All About Choosing Piano Schools And Teachers

[Dreamaurora]

ammonite:

Hm, why is it 'hard to say'? She has quoted me $180 for 4 lessons after meeting my son. This is a quite a bit higher than the ex-teacher (not complaining), but a little higher than another student who is at the same level as my son but started with her earlier. She was upfront about it, which I appreciated. She explained that the other student is advancing very slowly so she didn't want to raise the fee, while my son is doing better with half the lessons. I didn't probe too much since the convenience of having her as his teacher really makes a huge difference to me. I just want to have a gauge of the average fees of similarly qualified teachers.

Well, the subject of piano fee is a thorny one. Personally, I don't really care much about a paper qualification of a teacher. A teacher with lower qualification could possibly deliver better lessons than another teacher with a higher qualification. So, I would rather look at the result and the teacher's studio practice as a whole. But to answer your original question, fee seems reasonable enough in line with the market rate.

[phankao]

Dreamaurora:

ammonite:

Hm, why is it 'hard to say'? She has quoted me $180 for 4 lessons after meeting my son. This is a quite a bit higher than the ex-teacher (not complaining), but a little higher than another student who is at the same level as my son but started with her earlier. She was upfront about it, which I appreciated. She explained that the other student is advancing very slowly so she didn't want to raise the fee, while my son is doing better with half the lessons. I didn't probe too much since the convenience of having her as his teacher really makes a huge difference to me. I just want to have a gauge of the average fees of similarly qualified teachers.

Well, the subject of piano fee is a thorny one. Personally, I don't really care much about a paper qualification of a teacher. A teacher with lower qualification could possibly deliver better lessons than another teacher with a higher qualification. So, I would rather look at the result and the teacher's studio practice as a whole. But to answer your original question, fee seems reasonable enough in line with the market rate.

My son's teacher is a music degree holder and we are paying around that amount.

[ammonite]

Thank you phankao and dreamaurora!

[ngl2010]

What are the teachers’ qualifications do I need to look for if my son wants to study diploma in piano?

[pianoprincess]

ngl2010:

What are the teachers' qualifications do I need to look for if my son wants to study diploma in piano?

Ideally it should be at least one level higher than a diploma- probably a master's, or a minimum bachelor's. I wouldn't rule out a teacher who has done the diploma exam him/herself and only has that certification.

It also depends on which type of diploma your son wants to do- performance or teaching. The teacher should preferably have some experience in that area.

[ngl2010]

pianoprincess:

ngl2010:

What are the teachers' qualifications do I need to look for if my son wants to study diploma in piano?

Ideally it should be at least one level higher than a diploma- probably a master's, or a minimum bachelor's. I wouldn't rule out a teacher who has done the diploma exam him/herself and only has that certification.

It also depends on which type of diploma your son wants to do- performance or teaching. The teacher should preferably have some experience in that area.

Thank you. How long does it usually take to complete diploma?

[pianoprincess]

ngl2010:

pianoprincess:

[quote=\"ngl2010\"]What are the teachers' qualifications do I need to look for if my son wants to study diploma in piano?

Ideally it should be at least one level higher than a diploma- probably a master's, or a minimum bachelor's. I wouldn't rule out a teacher who has done the diploma exam him/herself and only has that certification.

It also depends on which type of diploma your son wants to do- performance or teaching. The teacher should preferably have some experience in that area.

Thank you. How long does it usually take to complete diploma?[/quote]Again it depends on how well he was taught during the years he learnt the piano.

Diploma is a complete new level from grade 1-8 ( ABRSM)- unlike the graded exams where you have 3 set pieces, for performance diploma you need to prepare about a 35 minute recital for the exam and viva voce. The pieces in diploma are technically more demanding, the recital must be done from memory, the student must learn how to prepare for the exam as a performer and not a student- learning to bow, present himself on stage, where to take a break, when to leave the stage and return between pieces, how to select pieces and organise them into a recital-these are things that need to be learnt and discussed. Viva voce would also require some time to prepare for.

If he is dedicated to his practice, has the sufficient technical skills to master the diploma pieces and does not have to divide too much attention between school and piano I would think 1 year is possible. But I think it is safe to say usually it takes 1.5 years at the minimum, or more.

Why not ask his current teacher? I would think he/she would be more able to assess your son as of now whether he is able to attempt the diploma exam and when as she would be the one who knows his strengths and weaknesses.

[ngl2010]

pianoprincess:

ngl2010:

[quote=\"pianoprincess\"]

Ideally it should be at least one level higher than a diploma- probably a master's, or a minimum bachelor's. I wouldn't rule out a teacher who has done the diploma exam him/herself and only has that certification.

It also depends on which type of diploma your son wants to do- performance or teaching. The teacher should preferably have some experience in that area.

Thank you. How long does it usually take to complete diploma?

Again it depends on how well he was taught during the years he learnt the piano.

Diploma is a complete new level from grade 1-8 ( ABRSM)- unlike the graded exams where you have 3 set pieces, for performance diploma you need to prepare about a 35 minute recital for the exam and viva voce. The pieces in diploma are technically more demanding, the recital must be done from memory, the student must learn how to prepare for the exam as a performer and not a student- learning to bow, present himself on stage, where to take a break, when to leave the stage and return between pieces, how to select pieces and organise them into a recital-these are things that need to be learnt and discussed. Viva voce would also require some time to prepare for.

If he is dedicated to his practice, has the sufficient technical skills to master the diploma pieces and does not have to divide too much attention between school and piano I would think 1 year is possible. But I think it is safe to say usually it takes 1.5 years at the minimum, or more.

Why not ask his current teacher? I would think he/she would be more able to assess your son as of now whether he is able to attempt the diploma exam and when as she would be the one who knows his strengths and weaknesses.[/quote]Thank you so much for the information. I really appreciate it. We will ask his current teacher on her view.
:thankyou:

[Dreamaurora]

ngl2010:

Thank you. How long does it usually take to complete diploma?

A lot of factors determine the duration to complete a diploma, and also depends on what diploma your son is aiming for.

After grade 8, the common options here are DipABRSM, ATCL, DipLCM, and ALCM assuming your son is going for the performance one (Yes, I know have ANCZA also, but I am not aware anyone offering it now).

DipABRSM is the most comprehensive one available here but will require the most thorough preparation. And most likely you will need to get separate teachers to prepare the pieces and the viva voce as quite a few number of diploma teachers here do not teach viva voce. Depending on the difficulty of the pieces chosen and whether got recycle pieces from grade 8 syllabus, DipABRSM normally will take around 1.5 to 2 years to prepare. It is extremely important the exam program to be successfully performed first before you actually register for the exam.

ATCL seems to be the most popular choice nowadays. The program is longer than DipABRSM, but there is no viva voce and quick study. For practical purpose such as teaching, it is the weakest one a student can take since passing the exam only proves that the student can play at diploma level and nothing else. It can be useful as a first diploma to take before taking DipABRSM. The program can be planned in such a way that the student is playing exactly the same thing for DipABRSM and ATCL. ATCL normally takes shorter time to prepare as there is no other components to contend with. I've known someone who took less than one year to prepare for ATCL (not piano though).

ALCM occupies the middle ground. The recital requirement is the lightest (only 20-25 minutes of pieces plus scales/Czerny). Other components such as aural, viva voce, and quick study are present. I personally think this is the most suitable to take after grade 8 and I am actually preparing 2 of my students for this. They can than expand their program and prepare for DipABRSM afterwards if they wish to. And also, if you have grade 8 theory, only need to play the recital component.

[Dreamaurora]

ngl2010:

What are the teachers' qualifications do I need to look for if my son wants to study diploma in piano?

Looking for diploma teachers is not as simple as it sounds, some of my friends regretted their first choice teachers.

It is important to note that to teach diploma, one has to have a higher or at least equal qualification than the diploma being taught and also able to perform well (or USED to be able to perform well). A good diploma teacher also has a good system in place to build students' confidence in performing through class hours, masterclass, and perfromances. I am glad to say that my previous teachers satisfied the requirements above and I am thankful for the training.

The matter of chemistry is also very important. Some diploma teachers are more patient, some are tyrannical. Preferably technical philosophy should also be similar to your son's teacher now. I would suggest attending these teachers' student concerts first and then having trial lessons to see if your son could react and interact well to them.