inBachs / How Musicians Decide On A Teacher

If you have ever played a music instrument and taken private lessons, how did you decide on a teacher?

Here are 25 responses to this question.

“I met two teachers, both qualified, and I chose the one who really shared with me.”

“I knew she was well liked by my peers.”

“Thought she would make me great.”

“Band director chose him for me after I requested a teacher specializing in my instrument.”

“Recommendation from school band director.”

“By circumstance of the nearest proximity.”

“You can tell pretty quick if they’re good communicators.”

“Not many options in my area…go with best available.”

“I looked for someone that is kind an truly cares about the student’s goals and not just the teacher’s goals.”

“Reputation in the area - retired symphony musician, principal.”

“Literally they were just in the area. That’s how it started for me. Word of mouth referral, to be honest.”

“My first horn tutor the year before college auditions had emailed my band director.”

“University outreach and workshops. Only studied privately in college.”

“When I was in high school my teacher was recommended from the band director.”

“I haven’t taken private lessons for any of my instruments yet but I chose a voice teacher based on what other people at my school recommended.”

“We looked for someone that was kind, had lots of good reviews from past students and had a degree/cert in music pedagogy. Also someone who can teach you the theory and the why behind the instrument so that you can take that knowledge with you.”

“I asked my high school band director for a recommendation.”

“For me it was that they were the closest and most affordable, I think sometimes you have to make the most out of it but I was 12 years old so I didn’t have much say on what my mom could pay for, but i think you should look for consistent good reviews and maybe you could contact them and talk to them about what you want out of lessons and see if you align with each other.”

“My band director recommended one to me and when I had outgrown that one, he recommended the next. That teacher network is so important!”

“Most advanced teacher for clarinet who taught out of the local music store. I was a high school senior and she was the right teacher for me at that time.”

“Most advanced teacher for clarinet who taught out of the local music store. I was a high school senior and she was the right teacher for me at that time.”

“For context as a music major I chose teachers (not my applied professor) that had skill set I wanted to add to mine. A musical discipline that would give me a different perspective to incorporate into my main instrument. As a sax player, learning percussion and voice helped a lot. Percussion helped my conception of rhythm and voice helped strengthen my ear.”

“When I was younger there was one cello teacher in town, so I took lessons with her. Eventually I needed a more rigorous teacher and was recommended to a professor one state over (45 minute drive) To choose a college professor I wanted to study with, I had several trial lessons after researching the school/programs and only applied at the schools with teachers I felt comfortable with.”

“I’ve been playing guitar for 20 years have had multiple teachers. The best teachers I’ve had were genuinely invested in my learning, made challenging topics engaging and not boring and highly focused on why guitar theory mattered and to deeply understand the theory more than rather be able to just play. Also being nice helps.”