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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Linky Lee" data-source="post: 604940" data-attributes="member: 15">I've had around 14 teachers in 10 years of flute playing, which is pretty dire. I've had two that I regard as good teachers. Both I'm still in contact with. One who left to run a county scheme and the other who is still teaching me and helped my interest in saxophone playing along. She's the only saxophone teacher I've had and I would never change if I had the choice. I think good teachers are very hard to come by, as for every type of teacher there is, there are as many types of learner. It's finding one who works for you is the hard bit.part of why her lessons are so successful for me is that we get on very well and as someone has already said the lessons become fun, even social. She is very good because she teaches, she doesn't preach and force her opinions and ideas upon the pupil. She lets them explore and find out for themselves. For example when she was showing me how to play the saxophone she showed me four different embouchure types, told me how to do them all and spend a week using them all and see which ones work the best for myself. She didn't say "do it like this, this is how it should be."She tailors the material to me and chooses music that will interest me and keep me going and also cover some fundamentals that everyone needs to have an awareness on even if it doesn't interest them. There is structure but also flexibility. She goes about teaching in a way to make you understand. The questions all beginners have begin with 'why?' If she picks up a problem or I notice something or ask a question, then we go about exploring it and trying to find a solution. It's like leaving space for self development and she just guides you in the right direction like a compass or map, if you will. She understands that I'm a bit of a perfectionist where my playing comes and caters for that. She can judge a situation well and adapt  to make the learning efficient.She also takes a personal interest in her pupils, not just in their saxophone playing and regularly turns up to their concerts and will help them with anything she can if you ask and so on. She's even told me of when I've neglected my studies in favor of some saxophone playing! Apparently exams are important or something, hence the revision all holiday... well most anyway you can't have a holiday without some serious saxophone playing.She's more of a guide or informant than a teacher, but I'd also have to say she's more of a friend than either of those. It works for me, but I can see that it wouldn't work for other people.She's one of these people that have a kind of presence and you listen to them very intensely even if they were talking about the most mundane subject.She's also my flute teacher and I knew her for a few years before I started my saxophone lessons which helps as well I guess.</blockquote>