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She had him play a couple pieces and a few scales, ripped apart his technique, then whispered to me "It's not his fault--he only knows what he's been taught."

Ouch! Slamming the teacher who referred a new student to her? Not very professional on her part. That would be a red flag for me.

Noticing that a prospective student has bad technique is a common experience for me.
Few teachers teach proper technique, and even fewer self-taught people teach themselves technique.

Pointing that out to the parent is part of a diagnostic for the parent...an explanation to the parent what we will be working on, so that when they might ask later on, "why such an emphasis on scales, etc," there is a background for it.

Perhaps this teacher is less than tactful...I want a good teacher for my talented child, not a warm and fuzzy diplomat.

The thing is that she has a very good reputation, the boy likes her, the previous teacher is way over her head with the boy, and she recommended teacher #2.

The bottom line is that we don't know anything. We have not seen either of the teachers teach, and we have not watch this child progress. The best is not to offer a prognosis about what is the best choice, whether or not this new proposed teacher is manna sent from heaven. We don't know. It is also possible that the original teacher is insecure, and that this insecurity comes from that kind of opinion by her own teacher - the one she is sending the child to. Or it may be that she does not have the abilities, knows her teacher does, and has good reason for sending the child on. We don't know. Nobody here knows.

I think that the parent wanted to have a trial period, especially since the parent and child are happy with the present teacher, is a good idea.

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The "present" teacher is now the former teacher, at the teacher's insistence.

The parent is also considering a trial period - it is not totally a done deal yet.

Two weeks is not a long enough trial period. Try two months. That's basically the summer.

Thank you all for your feedback this far!

MaggieGirl, I think you may have misread my post. I have NOT signed a contract with a termination clause. The clause is in the prospective teacher's studio policy, not the former teacher's. red-rose, I agree the requirement seems unecessarily punitive, which is why I would like to at least negotiate a trial period before being subject to the clause. sonataplayer, I don't think Teacher #2 meant to slam Teacher #1, especially since she seemed to take care not to say it within my son's earshot, but it did take me aback a little. rocket88, Teacher #2 is proposing 4 lessons within a 2 week period, which I was thinking would be enough to at least gauge personality fit? Also, I put the frown emoticon after the quote because the kiddo frowned after he said it--sorry if that was not clear. keystring and PianoStudent88, my son's studies with Teacher #1 are "done", but it's not a given who the next teacher will be.

Cardinal201, that's what I understood: that Teacher #1 is "done", but next teacher is not yet decided.

Cardinal 201, if you liked the teacher you have just left, why is it so strongly "done", especially since you are not certain about the proposed teacher?

Sorry, I misunderstood!

Of course you can try to negotiate the new teacher's contract, but she might not be flexible. I have heard of contracts that are 12 weeks - you prepay and if you quit, you forfeit the full amount so her contract does not sound out of line.

I was thinking too--could this be sort of an "early termination" policy? With my teacher, students commit for the whole academic year.

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask about a trial period, at least to see what she thinks about it. Given how young he is, she might agree that it's a good idea. Or, maybe she'll have reasons not to like it.

Of course, it's not surprising that the boy isn't as enthusiastic about a new teacher, when he loved the old one. It's probably encouraging that he liked her at all!

Stay away from teacher #2. She's a piano martinet. The world is full of 'em, and your sweet little boy doesn't need this, nor do his parents. Interview a couple of other teachers, or ask #1 for another couple of recommendations who are as delightful as she is.

Haven't chimed in till now. I say give teacher #2 a chance. Whether you can negotiate a trial period outside of the contract is a separate issue from whether she would be a good teacher for your son. Even if she turns out to be not quite what you wanted in a teacher, you and your son will have learned something. Teacher #1 recommended her for a reason. If you are unsure, go ask her what that reason was.

I wouldn't turn down a good teacher just because of her business methods. Piano lessons are not babysitting or entertainment or all fun. You want your child to learn. It seems he has talent. All the more reason for him to have a good teacher. I'd give this teacher a try.

Cardinal, have you talked to any parents of kids studying with teacher #2?

You mentioned in your original post that someone said you were "throwing him to the wolves" by signing him up with teacher #2. Was that a parent?

I'm wondering if other parents felt their children progressed and enjoyed lessons with teacher #2.

Nice work, if you can get it!

Is it usual to demand payment in return for providing no services, whatsoever?

I wouldn't touch her with a bargepole, for that reason alone.

I have been wondering if the termination policy has been understood correctly. Normally I would expect it to be what I would call "one month written and paid notice." So to terminate on Feb 1, you give written notice on Jan 1 and pay through Feb 1. Then it's your choice if you come to the lessons or not in Jan.

cardinal201's description does make it sound as if to terminate on Feb 1, you give written notice on Jan 1 and pay, not only through Feb 1 but also through Mar 1. You can take lessons in Jan but not in Feb.

cardinal201, can you clarify which the policy is?

MinnieMay, I think it much more likely that Teacher #2 would agree to a 2 week trial period rather than 2 months, but your point (like rocket88's) is well-taken and I will certainly consider negotiating a longer time. keystring, lessons with Teacher #1 are over at her request, not mine or my son's, therefore I don't think I have any choice but to respect her wishes. jdw and PianoStudent88, according to Teacher #2's proposed contract, tuition is paid in advance on a monthly basis and is nonrefundable AND should the student discontinue lessons for any reason, a 30 day written notice is required PLUS one additional month's tuition as severance. BrainCramp, the person who made the wolves comment is another teacher (to whom Teacher #1 told of her plans to transfer my son), not a parent. I do not know anyone personally whose child has taken lessons from Teacher #2.

I truly appreciate everyone's perspectives, from Peter K. Mose and R0B's to rocket88 and dynamobt's on the opposite end of the spectrum. I could not have guessed 9 months ago that I would have so much to think about. The choice of the kiddo's first teacher was such a no-brainer--I called on the recommendation of a friend, had a great conversation over the phone, brought a check for the first 3 months of lessons to our first meeting, and that was that.

Thank you, and I wish you and your son the best.

Update: The kiddo and I met with another teacher (let's call her Teacher #3) that I found on my own. I had recently heard a few of Teacher #3's students perform at a local concert, and thought they sounded wonderful (and looked happy :), so I decided to contact her after the interview with Teacher #2 left me with a few doubts. After I explained our situation, Teacher #3 asked a few questions and then said that she no longer takes beginners but was willing to meet with us, and so I made an appointment.

Upon our arrival, Teacher #3 greeted us with a smile and invited us inside. Like Teacher #2, she asked my son to play a few scales and pieces from his Guild program. In addition, she asked him to sightread some (very basic) new music. Afterwards, she asked him to take a seat to the side while she spoke with me privately.

She said she understood the difficulty of leaving a teacher one loves, but that the previous teacher was doing the right thing in sending my son forward. Like Teacher #2, she emphasized the importance of proper technique. Both teachers commented about the kiddo's fire/passion while playing (I had neglected to mention this in my first update), but Teacher #3 went a step further in saying that the same emotional intensity he brings to the piano might also make it that much harder to eliminate some of his bad habits. She also told me she would need to simplify his repertoire while his sightreading caught up to his performance level, and hoped he wouldn't be bored.

Teacher #3 said she would be willing to take my son as a student, but that she was about to take a 2 month break. As he would otherwise be without instruction, she recommended a trusted colleague who she could ask to take him on just for the summer. I told her I would call her shortly, and we made our goodbyes and thank-yous. On the way home, the little guy said, "I really like [Teacher #3]!"

Other notes--Teacher #3 apparently only has one other student around my son's age (probably because she doesn't take beginners), whereas #2 has many. Also, Teacher #3 is significantly more expensive per hour than #2, but also has a much less restrictive studio policy. Finally, my son's former teacher is not familiar with Teacher #3 (perhaps because #1 participates in Guild only and #3 participates in MTAC only whereas #2 participates in both), whereas I know she put a lot of thought into recommending #2.

What do you all think? I'm favoring Teacher #3 simply because of rapport, but should I be concerned that she doesn't have more young students and/or that I found her on my own versus a professional recommendation? Thank you in advance for your thoughts!

Cardinal, I'd ask both #2 and #3 to give you a couple of customer references to call. Those might be parents or adult students. Try to get a feel for whether the students progress and are happy.

After all, if you were looking for a doctor or an electrician, you wouldn't simply go on recommendations from other doctors and electricians.