Can anyone teach me piano?
When you first research into hiring a piano instructor it is easy to say to yourself, if they can play, then they can teach me piano right? but this isnt necessarily the case. Just because someone can play piano doesnt mean that they will be a worth while instructor. In fact, in reality the opposite is more commonly true.
Because high level pianists work hard to achieve success, many of them struggle with teaching the basics to new students. Their fingers are itching to run up and down the keyboard whereas new players hesitate and stutter. A number of these experienced or professional pianists derive little enjoyment and satisfaction in teaching beginning piano and do not want to relive their own humble beginnings by teaching new students. They would rather practice for themselves, elevating their own talents. What is demoralizing is that some of these accomplished pianists have no idea they feel this way until they start to teach new students. Not everyone is built to be a teacher. Therefore, it is important that you gauge the instructors personality, research their accomplishments and ask for their previous experience as a piano teacher.
Make sure that they are able to supply references and phone numbers to allow you to contact their past clients. Also, take into consideration what level their past clients were at when they first began, were they brand new to the instrument or had they received previous training? If I have no experience what so ever are you still able to teach me piano? Also, what was the highest level achieved while being given lessons from this particular instructor? These answers can help you make a very educated and well thought out decision of who to hire. If the instructor has only taught piano players that have already completed the basic lessons, then you may want to consider hiring someone else who has more experience teaching the absolute basic skills. If they have very few clients that achieved an intermediate to high level of training, this may mean that they are hard to work with, or are lacking the personal skills to stay with the same client over a lengthy period of time.
The reason why people head to their computers for piano tutorials and instruction is due to the aggravations of trying to find an effective piano instructor. Many online options as well as DVD instruction and piano lesson software have become more user-friendly, making them a preferred way to learn the piano as well as other instruments. Its also less risky and provides schedule flexibility.

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