Learning the piano...

[Peace425]

Hi, I am learning the piano as an adult. I'm about to take the grade 6 exam. My dd is also starting lessons. My piano teacher said something at our last lesson - do you think this is an odd thing for a piano teacher to say?

"If you don't pass the exam, then just give up. Who wants to learn classical piano anyway? These days, no-one sits playing classical music on the piano all day long".

She has a music degree, Grade 8 piano, has given lessons all her life. She's not trying to hint that I'm bad at piano, as I'm quite able.

WTF?

Whaaattt?

No that is unacceptable thing to say and by grade 6 you have a wide range of repertoire available to you in its original form.

I once took on a student who’d been told by his teacher that he had no hope of ever passing his grade 4.

We delayed it by 1 term, changed the c list piece as he wasn’t going to get that one, and he passed. He eventually got grade 7 with me before moving away and passed grade 8 with someone else.

And loads of people enjoy playing classical music, but playing the piano at your level means you’re not restricted to any genre.

I think you need a new teacher. Pm me if you’re in the SW

I think maybe she’d had a bad day

Do you absolutely have to have a piano at home to practise on?

Starry-eyed - you would to be practising at home to learn what you are taught in lessons. Therefore, a touch sensitive, full length electric piano with a plug-in pedal at home at least (that's what I started with). You might be able to get a second-hand one. It doesn't need to have any built-in affects (like a keyboard has). They keys won't have the same tension as a real piano, but you would probably be ok passing exams (on a real piano), with lots of practice. That's if you wanted to do grades.

By Grade 6 I am having to practice every day to get good enough for the exam. Earlier grades you could get by practicing a minimum of twice a week at home.

An alternative option is keyboard lessons, but it's a completely different instrument in terms of the style of playing (more emphasis on chords) and types of music you would potentially perform.

Thank you Billybagpuss - unfortunately I don't live close to you, I'm in the Midlands.

I feel like there are benefits to learning piano; I enjoy it and one day I'd like to teach it, but she had me thinking for a moment!

I find that a bizarre statement, OP! Of course you don't have to play classical piano if you don't want to, but loads of people love classical piano pieces. And exams are a tried and tested way of disciplining your practising, though again they're not essential for progress - it all depends on the individual.
I'm certainly not trying to destabilise your faith in your teacher, but Grade 8 and a music degree do not necessarily a good piano teacher make. I have Grade 8 and beyond, and I'd be one of very many shit teachers out there if I taught. If your instinct is that she may not be the right teacher for you, change. I changed after ten years, five of which I'd been questioning whether I was with the right teacher, and the relief was intense.

Hi Dolores, Yes she's a brilliant musician but not a great teacher. I am a primary school teacher and now tutor, so I notice that she has some dodgy methods. She's disorganised, and would probably put lots of children off playing piano (if she's speaks to them the way she does to me).

However, as I am an adult, I can take what she says as a pinch of salt and use the lessons to tap into her knowledge. It's also quite hard to come by teachers who can teach up to Grade 8 and really know their stuff. She's the third teacher I've had.