Teachers Good Teachers

[stringy]

My teacher has impeccable credentials, experience, etc. But taking on additional students, playing gigs, and now taking to repairing saxophones. It seems to be the personal element of teacher/pupil has been replaced by acquiring money. Is my assessment completely wrong?

 

[rhysonsax]

My teacher has impeccable credentials, experience, etc. But taking on additional students, playing gigs, and now taking to repairing saxophones. It seems to be the personal element of teacher/pupil has been replaced by acquiring money. Is my assessment completely wrong?

Are you asking a general question or something specific about your own teacher ? No one here can tell you whether your own assessment of an individual we don't know is right or wrong !

Rhys

 

[mizmar]

Convincing potential pupils that that the personal student/teacher relationship is special has always been a good marketing tool. In some areas - eg religions, martial arts - the idea of an inside student, achieved after many years of devotion to a master, is a fabulous cash cow.
On the other hand; do you want your teacher to be hungry? Don't kick over other people's rice bowls

 

[nigeld]

After 1 1/2 years of Covid-induced loss of revenue, I'm not surprised that professional musicians are looking for money wherever they can find it. But I have no impression that my teacher is more interested in finding extra sources of income than in me.

If you are not happy with your teacher, then it's time to look for a new teacher.

 

[BUMNOTE]

Money talks.

 

[Jimmymack]

Most pro musicians are hurting right now. If your teacher can handle the work load then good for them. Many have struggled to survive, the emotional as well as the financial cost must have been very hard. Jamey Anderson has practically remade himself going from being a gigging musician and orchestra pit player to being a well respected online teacher and I applaud him for doing it, he puts in a lot of effort and he’s still gigging when he can. Gigs, especially well paid or regular gigs, are few and far between. If you think his teaching is suffering you should either talk about it or look somewhere else.

 

[Jeanette]

I think as long as you feel you are getting quality teaching then what your teacher does outside of your lesson is irrelevant. It seems to be all sax related though so might make him or her a more rounded useful contact to have. If however you feel your lessons are suffering because they are doing too much elsewhere then that's a conversation you need to have with the teacher.

Funnily enough my current teacher has just taken up repairs, wonder if it is the same one?

My previous tutor could tweak my sax and he taught and played gigs but repairs were not a sideline he offered.

Jx