Music teachers - how to find the correct one for your private music lessons

Learning an instrument is one of the most enjoyable activites you can do - it creates a sense of fulfilment and of pride. It can get tough at times with practicing and learning never ending pieces of information.



The best way to learn an instrument is to find a music teacher. In fact the best way to learn anything in life is to find a tutor and to take on the task head on and learn from actually doing.



People say that you learn from your mistakes � partyl true due to the fact you know what NOT to do but I believe there is a key point missed here � at least you are actually DOING something.



A teacher is someone to show you the path, the �light at the end of the tunnel�. At the end of the day they know what they are doing and talking about � you probably don�t � and its because of this, the fact that you put all of your trust into your teacher, that you should be very carefull about ensuring the teacher you choose is up for the job.



Here is some advice on choosing your teacher and what to look out for.



1. Previous Experience.



It is essential that your teacher has previous experience. There are two types that count � performing experience and teaching experience. It is important that your music teacher is actually a musician � the best reason I can think of why is this � imagine instead of learning an instrument you want to learn how to scuba dive. Would you let yourself be taught by someone who has studied diving from books but never actually been under the water?



If your teacher shows that he has performed music it gives you some guarantee that they are of a high enough standard musically � chances are they wouldent of been hired if they couldn�t play their instrument.



The second is teaching experience. After discussing how it is important for your teacher to of actually been involved in music it is also important that the have experience in teaching music.



Teaching is a completely different art to performing. Most musicians tell me that they learn more through teaching than they do from any other source - when you teach you instantly reveal your own weak points.



The opposite of this is true as well actually � how many times have you heard someone who recently passed there driving test say �you don�t learn how to drive until your out on the road on your own � after your lessons and test� (This carries over to a future article � Why performing is critical to your progress as a musician.)

So � make sure your teacher is both a musician and a teacher.



2. Attitude.



Often people ask for character references � estate agents, employers � most people looking to hire someone. This is also true for finding a music teacher.



The hardest part about teaching is surcumming the frustration of �well I know how to do it, why cant they�.



Learning is much easier in a friendly environment � did you ever notice that the teachers that had a laugh and were fun often taught you the most? In human nature it is common to be stubborn and resilient and it is a teachers personality and charcter that helps connect with you therefore making the experience enjoyable thus increasing the productivity of your lesson.



Although it is not generally goin to be possible to get a reference from a teacher but use your first lesson as a trial. Get to know your teacher a bit and get a general feel for the lesson � if you have fun and enjoyed every minute then you�ve probably found a good teacher character rather than if it was drab and boring.



If you can talk to some of your prospective teachers other students. See if they enjoy their lessons and what there overall comments are.



3. Flexability.



Again tis covers more than one topic � flexability as a musician and as a teacher.



In the long term you are going to begin expanding your musicality. For example � wood wind players generally begin learning one instrument, maybe clarinet or saxophone. Eventually, and if thy want to pursue music, they will begin learning other woodwind instruments as it is common for, say for instance a saxophone player, to play clarinet, flute even through to oboe and bassoon.



Because of this you are going to want a teacher that can provide this in the long term. After months and years of lessons with your teacher you wont want to find that in order to progress further you need to find a new teacher and again begin to creat the bond that you would of developed with your current teacher.



Positive things to look out for are:



� If yor teacher still has lessons and practices (even the most professional musicians still have lessons � see the beginning of my article � Practicing music � what to do outside of your private music lessons to find out how it is impossible to learn and master every aspect of music)

� If your teacher teaches more than one instrument (be wary of teachers that teach, for instance, trumpet and flute � whilst musicians do end up playing completely irrelevant instruments they generally will stick to teaching their primary instrument.)

� If your teacher is still an active musician � this is a gray area because where it is easy to assume that your teacher, not an active musician maybe is not good enough to perform music, it is possible that your teacher prefers teaching than performing. The benefit if they are still an active musician is again they will be learning constantly and they will still be an active teacher during this period.



To a lesser extent the other flexibility to look out for is there organisation in regards to lessons. It is possitivly adviced that regular lessons � or regular anything � is good for you. Regular exercise keeps you healty, regular sleep keeps you alert and regular lessons help improve your musical playing.



If your teacher will constantly phone up to re-arrange or misses lessons or is late for your lessons it will have a negative effect on you. Pshycologically the fact that you havnt got into a routine with your lessons and the fact that you keep getting let down will make you less enthusiastic towards your music lessons.



So find a teacher that offers many years of tuition rather than a limited number of months and someone who will keep regular dates and hold his promises of this dates and times.



Hopefully this article will give you some food for thought if you decide to find a music teacher and just remember that unless you are enjoying and learning your instrument � maybe you need a new teacher.



This article is free for reproduction providing it remains in its original form and an active link to www.realmusicproduction.com/teachers.html is present.



Edward Droscher is the founder of Real Music Production and works to develop music education systems privately and in schools. For more information or details on music instruction please visit www.realmusicproduction.com or email info@realmusicproduction.com