how to change my studio teacher in a conservatory

I’m the freshman of a very good conservatory in the Northeastern part of America. My teacher’s temper changes a lot, thus her comments about me will change a lot too. Anyway, I feel like I’m not on the right track. Thus I want to switch to another studio. I don’t know how to bring that out to my current teacher everything else works well. I imagine she will be super angry! I learned things and really appreciate her, but I do not feel right presently.

Have you identified another studio that you would like to join and have you approached that teacher to be sure the transition is possible? The current teacher might be annoyed, but you are within your rights to find a studio that best suits your needs. Just be honest - you are happy with your progress so far but feel you will be better suited to the teaching style of a different professor. Good luck!

The keyword there is to be careful when doing this, there have been a lot of threads about this, some teachers will understand, others won’t. If there is a teacher you might want to study with, you obviously should talk to them about it, because it is possible that teacher may not feel comfortable accepting a student from another teacher (some will, some won’t), plus it is possible the teacher may not have room in their studio, they have limits on the number of students they can have.

If the potential teacher seems receptive, then arrange a sample lesson with them to see if A)they would be interested in you and B) you would be interested in them. Hopefully if he/she agrees to teach you they also might have suggestions on how to approach your old teacher, if not at the end of the semester have a conversation with them, that you appreciate what they have done for you but that you feel like it will work better for you with another teacher with a different approach (or maybe not even that bluntly). Be prepared that the teacher might go ballistic with you, some teachers egos are that fragile or they are that big divas, on the other hand someone like my son’s teacher understands when students say they feel the need to move on,it all depends.

The key thing is if the teacher is not giving you what you need. I would be cautious about making this decision after, for example, a rough lesson , something like moviing to a new studio should be done after a lot of thinking about it, including consequences. If you are upset because of a rough lesson where the teacher went ballistic on you, I would be careful about letting that alone influence you, but if the teacher treats you in ways that it is affecting your ability to learn, if they aren’t because of that effectively teaching you, then after thought moving might make sense. A lot of great teachers have reputations for being caustic, but there are also people who can’t/won’t study with them because of that, and that may be a wise thing, a teacher who is cutting can destroy a student as much as other forms of bad teaching can.

Wish you luck!

musicprnt said it all so well that there isn’t much to add. But I did want to say that you should be able to talk to your Dean of Students too, who can facilitate the switch for you if you need help.

Is this something recent with your teacher? Perhaps there is something going on in her personal life or with her health that is causing her her temper to be short if the change has just come about, but if it’s been since the beginning then maybe the Dean has long been aware of it. Either way, if it’s impairing your ability to learn or if it’s frightening you, then you certainly do have a right to move to another studio, but it’s how to go about it and not tread on feelings that is always difficult for anyone.

Also wishing you the best!

What musicprnt and Mezzo’sMama said.^

DD (very happy with her teacher) told me some students at her school have switched to her studio. For the most part everyone was on board, and every faculty member understood the fit has to feel right.
BUT… Then there are the outliers. This happens specifically if there was a pattern of transfer from one particular (often senior) teacher to a particular other teacher (often new-comer) and a pattern of resentment has been brewing, as if the teacher was “stealing” another’s students. It’s absurd, but much of the artistic temperament isn’t rational.

I strongly recommend you make certain this is not about your ego being bruised by corrective comments, (which you should use to improve) and that you involve the Dean of Students as Mezzo’sMama suggested.

Don’t stay with an ineffective teacher. It’s your life and your growth.