QUALITY

There comes a time in the music education of many students where the parents (and sometimes even the student) question the quality of the education. This feeling may develop over time (student is not progressing or is not sufficiently challenged), or could have been anticipated from the beginning (parents chose a teacher based on proximity to the home rather than credentials and quality of teaching). What the parents should first accept and understand is that the ethical and honest teacher will always refer a student to another teacher whenever it becomes apparent to the teacher that the student would benefit from the change (see Referral). The questions which must be answered in order to determine whether the quality of education is in jeopardy are: 1) Does the teacher have the general position of keeping all students as long as possible, either due to need for income, or other reasons?; 2) Does the teacher have strong confidence in her/his pedagogical philosophy which she/he believes works for ALL students, and the parents are beginning to question the veracity of this position?; 3) Does the teacher accept the student's slow progress because she/he believes the student simply does not practice enough, or lacks inherent abilities?; 4) Are the parents concerned that the teacher is not qualified to bring the student to the next level, and suspect the teacher will delay transfer beyond the point that is best for the student?; and 5) Have the parents observed aspects of the teacher's style or technique they do not agree with or do not accept as appropriate for their child?

Each if these issues is addressed in greater detail below:

Financial: Most parents know whether their teacher has financial need to keep students. Simple indicators to watch for: 1) Is the studio growing? 2) Does the teacher always have new students? 3) Has your teacher referred other students to other teachers for advancement? 4) Does your teacher have any very advanced students? The more times you answered "YES", the less likely the teacher is keeping students for the sake of income. If you answered "NO" for all four questions, you may have reason for concern that your teacher keeps students for the sake of income.

Confidence: Every student and parents of students should seek out and prefer a teacher with a strong sense of self confidence, and a clear idea of her/his pedagogical approach. All good teachers SHOULD believe that their approach is good for ALMOST ALL students. On the same token, all good teachers SHOULD be able to accept that there are some students that will not fit their mold, and possibly would benefit from another approach. If you believe you are in this situation, you have every right to, and in fact the teacher should appreciate, an honest discussion regarding the situation. Although the parents and teacher may come away from the discussion with different conclusions, it should at least clarify the issues for both parties and when the parents make a decision to change, the teacher will at least know the reasons. Any open-minded teacher would support your decision and accept it as a learning and growth opportunity, and the head-strong teacher probably will dismiss you and the student as hopeless causes. At least you tried to come to an agreement with your teacher, and possibly the teacher can give you a referral in either case. Despite whatever you perceive from your end, the teacher will never want to alienate a colleague and therefore will only refer you to a teacher who would appreciate the referral. There is strong possibility that the new teacher will be different enough to provide a new learning approach for the student!

Progress: If you believe your child is not progressing up to her/his true potential, it is often easy to blame the teacher before looking closer to home. Before you decide that the teacher is the problem, it is in your best interest to consider these issues:

1) Time: Does your child put in the time as requested by the teacher? (Ask the teacher regarding time requirements if you are not sure.);

2) Following Directions: Does your child follow the directions specified by the teacher? (Practicing two hours daily will do nothing if the student is not practicing WHAT was assigned and HOW the teacher instructed her/him to practice.);

3) Consultation: Have you discussed your concerns about your child's progress with the teacher? Are you satisfied with the discussion?

4) Objective Assessment: Are you being honest with yourself about your child's abilities? Does you child participate in juries (outside evaluations) and competitions which would measure his/her progress? Have you carefully compared your child's performances at recitals to those of other students at the same level and years of study? Have you considered getting an outside opinion from another teacher or parent?

5) Interest and Attitude: Does your child seem only to pretend to make the effort? Does your child play games at the lesson or at home that feign lack of ability? Have you observed the teacher repeat the same instructions at lessons week after week? If you answer "YES" to EVERY question here there is clearly an interest and attitude problem, which may be improved by a change to a new teacher, or which may be signs that your child really wants to discontinue lessons all together.

Credentials: The credentials of any teacher can be measured in three simple ways: 1) Eduation, 2) Experience and 3) Quality of Students. Do you really know your teacher in all three areas?

Education: The primary degree for teaching music is a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited music school. Many private teachers do not actually have a music Bachelor's degree, but may have a Bachelor's Degree in another area. A music degree certainly is not required to teach beginning students, and in fact it can be argued that spending money on a teacher with a very advanced degree (Master's or Doctorate) is a waste of money for young and beginning students. (Would you want Einstein to teach your children arithmetic?) For teachers of beginners, experience, referrals, testamonials and parental direct observation are the best indicators of a good teacher. For students beyond the beginning level, a music degree is certainly important if not a requirement. If your child is planning to audition for college music, you MUST make sure that the teacher's credentials are sufficient to meet this challenge. (See FACULTY for specific education and credentials of KMI faculty).

Experience: The total years of teaching alone is not sufficient measure of a teacher's experience. There are factors of HOW MANY students, maturity, level of students and education that can affect the teacher's overall level of experience. A teacher with a music degree who has 30 or more students at different levels, and only 5 years of teaching under the belt will probably have gained much more meaningful experience than a teacher without a degree, with 10 or less students all at the same beginning levels, who has been teaching for 10 or more years. Observe your teacher at the lesson, and pay attention at the recitals. If you like what you see, then the teacher is probably demonstrating good application of experience. Despite advanced degrees and years of experience, the fact that some people are just natural born teachers is still an important factor as well. (See Teaching Style, below.)

Quality: "How well do the teacher's students perform and progress?" is always a difficult question to answer. To answer this question, you must: 1) observe other students at recitals carefully, 2) talk to other parents, and; 3) observe the successes of other students (competitions, awards, entrance into prestigious ensembles, entrance into music schools, etc.) The only way to measure the teacher's ability to produce quality students objectively is by observing ALL the students in the studio, and not just your own child. (See FEATURED STUDENTS for examples of KMI student performances).

Teaching Style: Some people are natural born teachers. Some develop a solid teaching style based on years of experience. Some are naturally energetic in their style. Some are good, but more quiet and low key in their approach. Some instill interest by making things fun and exciting. Some pass on strong desire to work hard by establishing high expectations. Some are critical, yet supportive. Some try to get you to do it right without pointing out the mistakes. Some work hard with you to help you fix things. Some tell you what's wrong and leave it you to make it right on your own. Some hold your hand with every step. Some show you the result and let you find your own way. EVERY ONE OF THESE IS A GOOD APPROACH! But is it the best for your child? Sometimes a student needs several approaches over the years, so that she/he can figure out what is best. Sometimes a student needs the OPPOSITE of what they are used to in order to be prepared for the real world (the well-rounded theory). Only you can tell what is working and what is needed, and only by carefully observing lessons and the progress of your child and others will you be able to decide.