Prestigious JD Music Offer, New Teacher Required: Advice?

[NaturalEnergyS]

Hello everyone,

My DD has been offered a place in a JD at prestigious music conservatory in London but on the condition to move to one of their teachers. The situation is difficult because my DD 's current teacher is excellent and a great fit for my child's learning style. Plus, moving to a new teacher without having a tester session is risky.

PS My DD loves her teacher.

We are not sure what to do? Does anyone have similar experience to give an inside?

I had a very talented piano pupil who was accepted at the junior department of a very prestigious conservatoire. He is now in his second year there and doing really well - so much so that as of next term he is going to be joint first study piano and composition - joint first studies don't happen very often. As his first and former piano teacher, I was only too happy to pass him on to the next teacher who could take him to the next level. The teachers at the conservatoires are all at a very high standard and also have links with the main part of the conservatoire as well as in the wider musical world and can give their students opportunities that are unavailable to provincial teachers. It is good that your daughter has such rapport with her present teacher - it would have been far more difficult for her to have reached her present level if this had not been the case - but the teacher would not expect to carry on teaching her after July. However, it certainly does not need to be a final goodbye. You can always keep in touch with the first teacher and, like me, they will be thrilled to know how she's getting on. As a coda, I am now teaching my ex-piano pupil the viola, which is my second instrument. Being fluent in the alto clef is very useful for a composer and it also gives more opportunity to play with others. He is ready to take grade 5 on the viola and has been learning for a little over eighteen months.

I should also add that in the unlikely event of the teacher assigned to your daughter not being the best teacher for her, they will transfer her to another teacher.

Thank you for your advice Violinist64, it is reassuring to know that (especially you are music tutor!).

Thank you and many congratulations to your daughter for being accepted in the conservatoire. I wish her every success for the future.

Is the point of going to the JD not to get a great teacher? I think your child will love learning some new things with a different teacher. It doesn't mean you are spurning the current one. You are not usually allowed to have an additional teacher though, it's usually part of the conditions you sign up to. The person who auditioned them will likely be the one who suggests the teacher but as others have said, changes are usually possible by mutual agreement.