For centuries, parents have encouraged their children to learn piano for any number of reasons: there are correlations between studying music and improved grades at school; it teaches life lessons about the rewards of hard work and persistence; and of course producing beautiful music is a reward in itself. Finding the right piano instructor is crucial, as great ones can maximize a student’s potential in short time and bad ones can turn them off the instrument forever. Here are things to keep in mind to make sure you’re going about it the right way.

If you want the absolute best teachers in the most rigorous programs, go the music conservatory. It’ll cost you substantially more money but you can know that your teacher is a certified expert. This isn’t just for people with passion, but people who want to play classical music properly. There’ll be strong emphasis on technique, and the graded pieces you learn get increasingly hard as you go along. In other words, there’s a structured program in place. This is for serious students.

Now, you might love music and be a dedicated, devoted student, but feel the conservatory is not the right environment for you. Perhaps you need something more relaxed that’ll teach you a different kind of repertoire. There’s a few good tips on finding teachers to keep in mind.

Look online or on flyers for teachers in your area. Don’t just commit to the first ones. Be on the lookout for serious playing experience or experience in teaching. The more accreditations the better. If they’re a musician, try and find their music online, and feel free to take lessons if you enjoy what you hear. If they have no music online find out what their teaching experience is. What you don’t want is a sketchy kid-get someone who takes their job seriously. While you don’t need touring experience or a university degree to be an excellent teacher, it’s a good way of distinguishing how professional someone is off the bat. This will mean the cost of lessons is higher too, but you get what you pay for.

If you have friends who are musicians, ask them where they learned. Getting personal referrals is the most reliable way of getting someone who you’ll be a good match with. At the end of the day, you’re not looking for the ultimate musician per se; you need a very good, experienced musician capable of inspiring you to learn and practice. This requires a personal bond, not just experience and degrees. For this reason, seeking out teachers who have worked for people you know is probably the best, especially if the people you know live in your area.

Of course, before you commit to anyone, find out their area of expertise and compare rates. Most teachers will say they can play anything, and that’s true, but before telling them what music you like most, ask them what is their favourite. If you’re in synch, great! It’s worth noting, but just because someone loves the same music as you doesn’t mean they can play it so well. In any case, keep the above in mind and good luck on the hunt and beyond.

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