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Is there anything wrong with having two teachers ?( or ... "surely there's no harm if my child has lessons at school as well, after all they seem quite cheap ?" ) In this article problems associated with following two teachers at once are discussed.The reality ! First, let me say that parents who allow their children to follow two teachers usually do so thinking that "more" is better, and additional School lessons are certainly not likely to do any harm. Let me say straight away to them, with all due respect, that I do not agree. I usually then have the very difficult and delicate task of trying to dissuade students or parents from taking this "two teacher" approach. From my experience ( of over 15 years teaching the violin in Professional Music Conservatoires as well as every kind of College and School, specialist and non as well as private teaching ) having two teachers is extremely confusing for a child and generally leads to compromises, cross purposes, misunderstandings and a very unclear picture about what needs working on. A child can easily loose confidence when two teachers are using him / her as a medium to fight each others' teaching methods. Sharing two teachers is the most dangerous "game" a parent can impose on a child. In every case that I have experienced it is never a peaceful environment ! Young children especially need protecting in such scenarios. I try to calm a worried child who wonders why two opposite instructions don't make sense ; I wonder, and marvel how parents can put their children into such a vulnerable situation. A child's mind must be clear ; they must focus on one objective only ; parent and teacher must be one. Two teachers is simply one two many : I will now clarify my dramatic statements with a story. A real example Let me give some examples of the sort of worries a student may bring up during a lesson : " At School, we have to hold the bow like this and it really hurts " ( some contortionism then takes place to demonstrate what in all honesty is a very poor bow hold ). Bowing then continues with the new hold, learned through a conditioning that robs the tone of its transparency and which reduces bow speed to a snails pace. In a desperate battle between teaching objectives ( which cannot help a child's piece of mind ) I then try and remedy with an encouraging " lots of bow, freely ! ". However, the fluidity of the bowing arm is by this stage seriously compromised, as the child's mind has been conditioned into keeping the mother of pearl dot on the bow frog covered with the third finger ! Alas, all effort to project sound and listen to good intonation has been seriously compromised and the child has forgotten to make a good sound ! The child is fixed with a "detail", a particular feature of the placing of a finger, which does nothing to help posture, freedom and style, mainly because the placing of the finger taught at schools is actually different, and in many cases may actually be wrong. At this point, the child has spent considerable attention and care to place his / her fingers in such a way as to please at least one teacher ( usually the one who instills the most fear will get his / her way ) but sound, rhythm and bowing have also been compromised, and I am asking myself is it worth it ? The answer is no, because in most cases the bow holds taught are ugly, unnatural and taught by teachers who think they are being clever by teaching every last detail, but who are destroying creativity, tone and right arm freedom in the process. To my mind this is completely missing the point, and the irony is that the bow hold, so painstakingly detailed, is actually incorrect, and will take another teacher years to rectify at a later date. It's no wonder why the child falters and gives up, uncertain of whom to trust, and totally confused as to what is important when playing a violin. A warning ; the statistics confirm my beliefs The exact example I give above has occurred more than once, and I am condemning the practice of having two teachers so heavily because it has ruined too many students in the past ! The statistics are too horrifying to tell, and many would not believe them. To be tactful, let me just say that students who start with me have a very high chance of loving their music and their instrument for life. In fact, I cannot recall anyone who started with me giving up ! I have known some students who started with me now continue with other teachers who live closer to them either because I or they have moved away, too far to render weekly lessons practical. The vast majority of students who have come to me from other teachers, however, have not had a happy time with their music and quit no matter how hard I try. Their spirit has been scarred ; their creativity dampened by teachers who put the "fear of getting it wrong" into them. They are beyond hope and there is nothing I can usually do to reverse the process, no matter how much parents plead ! This is why I consider warning against following two teachers paramount. Beware : Good and Bad is everywhere ; especially in orchestras Let's admit it ; two teachers, perhaps equally good, would never take the exact same path to reach a certain goal or destination. One would postpone teaching vibrato in favor of 3rd position, the other might postpone 3rd position in order to teach vibrato ! The most critical lessons of a students life are his / her first lessons. Usually the first year determines how far a student can go. Teach through fear, transmit a series of "rules" on how to hold something, or teach too "academically" and your pupil will lack motivation, and a true love of music. They will not practise, and maybe don't really enjoy playing, except that it pleases Mum and Dad. Teach the joys of playing and a love of work that brings rewards and a sense of achievement and you certainly don't want other teachers involved that can wipe out hours and hours of work spent on obtaining a beautiful tone. Usually, it's enough for children to join a school orchestra, to thoroughly desensitize their musicality, brutalize their sound, and worry about their image in general rather than their sound. In these cases, one realizes that the least exposure to the outside world a child receives the better ! Of course, age or maturity is a factor, the skill of the orchestra and its leader is a factor, and the general levels of a child's friends and colleagues is a factor : A child who hears bad intonation will flawlessly imitate bad intonation ( or good intonation for that matter ). Orchestras are places where bad technique is spread like a germ, ( or a computer virus in this day and age, ) contaminating all one by one. The loudest player will play out and boast and fill the atmosphere with the challenge ; louder is stronger is best : beat me ! When every quality soloist knows that beauty and sweetness of tone is what matters. Often, in fact, louder is uglier ! Sometimes, students who are constantly exposed to many events in school, such as concerts, orchestras and ensemble classes pick up defects at such a quick rate and so fatally that they cannot be eradicated in time ! Their playing gets worse, and their days are counted. Yet Mum and Dad and Child are all thoroughly convinced that the more they do the better. In these cases a teacher can do little to influence that constant deterioration of technique that is sparked by improper example, lack of insight and even lack of common sense. The decision making time has come Back to our original "Two teacher" problem : A decision has to be made as to which teacher one should follow. One must sustain weekly lessons on a regular basis, and logistics and practicality are a high priority. Yes, sacrifices can be made to travel a little further for a better teacher, but postponing an inevitable discontinuation is not beneficial for teacher, nor pupil. Regulations at the Welsh College of Music and Drama, one of the 8 professional music conservatoires in the United Kingdom, state that pupils should not have a second teacher at school or at home. I totally agree with this professional policy, in place to protect pupils and teachers. If I were being "shared" with another teacher, I would recommend an immediate choice be made. I would prefer a child to stop lessons with me and choose the other teacher, leaving a space for someone else because a child with two teachers is doomed. There would be a constant tension between two teaching methods, and it wouldn't be fair for a child to be caught up in an adult's war. Teacher X may be cross at what teacher Y has done ; to the child it may seem like teacher X is cross at him and teacher Y is even more cross ! That is a situation a child should never be caught up in ! Conclusion and plea We have seen that teaching an instrument is such a specific skill, every student needing a particular strategy in order to give him or her the best chances of succeeding. Orchestras, chamber music coaches and school events can also lead to minor clashes with teachers, but the best coaches will be wise enough to include the remark "check with your teacher...." or " ask your teacher to help you with this passage....". Always go to the best orchestras and coaches on offer. The very worst clashes come from following two teachers. Even if you are considering a change of teacher ; it is best to finish business with one and start with another. I say all this against my interest, but I say it in the knowledge that I have offered warning and common sense advice that may not be obvious to the non musician parent. Parents who are professional musicians and teachers are certain to agree with my policy of one teacher at a time, and could probably add many more reasons than I have to prove this policy. I hope nobody reading this article has misunderstood or taken my message the wrong way : When children and their education are concerned I ponder my actions carefully to give them their best chance in life. Music making and appreciation is an important ingredient in life. It is also a very misunderstood not to mention underestimated field, and there's only one chance so let's get it right !!! |
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