SELECTING A MUSIC TEACHER

Finding a Teacher can be easier than you think! You can use our web search feature on our home page where you will find hundreds of qualified Teachers.

This is a very important fact to note – that all our Teachers are qualified or on their way to becoming qualified, as there is no required training for a music Teacher in Australia. All our Teachers are qualified, or in the process of finishing their Qualifications.

Once you have chosen a Teacher that is in the locality you are looking for there are further guidelines that you can use to find out the compatibility of Teacher and Student. Please read the following points of interest that may give you valuable information on what to look for when searching for a Music Teacher.

Not all of the following points will be applicable to your situation but some will. Choose just the questions most important to you so as not to overwhelm yourself or the Teacher.

• What qualifications does the Teacher have? To teach an instrument you need to be able to play that instrument well yourself. Having a Teacher who is only a grade or two ahead of the pupil may not give the results that you would have hoped for. The Student may end up learning incorrectly or become frustrated as the Teacher does not have enough skills to impart the information with ease.
  

• What is the Teacher’s educational and musical background?

• What support does the Teacher have for themselves? Do they belong to any Musical Associations and if so do they attend the Workshops regularly? Professional Development is important in keeping the Teacher familiar with up-to-date information and improving their teaching methods. Meeting with other Teachers regularly to share ideas and learn from each other is very necessary in a career where one is very much alone (apart from the Student).
  

• What measure does the Teacher employ to prevent repetitive stress injury? Studies done with Piano Students have found that 98% of them have suffered RSI at some time or other.

• Does the Teacher have their WWCC (Working With Children Card)?

• Do they have a Police Clearance. This is extremely important as Teachers work in close proximity to Students, often in one-to-one situations.

• Are the Qualifications they have for the instrument that they are Teaching?

• What is the Teacher’s educational background? How long have they been studying their instrument?

• How long have they been Teaching?

• Does the Teacher prefer to teach only one or two styles of music? If so, which styles? Or does the Teacher a broad spectrum of musical styles?
  

• What Grade Levels are their current Students studying?

• What books does the Teacher use and why?

• Does the Teacher offer Theory lessons separately or as a component of the Practical Lesson?

• Is the Teacher in favour of Students sitting Exams? If so, will the student be allowed to learn other music as well or only the Exam pieces?
  

• Does the Teacher offer other musical activities apart from the weekly lesson? At WAMTA we offer monthly performance opportunities in a non-competitive environment through our Student Forum Program. We also hold the Concerto & Recital Competitions once a year.

• Does the Teacher hold any Concerts throughout the year for the Student? We at WAMTA believe that a student needs more than a weekly lesson to develop their expertise in an instrument, let alone keep their inspiration going. Meeting and performing with others is a very necessary part of the Student’s musical development. They need to perform with others and in front of others. The skills they develop playing for others can enhance their self-esteem, confidence and ability to cope with pressure in a positive light.

• Does the Teacher provide group and single lessons or just one of the above?

• What will the lessons cost? How many Students will be in the class? How many lessons are there in a Term and how and when does the Teacher want payment?

• Do you know why your child wants to learn that particular instrument? Ask them if they want to play for others, themselves or maybe even have a career in this area.

• Knowing this can save a lot of heartache later on. If your child is not interested in performing for others, choosing a Teacher who majors in regular Concerts and likes to enter Students for Eisteddfords are not a compatible mix.

• What are your goals for the child learning this instrument? Can the Teacher help you achieve these goals?

• What outside resources and materials does the Teacher use to supplement their lessons? Do they use the Internet, U-Tube, etc.

• Find out why and when the Teacher started playing.

• Was Teaching always their primary goal or did they start out as performers. Sometimes Teaching can be a poor second to their love of performing.

• How does the Teacher set and monitor goals and progress in the Student?

• How does the Teacher select music for the Student? If they only select pieces from Graded Exam books, your child will be limited to that repertoire regardless of how motivated and interested they might be.

• What other musical experiences does the Teacher encourage and provide apart from the weekly lesson? Eg:- doe the Teacher have access to recordings of the lessons, provide books on loan, arrange volunteer opportunities, free sheet music from the many legal sites on the Internet.

• Does the Teacher have any vacancies?

• What are the fees and how are they to be paid?