Odd music teacher

[Purch]

My DD has just started clarinet lessons with a new teacher who comes to our house. He is a polite man and seems to be a competent teacher, but he has an odd manner that gives me the creeps a bit. Nothing I can put my finger on. We found him via a notice in the music shop so I haven’t been recommended him by anyone and I don’t think he currently has a lot of students. Unfortunately he’s the only teacher with availability in the area so I don’t have loads of alternatives.

So WWYD:

1. Continue with lessons, sitting in with them (I do this anyway so I can help her practice).
2. Listen to the creep-ometer and stop lessons, even though it’s not based on anything very concrete and the result would be no lessons until we can find another teacher (potentially a long wait).

You have a gut instinct for a reason.

Does he have an actual business? A website or social media etc? Or just a random person?

Did you nit ask for references OP?

Tell me you at least checked that he had a enhanced CRB

I'm not saying to ignore a gut instinct, but a lot of dangerous men come across as charming - if he seemed nice that wouldn't make him any safer!

I’d carry on sitting in and see how it goes, unless your DD feels uncomfortable with him.

You can get some rather odd music teachers (speaking from experience), so it’s likely it’s just his personality, but if you’re uncertain I think you’re doing the right thing by sitting in and making sure he can’t do anything, if you still feel the same after a few months - or your DD is creeped out at any time - then reassess / stop

CRB became DBS over a decade ago. Agree that you should check they have one though.

Yes I checked the DBS but tbh that doesn’t really reassure me.

I was thinking this actually. I know music teachers can be eccentric. In terms of whether he has a business, well he’s just a random clarinet teacher. He does also have a profile on a teaching website that validates his qualifications.

In that case, you're clearly too uncomfortable to keep going with them. You need to stop the lessons.

I mean because all a DBS proves is that he’s not a convicted criminal right? I’ve known plenty of dodgy men in my life, all of whom would have been squeaky clean on a DBS.

True. Listen to your instincts.

In what way is he creepy? What dies he actually say/do?

I'm a teacher (not music). I'd always listen to my gut instinct and then do some checking.

It's true about many music teachers though...we have a peripatetic music teacher who comes into our school to teach violin, and he's absolutely bonkers! Looks like Mr McGoo and is just so random! Kids love him though...and he's very talented! Just 'not of our world' 🤷‍♀️🤪

I am imagining the food critic from Ratatouille

I would keep sitting in there and see if your creepy feeling solidifies into something more concrete, or whether he's just a perhaps slightly socially inept person but that could still help your daughter on the clarinet, which it would be a shame to deprive her of unnecessarily.