Southwestern Musician
Tutti Question
August 2009

How do you work with private instructors? What are your expectations of them? How is billing handled? Can students who can't afford lessons get private instruction? How are students scheduled--is there interruption to your class?

The best private teachers I have used were either current or former students. A senior who is music major bound can sometimes relate better to a beginner than a professional player from the local symphony. Also, former students who are college music majors and graduates work well within the private lesson system. They use the same teaching approach that I do (hey, I taught them!). It is a win-win situation: your former students get some great teaching experience while earning some money and your current students get great private lesson teaching, using your teaching approach.

Submitted by: Mike Myers