When you start lessons with a private teacher as a total beginner, you need to do a good deal of research to find a good teacher. Though it's tempting just to select someone who is geographically close to you, or someone who has the lowest hourly rate, you may be doing yourself (or your child) a great disservice. Asking friends for a recommendation could be useful, but if that friend just went to the closest or cheapest teacher, they may not have enough perspective to make a good recommendation. You'd have to know more about the student's progress with that teacher, as well as their level of enjoyment, to assess the recommendation. Unfortunately, some people don't really have high expectations of piano lessons, and some even expect that there will be some degree of drudgery involved, since this is what they have heard from others. I've spoken with dozens (possibly hundreds) of people over the years who hated their childhood lessons. And yet, those teachers were still probably recommended to others simply because the person recommending didn't know any better.
If you are starting lessons as an adult having had lessons earlier in life, at least you may know what you did or didn't like about your previous lessons. But you still don't necessarily know what the alternatives are.
I've written several posts about finding a good teacher (see "Finding a Teacher" from 2011, or "Is Your Teacher a Professional?" from 2024, and others). I recommend you read those first.
You've done your due diligence and you've started the lessons. Now what? It's best to go into the lessons with a completely open mind, if possible. The lessons may be quite different than what you expected. Or maybe they're very much what you expected. But the fewer expectations you have, the better. If you chose that particular teacher based on solid information about how they teach (which you would have gotten in your interview with them before starting), and you feel comfortable with them personally, now is the time to trust. The teacher is the expert (hopefully) and you are not, so there is no point to question their instructions at this stage. You need to go with their guidance and see where it takes you. And it takes time to absorb all the new experiences, so you can't assess after just a few lessons. The exceptions to this would be if the teacher is unkind or critical, or if what they have you doing causes any pain or strain in your hands and arms. These would be red flags and you need to question the teacher about them immediately. But, other than that, if the lessons are enjoyable, just go with it. If the teacher is explaining why they are having you do certain things, as they should, then you can feel comfortable that you are on a good path.
If, however, after a few months or so, you find you dread practicing and/or going to the lessons, or if you just feel you are not making progress, now is the time to question. Bring any and all concerns to the teacher and evaluate their response. If they wave off your concerns saying "well, that's just how it is when you're a beginner," or something along those lines, you should continue to seek answers from the teacher. If the answers are simply not satisfying to you, perhaps you need to try someone else. It happens. As I explain in earlier posts, there are no tests or evaluations that private teachers have to pass, so, unfortunately, you are the guinea pig. No two students are the same; if the teacher is actually a good teacher, he/she needs to be an excellent problem-solver, and it is the teacher's responsibility to work at solving your particular issues or problems. If the teacher just follows the same "formula" for every student, many students may find it lacking for their needs. It may be time to cut the cord and move on.
This month, January 2025, marks 50 years since I started lessons with my late, great teacher, Joseph Prostakoff, in New York City. When I started lessons with him, I already had my degree in music from Manhattan School of Music, and excellent conservatory in most respects. And yet, I had come to realize that my piano teacher at Manhattan was not right for me. Unfortunately, he wasn't that interested in teaching! After graduation, a chance conversation with a friend led me to Mr. Prostakoff, and after meeting with him to discuss his approach, I had a strong feeling I needed to study with him. He changed my playing, my teaching, and my life. I was seeking something very different that I had experienced at Manhattan, and that is what I got. At the first lesson he said:
"Many things I tell you and have you do will seem strange and perplexing to you. You will be tempted to fall back on your previous ways of playing and practicing. However, you have come to me because you are seeking a new path. So you must put yourself in my hands and trust me completely. If, after some period of time, you come to believe this path is not right for you, you are free to go, and we part as friends."
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