Choosing the Violin teacher
There are a number of factors to take into consideration in looking for your ideal teacher. However, the most important factor determining your ideal teacher would be considering the teacher-student relationship between both of you, to examine if he/she is suitable for you. Many violinists have started to offer trial lessons for free where both the teacher and student could interact with each other to see if there is a good fit between them. However, what do you look for in finding a good ideal teacher?
Enthusiasm
When finding a teacher, students can still be unsure if violin is what they really want to learn, as it is a total new thing to them and they fear that they would not master the violin well. To spur their determination, motivation and interest, the teacher himself/herself have to be enthusiastic with music and of course, violin too. Being enthusiastic would mean that the teacher has to convey to the student that he/she enjoys playing, learning, and teaching violin. This can be shown through the interaction between the teacher and student, where the teacher shares about his/her journey in learning the violin, how he/she practiced regularly from somebody who is clumsy in playing to what they are today. Encouragements by the teacher could also motivate one to persevere in mastering the violin.
Encouragement
As mentioned above, encouragements from teachers play an important role in supporting the students to have the determination and confidence to learn the violin. Students, especially the younger ones would not like a fierce teacher who will always put them down and scold them for their awful playing. This will not only put down their morale in learning, they will even lose interest in violin, rejecting to continue to learn to master the playing of the violin. Therefore, an encouraging teacher is vital as an additional motivational source for the student.
Patience
In many cases, patience is always the key to learn something successfully. Especially in the case of learning musical instruments like the violin, patience is required to master the different techniques and to be able to play them fluently. Besides a patient student, a patient teacher is equally important to aid in helping his/her student to persevere in learning. A patient teacher is not anxious when his/her student does not master some technique well, but instead goes through the technique at a slower speed, attending to all the doubts and questions by the student. This is best for the student as he/she progresses as the teacher clears their doubts.
Personality Fit
Besides the essential qualities of a good teacher as mentioned above, the personality of the teacher plays a part in the final choice of choosing the ideal teacher. Different personalities of the teacher suit different kinds of students. For instance, a bubbly and cheerful teacher might suit young children but might not suit some adults who prefer serious and focused teachers. Likewise, a serious teacher might not be appealing for children who love to have fun in learning.
Professionalism
Lastly, the professional qualifications of the teachers will help you to find for your right teacher too. For instance, students who are keen to carve out a music career through learning might want to choose professionals who are experienced performers. They would be able to give you more professional advices and might aid in helping you to succeed in your career.
In our agency, we served to help students get started to play the violin by providing a Student-to-Violin Teacher matching service, which is completely free (no registration fees).
If you are keen to find a violin teacher in Singapore, feel free to contact us!