Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Do y'all like your teacher?

I've just changed teachers. And what a difference a good teacher makes! Whilst the previous one seemed mostly intent on my hitting the right notes, the one I've got now gives more relevance to dynamics, rythm and that use whatever is needed for the passage, be the forearm, fingers, etc.

And what a coincidence! We share the same Alexandre Technique teacher.

I've given her this forum url. Hope she pops up some time!

Neus

Thanks for my teacher so much either tolerance & sharing!
My teacher plays is incrediable even with a poor piano.(sound just like a cd):>

I have a new teacher as of late August... I like him a LOT. He's a perfectionist, very detail-oriented. I've yet to play an entire piece all the way through (other than my very first evaluative lesson).

When I play he gets up and wanders away from the piano, listening and yelling stuff back to me. It was disconcerting at first, and difficult because I wasn't used to playing and being spoken to at the same time. But, his commentary is quite specific and appropriate, and I can make the changes in real time and hear the difference.

I'm exhausted at the end, but it's by far the most learning I've had packed into what seems to be an itty-bitty hour.

My teacher is absolutely wonderful - she is patient, understanding, polite, professional, funny and my "therapist". She is just what I need.

I had another teacher but started to lose my enthusiasm because I wasn't learning to be musical. In fact, I didn't really know what it meant to play musically until I started with my current teacher. She really helps me a lot with technique from my fingers up to my shoulders and use of my whole body. We really analyze the pieces to death, which I really love to do! She is a wealth of knowledge whether it be about the psychology of learning or composer biographies!

I wish I could have her move into my home and be my full-time teacher/friend!

My teacher is great. One of the reasons is that he only has a few students (he plays professionally full time) so he can devote more time to my lesson. Tuesday night I was there for an hour and a half... it is never rushed. I play, he instructs, we talk theory and history, he plays. Each week he burns a CD for me to listen to, some of which I have to learn to play by ear and some of which I transcribe. I told my wife after his weeks lesson that I cannot describe how much I enjoy learning with him.
My old teacher taught dozens each week, was always rushed... he was late coming from his last lesson and at the end of my lesson he had to tie it up quickly to teach the next student. He never really remembered what I was working on either.

I’ve been working with my current teacher for 5 years now – all my years at the Academy (I graduated this year), she’s 76 years old, has so many years of experience, knows practically everything there is to know about music… She plays so well, has an amazing technique and at the same time manages to create such beautiful images… The only problem we’re having is that she’s a little too academic and severe, and many times it’s her way or the high way… And I love freedom in music, I like to express my feelings, to be myself, and she doesn’t always allow me to do this. In rest – she’s a great professional and has a very strong personality. She helped me a lot improve my technique, my style, my capacity of understanding, my self confidence. She helped me feel stronger.

I just want to welcome the young pianist from Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, a small country just above Romania. Their native language is a version of Romanian called Moldovan. (Moldovan, like Romanian, is a Romance language related to Italian, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.) Russian was taught in schools until Moldova gained its independence, when Moldovan became the official language once again. Moldova is known in the region for its fine wines, I believe.

Welcome, friend!

Hello, AaronSF, am really so surprised that you know so many things about Moldova. You're mostly right about everything, excepting for the fact that our language IS romanian, not moldovan. The whole "moldovan" thing is just a communist strategy, too unpleasant to talk about in such a nice forum.
We do have a very good piano school here in Chisinau, I just graduated the Academy and am in my first year of master.
Am very glad that I found this forum, it's a great place to talk about music, it's only my second day here, and I hope to learn many interesting things from all of you.
Thank you so much for your warm welcome.

Rain

I adore my new teacher and what he can teach me.

My teacher is a pimp. He knows everything about the piano. I mean everything. He is great. He is old, italian, drives a Jaguar and gets more *** then a toilet seat. Last lesson he played 5 of Chopin etudes from memory for me.

Shrimps, lol!

I had only one piano teacher my whole life (I'm sixteen now and a Junior in highschool). He moved away when a few years ago and only then did I realize how much I took him for granted. He was an extremeley talented pianist who awesome teacher, who although I didn't agree with him all the time, I did learn quite a bit. He knew how to motivate me in ways that not many others did. When I was younger I always shied away from my lessons and hardly ever practiced. And then when I was in middle school I got into piano again, but the last year I had him as a teacher I hardly ever practiced because my interests changed. Stupid me. Though, because of him I got my first taste of performing all the time because I was part of a group of students he'd tour with and he'd book recitals at halls, churches, large events, anything he could get his hands on. And out of all his students, he said that he saw the most talent in me, but the least ambition. And that was something that finally (now) has given me all the drive to become better and better, and to never stop learning.

He also taught me how to be myself when I played. He always praised me for being musical and expressive when I played, but he could see that my techinical ability was off somewhat, so he worked with me ALOT on that. We did have our qualms though. He was a classical pianist all the way. And near the end I was becoming a jazz piano player. And so our tast in music differed a bit. But now, because of him, I have a strong foundation in classical music (and a new love for it).

I also have my choir director who indirectly taught me to be a better musician. He isn't a great piano player, but he does know how to teach, and he gave me the confidence to not be afraid in performances (from accompanying so much) and also the confidence in my ability to sight read (something that used to be my weakest point, but now is one of my strongest) and incouraged me to improvise as long as i stayed on beat (timing being my weakest point, but that is getting better as well because of him). He also taught me how to sight read choral music for singing, but that's a different story.

So because of both of them, I've become a better musician and performer. And so yes, I liked my teachers.

My teacher is awesome, but she is an incredible perfectionist. I play my song, and she gives me well over fifty good and juicy comments and criticisms, and during the song, she gives even more! She makes sure I do every thing perfectly, right down to how my wrist moves every measure!
She used to be a famous concert pianist that traveled around the world, yet she charges less than $20 a half hour lesson. She is a gold mine of a teacher!

Xavier, ets català? :p

Neus

Excuse me,

I've only asked Xavier if was is a catalan.

Neus

has she ever commented on your use of the word song?

My Piano Teacher now at Uni is my 7th Piano Teacher, but she is great. She teaches at my University in Australia, and is truly great. She teaches some of the best in the country. She's a great friendly person, but also criticising, and can seperate Business from Personal.

She's taught me for 2 years and I have learned a heck of a lot from her and I am becoming a lot better at the Piano Really fast.