wasn't keen and suggested someone else. I had a meet and greet with him and knew we'd get on from the start. I didn't really know what to ask or anything but we really hit it off. He didn't say what his background was or what experience he had, but I knew he was a great player as my friend had already told me. The only thing I knew was that I wanted someone who would teach me good technique from the start as said friend was spending a fortune correcting a vibrato problem. I'm too old to be starting to re-learn technique twenty years down the line.

Also teacher played a few pieces/snippets and afterwards my pianist OH said HE wanted to learn the violin, he was so inspired.

For me having a good contact with my teacher is essential to me. He's still tough on me to practice, get stuff right, but I know he does it from a place of encouragement.

Yes I'd agree that is important! As an adult I'd find it hard to work with someone with whom I had no rapport.

In a nutshell, it was a nightmare. There were no bassoon teachers in the phone book, Education Leeds suggested trying oboe teachers, Leeds college of Music, and Leeds uni said they used Opera North bassoonists, and Opera North said their bassoonists only taught degree, and diploma students. I finally found a piano teacher, who played bassoon as a second instrument, although she had never taught it, and she agreed to start me out with the proviso that she wouldn't be able to take me far.
After G1, she said she was out of her depth, so I was back to square one. At an Opera North orchestral concert, I waited at the stage door, and hijacked everyone who came out, until I found one of the bassoonists, who said he'd never taught a beginner, or an adult who just wanted to play for enjoyment, but we could give it a try. Three years later, we're embarking on G6, and my husband and I have become good friends with him and his wife into the bargain.
Just shows that if you don't ask, you don't get!