All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers

[agneshui]

Hi,

I am a patient and experienced Yamaha lady piano teacher. I have Diploma in Piano Recital and Master in Education Psychology with 11 years of teaching experience. I am passionate and enthusiastic about teaching and imparting musical talents and skills to students. I have pleasant personality and a very patient deposition towards student who are generally slow.
Feel free to contact me:
Agnes Hp: 9099 5519
Email: [email protected]

[Blue Pearl]

I agree totally with Dreamaurora & ipiano1980 . I have a colleague, a professional, grade 8 in piano with distinction but now she does not play piano. She shared with us that she learnt piano and did the exams for her parents as her parents forced her into this. After she gained her grade 8 piano result, she gave to her parents and told them that she had fulfilled her duty and nvr touched the piano again.


I felt sad for her. her passion was lost and what is the use of the certificate. Exams are necessary but we must be very careful that the child do not lose the interest.

I have two colleagues like these in our company. Isnt it so sad…

[Dreamaurora]

Blue Pearl:

I agree totally with Dreamaurora & ipiano1980 . I have a colleague, a professional, grade 8 in piano with distinction but now she does not play piano. She shared with us that she learnt piano and did the exams for her parents as her parents forced her into this. After she gained her grade 8 piano result, she gave to her parents and told them that she had fulfilled her duty and nvr touched the piano again.


I felt sad for her. her passion was lost and what is the use of the certificate. Exams are necessary but we must be very careful that the child do not lose the interest.

I have two colleagues like these in our company. Isnt it so sad....

In all honesty, there is little teachers can do to avoid the rat race exam culture that is prevalent in Singapore and other similar Asian countries. A lot of parents (especially those who are willing to pay big bucks) will use a teacher's exam track record as an important criteria to choose the teacher. So a teacher who wish to have a successful full time career teaching in Singapore will inevitably be dragged into this.

There is a common complaint that students who have grade 8 distinctions or have Diplomas cannot play well. To get these certs, one does have to be able to play well i.e. demonstrate technical proficiency and musical sensitivity required. So, yes, basically, students who have these definitely have the capability to play well, but it does not mean they can consistently play well.

The issue is in the pursuit of excellence of exam results, some teachers tend to go for the easy way, meaning they just force feed the interpretations to the student. Instead of developing the students' own individualities and equipping them with musical and stylistic knowledge necessary for them to become independent musicians, the students are reduced to automatons who have no personal connection to the music to they are playing. So at the point of exam, yes, the students do indeed play well. But outside exam setting, when faced with new repertoire, they are most likely unable to execute a decent performance without guidance of a better musician/teacher.

What I can do as a teacher is work within these parameters. I do acknowledge that parents and students often want to accelerate through the grades and score distinctions for exams, and I am all to help them achieve this. But at the same time I try to create a healthy environment where the students can develop their own individuality and ability to think critically. I sincerely hope that my students will have fond memories of their lessons in the future after they have completed their grade 8s or diplomas.

[ipiano1980]

Honestly I feel a Grade 8 cert is insufficient to really teach a student of higher grade well - due to  minimal understanding of the structure, style, harmony and technique involved in a piece. Me teaching when I was Grade 8 , and me teaching years later after studying diploma and degree pieces is a big advantage to my students of all grades.



Because I shall remain anonymous, the trend out there is many teachers teaching after Grade 8 WITHOUT upgrading themselves.  Majority of my peers do not even practice nor play the piano. But unlike me, they are good at PR.


An unmotivated teacher leads to not very wholesome musical students. In the end these students grow up to teach with sub standard quality.


Choose a motivated teacher. In class if they do not demonstrate, even in sections, then students themselves will have a difficulty in developing their own muscial voice in the future.


A good teacher teaches, a great teacher demonstrates too.


Strangely in recent years several of my own Grade 5-7 students, even with merit or distinction, have decided to not take the next exam immediately and wait a year or two more to build up their repertoire and skill. These are the choices of their parents too. Even though I accomodate to every type of situation, im very glad that they decided to take a moment to breathe.


So Dear Parents, please dont compare your child’s grade to your friends or relatives. Every child has a different level of sensitivity and intellect. I also know you might worry because of the amt of workload in school. So start young finish young. Sometimes dont work out this way.

Just sharing only. Thanks

[Dreamaurora]

Dear all,


a big thank you to whoever turned up at the Library@Esplanade concert. I have uploaded the entire concert (except the vocal portion) to my Youtube Channel for those who could not turn up. Hope you enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1bwksododHyxcyvN5tjf9RNu2HhdQArF

Here are some sample clips:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9h26GmQvt8][/youtube]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJRE-eGW4sQ][/youtube]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm3Szf_INqc][/youtube]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAQ65Fnax5Q][/youtube]

[dreamycia]

Hi all,


I am thinking of letting my 9 year old girl picking up piano skills. However, ain't sure if I can get a good piano teacher to teach her. Big headache.

My girl has short attention span on whatever she does. Though she is interested to learn piano, I am worried she might get bored in no time. Thus, I am thinking of letting her try out a few lessons before deciding whether to make it permanent and to even get her a proper piano. Bought her a keyboard 2 years ago. Taught her twinkle twinkle for about half and hour and she got bored.

Therefore, I need to find a piano teacher that can make the lessons fun, resides somewhere in the west so that I can bring my girl over to her place to attend the lessons preferably on Sundays.

As my girl likes singing, I am hoping with the piano skills, it gives her some goal in life. Since she does not have much interest in her studies. Hopefully she has music as a backup in life.


If there are any parents here that knows of any good piano teacher at reasonable rates, please share with me at [email protected].

For any teachers out there, if you are really dedicated and resides near choa chu kang or the west, do email me as well. As she only has a keyboard, no piano. So lessons must be held in the teacher's house.

Thanks in advance to all.

[mere]

ipiano1980:

Honestly I feel a Grade 8 cert is insufficient to really teach a student of higher grade well - due to  minimal understanding of the structure, style, harmony and technique involved in a piece. Me teaching when I was Grade 8 , and me teaching years later after studying diploma and degree pieces is a big advantage to my students of all grades.

I sort of disagree with you. Yes, in most cases, Grade 8 cert is insufficient to teach a higher grades. But you have to understand that the certificates doesn't equate to the teacher's ability to teach. Even if a teacher holds a LRSM in Piano Performing, it doesnt me he/she can teach better than a grade 8 holder. It's the teacher at the end of the day. Our certs are only reflective of one's techniques, not ability to teach (unless you're talking about Teaching Diploma and thats a complete different story)

Also, I would like to point out that a teacher's understand of structure, style, harmony and technique doesn't only come with diploma and degrees. A deeper understanding can often be achieved by O/A Level music students as we spend time analyzing pieces after pieces.

As quoted from Rachmaninoff, A lifetime is not enough for music. The possibility and study of music can go on and on and on. So... what is sufficient to teach in that case? Is it the certs or the teacher's ability to teach?

ipiano1980:

Because I shall remain anonymous, the trend out there is many teachers teaching after Grade 8 WITHOUT upgrading themselves.  Majority of my peers do not even practice nor play the piano. But unlike me, they are good at PR.

Yes, there are definitely teachers like that but look at it this way.. better PR = Better communication skills = communicate with students better?

And for those who teach after Grade 8 without upgrading themselves, shame on them. By upgrading, I don't mean just going for Diploma or studying for more certificate. I'm talking about constantly practicing and challenging themselves with pieces of greater level of difficulty.

ipiano1980:

An unmotivated teacher leads to not very wholesome musical students. In the end these students grow up to teach with sub standard quality.
Choose a motivated teacher. In class if they do not demonstrate, even in sections, then students themselves will have a difficulty in developing their own muscial voice in the future.
A good teacher teaches, a great teacher demonstrates too.

Agreed, showing a student (children especially) is way better than telling and explaining what to do and how to do it. Sometimes, or rather most of the time, they will be able to pick up things we don't even realise and hence, couldnt have explain by observing and listening.

ipiano1980:

Strangely in recent years several of my own Grade 5-7 students, even with merit or distinction, have decided to not take the next exam immediately and wait a year or two more to build up their repertoire and skill. These are the choices of their parents too. Even though I accomodate to every type of situation, im very glad that they decided to take a moment to breathe.

The most important thing between Grade 5-8 is to not jump grades. IMO, the jump from 7-8 especially is really huge as compared to the progress in lower grades. I know of a lot of students who jump from 6-8. But what they really miss out is the techniques (and of course the time to practice those techniques should they have taken grade by grade)

If parents really want to jump grades, usually I'll give them my opinion but the choice ultimately on them. But I'll give my opinion. And honestly, if your child is ready for the jump, your teach will 'automatically' tell you about it. (unless the teacher is really irresponsible like somebody I met, who is just out to waste your time in lower grades to earn more of your money)

ipiano1980:

So Dear Parents, please dont compare your child's grade to your friends or relatives. Every child has a different level of sensitivity and intellect. I also know you might worry because of the amt of workload in school. So start young finish young. Sometimes dont work out this way.

Completely agree with ipiano on this one. Positive competition is good but constant comparisons would only hurt your child's self-esteem. Some people are more talented than the others while some are more hardworking than the rest.

And an extremely important point: START YOUNG DOES NOT MEAN ENDING YOUNG.

Indeed, if all you want is the certificates, then sure, just keep pushing your child and go for exams. But children take longer to progress than adults, that is the truth. This is because certain part of music theory requires understanding of things like fractions and math.However, I'm not saying to start late to save money or anything like that. At a young age, it is good for children to be exposed to music and over time, it will become part of them (like what is mentioned in the suzuki methodology of teaching the violin) However, please give them time and let them build a strong foundation. Pressing for exams will only make them hate the piano (and maybe you) more. For myself, even though I started at the age of 3, I only completed my grade 8 at 16. Thats a much longer time compared to my friends who started later. Some of them took only half the time I took. But look, most of them don't even touch the piano now, maybe once in a while they do, but rarely would they spend time learning and practicing a new piece. Whereas for me, I actually find joy in teaching my students and challenging myself with more demanding pieces.

I play the piano, organ, drums, guitar, ukulele, harmonica and recently just picked up the violin. Doesn't that in itself show how much I love music? And this is thanks to my parent's nurturing when I was much younger. They never pushed me for grades, they never forced me to jump grades. Though, back when I was a child, I did blame them for forcing me to complete a grade 8. I was the one who was interested. But at many points of my time as a piano student, I lost interest and wanted to quit. (you'll realize that you spend so much time practicing, but the pieces sound so simple, like how the result is not a fair reflection of your effort), but my mum insisted that I continue. Every week, I would dread going for lessons etc. etc. (which is also part of the reason why I took more time) They wanted me to complete a grade 8, but they never forced me or give me a timeline as to when I have to get it done by... And I hated them. As a child, I even said something I regret now to my mom, \"I don't want to learn the piano one, it's you who force me. So don't turn back and complain that I don't practice\". What a heartbreak to a mom, isn't it? But it was only at a higher grade (when I reached grade 7) that I actually started enjoying and appreciating the art of the piano. (partially because I took up Music Elective Program in Secondary school too. meaning I take music as a subject at O level - and it is reconized just like any other subject for admission into JC/Poly) And I'm thankful that my mum did not push me to skip grades. Because even though I dreaded going to class, I did build up some good technical skills over time. And such skills are really important, speaking from experience, especially at a level where you're constantly trying to improve yourself. My experience as a student has also allowed me to be a better teacher than what I could have been.

[Dreamaurora]

[quote]I sort of disagree with you. Yes, in most cases, Grade 8 cert is insufficient to teach a higher grades. But you have to understand that the certificates doesn't equate to the teacher's ability to teach. Even if a teacher holds a LRSM in Piano Performing, it doesnt me he/she can teach better than a grade 8 holder. It's the teacher at the end of the day. Our certs are only reflective of one's techniques, not ability to teach (unless you're talking about Teaching Diploma and thats a complete different story)
[/quote]Honestly, it is hard to convey a teacher's ability of teach in the absence of students' portfolio and to certain extent their (the students') exam results. A grade 8 holder teacher may be a truly fantastic teacher who can teach beyond his/her level, but how does prospective students and their parents know this is the case? Any advanced performance qualifications or performing track record will definitely give an advantage for a fresh teacher starting in the field. This is the reality that I faced earlier in my career. I met with a parent who demanded that their son's piano teacher must have won a prize in National Piano Competition before, if not she wouldn't even consider. Of course there is no guarantee that a competition winner can teach well, but I guess parents want assurance of technical competency and the associated prestige.
[quote]Because I shall remain anonymous, the trend out there is many teachers teaching after Grade 8 WITHOUT upgrading themselves. Majority of my peers do not even practice nor play the piano. But unlike me, they are good at PR.[/quote]I have been at the receiving end of criticisms by some teachers that I conduct my PR very aggressively at the expense of other more deserving or established teachers. It is tempting to think a lesser teacher may get better reception because of better PR. But this is free market, and if you realize that you are not getting the students you deserve, you should improve on your PR.

But I do draw the line at over-promising or inflating my capabilities; there must be moral boundaries. I am aware of some teachers who too easily promise that their students can attempt grade x in much shorter amount of time if the students with them. Ditto with teachers who promise distinctions or entries into (insert a music/art institution). And the alarming things that there are parents who easily buy into these promises; and then find out later that the teacher is actually not as capable as they thought he/she is.
[quote]An unmotivated teacher leads to not very wholesome musical students. In the end these students grow up to teach with sub standard quality.
Choose a motivated teacher. In class if they do not demonstrate, even in sections, then students themselves will have a difficulty in developing their own muscial voice in the future.
A good teacher teaches, a great teacher demonstrates too.

Agreed, showing a student (children especially) is way better than telling and explaining what to do and how to do it. Sometimes, or rather most of the time, they will be able to pick up things we don't even realise and hence, couldnt have explain by observing and listening.[/quote]It is a basic skill for all teachers to be able to demonstrate the repertoire they are teaching, but there needs to be a balance in showing the students what need to be done and developing their critical thinking. It is often useful instead of demonstrating right away, the students should be encouraged to experiment by themselves first. Demonstrating everything may save valuable time in teaching, but there is a danger the student may become automatons who just copy the teachers' playing.


There are some great sharing here by enthusiastic teachers here and I commend you for typing these very long posts sharing your thoughts. I would say keep up the good work. But I have to say in reality it is difficult to execute all our ideals, so often we have to find a middle ground to cater to the market but at the same time retain the principles that define us a teacher.

[nerov]

Dreamaurora,


Just wondering what is your take about child piano prodigies? I saw many videos of such prodigies on the youtube and really wonder how much hard work was put into their achievements, or are they simply born with the gift?

Thanks!

[Dreamaurora]

nerov:

Dreamaurora,


Just wondering what is your take about child piano prodigies? I saw many videos of such prodigies on the youtube and really wonder how much hard work was put into their achievements, or are they simply born with the gift?

Thanks!

Prodigy and talent are words that can be very subjective in meaning. For a lot of people, young kids playing technically demanding pieces or passing grade 8 very early tend to be hailed quickly as 'prodigies'. Musicians are generally more cautious when branding someone as 'prodigy'; ability to learn fast and good hand-eye coordination are definitely important, but so are other more intangible things such as good stage presence and communication skills, natural affinity to express music, etc.

Generally, as long a student has reasonably good intelligence and hand-eye coordination, with plenty of practice and a guidance of a great teacher, he/she can be trained to be a very competent pianist even at very young age. But whether he/she can achieve more than just being very competent, that will depend on the intangibles, which I am now convinced are in-born.

Many great musicians started as young prodigies, Martha Argerich and late Alfred Cortot are great examples of these. There was a good reason for starting professional training early last time as the easiest way to start a professional career was to win a major competition (such as Van Cliburn or Warsaw Chopin) which has a pretty low age limit. This does not mean this is the only way though, there are a great number of respected musicians who are by no means the child prodigy type, the piano duo Dennis Lee and Toh Chee Hung are good example of this.

Now with the advent of digital and social media, the traditional route of becoming a musician is increasingly becoming non-relevant, and so does the relevance of child prodigy. I believe if one is aiming to enter the music field as either a performer or teacher, it is better to develop the intangibles and practical life skills to make sure he/she stays relevant in this age (or alternatively parents must have the capital and connections to make things happen). There are plenty of former child prodigies or talented performers who find this out the hard way, as they realize that they lack the necessary skillsets to make a living.