One bad teacher, need advice

St. Olaf College in Minnesota has been my dream school for years. With good academics and great music it’s a perfect fit. However, there is one negative. For the last week I have been at a music camp on the campus. I love the camp and everyone except the school’s clarinet instructor. I know he means the best but his teaching makes me feel so discouraged. Even though I don’t want to major in music, I still plan to be active in the department and would take lessons. Because I would have to work closely with him for all four years: should I continue to pursue this school (and hope that it gets better) or cut my losses and look for different schools?

Perhaps post this thread in the Music Major section and you might get more responses.

Everyone has to deal with bad instructors. Is he the only clarinet instructor?

If he makes your skin crawl, that’s tough to overcome. If he simply discourages you, well, that’s something you can work on. Think about what he’s saying and what you can do with the information to be better. Think about why it discourages you and how you might see it positively. You might even want to get your hands on the book “thank you for the feedback”. (Super helpful with this. Really worth reading. )

Some teachers really inspire you to do better, others just sort of throw stuff out there and not always kindly. Some feel like if they make you feel bad, you’ll try harder. (Never worked for me, btw…) But I would keep an open mind. Check out some other schools and their teachers but don’t abandon this one yet!

Moving to music major forum.

1.) Trust your gut on this. If the teacher is bringing you down, that’s a fact. Will it change? IMHO…probably not. Behavior is behavior in most adults. You can wait through the program and see if your opinion changes about his teaching style (behavior)…but in the end, trust your gut on what works for you.
2.) Keep the school on your list for now. However put this fact at the top of your “con” list for the school. You could reach out to current students of his and see what they think of him…but still you may need a different style. DON’T talk yourself out of your feelings.

3.) Start/continue researching other schools AND teachers. Try to meet other teachers to see if you feel positive vibes. It is not uncommon for your top school choice to change over the next year as you interact more with schools/teachers. Don’t be afraid of that change. It’s as it should be.

4.) Feel fortunate that you discovered this issue. Learn from it by checking other teachers at schools of interest. It may be the “thing” that gets you to the right place…and you never know it could be St. Olaf or not.

As a parent of a vocalist, I got over, long ago, trying to talk my D into “working” with the wrong kind of teacher. When she discovers that kind of “negative” teacher (for her), she limits contact and focuses elsewhere. She finds the majority of teachers positive…so why waste 4 years with a negative personality? Life is too short and your education too precious for that.

I agree with @bridgenail 's answer here. Keep the school on your list, but if studying clarinet is important to you, and if this is the only clarinet teacher at the school, this fact goes to the top of the “con” column.

I agree with that feedback as well. While it’s true that “everyone has to deal with bad instructors,” it’s also true that a serious musician attending a school where (s)he dislikes the only instructor for his/her instrument, is like a serious athlete signing for a team where they don’t like the coach. It’s a very legitimate consideration that definitely goes to the top of the “con” list.

On the other hand, it would be a shame to write off the school this early because of your feelings. What if you didn’t apply and then found out their staffing changed after all? Maybe you and this teacher will even “click” more by the end of the camp.

Were you planning to apply ED? Even if so, there must be other schools and programs you have been considering, right? What else is on your list? This highlights the importance of taking the opportunities to visit campuses, meet with faculty, and even do a sample lesson where that’s offered.

You need to apply elsewhere in addition to applying to St. Olaf.

Great that you took the initiative to attend summer music camp at your first choice school.

As stated in post #5 above by @bridgenail, do not talk yourself out of your impressions.