New Teacher-advice

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>So I know this isn't really an "advice forum," but I figured I'd have a better shot bringing this topic up here, where more people may understand where I'm coming from.</p>

<p>I starting taking lessons from a professional in my area when I was 11 years old. I studied with her for eight years, up until just about a month ago. I'm a sophomore in college, and last year she was my professor here. She had been a part-time instructor at this college for several years, but when the full-time professor retired, the college decided to "go in a different direction," and hired someone new instead of promoting my teacher (who was perfectly qualified to be a college clarinet professor, btw). </p>

<p>So now I have a new teacher. I've only had one lesson, and while he's a decent guy, I had such a bond with my other teacher that I'm having a really hard time with the transition. </p>

<p>It makes it so much harder because, while I didn't decide on my college solely because a teacher I knew and respected would be there, I was not expecting someone new, and fully expected last year that I would have her as a teacher for another four years. </p>

<p>I guess my question is if anyone has any advice on how to make it through this transition without "losing the music in me" (so to speak). My teacher was such a mentor to me, and I'm just not sure where to go right now.</p>

2

<p>Is it possible that you could talk to the head of the department and ask if you could continue with your old teacher?</p>

3

<p>Ole- Welcome. You don't state if you are pursuing a performance degree, another music degree, or are continuing instrumental study for your own pleasure and benefit.</p>

<p>There is no right answer to you question, but knowing your path would help in formulating a response.</p>

<p>Additionally, there may be school policies contingent upon your major that preclude (or make it difficult for) you from changing teachers.</p>

<p>That being said, I'll offer a couple of options:</p>

<p>Many believe a change of instrumental instructors is beneficial after a three to five year period, as this allows both student and instructor a fresh perspective. It's often helpful in that certain areas are approached differently due to different teaching methodolgies and styles, a student can see different approaches and alternatives musically from a different angle.</p>

<p>Is part of the transition difficulty due to the new teacher trying to change the way you play/sound? If so, don't hesitate to ask why. The reasons may be valid, they may not. </p>

<p>You also need to be comfortable in stepping outside your safety box, and get input from other professionals (besides your former teacher) to truly assess your skills and potential areas of refinement/improvement. </p>

<p><similarly, parents="" and="" their="" musicians="" need="" to="" think="" about="" how="" they="" can="" improve="" long-term="" outcome="" (other="" than="" just="" practicing!)="" they've="" got="" step="" out="" of="" safety="" zone,="" away="" from="" conductors="" &="" teachers,="" present="" themselves="" those="" who="" are="" going="" make="" or="" break="" them.="" then="" listen="" carefully!=""> Quoted from team-mom's post here: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=390796&page=2%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=390796&page=2&lt;/a> It's sound advice.</similarly,></p>

<p>If you're in a music degree discipline, the assignment of the primary teacher can be a function of departmental policy. You don't even mention if the former teacher is still adjunct faculty. If you are in a non-degree program, pursuing instruction with the former teacher may be a possibility within your program parameters. As Cosmos said, you can ask.</p>

<p>A bit more background may be helpful in fine tuning ways you might proceed. Good luck.</p>

4

<p>Changing teachers is never easy, but sometimes the difficult path proves to be the better one. </p>

<p>Before running off to the head of the department and complaining, I would suggest that you first talk to the old teacher and share your concerns if you have not already done so. She may be willing to continue teaching you, but may want nothing at all to do with the school at this point. Before rocking the boat, make sure that the option you want is available.</p>

<p>Next, talk to the new teacher. Try to put in concrete terms what you were getting from the old teacher that you did not get in your first lesson with the new one. Is it primarily a difference in musical technique, or is it more a question of teaching style? What things within their control can they do differently to make your lessons with them more valuable? I think (and the school will also likely think) that the new teacher deserves more of a chance than one lesson before being rejected as unsuitable. It is rare for instrumentalists at the college level to have studied with the same teacher for eight years. You have to ask yourself whether the relationship with the old one has gotten a little too comfortable, to the point where you do not have to work as hard to please her. Have you been progressing as rapidly as you would like in the past couple of years, or have you hit a plateau with the old teacher? Perhaps it really is time to move on.</p>

<p>If you do decide that the new teacher is not going to work out, you have to think of things from the school's perspective before acting. Are there enough clarinet students to support a full-time teacher plus a second part-time teacher on clarinet? Is the new full-time teacher happy having more students that the former full-time teacher did, thus eliminating the need for the part-timer. (That could have been a big reason that they were hired in the first place.) How do the other clarinet students feel about this issue?</p>

<p>What action do you want the school to take? Do you want them to rehire your old teacher as a part-timer? Do you want them to simply let anyone who had previously studied with her to be able to continue to do so until they graduate? Is the new teacher so terrible that you want the school to fire them and hire your old teacher full-time? If and when you go to the department head, you should go with a specific request that is not totally unreasonable from their point of view rather than with some vague complaints. If you ask for a small, easily-accommodated change, they are more likely to work with you. For example, if the new full-time teacher is complaining about being overworked, you could let the department head know that you would be happy to go back to your old teacher's studio if they cared to rehire her. If you ask for the impossible, like the immediate firing of the new teacher before they can arrange a replacement, they will be less receptive.</p>

<p>My wife actually did get her primary instrumental teacher fired for incompetence over the course of her sophomore year in college, but it took a lot of effort and documentation on her part and a lot of cooperation with the other students who were assigned to the same teacher. I hope that something this drastic is not required, and that things work out well for you in the end.</p>

<p>EDIT: This response was crossposted with violadad. I agree with what he said.</p>

5

<p>So, to clarify a few things:</p>

<p>First of all, it was 11:00 at night when I wrote the OP, and it had been a long day and I was crabby. </p>

<p>Second of all, I think there are a few issues going on. It's not so much that I'm opposed to having different teachers (I've worked with a few in conjunction with my other, primary teacher), it's more situational. Basically, my old teacher was unfairly let go, because, like I said, the selection committee decided to "go in a different direction." I know for a fact that this caused uproar in the music department, and there were professors who tried to get the decision overturned. I am clearly biased towards my teacher, who basically got screwed. Even though it's been six+ months since the decision was made I still sometimes feel like the new guy doesn't deserve to be here (but I'm working on it).</p>

<p>The other issue is simply that it's been a hard time for me musically since I got back to school. I didn't make either of the ensembles I tried out for this year (and had worked really hard over the summer to get into), and I don't really have anyone else there who I could go talk to about that. She was the one I knew I could go to, and I know that is a prime example of what BassDad was saying about the relationship being too comfortable. </p>

<p>I'm sure it will work out in the end, and it's not like this guy's a bad teacher, it's more that if I was going to go for a different teacher I would have wanted it to be on my own terms, not some selection committee.</p>

<p>Thanks guys.</p>

6

<p>As usual, the string dads have "sound advice" (as Violadad put it, probably no pun intended, but I enjoyed it anyway!) I have a couple comments:</p>

<p>
[quote]
I know this isn't really an "advice forum,"

[/quote]
</p>

<p>If this isn't the place where you can come for music education advice, then that place doesn't exist! Of course this is the right place!</p>

<p>It sounds to me that you are recognizing that a lot of your feeling has to do with loyalty toward your first teacher. Please try very hard to separate the two issues. It is perfectly fine to let administration know (a polite letter?) that you, as a student with a vested interest in the decision, feel offended that they would make such a decision about YOUR teacher, without any input from you or communication with you. Point out that the teacher is a large part of the decision to attend a certain school, and you feel this particular situation was handled very poorly. Decide what you want out of it, and ask for that very clearly. Perhaps you can ask for the teacher to be the sub when necessary? To give master classes? </p>

<p>Meanwhile, I am one of those parents/teachers who feels very strongly that students need to experience different types of teaching. Perhaps this is an "open window" after a "closed door." Give this guy a chance. As a teacher myself, I would hate it to be completely judged by a single lesson. Talk openly and honestly with him, but do not blame him for a situation he most likely did not cause.</p>

<p>When you talk with your current teacher, you might even ask him how he would feel if you took an occasional lesson with your previous teacher. Perhaps over holiday breaks or during the summer. It is common courtesy to ask permission of a current teacher before taking a lesson with someone else, but if you are upfront, most teachers don't have a problem with it.</p>

<p>If, after six months, you don't feel you are progressing with this current teacher, then you might want to consider transferring. Explaining that you chose the school in part because of the teacher, and the teacher has changed, is a valid reason to switch. On the other hand -- not necessarily blaming your previous teacher in any way, but it sounds like you hit a wall concerning recent auditions. Maybe, just maybe, a new approach, some new ideas, new blood, is exactly what you need right now to take you to the next level.</p>

<p>Let us know how it goes.</p>

7

<p>Ole, I'm going to add a bit more based on your second post.</p>

<p>The way your former teacher was treated by the school in question may have been based on sound musical judgement, or it may have been political.
In either case, you have a shown a strong loyalty to that teacher. Be ready to seperate friendship and loyalty from ability as a teacher at the level you may need now. More on this in a bit. </p>

<p>We were faced with a similar situation when my son was still in high school with our local youth symphony. The long time executive director retired, an interim director named, and it took a season for a search for a permanent director to be found. However, the interim director fired the a longstanding chamber coach who had a track record of producing competition level quartets and wanted to fill the position with a crony. Many parents, I included wrote many letters of protest to the board of directors, to no avail. The students who wished to continue study with the terminated coach simply left the youth symphony chamber program, and continued private quartet coachings with the terminated teacher. The massive loss (6 quartets) basically killed the ys program for two years. Once the interim director was replaced, the ys begged the terminated coach to return. She simply refused.</p>

<p>The termination had no basis in sound musical judgements, and was purely politically motivated. I know this as a fact, from direct conversations with board members.</p>

<p>The point of this story is that however unfair, there are many times to go to bat for a friend or colleague, but unfortunately, there are times that the outcome will not change. Find your comfort in the fact that you went out of your way for a friend and mentor.</p>

<p>Back to where I said I'd continue:</p>

<p>You wrote: <the other="" issue="" is="" simply="" that="" it's="" been="" a="" hard="" time="" for="" me="" musically="" since="" i="" got="" back="" to="" school.="" didn't="" make="" either="" of="" the="" ensembles="" tried="" out="" this="" year="" (and="" had="" worked="" really="" over="" summer="" get="" into),="" and="" don't="" have="" anyone="" else="" there="" who="" could="" go="" talk="" about="" that.="" she="" was="" one="" knew="" to,="" know="" prime="" example="" what="" bassdad="" saying="" relationship="" being="" too="" comfortable.=""> </the></p>

<p>Perhaps it's time for you to move on musically. Is your hard time musically/not making specific ensembles a direct function of your former teacher just being able to take you so far? This may or may not be the case here, but think honestly about the answer. A good techer will know when it's time to pass a student to a higher level, and this should not have an effect on the ability to use the old teacher as a sounding board or general advice during a transition phase, particularly given the very long standing relationship.</p>

<p>You never did specify if you're a performance major. It has a bearing on how you might proceed, as you may find yourself in a position where transfer of schools might become an issue if you cannot work with the new instructor.</p>

<p>Bassdad and binx both have given you very good advice. Try and look at this scenario as objectively as possible.</p>

8

<p>For the sake of your own musical development, give some very serious thought to why you thought you had prepared well for the fall auditions, and then were not deemed acceptable. It is possible that the decision about the teacher was made because students were not getting the necessary instruction to truly prepare them to succeed. Perhaps it is the case that you are not a music major and the majors must have first claim on ensemble opportunties in order to satisfy their degree requirements, in which case it was just bad luck. </p>

<p>Regardless, you can and should continue to have a friendly relationship with the prior teacher...you do have a long history and relationship with her. Doubtless she feels a connection to the students she had to leave, and it will be very rewarding to her to know that you appreciate what she has been in your life. Throughout my life I have maintained contact with each of my private music instructors. I have sent holiday cards, mailed them copies of programs, stopped by to visit them when in their area, occasionally called them on the phone. They all served as a mentor and support in a very personal relationship, that which is part of the music studio. You can be a loyal friend and musical disciple, and still move on to another arena of learning. It is not disloyal to leave her, it is part of progress and evolution in your education. </p>

<p>Good luck. I hope you gradually (if not suddenly) find yourself very enriched by the new teacher.</p>

9

<p>Musical employment is inherently political. There are so many qualified applicants (and even more unqualified ones) for every available position that talent and ability alone rarely determine the outcome of a hiring decision for a position at a college or in an orchestra. If you cannot accept that as a way of life then you should probably look into a different profession, although the same is true in a lot of other walks of life. Likewise, failure is far more common than success in musical auditions. If they did not go the way you wanted, you have to learn from that experience and do better the next time. </p>

<p>Yes, your teacher got a raw deal. Yes, they should have spoken with her students before summarily replacing her. Yes, you have ample reason to feel bad both for yourself and for her. You seem to be dealing with the initial disappointment, so where do you go from here?</p>

<p>Realize that music is all about connections. You have to connect with the composer, the conductor, the other musicians and the audience when performing. You have to connect with your teacher when learning. You have to connect with those who have the ability to hire you when looking for a job. The networking and business skills necessary for you to survive as a professional musician are generally not taught in class or in music lessons. You learn those by example and by doing things yourself. Consider the current situation an opportunity to work on those skills.</p>

<p>I would suggest that you give the new teacher at least this semester before making any sort of long range decision. If you want to see the old teacher on occasion, clear it with the new one as binx has suggested. You do not want to give anyone the impression that you are going behind their back or holding a grudge. Your feelings are important, but so are theirs. If things don't look better by the end of the semester, you will have some difficult choices ahead of you.</p>

<p>If I have learned anything as a performing musician, it is that you cannot take your current position for granted. Always look to improve your musical abilities and your relationship with potential clients and patrons. Cultivate skills in multiple genres because you never know where the next job will come from. Work hard on sightreading so that you can take up any opportunity on a moment's notice. Earn a reputation for being dependable and easy to work with. Do not make promises that you cannot keep. (End of sermon.)</p>

10

<p>It is the policy in some schools that musicians are not allowed to study with someone outside the school. There may be a caveat about a requirement to obtain explicit permission from the official (school) teacher and the dean if lessons are taken outside of the school. Further, it is unprofessional for any teacher to subvert the official (school) music study and certainly to teach a student without the knowledge of the teacher. Quite often there is enough conflict in the technical approaches that the student cannot serve two masters. For certain the vocabulary and the priorities will differ. It is not fair to a teacher to work against their teaching, it is frustrating, and it is wrong. If students cannot commit themselves to the assigned teacher, they must be forthright about it, and not waste anyone's time and pedagogical energy.</p>

11

<p>Ole- the truisms that Bassdad and lorelei cite in posts 9 and 10 are the expected norms of behavior within the performing and pedagogical traditions.</p>

<p>I agree completely with the positions each has cited.</p>

12

<p>DD is in the same boat, sort of. Her current private music teacher at college is a gem (dd is NOT a music major). This teacher has gone above and beyond in providing DD with excellent private music study (at a school that does not have a particularly strong music program). But DD knows that this teacher is an adjunct and her position could be terminated at any time. We just hope that doesn't happen for at least three years:)</p>

13

<p>Darn politics. I know I can't go back and study with my real teacher right now, and one of the hardest parts about this whole thing is the fact that I didn't choose this guy, and the students got very little say in who was chosen for the new position. Only three or four clarinet students were involved in the selection process last year. Several other people in the studio that I've talked to aren't fond of the new guy either. I'm having trouble because I can't imagine having this guy for three years (I'm a sophomore), and if I had been an incoming freshman this year I may or may not have ended up at this school. At the same time, everything else here is wonderful and I can't imagine transfering, so I just feel stuck.<br>
As far as actual teaching goes, I'm also having trouble because he's contradicting many things that I've been taught and are pretty much ingrained in me, so I'm not sure what to do.
<em>Sigh</em> Trying to tough it out is hard.</p>